Malaysian Business articles from April 2009

Malaysian Business archives from April 2009

MDV's 4th Business & Technology Speakers' Series.
April 16, 2009... Cultivating the reading habit NAPOLEON Hill Associates (M) Sdn Bhd, an affiliate of US-based Napoleon Hill Foundation, has launched its Pass it On Read-a-Book campaign nationwide in efforts to boost the healthy reading culture among...

On a continual downtrend.
April 1, 2009... AS economies collapse all around us, we need to make smart moves to avoid a catastrophe of epic proportions. Are we? THE HEADLINE SAID, 'THE WORLD ECONOMY IS SET to shrink between 0.5% and 1.0% in 2009, the first global contraction in 60 years.'...

Boring but safe.
April 1, 2009... WHY conservative Hong Leong Bank would make a good investment alternative in the local banking sector. SHARE PRICES OF MALAYSIAN banks have dropped to very attractive levels. Is it time to invest in them? Local banking stocks were sold...

Clear road ahead.
April 1, 2009... KONSORTIUM Transnasional, the largest bus operator in the country, is confident of cruising through these tough times due to prudent management. THE RESTRUCTURING AND cost-cutting exercises Konsortium Transnasional Bhd (KTB) has undergone the...

Oil story.
April 1, 2009... WHAT are the prospects for local oil and gas players in the wake of the global crude oil price rebound? GLOBAL CRUDE OIL PRICES have bounced back from one of their lowest levels of US$ 40-US$ 45 a barrel but analysts remain neutral on Malaysia's...

Creative ways to market.
April 1, 2009... IT may take a little while to find out what works best for companies especially during this downturn period. But if they are persistent and willing to try new things, ICT tools can certainly help build a good promotional and marketing programme....

A short-term downside inevitable.
April 1, 2009... SUCH a bearish view, however, is not an indication that the local property mart is on the verge of collapsing, as evident during the 1997/1998 Asian financial crisis. He writing is on the wall. Even the most bullish industry experts would...

Cyber wars.
April 1, 2009... IN THE PAST ONE YEAR, there has been a sudden emergence of cybercities and cybercentres. With state governments and local property developers rushing to attain MSC Malaysia Cybercities and Cybercentres status, what does it mean to the...

The race is on.
April 1, 2009... OVER the last few years, state governments and property developers have actively pursued cybercity and cybercentre status awarded by MSC Malaysia as it promises a competitive world-class environment which would boost the growth of new...

MSC Malaysia: Continuing a legacy.
April 1, 2009... THE Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project has become somewhat of an industry cliche. Or has it Malaysian Business speaks to the Multimedia Development Corporation. AFTER MORE THAN 12 YEARS, MSC Malaysia has today become one of the more...

A handle on the crisis.
April 1, 2009... THE government has come out with a second stimulus package to deal with the worsening economy. Who and what sectors are likely to benefit? THE CURRENT CRISIS HITTING Malaysia is expected to be more devastating than that of 1997/98. This is...

Foreign shareholding dips.
April 1, 2009... EXTERNAL factors still rule on the stock market. FOREIGN SHAREHOLDING IN Malaysian listed companies has dropped. Looking at the companies under our coverage - those with market capitalisation of more than RM500 million and comprising 50...

Bracing for challenges.
April 1, 2009... BANK Negara Malaysia sees a highly challenging year ahead for the Malaysian economy. IN ITS ANNUAL REPORT 2008, Bank Negara Malaysia outlined what we see as a neutral economic outlook for 2009. It expects this year to be a highly challenging...

Holding on.
April 1, 2009... ARE the country's financial institutions as resilient as what the central bank claims in the wake of the global economic crisis? ARE LOCAL BANKS BECOMING cautious in giving out loans? And if so, is there a liquidity crunch looming? There are...

Fully equipped.
April 1, 2009... THE Financial Sector Talent Enrichment Programme is a big help in producing highly-skilled industry professionals. THE CHALLENGES FACED BY Malaysia's financial sector is greater than ever before, following the market meltdown across the...

Sun, sea, sand & scalpel.
April 1, 2009... WHILE the global downturn has scarred many an industry, Malaysia's medical tourism sector is bucking the trend and looking at growth. WHILE THE GLOBAL RECESSION is causing many people to take a scalpel to their holiday plans, one segment of...

Marketing on the high seas.
April 1, 2009... THE world-renowned Monsoon Cup offers corporates a great opportunity for global branding. This year is no different. THE MONSOON CUP THIS YEAR promises to be the best yet. The event steps up each year, becoming better and more prominent,...

The right thing to do?
April 1, 2009... RIGHTS issues are gaining popularity in the current economic climate. Should you take them up? WITH THE CURRENT GLOBAL financial crisis and the likelihood of weaker economic numbers to come, major companies are facing huge losses as their...

E-ticketing: Convenience or complication?
April 1, 2009... ELECTRONIC ticketing has replaced paper tickets in the world of aviation. While this might be convenient and economical for airlines, the customer is not quite confident yet. LAST YEAR SAW THE BEGINNING of a global mandate by the...

Asean's fishy FTA.
April 1, 2009... IN moving towards a viable grouping, Asean could learn a thing or two from the European Union and its mistakes. AFTER THE PHUKET MEETING in Thailand recently, an announcement was made that Asean should evolve along the lines of the European...

After sales service secrets!
April 1, 2009... AFTER sales service is crucial to sustain sales. What are the most important points? WHAT'S the secret to repeat sales? What's the secret to referrals? What's the secret to not ending up reviving a dead account? Answer: After sales service. ...

Solving the falling yield conundrum.
April 1, 2009... ONLY proactive intervention can boost yields in this deteriorating environment. We show you how. AN INTEREST rate represents the cost of money. Just as with any other commodity, supply and demand considerations determine the cost of money....

A safe haven.
April 1, 2009... GOLD has, for centuries, been a safe bet when it comes to preserving capital, downturn or not. So, if you are looking for a secure avenue in these trying times, why not try this precious metal? I RECENTLY took a business-cum-holiday trip to...

MYOB enchances e-marketing efforts.
April 1, 2009... BRANDING EXERCISE AND promotion activities are important operational aspects for MYOB as it continues to protect its large customer base and continuously grow the business in Asia. It is therefore not surprising to see that MYOB's marketing...

Penang losing glitter.
April 1, 2009... PENANG is likely to experience sharper-than-expected decline in property demand due to worsening external environment given more than 40%of the state's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is derived from the manufacturing sector vis-a-vis the...

Enter depression economics.
April 1, 2009... AS election looms next year, Australia is clamouring to save its economy. Can it? UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS last month saw Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Treasurer Wayne Swan and Industrial Relations Minister Julia Gillard scrambling to...

Wen's Swan Song for China.
April 1, 2009... EVERYBODY'S hoping that Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's stimulus packages will work, Australian treasurer Wayne Swan included, as otherwise, we are all in more trouble. IF YOU GO BY THE ARGUMENT spun by Australia's Labor government, its A$10.4...

On fertile ground.
April 1, 2009... HRH Tengku Puan Pahang Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Almutawakkil Allahlah Sultan Iskandar, the founder of the Tunku Azizah fertility foundation, makes the dreams of childless couples come true via her foundation. She tells Sharmila...

Island in the sun.
April 1, 2009... LANGKAWI never fails to bring in the crowds year after year. Its attraction? Nature and an idyllic lifestyle. THERE ARE indeed two legends in Langkawi. One that is well known to many for the past 200 years is the Mahsuri legend. Of...

The next building block infrastructure.
April 1, 2009... TODAY'S PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE is becoming instrumented. Sensors are being embedded everywhere - in bridges and roads, cars, appliances, cameras, pipelines, even in medicine and livestock. According to Hemant Shah, Infrastructure Business...

"A landlord from HELL".
April 1, 2009... ALL the landlords out there will be able to relate countless stories about their tenants. How some tenants complain about every single thing, how some others avoid their calls and how some of them actually lie when they fail to pay the rent. ...

Baptism of fire.
April 1, 2009... PRIME Minister-in-Waiting Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak will hardly have a minute to breathe easy when he takes over the premiership of the country. He has much to do to placate the rakyat. He has to rise to the occasion. ON MARCH 25,...

Marketing it right.
April 1, 2009... KELLOGG on Advertising and Media offers insight into marketing, with an emphasis on the all-important art of engaging the customer. THE WORLD of advertising and marketing has been shaken up with wave after wave of change over the last decade....

How IP in China works.
April 1, 2009... CHINA Intellectual Property Challenges and Solutions - An Essential Business Guide tells you everything you need to know about IP protection in China. PUT China and intellectual property (IP) rights in the same sentence and more often than...

MeCD's advertising boost.
April 1, 2009... A quick look at the latest promotions and events around town. THE Ministry of Entrepreneur & Cooperative Development (MeCD) ran a programme recently to help Bumiputera entrepreneurs advertise and promote their products and/or services via...

Rugged mobile device.
April 1, 2009... IT LOOKS A LOT MORE LIKE A mobile phone but in actually, the Motorola FR68 Enterprise Digital Assistant (EDA) is really a full-function 3.5G HSDPA/WAN network standard mobile computer that offer simultaneous voice and high speed data...

Ultra full-touch mobile experience.
April 1, 2009... THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. The new Samsung Electronics' Ultra(TOUCH) mobile phone offers style, design and technology .Ultra(TOUCH) boasts new (TOUCH) screen technology, sophisticated design and packed with multimedia features. At the centre...

When transparency counts.
April 1, 2009... WHERE transparency is concerned, Malaysians, ranging from politicians to company directors, are vague about their remuneration. If everything is above board, why should this be the case? WHEN IT COMES TO THE ISSUE OF TRANSPARENCY, many...

Our biotech future.
April 1, 2009... BIOTECHNOLOGY IS SIMPLY "technology applied on biology" especially when used in agriculture, food science and medicine. Indeed, the modern world went through the physics revolution that saw the birth of nuclear power and chemical...