Malaysian Business articles from April 2012

Malaysian Business archives from April 2012

In & out of bursa.
April 16, 2012... The trend of taking companies private appears to be on the rise. So far this year alone, major shareholders of close to a dozen companies have announced plans to take their companies private. But more interestingly, the market is seeing a new...

New IBM solutions portal for SMEs.
April 16, 2012... IBM Smarter Office portal offers self assessment and solutions mapping for expansion purposes IN A MOVE TO HELP SMALL and medium enterprises to build on their existing basic IT infrastructure to meet further business growth or future...

Maxis unveils Built for SME-retail.
April 16, 2012... IN AN EFFORT TO HELP THE RETAIL small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) to manage their costs and resources more effectively, and to increase productivity and grow their business more efficiently, Maxis Bhd has launched Built for SME-Retail - the...

Brocade focuses on Malaysian market.
April 16, 2012... NETWORKING SPECIALIST BROCADE, a leading player in the storage area networking (SAN) segment, expects to double its IP business in the coming year, with continuing double-digit growth for its historical SAN networking business. The company's...

Avira finds missing Android Phones Worldwide.
April 16, 2012... IT SECURITY EXPERT AVIRA HAS announced the general availability of Avira Free Android Security software which can remotely locate, lock or erase an Android phone anywhere in the world to maintain security. It can even make the phone 'scream' to...

Industry benchmarks to measure website performance.
April 16, 2012... COMPUWARE CORP, THE TECHNOLOGY performance company, recently announced the availability of website performance benchmarks in Malaysia. According to Koh Eng Kiong, managing director of Compuware Malaysia, the benchmarks provide companies in...

Monopoly poser in MAS-AirAsia Swap.
April 16, 2012... It has been reported that the Malaysian Competition Commission is investigating whether the Malaysia Airlines/AirAsia share swap deal involves an abuse of monopoly or formation of a cartel. The verdict is crucial to all parties involved. ONE...

Right-sizing security in the Cloud.
April 16, 2012... RECENT STORIES ON NETWORK interruptions and system break-ins made many organisations hesitant about transferring data, applications and/or processes to the Cloud. In fact, in recent months, Malaysian Government websites were hacked by hacker...

A cautionary tale of three commissions.
April 16, 2012... Politics has no place in independent commissions like the Election Commission, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Securities Commission. So why do we still hear of instances where this happens? DO many of us really know and...

Power failure.
April 16, 2012... The recent withdrawal of Australian miner Rio Tinto plc to develop a huge aluminium smelter project in Sarawak doesn't augur well for the state. What happened? The recent withdrawal of Australian miner Rio Tinto plc to build the aluminium...

The Bumiputera agenda continues.
April 16, 2012... Teraju takes aim at the Bumiputera equity target with new thinking and direction. BY the time Malaysia becomes a high-income nation in 2020, the Bumiputera community is expected to have achieved greater economic participation and share of the...

Auto star on the rise.
April 16, 2012... MBM Resources, on the verge of a major business model transformation, is looking rather enticing to investors at the moment. The auto sector has not been in the limelight for investors lately. Most analysts appear to be rating the sector...

Strong showing.
April 16, 2012... Poised for a re-rating, Malaysian Resources Corporation is worthy of attention. INVESTORS had overreacted in sending Malaysian Resources Corporation Bhd (MRCB)'s shares down on news related to the company's Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL)...

Foreign support for Bursa.
April 16, 2012... Regional equity markets - Malaysia included - continue to be buoyed by foreign fund inflows. CONSISTENT with the influx of foreign money into Southeast Asia, Malaysia attracted some RM3.4 billion in March, driving up the local bourse to a...

Inside looking out.
April 16, 2012... Is the trend of Bursa Malaysia-listed companies being taken private, delisted and later relisted worrying? THE trend of major shareholders taking their listed companies private appears to be coming back in fashion. Last year saw at least five...

Relisting: The next wave?
April 16, 2012... IN recent years, major shareholders have taken their companies private, only to relist or sell their assets later at much higher valuations. Good examples include tycoon Ananda Krishnan's experience with Maxis Communications Bhd and Tan Sri...

Who next?
April 16, 2012... Spotting companies that will be taken private can be a very lucrative exercise. We give some pointers. LOOKING back at the take-private exercises in the last couple of years, we see some common thread running through companies taking this...

Profile of potential candidates.
April 16, 2012... MASTERSKILL EDUCATION GROUP BHD THE company is in the spotlight following its chief executive officer Datuk Seri Edmund Santhara's recent move to raise his stake to 23.81% in the company. At the time of writing, it was not clear the rationale...

What does bursa say?
April 16, 2012... We get the views of Bursa Malaysia on the trend of listed companies being taken private. THE flurry of companies being taken private in the last couple of years has put the spotlight on Bursa Malaysia following investor concern that these...

A sumptuous old-world holiday.
April 16, 2012... Seri Chenang Resort & Spa Langkawi is the newest addition to the resort landscape of the legendary island. Capturing the grandeur and splendour of the beautiful Malay heritage houses, it offers luxury and tranquillity steeped in tradition....

Sustainable strategies for competitive advantage.
April 16, 2012... Where sustainability is concerned, environmental, social and governance or ESG strategies are, in fact, financial decisions. Businesses today are recognizing the impact that the environment and the community have on businesses. These risks...

Hot over solar.
April 16, 2012... Interest in solar energy swamps that for other renewable-energy sources as Malaysia's Feed-in-Tariff for Renewable Energy programme gets underway. WHEN the nation's Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) for Renewable Energy (RE) mechanism came into effect...

On your mark .....ZO:.
April 16, 2012... The National Mark of Malaysian Brand certification seeks out Malaysian products and services of the highest quality, excellence and distinction. PRODUCTS from small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are often seen to be of lower quality and...

Going big on Tourism.
April 16, 2012... Messe Berlin Chief to pursue feelers on Malaysia's 'partner country' participation at ITB Asia in Singapore. The top executive at the Messe Berlin, the organizer of the prestigious International Tourism Bourse (ITB) of Berlin, touted as the...

Kudos to BNM for its annual report.
April 16, 2012... BNM's release of its 2011 Annual Report revealed some eye-openers. Among them are the uneven distribution of leverage positions of the different income groups, and the pace of non-bank lending in recent years. THOSE who attended the briefing...

NCR Land: Sabah natives get 'Relief'.
April 16, 2012... The Sabah Government says it will accept the people's right to claim land they have occupied for generations as their own. Now the primary objective is to ensure justice for the claimants, the community, government and society. IT had to come...

Running for a reason.
April 16, 2012... The Standard Chartered KL Marathon, now in its fourth year, has gone from strength to strength, with record participation this year. And as usual, its principal cause will be charity. One of Kuala Lumpur's most anticipated running events, the...

Onward, civil society!
April 16, 2012... The rise of civil society - as manifested in pressure and advocacy groups - is a much welcome development to address inadequacies or wrong-doings of government, ruling elites and big business. THE early beginnings of civil society could...

Helping SMEs build their brands.
April 16, 2012... SMEs often give brand-building a miss for lack of funds or expertise. 4As aims to change all this with a special programme. SMALL and medium enterprises (SMEs) should not be handicapped just because they lack funds or in-house expertise. If...

The Road to Freedom.
April 16, 2012... Why the West should fan Myanmar's flames of freedom. No one has yet coined a snappy title for what is happening in Myanmar, but the sequence of events is quite as remarkable as with any of the revolutions that shook the Arab world last year,...

Training the mind to enhance work & life.
April 16, 2012... Mindfulness training is a tool to enhance focus, efficiency and work-life balance for leaders and employees. All organizations should implement it. What do organizations like Carlsberg, General Electric, Google, Harvard University, Facebook...

Boosting tax collection.
April 16, 2012... Tax avoidance and the rule to void your transaction. 'The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that carries any reward.' - John Maynard Keynes. Anyone inclined to be inspired by this statement of this great man should think...

Seeking quality in challenging macroeconomic environments.
April 16, 2012... How the current macroeconomic development-driven market is creating unique opportunities for investors. IN today's challenging global macroeconomic environment, the Templeton Global Equity Group (TGEG) adheres to its time-tested approach of...

Living a purposeful life.
April 16, 2012... To the thousands of people whom he has trained via his company Personal Development Leadership, Datuk Lawrence Chan Kum Peng is the one who helped unleash the potential within. Sharmila Valli Narayanan meets up with Chan and learns about some of...

What to do in Bad Times.
April 16, 2012... The Great Crash Ahead: Strategies for a World Turned Upside Down provides some good pointers for investing in these volatile times. 'The Great Crash Ahead: Strategies for a World Turned Upside Down,' * By: Harry S Dent, Jr * Publisher:...

Driving women to the top.
April 16, 2012... It's Rising Time is a call to action to women everywhere to achieve financial freedom. 'It's Rising Time,' * By: Kim Kiyosaki * Publisher: Plata Publishing * Pages: 329 * Price: RM66.90 'Like husband, like wife' best describes...

Malaysia's all-new 24/7 business channel launched.
April 16, 2012... The Malaysian business community will now have a new platform to get the latest updates on business and finance news with the launch of Malaysia's first local business television channel, Capital TV. The first of its kind, this 24-hr daily...

Jelita unearths talent among kids.
April 16, 2012... The prize-giving ceremony for 'Kamilah Bintang Cilik Jelita 2011' was held recently at Kelantan Delights restaurant at Sooka Sentral, KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur. Juhaidi Yean Abdullah, Executive Director of Berita Publishing Sdn Bhd (BPSB), gave...

CIMB'S RBS foray.
April 16, 2012... CIMB Group Holdings Bhd is set to grow, following its RM849.4 million takeover of most of the regional cash equities and associated investment banking businesses of Royal Bank of Scotland Plc (RBS). 'This acquisition takes CIMB to the next...

TM launches bizfest 2012.
April 16, 2012... Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) has launched the inaugural SME BizFest 2012, a two-day event which will be held in three major cities, namely, Penang, Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur starting from April until May this year. SME BizFest 2012 aims to...

Alliance bank's arran gement with AIA.
April 16, 2012... Alliance Bank Malaysia Bhd has formalised an eight-year conventional life insurance arrangement with AIA Bhd to provide the best-of-breed life insurance protection and savings products to its customers. The move underlies further cooperation...

BCARD and Chatime 'Tea-ming' up.
April 16, 2012... Malaysian consumers now have more reasons to smile as Malaysia's loyalty programme - BCARD - has teamed up with Chatime Malaysia, the local chain of a leading international bubble tea brand, to provide more value-added benefits and rewards to...

Enter STMS.
April 16, 2012... The Government of Malaysia through its Department of Road Transport (JPJ) is collaborating with the Federation of Motor & Credit Companies Associations of Malaysia (FMCCAM) to implement a system known as Interim Transfer of Ownership (Sistem...

IIM's ntegrity enhancement programme.
April 16, 2012... Institut Integriti Malaysia (IIM) will organise three events to enhance integrity in conjunction with the eighth anniversary of the National Integrity Plan. Among the programmes are the 'Pertandingan Pidato Integriti Piala Menteri Pelajaran...

Nine Timber employees undergo training in Australia.
April 16, 2012... The Malaysian Timber Council (MTC) has launched its Sponsorship Award Programme for nine personnel from the Malaysian wood-based industry to upgrade their technical and management skills through a specially tailored three-month training course...

Greentech's new gallery.
April 16, 2012... GreenTech Malaysia (Malaysian Green Technology Corporation) plans to launch the Green Discovery and Products Gallery (Green Gallery) supported by local green industry vendors to promote environmentally friendly products and services by end May....

Etiqa wins big at Takaful Awards Night.
April 16, 2012... Etiqa Takaful Bhd dominated the 2012 Takaful Annual Dinner and Awards Night when it bagged seven awards from the 14-category event, hosted by the Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA). Etiqa topped the Family Takaful - Group Business Operator...

Media study.
April 16, 2012... UM Malaysia recently unveiled findings from the sixth installment of its Universal McCann Wave media study, a measurement of the scale and impact of social media globally, and discovered some critical messages for the business community. The...

HP's 27-inch workstation.
April 16, 2012... HP has unveiled the world's first 27-inch, all-in-one workstation, the HP Z1. The display of the HP Z1 Workstation snaps open so users can easily swap out parts and make upgrades without any tools. It features Intel Xeon processors, NVIDIA...

MOL rocks on.
April 16, 2012... Money Online (MOL) is today one of Asia's fastest growing payment systems with over 60 million transactions annually. The company behind it, MOL Global - which shocked the world when it acquired Friendster in 2010 - is also leveraging a network...

Smart VIERA.
April 16, 2012... Panasonic has introduced the Smart VIERA, a new home entertainment experience. The latest VIERA NeoPlasma TVs offer up to 2500Hz FFD and gives you easy access to online content, applications and a built-in web browser. Wi-Fi and DLNA capability...

Paradigm shift earphones.
April 16, 2012... Paradigm Shift, the brand launched by Paradigm Electronics Inc, has launched its first ever earphones - E1, E2m and E3m. Designed for portable personal audio, PC and gaming, the E1, E2m and E3m earbuds were built for comfort without sacrificing...

Big fast results.
April 1, 2012... After a string of resounding wins in its inaugural year, the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) entered its second year with renewed focus on more game-changing results for 2011. For the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), 2011...

Thriving with Cyberjaya.
April 1, 2012... The EMKAY Group foresees a three-fold hike in Gross Development Value for the five-year period 2012-2016 Having capped eight years of active presence in the nucleus of Malaysia's Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC), the EMKAY Group is now...

Banking on resilience.
April 1, 2012... MALAYSIAN banks had a bumper year in 2011. But with the economy expected to slow down and the central bank prodding for slower household loans growth, are local banks sufficiently capitalised to weather the downturn? Our cover story looks at the...

No memo from MCMC.
April 1, 2012... THE MALAYSIAN COMMUNICATIONS and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has denied a report that it issued a memo to industry players instructing them to be prepared for the 6% service tax for prepaid subscribers from July 1. The telecommunications...

Containing the rising cost of living.
April 1, 2012... In July 2011, a seventh National Key Results Area (NKRA) - Addressing the Rising Cost of Living (otherwise known as the COL NKRA) - was introduced to aid Malaysians in coping with rising living costs. It is heartening to note that just under...

More study on BCPM.
April 1, 2012... THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION (MOSTI) has proposed that further consultation and engagement be conducted on the establishment of the controversial Board of Computing Professionals Malaysia (BCPM). The move has been...

Meeting the green agenda.
April 1, 2012... IN LIGHT OF THE INCREASINGLY CHALLENGING task for data centres to stay cost effective for their customers, local data centre players are urged to stay focused on the community's Green Agenda. According to Chiew Kok Hin, CEO of AIMS Group,...

Scientex's twin growth engines.
April 1, 2012... When dwelling on the subject of whether a convergence is possible for manufacturing and property development - often perceived as two distant industries - the transformation of Mah Sing Group Bhd from a plastic manufacturer to a leading...

Global transit links Indonesia to the World.
April 1, 2012... A MALAYSIAN BANDWIDTH PROVIDER Global Transit Communications (GTC) is to provide a competitive, reliable bandwidth connectivity to PT PGAS Telekomunikasi Nusantara (PGASCOM), which operates an undersea fibre-optic cable from Singapore to...

Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur banks on Facebook.
April 1, 2012... FOR GRAND MILLENNIUM KUALA LUMPUR, social media, particularly Facebook, is one effective marketing tool. The hotel became the first hotel in Malaysia to introduce an integrated Facebook booking engine - http://facebook.com/grandmillenniumkl,...

Intensifying the battle against crime.
April 1, 2012... In the fifth edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) released in May 2011, Malaysia was declared the most peaceful country in Southeast Asia and the fourth safest in the Asia-Pacific region behind New Zealand, Japan and Australia. The country...

Riding on mobile social networking trend.
April 1, 2012... WITH MOBILE SOCIAL NETWORKING, members within a virtual mobile community can interact with each other through real-time messaging, social gaming, chatting and other social activities as well, through location-based services, augmented reality...

KL's last of its kind freehold land.
April 1, 2012... Sanctuary Ridge Kuala Lumpur City, a 15.2-hectare (38-acre) low-density development of luxury bungalow lots in close proximity to the famous Bukit Gasing Forest Reserve, is probably the last of its kind freehold tract of land in the Federal...

Waging war against corruption.
April 1, 2012... The rising incidence of corruption in Malaysia continues to be a major concern for investors. Already, the economic cost of corruption to the country has been enormous, with billions of ringgit in revenue and opportunity cost lost, while fair...

More issues in run-up to polls.
April 1, 2012... As the general election approaches, all kinds of issues will be raised to capitalise on the perceived weakness of the ruling coalition, as epitomised by the recent issue regarding the shortage of teachers in Chinese language schools. How these...

Making IT works for businesses.
April 1, 2012... COMMON SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS not only bridge business processes, but complement consumer-to-business interaction and vice versa. It is therefore essential for companies to be adept at navigating through the social media noise by developing and...

Raising the education bar.
April 1, 2012... The Education NKRA commits to "closing the gap" and "raising the bar" by making high-quality basic education more accessible to all students and improving student outcomes across the Malaysian school system. As a whole, 2011 saw the rollout...

Eradicating rural poverty.
April 1, 2012... To bridge the divide between the economically well-off and the disadvantaged is the ultimate aim of the Raising Living Standards of Low- Income Households (LIH) NKRA. Having achieved the target of taking more than 44,000 households out of the...

Bridging the rural divide.
April 1, 2012... The Improving Rural Basic Infrastructure (RBI) NKRA serves to uplift the living standards of rural Malaysians so that they too can reap the same opportunities enjoyed by urban communities. At present, about 35% or approximately 10 million of...

Clearing the air.
April 1, 2012... The government's proposed ICare medical plan must once and for all resolve the many healthcare issues in the country, some of which have been dragging on for years. IT MUST SURELY BE IRONIC THAT DESPITE HAVING ONE of the best healthcare...

Enhancing urban living.
April 1, 2012... With cities coming under tremendous pressure from continuing population growth, there is an urgent need to put an effective and efficient urban public transport system in place. On the whole, the Improving Urban Public Transport (UPT) NKRA...

One Angry Bird this one.....ZO:.
April 1, 2012... Alleged financial irregularities have put bread and confectionary maker Silver Bird in a bind, with more possible bad news on the way. IF there is one really angry bird at the moment, it may not be one of those original 'Angry Birds' by Rovio...

Not out of the woods yet.
April 1, 2012... The European Central Bank's latest rescue package to the eurozone in no way means an end to its debt and banking crisis - or to the potential debt contagion. THE European debt and banking crisis still poses the biggest threat to the global...

Right place, right time.
April 1, 2012... KPJ Healthcare, the largest private healthcare operator in the country, is set to b e the major beneficiary in the healthcare sector's possible rerating. It was reported in the media that healthcare player Integrated Healthcare Holdings Sdn...

Tourism 'Scentsation'.
April 1, 2012... The ephemeral sight and scent of durian flowers mark a trail for fresh tourism opportunities down at the orchard. THE durian season beckons again beginning June this year, signaling an orgy of fruit feasts that should last all the way to...

Bond Boom.
April 1, 2012... The Malaysian bond market is going places, especially where Islamic bonds are concerned. Even as Europe struggles with the prospect of a significant recession in 2012, Malaysian bond markets are booming, with the country's success in Islamic...

Planting profits.
April 1, 2012... Golden Palm Growers Bhd claims to be the only oil palm-growing scheme that distributes 100% of its audited net profits. Investors are thrilled. GOLDEN Palm Growers Bhd (GPG) advocates that money does grow on trees - if one invests in its oil...

Leading for sustainability.
April 1, 2012... This is the second of a two-part series on the subject of sustainability, which has begun to intrigue business leaders today. It may seem premature, when most businesses have limited experience of the business case for sustainability, to be...

Banking with caution.
April 1, 2012... With the economy expected to slow down and the central bank prodding for slower household loan growth, are Malaysian banks sufficiently equipped for any eventualities? MALAYSIAN banks had a bumper year in 2011. Many reported record profits...

How strong are our banks?
April 1, 2012... Bank Negara Malaysia's stress tests on the banking system's ability to withstand market- and credit-linked risks and shocks have yielded reassuring results. STRESS tests carried out on Malaysia's banking and insurance sectors affirm the...

Relooking corporate risk governance.
April 1, 2012... Calculated risk-taking is part of the business of banks and a source of revenue. But excessive risk appetites can also destroy. What can be done about this? THE last two decades have seen a number of banks worldwide suffering severe financial...

Water woes.
April 1, 2012... Flood schemes in Thailand ignoring vital local expertise, say community leaders. While everyone seems to agree with government plans to dredge rivers and canals as well as the need to obtain massive water retention areas to prevent a new...