Malaysian Business articles from June 2010

Malaysian Business archives from June 2010

Changing for the better.
June 16, 2010... SIGNIFICANT changes at the land office will render registering a land transfer a one-day affair. Timely, as inefficiencies and fraud tend to put off investors and the business community at large. THE LAND OFFICE TELLS US THAT IT NOW TAKES...

Dream gone wrong.
June 16, 2010... HAILED as the 'Indian dream' when incorporated in 1982, Maika Holdings Bhd has long turned into a nightmare, with accumulated losses totalling RM106.71 million as at end-2008. THE OFFER DOCUMENT FOR the conditional takeover of Maika Holdings...

The bigger the better.
June 16, 2010... LOCAL oil and gas companies are expanding via mergers and acquisitions, attracting attention from investors in the process. THE CRUDE OIL PRICE IS stabilising at the current level of around US$ 70 per barrel, and this should see oil and gas...

Banking on a deal.
June 16, 2010... WHO will win in the bid to take over Eon Capital? IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A done deal, or was it? In early February 2010, talks of a merger between Eon Capital (Eoncap) and Hong Leong Bank (HLB) started to emerge and after a series of board...

The Banking Tiger.
June 16, 2010... THE last two years have been a challenging one for Malayan Banking Bhd, following an acquisition spree in 2008 that was heavily criticised. It was also during these trying times that Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar came on board as president and...

Motorola banking on Tetra.
June 16, 2010... CRITICAL missions, that usually revolve around life and death situations, need mission critical communications to support them. Motorola has for the past 75 year been a leader in providing devices and solutions to support mission critical...

Maybank the push continues.(Company overview)
June 16, 2010... AFTER the hiccup caused by some allegedly overpriced acquisitions, Malayan Banking Bhd is back on track in its quest of becoming a regional bank of note. HAVING put behind its controversial regional acquisitions made two years ago, Malayan...

Dawn of a new era.
June 16, 2010... MALAYSIAN Business meets up with Maybank chieftain Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar for an early morning chat. DATUK SERI ABDUL WAHID Omar's appointment as president and chief executive of Maybank was slated to come into effect on May 1, 2008,...

Building greener homes.
June 16, 2010... WITH a track record spanning more than three decades in the property development sector, Mutiara Goodyear Development has bullish sentiments for 2010. BACKED BY EXPERIENCE IN urban and town planning, Hamidon Abdullah took over the mantle of...

The beautiful game.
June 16, 2010... THIS World Cup year, what stocks should you pick up for kicks? THE FEVER is back. the contagious World Cup fever could infect hundreds of millions of people around the globe soon, a scenario borne by the fact that football is the No 1 sports...

Petrochemicals: Facing the challenges.
June 16, 2010... HOW to get the most from your refining and chemicals assets in an environment of low operating margins. THE FOCUS ON OPERATIONAL excellence has been around for some time in the petrochemicals industry of the East, but now it has become even...

Global online ads soar.
June 16, 2010... LOOKING at the enormous influence and profitability of Paid Search. GLOBAL online advertising will reach, in constant currency terms, US$61 billion in 2010, forecasts MagnaGlobal in a report published earlier this month. This is a rise of...

The wonders of green technology.
June 16, 2010... CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, black is no longer cool as our attention is increasingly shifting to green for a more desirable, sustainable and environmentally-sound future. By definition, green or clean technology is a technology that is...

Making headway in LED lighting technology.
June 16, 2010... ITRAMAS TECHNOLOGY SDN BHD, A home-grown energy saving LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting specialist, has found a viable direct replacement for conventional halogen and incandescent light bulbs with its new line of Q- RAY" LED bulbs. ...

A paint to protect mother nature.
June 16, 2010... WHEN IT COMES TO OFFERING eco-friendly paints, AkzoNobel, the world's largest paint company, does live up to expectation as a true leader in sustainability. As the parent company of ICI Paints (M) Sdn Bhd - Malaysia's oldest paint...

Philips moves towards making cities more liveable.
June 16, 2010... IT is here, in the urban jungle, that the battle against climate change must be addressed and won, argues Ravi Rajagopalan, General Manager (Lighting, Philips Malaysia Sdn Bhd). Fortunately, we already have a powerful weapon at our fingertips as...

Fuji Xerox's latest 'green breakthrough'.
June 16, 2010... AS A LEADER IN DOCUMENT technologies and services, Fuji Xerox has always focused on the development of various environmental-friendly products and solutions. The launch of its latest digital colour multifunction device; ApeosPort-IV marks a...

SIRIM's green agenda.
June 16, 2010... SIRIM HAS BEEN IN THE FOREFRONT of green technology since the early 1980s. According to Dr Chen Sau Soon, its Senior General Manager for Environmental Technology Research Centre (ETRC), a number of research projects - mainly related to the...

Battling indoor pollutants.
June 16, 2010... LIKE ITS OUTDOOR COUNTERPART, indoor air pollution, too, is an equally serious threat. Dust, pollen, moulds, mildew, bacteria and viruses that fill the air in our living spaces can cause odour, irritation and allergic reactions. Many...

Life after the rebound.
June 16, 2010... THE grand first-quarter growth figures have been chewed and digested. What happensanow, in light of the still fragile external environment and the government's expected move to reduce subsidies? WHEN IT COMES TO SPREADING NEWS ABOUT Malaysia's...

Challenging Internet future.
June 16, 2010... AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES EVOLVED OUT OF AN MIT RESEARCH effort aimed at solving the flash crowd problem in which request load overwhelms some aspect of the site's infrastructure, such as the front-end Web server, network equipment, or bandwidth, or...

The fiscal deficit.
June 16, 2010... FISCAL deficits - where a government spends more than it earns - have become a fact of life since countries adopted massive stimulus measures to counter the effects of the global financial crisis. How is the situation in Malaysia? THE ISSUE OF...

Profitable prospects out of Palm Oil.
June 16, 2010... THIS year's Transfer of Technology Seminar offers entrepreneurs fresh commercialisation leads. THE GENERATION OF NEW innovations and inventions by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) has continued its upward trend that reflects the success of...

Of taxpayers' money & freedom of speech.
June 16, 2010... IF we are to achieve First World status, the rakyat deserves the right to accurate information and freedom of speech as taxpayers. How far off are we from this? THE AMERICANS TAKE THEIR money seriously. For that matter, who doesn't? The...

The charm offensive.
June 16, 2010... SCIENTISTS pin hopes on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak to unfreeze relations in Antarctica. PRIME MINISTER DATUK SERI Mohd Najib Abd Razak has a distinctive style, including a knack for unfreezing frozen relations. ...

China's quandary.
June 16, 2010... ALTHOUGH China's economy is back on track after the global economic crisis, it still faces several dilemmas. CHINA'S ECONOMY RECOVERED quickly from the global financial crisis. Along with the recovery, problems such as inflation and...

Creates opportunities for Malaysians.
June 16, 2010... MALAYSIANS ARE SLOWLY BUT SURELY MAKING THEIR MARK (AND RAKING IN PROFITS, NO DOUBT) ON ebay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide. Allis Ghim,...

Achieving customer satisfaction.
June 16, 2010... GEORGE Barker, a 925 silver jewellery trader from Kuala Lumpur, proudly took the Outstanding Customer Satisfaction Award having achieved the best customer ratings from eBay buyers in the US, Australia, UK and Germany. Barker, a Gold...

Power seller.
June 16, 2010... JEFFREY Lim, an eBay Platinum PowerSeller who runs IMx-com Sdn Bhd in Petaling Jaya, was recently awarded by eBay the Outstanding Sales Award, having traded close to US$700,000 worth of digital accessories and electronic gadgets on eBay in 2009....

Can Kan do it?
June 16, 2010... CAN Naoto Kan, Japan's new Prime Minister, survive amidst growing problems? YUKIO HATOYAMA LED HIS Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) to victory amidst great fanfare last August. Nine months later he was ousted, not by his own party, but by his own...

Pension schemes: How they do it elsewhere.
June 16, 2010... IN this second article in our series on pension schemes, we evaluate the different pension regimes of countries in the Asia Pacific. THERE has been much buzz about private pension schemes, of late, with the possibility of the programme...

Evolution and subsidy evaporation!
June 16, 2010... WHILE Malaysia is not in danger of falling off the economic cliff soon, we must get our fiscal and competitive affairs in order. I'M WRITING this in early June 2010. A couple of days ago, it struck me, like a bolt out of the blue, that I...

The learning never stops.
June 16, 2010... LEARNING new skills to win in challenging times. ORGANISATIONS ARE fundamentally created by an idea which is made real via a set of structures, processes and people. People are the important ingredient in any organisation and broadly fall...

Sharing the secrets of success.
June 16, 2010... MILLIONAIRES to reveal top secrets at the Napoleon Hill International Convention 2010. EIGHTEEN SELF-MADE millionaires will converge in Kuching on June 24th and 25th to share the secrets of their success at the Napoleon Hill International...

Microsoft re-affirms commitment.
June 16, 2010... COLLABORATION BETWEEN Microsoft and the government would drive the innovation of public service delivery systems by allowing government employees quick and easy access to a virtually unlimited pool of storage and computing resources. ...

Maxis post pre-tax profit.(Financial report)
June 16, 2010... MAXIS Bhd posted a pre-tax profit of RM765 million in the first quarter ended March 31, 2010 compared with a pre-tax loss of RM17.0 million in the same quarter last year. Chief Executive Officer Sandip Das announces that the company's revenue...

Celcom doubles growth.
June 16, 2010... CELCOM AXIATA BERHAD RECENTLY recorded an unprecedented 16 consecutive quarters of positive growth in the first quarter of 2010. It sustained double digit growth on a year-on-year (YoY) basis in all key indicators with revenue up 15% to RM1.7...

WITSA re-elects chairman.
June 16, 2010... VICE PRESIDENT OF BUSINESS STRATEGY & TRANSFORMATION AT MDEC (Multimedia Development Corporation) Dato' Dan E Khoo has been re-elected as Chairman of WITSA (the World Information Technology and Services Alliance) for a second two-year term....

Suited for success.
June 16, 2010... WHEN Robert Loh decided to foray into the tailoring business, little did he realise four decades on that he would be laying the finest threads on Malaysia's finest folk from premiers, royalty, celebrities and a loyal following among...

Made in Malaysia.
June 16, 2010... IF you are visiting someone overseas and would like an authentic Malaysian gift, there are numerous attractive options. GIVING a gift to a friend visiting from abroad? Or going off on holiday and would like to bring something typically...

Secrets to raking in high dividends.
June 16, 2010... THE Little Book of Big Dividends: A Safe Formula for Guaranteed Returns teaches you how to invest in high dividend-paying companies. TARGETING dividend-hungry investors, The Little Book of Big Dividends: A Safe Formula for Guaranteed Returns...

Re-Humanising ourselves.
June 16, 2010... ENGAGE: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web is about how to become more human with your customers in the electronic world. WE HEAR of how social media is changing the way people...

Microsoft online services.
June 16, 2010... MICROSOFT Corp Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer has announced the availability of Microsoft Online Services in Malaysia, the first emerging economy in the region that now has access to the company's full range of Cloud Computing...

LG's Infinia Full LED Slim 3D TV.
June 16, 2010... LG Electronics (LG), a global leader and technology innovator in the flat panel display and audio-video devices market, has launched the INFINIA range which features the only Full LED Slim 3D TV in the country, the LG LX9500. With LED technology...

Battery power.
June 16, 2010... YOKOHAMA Batteries has developed its latest alloy and paste formulae, leading to the launch of its latest Beta Series, the only battery that exists as Sealed Maintenance Free with Dry Charged options. Quality has been placed very high in...

Oman Air Flies to Malaysia.
June 16, 2010... OMAN Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, will fly four times a week from Muscat to Kuala Lumpur and vice-versa, bringing both nations to a much closer and friendlier footing than ever before. Malaysia is its 33rd destination...

It's a Sony.
June 16, 2010... SONY Malaysia has launched its first ultra-compact, interchangeable lens system digital cameras - the NEX-3 and NEX-5. Featuring the world's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens digital camera body1, the NEX-3 and NEX-5 allows users to...

Cool shades.
June 16, 2010... ALFRED Dunhill presents a collection of eight styles of sunglasses for Spring/Summer 2010, using innovative materials. Each pair benefits from lightweight polyamide lenses, which are break-resistant and offer the highest standards of UV...

Sintra style.
June 16, 2010... THE new Sintra Skeleton Automatic is the first in the Rado collection to feature this special movement; the COSC certificated skeleton movement in black. The definitive design of the barrel shaped case and bracelet is highlighted by the...

Royal Selangor's spring collection.
June 16, 2010... ROYAL Selangor celebrates its 125-year heritage with the launch of its Spring 2010 Collection. From contemporary homeware to children's gifts and personal accessories, Royal Selangor's success stems from its commitment to innovative design and...

A Malaysian Corporation.
June 16, 2010... PRIME Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak in rolling out the 10th Malaysia Plan recently called on the government to operate as a competitive corporation to achieve dreams of becoming a developed nation by 2020. While this is laudable, a...

Review: Acer Timeline X.(Chronology)
June 16, 2010... I MUST ADMIT I WAS QUITE impressed with Acer's new Timeline X. It looks good - classy, less than 1-inch thick; weighs only 2.2kg; and yet boasts of packing a whopping 8-hour battery life. I just had to take this machine for a spin. Unfortunately...

The big clean-up.
June 1, 2010... REVELATIONS of massive cost overruns may lead to far-ranging changes at Malaysia's largest conglomerate Sime Darby Bhd. AS SIME DARBY BHD PREPARES to book in over RM1 billion of losses in its third-quarter results following massive cost...

A sweaty deal?
June 1, 2010... BERJAYA Corporation is buying the country's first sports betting licence awarded by the Government from its major shareholder Tan Sri Vincent Tan. Is this a 'sweetheart deal' or a 'sticky' one? IT IS A 'SWEETHEART' DEAL, says the management...

No stopping Mah Sing.
June 1, 2010... FROM a mere four projects back in 2004, the Mah Sing Group has since stamped its mark on 26 projects, of which five have been completed, 11 on- going and 10 new ones in the pipeline. SOFT sentiments for the Malaysian economy and the local...

Economy flying high.
June 1, 2010... THERE IS A FEEL-GOOD factor in the economy following Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak's announcement that Malaysia's first-quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth had expanded by 10.1%. Still it may be too early to celebrate as the...

Building animation.
June 1, 2010... IN 2007, the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) announced the establishment of the Malaysia Animation Creative Content Centre (MAC3) with its' mission divided into talent development, shared facilities, funding and creating awareness....

High on growth.
June 1, 2010... THE impressive first-quarter GDP growth figure has hit Malaysians like a breath of fresh air. Is it time to celebrate? IT was an unusual piece of good news. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak announced on May 13 that the economy had...

What the experts say.
June 1, 2010... MALAYSIAN BUSINESS polls economists and analysts on their views of the economy, the challenges ahead, and Malaysia's prodigious first-quarter growth figure. Excerpts: DR YEAH KIM LENG, GROUP CHIEF ECONOMIST, RAM HOLDINGS BHD WE estimate that the...

Rebalancing the Economy.
June 1, 2010... AFTER an exhilarating first quarter, it's important not to be side-tracked by success and to continue with our efforts to tackle what is seen as an over-dependence on exports for growth. THE HIGH GROWTH RATES registered by Malaysia and other...

Glove affairs.
June 1, 2010... THE impending easing of latex prices will lower the production costs of Malaysia's glove-makers Top Glove and Kossan. BASED ON SEASONAL TREND, it seems that latex prices have peaked with the end of the winter period (Feb to April), and we...

Added push from New Model.
June 1, 2010... A PRAGMATIC and innovative new approach needs to be implemented to ensure equitable Bumiputera participation in the New Economic Model. A BANK FOR ALL MALAYSIANS - Bank Model Baru Ekonomi (New Economic Model Bank) being mooted by former...

Catching 'em live.
June 1, 2010... PACKET One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd engages its customers in the space where they are - social media. THERE IS NO SEPARATION between work and life anymore, declares Packet One Networks (M) Sdn Bhd (P1) CEO Michael Lai. 'Work is life and life is...

Paying homage to Royal Belum.
June 1, 2010... OLDER than the Amazon Forest and the Congo Basins, the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex has stood majestically for the past 130 million years, but more can be done to protect this mega-biodiversity treasure. THE BELUM-TEMENGOR FOREST Complex is...

New guy, new politics?
June 1, 2010... BENIGNO 'Nonoy' Aquino has his work cut out for him after winning the Phillippines presidential race. Can he rise to the challenge? FORMER PLAYBOY PRESIDENT Joseph Estrada tried coming back from a black hole to again win the presidency of the...

A positive mental attitudeis crucial for success.
June 1, 2010... THE science of success management system for you and your business. THE OLD SAYING, 'SUCCESS breeds more success while failure attracts more failures', could not be more true and profound if you were to thoroughly analyse it. Most of us fail...

Playing it safe or ...?
June 1, 2010... CHOOSING a call warrant is based on risk appetite. What's yours? ASSUMING that you have read all about warrants and have understood that they are for traders and not investors, and you have done your homework to pick an underlying that you are...

Sales ethics.
June 1, 2010... SELLING ethically is just as important as closing a deal. What makes up sales ethics? SUPPOSEDLY you and your spouse have just viewed a very interesting piece of property. Both of you thought it would make a good buy - the location is ideal and...

First international school opening in Cyberjaya.
June 1, 2010... THE lure of Cyberjaya as a global MSC Malaysia Cybercity hub housing over 30 multinationals has prompted elc International School, one of Malaysia's leading home-grown international schools, to open its second Klang Valley campus there. The...

The key to trading volumes.
June 1, 2010... BY understanding volume, you will start to trade on facts in the market, and learn to read it - a highly-prized skill. 'Volume is the major indicator for the professional trader.' - Tom Williams, former syndicate trader THE significance and...

Let's get back to basics.
June 1, 2010... AS our personal prosperity in the future hinges on our saving and investing more and more, it's high time we embraced this tried-and-tested fiscal philosophy. AS I WRITE this, the world's capital markets are still roiling from the fall-out...

Taking root for two decades.
June 1, 2010... COME June 6, 2010, Melia Kuala Lumpur is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary in Malaysia. Its General Manager, Arno Thony, talks to Malaysian Business about this milestone in the hotel's history, the restructuring that is currently underway...

Faith can move mountains.
June 1, 2010... THIS Column features entrepreneurs who have travelled the long and winding road to success in their business and career. THE SINGLE most important factor that has kept Nehemiah Reinforced Soil Sdn Bhd afloat for 16 years in the construction...

Growing licensing technology market.
June 1, 2010... REFINERS TODAY ARE FACING A dynamic business environment. Crude prices are volatile. Heavy, high-sulphur and acidic opportunity crudes are increasingly available. Demand for lighter products is high, and product legislation and emissions...

Gua Musang explored.
June 1, 2010... GUA Musang in Kelantan, one of Malaysia's top eco-adventure tourist attractions, is much more than towering hills of limestone and thick rainforest. TAKING the train to Gua Musang - one of Malaysia's top eco-adventure tourist attractions - is...

Natural style.
June 1, 2010... TOP-QUALITY leather goods and accessories maker Braun Buffel has unveiled its Spring/Summer 2010 Collection for men and women. What's in store? More exceptional workmanship, superior leather, classic elegance and contemporary appeal. BRAUN...

Future consumerism.
June 1, 2010... THE Age of Selfish Altruism: Why New Values Are Killing Consumerism clarifies major changes and emerging attitudes towards business and social customs. ALAN Fairnington has been a close observer of consumer trends and attitudes. Having worked...

Getting a grip.
June 1, 2010... THE Little Book of Behavioral Investing and The Mindful Investor shows us how to be better prepared to deal with the unpredictability that is the market. WHEN markets face challenging times, such as now, jittery investors wish they knew what...

Lighting up the world.
June 1, 2010... ITRAMAS Technology Sdn Bhd, Malaysia's leading manufacturer of LED-based lighting products, is expanding to Europe. It recently signed a joint- venture agreement with FG Tecnopolo S.p.A of Italy, enabling it to play a major role in the green...

Tissot style.
June 1, 2010... TISSOT has unveiled its third monobrand store in Mid Valley Megamall after officially launching its second one in KLCC ten months ago. Occupying 89sqm of space, the boutique embraces a modern contemporary look, and in the same time still...

The fine art of chocolate-making.
June 1, 2010... BERITA Publishing Sdn Bhd (BPSB) recently launched Terokai Rahsia Coklat Bersama Chef Amer (Unravelling the Secrets of Chocolate with Chef Amer). The launch, which was done in cooperation with the Malaysian Cocoa Board, was officiated by Puan...

Certina DS 1 chrono-utomatic.
June 1, 2010... CERTINA adds to a legend with the new DS 1 automatic chrono edition. Sport-classic design, generous proportions, high elegance and a cutting- edge automatic Valjoux movement give the new DS 1 a bold sense of expression and an exclusive...

HP goes green.
June 1, 2010... HP has launched an expanded portfolio of environmentally-responsible imaging and printing products and solutions, including multiple industry- first innovations for small and midsize businesses (SMBs). Among the innovations are the HP...

Longines celebrates 120 years.
June 1, 2010... LONGINES is celebrating the 120th anniversary of the registration of a logo that is still used today by the famous St. Imier watchmaker. To mark the 120th anniversary of the original registration, Longines has unveiled a themed exhibition at...