Malaysian Business articles from May 2010

Malaysian Business archives from May 2010

Toll takeover: Issues to consider.
May 16, 2010... LITTLE-KNOWN Asas Serba's proposal to acquire all the domestic toll highways in the country for RM50 billion has raised quite a few eyebrows. How much of a win-win situation will it be for all parties involved? TO HIGHWAY USERS, ANY MOVE TO...

'Stamp' of approval.
May 16, 2010... NATIONAL postal company Pos Malaysia is back on the radar screens of investors due to a potential new major shareholder coupled with a postal hike after almost two decades. THOSE WHO MISSED THE BOAT (or mail) in the case of Pos Malaysia Bhd...

Currency beneficiaries.
May 16, 2010... WHO will benefit from the stronger ringgit? AUTOMAKERS, TOGETHER WITH utilities and food producers, are most likely the main beneficiaries of the stronger ringgit. Exporters, on the other hand, could see margin compression arising out of the...

Gone awry ... again!
May 16, 2010... WHAT next for MBf Holdings after a second failed buyout plan? MBF HOLDINGS BHD'S LATEST failed buyout plan is not something unexpected as the offer price of 65 sen per share is low, judging from the credit card issuer's net asset per share of...

Maju moves ahead.
May 16, 2010... OVER COVER STORY IS on Maju Holdings, a sprawling conglomerate founded by Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohamed, who has now passed the baton to his Kuwaiti son-in-law Amro Al Khadra. Amro brings with him an international business pedigree honed by years of...

Malaysianising microsoft.
May 16, 2010... MICROSOFT may be a global giant but it still views Malaysia as an important market. Here, Microsoft Malaysia new managing director Ananth Lazarus outlines the software company's big plans for the country. WHILE MANY WOULD LOVE to hate...

Burning issue.
May 16, 2010... RENEWABLE energy, apart from being, well, renewable, is actually cheaper than depleting fossil fuel, says a German parliamentarian. IN JUST ONE GENERATION, Malaysia has used up what took thousands of years to build up. Fossil fuel as an...

Contagion effect.
May 16, 2010... A RECENT symposium to share experiences in dealing with the pandemic H1N1 organised by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in collaboration with Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan showed up just how much work there needs to be done...

Maju makeover.
May 16, 2010... THE MAJU Group explores international frontiers with an overseas foray driven by the addition of a new family member with international credentials. FAMILY connections count for only so much in the business world but when a company's founder...

Maju's man of steel.
May 16, 2010... NO one connected with the Maju Group can run away from the indelible imprint of founder Tan Sri Abu Sahid Mohamed. TAN SRI ABU SAHID MOHAMED'S imprint on the Maju Group is indelibly immense. Having made inroads into the predominantly Chinese...

Truffle treats.
May 16, 2010... CHIVALRY and charm brought Amro Al Khadra into the Maju Group inner sanctum. Now sitting at the helm, he has to show steel to drive the group forward. A BOX OF EXQUISITE TEUSCHER TRUFFLES PROVED the clincher when Kuwaiti Amro Al Khadra was...

Maju's myriad interests.
May 16, 2010... THE Maju Group has a web of inter-connected businesses through its myriad cross-holdings of various listed and unlisted companies. We take a quick look at some of its business entities. WHEN ONE SPEAKS OF THE Maju Group, it is invariably...

Earnings poser.
May 16, 2010... THE international Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee recently issued a new interpretation for its Construction of Real Estate accounting standard. What is the impact on Malaysian property developers? MALAYSIAN DEVELOPERS COULD see a...

Ringgit rise: Will the music stop?
May 16, 2010... THE ringgit has been in exuberant mood for the past several months, hitting a two-year high in April. What are the possible party poopers? MUCH HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE FORCES behind the strength of the Malaysian currency in the past few months....

The Asian Renaissance.
May 16, 2010... MAJOR ECONOMIES ACROSS THE WORLD HAVE tumbled in the recent financial crisis, but Asia's prospects have brightened as its two emerging economic giants - India and China - continue their economic ascendancy, and most Asian countries take the...

Ringgit rise: Good or bad?
May 16, 2010... WHILE a plunging ringgit can have devastating effects on the economy, as shown in the 1997-98 East Asian Financial Crisis, what are the effects of a rising currency? THE RINGGIT HAS APPRECIATED in recent months against major currencies such as...

The NEM's law, policy & model.
May 16, 2010... THE recently unveiled New Economic Model must endeavour to be more than just a model and function as a viable roadmap for the future. STRIDE INTO THE PLANNING department of the Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur and you will be impressed by the...

Bursting the bubble.
May 16, 2010... CHINA deals heavy blow to real estate speculation. IN APRIL, CHINA RELEASED new measures on loans in the real estate sector. Known as the '10 Measures', the new measures say that the down payment for purchases of second homes must be at least...

China catches on.
May 16, 2010... WITH its huge population and increasing buying power, China represents a vast uncharted frontier for the world's brands. 'China is like a rapidly growing teenager - a mixture of confidence and uncertainty, questioning the values of elders yet...

Sordid mess.
May 16, 2010... JUST when we thought all was well on the global economic front, along comes Greece with its sovereign debt default. Are we in crisis mode again? TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE tailspin of the world's major share markets on May 7, 2010? Here's a tip:...

When the EPF money is not enough.
May 16, 2010... ACCORDING to the Employees Provident Fund, many Malaysians will use up their EPF money early in their retirement. Perhaps the creation of private pensions may help fill the gap. THE existence of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) has many...

Learning from the best.
May 16, 2010... USABLE and transferable wisdom from the 'Oracle of Omaha' Warren Buffett towards long-term financial health. WARREN Buffett is arguably the most respected investor alive today. On top of that, in the minds of his biggest fans, this affable...

The science of success.
May 16, 2010... PERSONAL initiative drives freedom of thoughts and courageous action. ONE OF the primary prerequisites for achieving success is the capacity for releasing and directing your energies of thought and action toward the realisation of your...

Setting the record straight.
May 16, 2010... WE REFER to the article A Mystifying & Intriguing Sale in the Malaysian Business April 15-30, 2010 issue in the 'Discourse' column by Tan Sri Adam Kadir. For the benefit of your readers, there are several points that are factually wrong in...

APICTA week in October.
May 16, 2010... AS THE ASIA PACIFIC ICT ALLIANCE (APICTA) celebrates its tenth anniversary in October 2010, this year's APICTA Awards will be held once again in Malaysia, where it all first began. Vice Chairman of APICTA and Vice President Marketing &...

FedEx invests big on IT.
May 16, 2010... DESPITE THE CHALLENGING economic environment, FedEx Express continues to invest US$1 billion annually, as well as in 2010, to always enhance its customers' experience through improved technology and boast a portfolio of more than 7,000 IT...

Fresh approach.
May 16, 2010... THE workforce of today is very different from that of the past, made up of what we call the 'Gen Y'. To tackle this new wave of employees, new skills are needed. A CURRENT CHALLENGE THAT has caught nearly every organisation off guard is...

Putting their best foot forward.
May 16, 2010... WHEN faced with what seemed like insurmountable adversitY, Alice Yong gathered her strength and armed with determination created the future she envisaged. Joined by her son Alan Loke, she shares with Brenda James her story of how holding...

Rediscovering Ipoh ... on foot.
May 16, 2010... MAJESTIC old-world buildings and quaint charm mark Ipoh, the capital city of Perak. Take a simple heritage walk and you'll come away fascinated. ACCORDING to history, Ipoh came into existence during the tin rush in the 1870s when the British...

Delivering the goods.
May 16, 2010... WHILE on the one hand the government's recent win in the Hulu Selangor by- election shows that the people are still behind it, there are other areas in its efforts to make good the promise of transparency and accountability that are still...

MAAKL partners Celcom.
May 16, 2010... IN A MOVE TO ACHIEVE GREATER mobile productivity and efficiency, MAAKL Mutual and Celcom Axiata Berhad jointly launched the MHO Mobile Blackberry version, empowering MAAKL's unit trust advisers and clients to monitor the performance of their...

F5 unveils latest developer community site.
May 16, 2010... ALL F5 DEVELOPER COMMUNITIES in Malaysia can now join the over 60,000 worldwide members at the enhanced 5th Generation DevCentral community site that is loaded with new social features on specific topics of interest, to increase peer-to-peer...

Maxis' Scholarship programme.
May 16, 2010... MAXIS BERHAD RECENTLY awarded 19 children of its postpaid customers and employees with the Maxis Scholarship for Excellence Awards (MSEA) for the undergraduate programme. The recipients were awarded scholarships to both local and...

Islamic Finance in a Nutshell.
May 16, 2010... FREQUENTLY Asked Questions in Islamic Finance provides you with all you need to know about Islamic finance and more. THE RECENT turbulence in the global financial markets has drawn attention to an alternative system of financial...

Running a company right.
May 16, 2010... A PRIMER on Corporate Governance offers readers information that can help them become better corporate citizens. A Primer on Corporate Governance by Cornelis A de Kluyver gives the whole take on corporate governance by discussing the topic...

Amanat handover.
May 16, 2010... BERITA Publishing Sdn Bhd (BPSB) Editor-in-Chief Datuk A Kadir Jasin recently handed over a set of Amanat Presiden to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak at his office in Putrajaya. Amanat Presiden is a collection of speeches of...

Caltex & Maybank launch on-the-spot redemption service.
May 16, 2010... CHEVRON Malaysia Limited, which operates the retail brand Caltex, and Maybank Bhd have launched a new service that lets Maybank credit cardholders use their accumulated TreatsPoints to redeem any Caltex- branded products or Mart convenience...

RAM celebrates 20 years!
May 16, 2010... RAM Holdings Bhd celebrated its 20th anniversary with a prestigious gala dinner recently, and in conjunction with the momentous occasion, feted the nation's elite in the bond market with its prominent 'League Awards' and 'Heritage Hall Awards'....

Sustainability as business opportunity.(Company overview)
May 16, 2010... GLOBAL MACROECONOMIC trends such as tightened regulations, extremely volatile energy prices, the globalisation of employees and sensitised customers are increasingly driving businesses to focus on sustainability. In order to make...

Playing fair to all.
May 1, 2010... WHILE the Securities Commission's proposed rule changes to takeover regulations can be seen as a move to align the local capital markets with that of other developed markets, challenges remain, especially on the shareholder front. FOR MORE...

Tenaga glows.
May 1, 2010... EVEN though its anticipated tariff hike has failed to materialise, Tenaga Nasional Bhd's prospects remain bright. THOUGH COAL PRICES HAVE seen a recent hike and have remained stubbornly high, analysts believe it will not erode Tenaga Nasional...

Glove story.
May 1, 2010... GLOVE stocks have seen a correction of late, making it an opportune time to accumulate them for the near term. SHARE PRICES OF GLOVE companies retreated in the middle of April from their all-time high registered in recent weeks. Analysts say...

Too oily to grasp?
May 1, 2010... A FAILED buyout bid for KNM Group has spooked investors. IT COULD JUST BE ANOTHER failed deal but to some investors who took positions in KNM Group Bhd hoping to profit from the buyout offer from its major shareholder recently would probably...

Back in the fold.
May 1, 2010... HAVING wrested back control of Ho Hup Construction Company Bhd, Datuk Low Tuck Choy will now have the chance to put his regularisation plan for the ailing PN17 company into practice. IN HIS SECOND ATTEMPT, WHICH saw an acrimonious month-long...

Market momentum.
May 1, 2010... THE STOCK MARKET APPEARS to be in the midst of an exhilarating ride, not seen in over a decade. Can this momentum be sustained? Our cover story examines market prospects and seeks the views from experts on the sectors and stocks that are likely...

Averting risks in FSIs.
May 1, 2010... AS the global economy gradually recovers from one of the worst financial meltdowns in recent history, many regulators and financial institutions ponder on what can be done to ensure that such a similar incident does not recur. Now, more than...

Next-level entertainment.
May 1, 2010... WITH Samsung's latest offering, you can now enjoy the richness of 3D content in the comfort of your living room. 3D entertainment is gaining momentum. For 2010, movie titles with 3D content have exceeded 16 and counting. While other 3D TV...

How high will it go?
May 1, 2010... WHILE the stock market appears to be in the midst of an exhilarating ride, the question on every investor's mind is, how long will the excitement last? WHERE will the stock market go from here? This is the question frequently raised at business...

Malaysia's first US PGA-sanctioned golf course.
May 1, 2010... ECO-FRIENDLY course set to stamp its mark. GOLF enthusiasts the world over will soon be able to converge at Ulu Tiram in Johor to tee off from Malaysia's first PGA-sanctioned 18-hole eco-friendly golf course. It is designed by Greg Norman,...

Ties that bind.
May 1, 2010... ALTHOUGH in Washington to attend the 'Global Nuclear Security Summit' recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak had a heavy business and trade agenda. THOUGH THE MAIN PURPOSE of his visit to the United States from April 11 to...

Clearing skies in monetary environment.
May 1, 2010... ALTHOUGH the country's economy is well on the road to recovery, the central bank is not about to veer from its careful path when setting monetary policies. MALAYSIA'S ECONOMY IS WELL down the road to recovery, and should erase the...

The knowledge push.
May 1, 2010... WHY Malaysia is on the right track in wanting to promote knowledge and innovation as the driver of growth. THE PRIME MINISTER'S EMPHASIS on innovation as the driver of economic growth reminds us of the importance of developing a...

On an expansion drive.
May 1, 2010... HOMEGROWN slimming services brand Wyann International is ready to spread its wings into the huge Asian market. WYANN INTERNATIONAL CO'S goal is straightforward enough - to build Bizzy Body into Asia's number one slimming services brand. The...

The right approach.
May 1, 2010... HOW are you handling your customer exceptions? I BELIEVE THE ULTIMATE customer loyalty measure for your organisation, which directly impacts on your profits, should be the customer exceptions or complaints metric. Your organisation's ability...

Fantasy farm.
May 1, 2010... DISCOVERING real joy in virtual farming. I HAVE a confession: I'm a FarmVille 'dedicated farmer'. It all started some three months ago when a colleague bugged me into becoming his 'neighbour' in FishVille so he could expand. 'It's excellent...

Red vs Yellow.
May 1, 2010... WHAT will the outcome of the current unrest in Thailand be? IF YOU ASK WHAT IS GOING on in Thailand today, you'd be puzzled by the question, let alone by the responses you'd get. Because the reality is that scores of things happen in Thailand at...

Time is money.
May 1, 2010... TIME is of the highest consequence to a warrant. Why? AS THE saying goes - time is money. This is certainly the case for warrants. A warrant has a limited lifespan; hence a warrant you hold diminishes in value every day. Why is this so? Without...

First carbon-neutral residence in Southeast Asia.
May 1, 2010... GREEN development has caught up with Sime Darby Property Bhd, the property arm of Sime Darby Group, as it recently embarked on a journey towards carbon neutrality by engaging in technical collaborations with some of the world's leading providers...

Mudah.my teams up with Paypal.
May 1, 2010... IN A MOVE TO PROVIDE SAFER and better payment options for its website's users, Mudah.my, arguably Malaysia's largest online marketplace, has partnered with a leading global online payment solutions provider, PayPal. With the collaboration,...

Gaining global ground.
May 1, 2010... NEW investment regions are sprouting globally, underpinned by the growing popularity of Islamic investment products. THE global shift from conventional investment products to Islamic investment products termed as 'shariah-compliant products'...

Putting mobile marketing into action.
May 1, 2010... MOBILE marketing is cost-effective, fast and its results are quantifiable. So what are you waiting for? I GOOGLED Malaysia's mobile penetration rate and found that Malaysia has 29.623 million mobile subscribers or a 104% penetration rate. ...

In synergy.
May 1, 2010... THE three components that work together in financial planning are wealth protection, wealth accumulation and wealth distribution. A look at the accumulation part. AS I WRITE this financial planning column for Malaysian Business on a Monday...

ETFs in the spotlight.
May 1, 2010... RIDING the inflationary boom with exchange traded funds. CENTRAL banks around the world are inflating economies to prosperity. Evidence supports this claim, but how can you benefit? What is a way for you to participate without exposing...

Up the motivational hill.
May 1, 2010... WHOEVER said that perseverance was the secret of success probably had Christina Chia in mind. Her attitude of never giving up in the face of adversity makes her the ideal person to be the founder and chairman of Napoleon Hill Associates (M) Sdn...

Malaysian Business bags top award.
May 1, 2010... MALAYSIAN BUSINESS DEPUTY Editor Abdul Razak Chik bagged the reporting prize at the 2010 'Malaysian Press Awards - Petronas Media Awards'. His cover story, which highlighted the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB)'s pioneering breakthrough in...

FFP scheme in public hospitals & health policies.
May 1, 2010... I REFER to the 'Commentary' page in the March 16th-31st issue of Malaysian Business. Your heading 'Stop the Abuse' relating to the Full Paying Patients or FFP scheme in public hospitals is very apt. In the absence of healthcare policies for...

Changing role of the CIO.
May 1, 2010... IN TODAY'S KNOWLEDGE-BASED economy, the role of the chief information officer (CIO) is becoming increasingly complex and multi-dimensional. And while some CIOs are already starting to assume leadership roles, various recent studies have...

Power7 IBM.
May 1, 2010... INSTRUMENT THE WORLD'S systems. Interconnect them. Make them intelligent. - These three ideas sum up in a nutshell IBM's approach to a 'Smarter Planet', its corporate initiative and vision of capturing the potential of smarter solutions to...

Big attractions in Little India.
May 1, 2010... PENANG'S Little India is a riot of colours, aromas and activity that stretches all the way back to the 18th Century, making it a wonderful window to the past. A WALKING tour of Little India in Penang is reminiscent of being on the set of a...

Seeing light in darkness.
May 1, 2010... HOW to Be a Fierce Competitor: What Winning Companies and Great Managers Do in Tough Times dwells on seeing bad times as an opportunity rather than a misfortune. IN CALM waters, every ship has a good captain, former US President Grover...

Smelling an investment rat.
May 1, 2010... NO One Would Listen - A True Financial Thriller takes us through one man's suspicion that something was more than amiss prior to the spectacular Ponzi scheme collapse. THE Bernie Madoff scandal has produced many books with different writers...

Kenanga completes acquisition of CMS Trust.
May 1, 2010... K&N Kenanga Holdings Bhd's subsidiary, Kenanga Investment Bank Bhd (KIBB), has completed the 100% acquisition of CMS Trust Management Bhd (CMS Trust) for a total sum of RM23 million cash. The acquisition will strengthen Kenanga's position...

Matrade Scores Big at MSE 2010.
May 1, 2010... THE Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) recently participated at the Malaysia Services Exhibition (MSE) 2010 in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. MSE 2010 identified potential projects worth RM12.8 billion for Malaysian...

AsterConference Asia 2010.
May 1, 2010... ASTERConference Asia aims to educate participants on how to get the best out of Asterisk, the most popular Open Source IP-PBX telephone system. It will be held from May 18-19 at Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. Asterisk, a free open...

1MALAYSIA buffet dinner at Legend Hotel.
May 1, 2010... CELEBRATE the spirit of solidarity and togetherness with Legend Hotel's Di-Atas Brasserie's 1Malaysia Buffet Dinner Promotion. Featuring an exciting spread of Malaysian favourites, diners will definitely be spoilt for choice. Available from May...

DEBT is a two-edged sword.
May 1, 2010... IT has generally been a wonderful 40 years for property investors in Malaysia. During this period, property prices have gone up significantly. In the early 1970s, double-storey terraced houses (today they are better known as link houses) in...

Victory a boost to BN.
May 1, 2010... THE ruling coalition's victory in the Hulu Selangor Parliamentary by- election augurs well for it as it shows up the rakyat's confidence in it. Subsequently, the right thing to do would be to fulfill its promises to the people and be humble...

Ariantec boosts up IT capability.
May 1, 2010... ARIANTEC GLOBAL BHD, AN ACE-Listed local IT network infrastructure performance enhancement and security management solutions provider, has officially taken its reseller-based partnership with principle Australia- based Exinda Networks to the...

Blue Archipelago invests in IT.
May 1, 2010... BLUE ARCHIPELAGO BHD, MALAYSIA'S INTEGRATED shrimp aquaculture company, is investing in SAP and IBM technology to modernise aquaculture and grow its business internationally. The company is spending RM4 million to adopt SAP Business All-in-One...

DiGi gets new CEO.
May 1, 2010... DIGI TELECOMMUNICATIONS SDN BHD IS appointing Henrik Clausen as the company's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Henrik Clausen will succeed Johan Dennelind who leaves DiGi on May 17, 2010. Clausen has for the last five years served as CEO of...

A nifty HTC HD2.
May 1, 2010... IT IS HUGE! THE FIRST THING THAT most people notice about the HTC HD2 is the sheer size of its screen - it has a humongous 4.3-inch high-resolution display, the largest in the world. The screen dominates the whole front of the phone, reaching...

Maika rescue: Answers needed.
May 1, 2010... IS compensating minorities with just RM1 per share after more than two- and-a-half decades the best and most equitable solution for the Maika fiasco? And aren't the shareholders, especially the minority ones, entitled to an explanation of what...

An unexpected bonanza for the dark side.
May 1, 2010... IN THE CURRENT WEB 2.0 environment, social networking has completely changed the way we work, play and live. Indeed, the ability to find a far- flung friend or former classmates (whom you have not contacted for decades) is just a click away...

Special day for girl Fridays.
May 1, 2010... THE recent seminar and luncheon for secretaries proved to be a tremendous success. JELITA magazine with the cooperation of the Primanora Medical Centre and the Institute of Marketing Malaysia successfully organised a seminar and luncheon for...