Malaysian Business articles from November 2008

Malaysian Business archives from November 2008

Transforming UGSM into a centre for graduate studies in logistic.
November 16, 2008... UNISEL Graduate School of Management (UGSM) is working closely with the Supply-Chain Council (SCC), an independent non-profit organisation, to organise a supply chain Asia Pacific forum come April next year. Its associate director Halid...

Rough road ahead.
November 16, 2008... WEAK MARKET SENTIMENT, which has prevailed on the local bourse ever since the aftermath of the general election tsunami inzs March and the lingering political uncertainties, was hit with a double whammy in the last two months as the US financial...

Second - guessing valuecap.
November 16, 2008... WHEN THE GOVERNMENT FIRST announced it would inject RM5 billion more into state-owned asset management company Valuecap Sdn Bhd to boost the local bourse, the market was abuzz with speculation as to which counters it would buy into. Still,...

Closing the gap.
November 16, 2008... DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE world is now facing a shortage of people with the right ICT skills required by modern businesses, K - Workers Development Initiatives (KDI) is convinced that the situation in Malaysia is still manageable. ...

Whither Equine's ownership?
November 16, 2008... FOLLOWING DATUK DESMOND Lim Siew Choon's denial that he is buying into Equine Capital Bhd and its 25% associate Abad Naluri Sdn Bhd, the question remains as to who really is in control of Equine. Low-profile Lim owns property development...

On solid ground?
November 16, 2008... INVESTORS THE WORLD OVER are dumping banking stocks like never before. With all the gloom and doom over recession fears, it is not surprising that one of the groups most hit in an economic slowdown would be financial institutions, namely,...

The quest for a master's degree and beyond.
November 16, 2008... IN a K-economy, a tertiary qualification, including a postgraduate degree in any field, has almost become a prerequisite for someone aspiring to climb the corporate ladder. In Malaysia, the Master's degree programmes are becoming popular. In...

Weathering the storm.
November 16, 2008... WITH BANKS ALL OVER THE world falling like tenpins, panic has begun to set into international financial markets. The drain in global liquidity has caused the collapse of banks - both commercial and investment - in the United States and Europe....

Tapping the tourist dollar.
November 16, 2008... MALAYSIA'S TOURISM SECTOR has registered impressive growth thus far in 2008, but the coming year is likely to offer renewed challenges for the industry. Some 16.33 million tourists visited Malaysia in the first nine months of this year, up 4.4%...

Dividend study.
November 16, 2008... THE DIVIDEND PAYOUT RATIO (DPR) indicates the proportion of earnings used by companies to pay dividends to shareholders. DPR can vary by industry and is affected, among others, by the company's financial performance and market conditions. A...

Transforming Malaysia ports into a regional hub.
November 16, 2008... GIVEN that six major ports in Malaysia have been registering strong growth, which surpassed their volume targets, it is unlikely the country's port players would be affected by the weakening United States economy. With analysts saying that...

A watchdog of Johor port activities.
November 16, 2008... THE Johor Port Authority (LPJ) has played an important role as a government regulatory body to stimulate growth of port activities in both Johor Port and Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP). Over the past three decades, both ports, which are...

Westports: On course to record astounding growth.
November 16, 2008... A midst much talk about worldwide recession, one company is focusing its resources on the important key areas that will eventually help them forge ahead of the competitors. Ruben Emir Gnanalingam, Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd's Executive...

Time to spend.
November 16, 2008... FOLLOWING THE GOVERNMENT'S ANNOUNCEMENT of a stimulus package to support the Malaysian economy, various questions have been raised. This comes as no surprise as the government had initially sent a clear message that the budget deficit, expected...

Mydin's it service.
November 16, 2008... FOUNDED IN 1957, MYDIN Mohamed Holdings Bhd (Mydin) is today arguably the biggest large format retailer in Malaysia. This household name in the local fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry today boasts 43 outlets, comprising of hypermarkets,...

The many strengths of management accountants.
November 16, 2008... ACCOUNTANTS are sometimes described as being scorekeepers on the sidelines rather than players on the business team. At CIMA, we would contend that chartered management accountants are very much the opposite. CIMA members are trained to use...

Internet marketing anyone?
November 16, 2008... YOU MUST listen to good radio/TV programmes and surf the Internet to listen and learn quickly about marketing in general, and positioning in particular - and, of course, to sometimes laugh and relax. Two regulars on the US show I view are...

Showbiz icon.
November 16, 2008... ANITA SARAWAK is dressed for the occasion. In a sleek combination of vest and pants, she looks every inch a person who means business. This should come as no surprise; after all, it must be this very trait that has taken her far in her career,...

The other cool retreat.
November 16, 2008... EVERY JUNE, the quiet community of Fraser's Hill comes alive as they host enthusiastic birders from all over the world as they converge to the hill for the annual Fraser's Hill International Bird Race. As a bird sanctuary, Fraser's Hill has long...

Microsoft kicks off BizSpark programme.
November 16, 2008... IN A MOVE TO HELP ACCELERATE the success of local Malaysian technopreneurs and early stage start-ups, Microsoft Malaysia recently unveiled a business support programme called BizSpark. Together with 11 local network partners, which include...

Experian opens Global R&D Centre.
November 16, 2008... IN AN EXERCISE TO CONSOLIDATE eight research and development centres worldwide into one central hub, Experian, the global player in providing information, analytical and marketing services, has opened a global R&D in Cyberjaya recently. ...

A good sport.
November 16, 2008... SPORTS marketing is big. The Olympic Games marketing is definitely one of the biggest and most complex. The Olympics are unique because their reputation is known around the world, transcending countries and cultures. It has been creating...

Moats make money.
November 16, 2008... TO A MAN, the majority of the world's successful investors adopt an identifiably clear gameplan. This involves firstly to identify the businesses that can generate above-average profits; then wait until the shares of those companies trade for...

Biotechnology ventures bear success.
November 16, 2008... THE YEAR 2008 PROVES TO BE A good year for the Malaysia's biotechnology industry with many significant achievements. Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation (BiotechCorp), the lead...

Internationalisation of UTM-IBS' MBA programme.
November 16, 2008... IN the first 10 years since its inception in 1997, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia's International Business School's (IBS) emphasis has been on globalisation. 'But the trend has changed,' rationalises its head, Professor Dr. Ismail Rejab....

What's the real price of petrol?
November 16, 2008... THERE HAS BEEN PLENTY OF SPECULATION AND debate as to what the retail price of petrol should be. Currently, no one is quite sure how the price of petrol at the pumps is fixed. The public is not privy to the supposedly complex pricing...

Back in the groove?
November 16, 2008... WITH ITS SHARE PRICE BOUNCING back from a low of RM2.08 to more than RM3.50, is the worst over for IOI Corp Bhd? The company has assured shareholders that the group's financial position remains strong, and that it has no problem in meeting the...

Here's to our health.
November 16, 2008... THE HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY is growing at an average of 6%-8% annually. Analysts estimate the healthcare industry to be worth around US$ 1billion (RM3.55 billion), with some sources putting the figure as high as US$ 2 billion (RM7.1 billion). ...

Facing a recession.
November 16, 2008... THE SIGNS ARE POINTING TO a global economic crisis. Even booming China has reported a dip in growth. On Oct 20, it announced that its Gross Domestic Product had for the first time since end-2004 slipped below double digits - at 9% for the third...

Up beat on Malaysia.
November 16, 2008... MALAYSIANS ARE OPTIMISTIC about the local economy but are tightening their belts nonetheless, according to a survey by global market research company Synovate. Still, Malaysians are among the most optimistic among the nine nationalities...

Managing your investments well.
November 16, 2008... HAVE WE seen the worst of the crisis? No! At least not in terms of its economic impact upon the real national and continental economies of our planet. However, the jury is still out on whether we've seen the worst of the downward swings in...

Maybank - Time to knuckle down.
November 16, 2008... MALAYAN BANKING BHD'S (Maybank) acquistion of Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII) at 4.3 times price-to-book value is still difficult for minority shareholders to stomach. MSWG has expressed its grave concerns over, and disapproval of, Maybank's...

Say no to war.
November 16, 2008... HIS Majesty Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Wathiqu Billah Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah launched the Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War Incorporated at a Royal Charity Dinner...

Enhancing Labuan's competitiveness.
November 16, 2008... BANK Negara Malaysia Governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz officially opened the premises of Labuan International Business and Financial Centre Inc Sdn Bhd (Labuan IBFC) recently. Labuan IBFC was set up by LOFSA or the Labuan Offshore Financial...

Feting Kiaraville.
November 16, 2008... CHIEF Executive Officer of i-ZEN Hospitality Sdn Bhd Lai Voon Hon hosted over 40 guests to a Mid-Autumn Festival Party and Dance, serving a wide array of delectable Chinese cuisine, recently. Among the invited guests were homeowners of...

Money politics can kill Umno.
November 16, 2008... DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, DATUK SERI MOHD Najib Abdul Razak, has, for all intents and purposes, won the Umno President's post. He has won more than enough divisional nominations to deprive any challenger of the minimum 58 nominations to contest the...

Specialist MBA.
November 16, 2008... THE business world has become increasingly competitive as opposed to its earlier days; the demand for professionals equipped with business skills and market savvy is on the rise. These days, a Master in Business Administration (MBA) is...

Globally integrated enterprises for delivery excellence.
November 16, 2008... FOR DECADES, COMPANIES operated as the classic "multinational," replicating mini versions of the parent company in country after country. Every country operation not only had its own sales force, but also its own supply chain, procurement,...