Malaysian Business articles from November 2011

Malaysian Business archives from November 2011

RSPO heat.
November 16, 2011... THE INTERNATIONAL PALM OIL industry is in a state of flux. Reason: The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) that used to be the sole ar iter in the certification of sustainable palm oil, has suffered a setback. The Indonesians are pulling...

Virtual World of UMW.
November 16, 2011... Dunia UMW, considered a first-of-its-kind in the local corporate world, is designed to provide an extensive virtual experience of some of UMW's key facilities. It has 3D models based on actual plans enabling presenters and visitors alike to...

The business virtual world.
November 16, 2011... FOR BUSINESSES, VIRTUAL worlds - computer-simulated environments in which individuals interact with one another via avatars representing their digital selves - offer a collaborative tool that has a number of possible uses, from saving money on...

VADS gets real with Telepresence and Cloud Services.
November 16, 2011... IN A MOVE TO CAPTURE A LARGER market share, Malaysia's premier managed ICT and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) service provider VADS Bhd (VADS) is rolling out two new offerings namely VADS Managed TelePresence and VADS Cloud Services. VADS...

Empowering business with VADS.
November 16, 2011... AS IT MOVES FORWARD WITH new innovative products and services, VADS aims to bring together people, processes and technologies to enable more effective and dynamic use of information technology and communication. VADS chief executive officer...

Biotech Park on track.
November 16, 2011... BIO-XCELL SDN BHD has invested almost RM450 million to date on the infrastructure and construction of the biotechnology park in Nusajaya, Iskandar, Johor, which will be developed in three phases across six years. Rizatuddin Ramli, Chief...

New mandate to bring Pikom forward.
November 16, 2011... PIKOM, THE NATIONAL ICT Association of Malaysia, elected the Executive Director, Head of Business Performance Services of KPMG Business Advisory Sdn Bhd Woon Tai Woon as its new chairman during its annual general meeting last month. Woon, who...

Blogger wins top prize at Malaysia APICTA awards.
November 16, 2011... BLOGGER MUHAMMAD HAFIZ Ismail has won the Prime Minister Best of the Best Award in The MSC Malaysia Asia-Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Awards 2011, with his blog, "Life Through My Eyes' (www.apistakkisah.blogspot.com). Multimedia Development...

Errata.(Correction notice)
November 16, 2011... IN REFERENCE TO MB-E ARTICLE 'To Audit or Not?' in our Nov 1, 2011 issue, please note that the Small and Medium Industries Association ICT bureau chairman Lee Hwee Hsiung's comment should be read as follows: 'Instead of making software audit...

Standard Chartered uses Microsoft Tag.
November 16, 2011... STANDARD CHARTERED BANK Malaysia Bhd has pioneered the use of a fresh mobile marketing approach with Microsoft technology in its latest marketing campaign. The bank's latest deposit campaign that offers the highest savings interest rate in...

Ultra racing expands through eBay Stores.
November 16, 2011... Malaysia's chassis handling and tuning components specialist takes advantage of the vibrant global automotive parts industry on eBay ULTRA RACING, A LEADING CHASSING handling and tuning components specialist in Malaysia, recently launched its...

Praying for the brave at MAS.
November 16, 2011... That after numerous restructuring exercises Malaysia Airlines is still languishing is something of a shocker. The new people at the helm have their work cut out for them, for sure. IT is still not too late for me to salute the heroism of an...

Ignoring sound advice.
November 16, 2011... Year in year out, the Auditor-General's Report states the same things about overspending and waste by civil servants. Bring the perpetrators to book more often and things might change. TWO YEARS ago, the 2008 Auditor-General's Report revealed...

NHIC 2012 - Deepak Chopra as keynote speaker.
November 16, 2011... The Napoleon Hill International Convention 2012 scheduled for next March will expouse how leadership skills are vital for self-improvement and effective corporate management. MALAYSIANS WILL HAVE the opportunity to gain first-hand insight...

The 'Write' style.
November 16, 2011... Sheaffer's new edition of slim writing instruments in its Intensity range make ideal gifts for this holiday season. PENS ARE PRACTICAL AND functional items and nothing can take the place of the high-quality pen and the perfect and refined...

Business leaders of the future.
November 16, 2011... Finance professionals with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants qualification are trained to use their skills to add value to an organisation and help drive it toward greater success. A CAREER IN MANAGEMENT accounting is a great...

Steel man to watch.
November 16, 2011... Low-profile tycoon Datuk Law Tien Seng is likely to stay on the corporate radar. LOW-PROFILE tycoon Datuk Law Tien Seng isn't known by many in the corporate scene. However, those tracking his maneuvers are impressed by his success so far. ...

Global recognition.
November 16, 2011... SapuraCrest's billion-ringgit job from Brazil's national oil company Petrobras speaks volumes of its standing internationally, setting it up for a deserved rerating. RAYA and Christmas came early for SapuraCrest Petroleum Bhd, and the gifts...

Bring 'Em On.
November 16, 2011... Engineering and construction services provider Kimlun Corporation Bhd is confident of weathering the hard times expected ahead, thanks to its substantial order book. WITH a RM1 billion construction order book, Kimlun Corporation Bhd appears...

Facing the AEC challenge.
November 16, 2011... The proposed creation of an Asean Economic Community augurs well for the grouping. But it also brings with it a whole host of new challenges. THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is on track to realising the Asean Economic...

Milking it!
November 16, 2011... Rising food prices and a growing world population are bringing back the glitter to food companies. One such beneficiary is stalwart Dutch Lady. Talk about food these days and most likely you will hear conversations about its rising prices and...

The allure of Kempas Utama industrial park.
November 16, 2011... The Kempas Utama Industrial Park at the heart of Iskandar Malaysia is an ideal site for both factory re-location or the setting-up of new production plants. ASIDE FROM SITTING ON an enviable multi-accessible site along the North- South...

Crowding the sustainable landscape.
November 16, 2011... The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) used to be the sole arbiter in the certification of sustainable palm oil. But the Indonesians have since come up with their own, and others seem set to follow suit. IN SEPTEMBER, Indonesia sent...

Certification in action.
November 16, 2011... RSPO members have come under scrutiny with varying results following thorough independent audit and investigation. THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) in ensuring sustainability was demonstrated last year when...

Seedling rivalry.
November 16, 2011... ISPO, MSPO, PSPO - whither goes RSPO? WHY CAN'T A MALAYSIAN PALM OIL grower, or an Indonesian planter for that matter, be left to his own devices the way an Englishmen stoutly defends his home as his castle? The fact that the initials RSPO is...

Furthering the RSPO cause.
November 16, 2011... Malaysian Business speaks with Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) secretary general Darrel Webber. FINDING the ideal balance between the divergent demands of people eking out a decent living, growers' quest for profits and the green...

Three-fold jump in Cyberjaya's land transaction.
November 16, 2011... Total 2011 investments into Malaysia's premier cybercity exceeds projections with RM3.04 billion in the first 10 months of 2011. Cyberview Sdn Bhd, the landowner and development mastermind of Cyberjaya, has achieved a remarkable feat with the...

Going psycho.
November 16, 2011... Why demographics alone are no longer enough to determine one's target consumers. DEMOGRAPHICS have defined the target consumers for more than half a century. In today's increasingly fragmented market, that is no longer sufficient. Marketers...

Can we achieve our growth target?
November 16, 2011... With all the uncertainties going on, is Malaysia's 5%-6% growth forecast for 2012 too optimistic? AS EXPECTED, WHEN BUDGET 2012 WAS TABLED IN THE early part of October, reactions - good and bad - stirred up from all facets of the population....

Thailand's woes impact Malaysia.
November 16, 2011... Thailand's worst flooding in half a century has wreaked havoc on certain sectors of its economy. What's the Impact on Malaysia? It is a season of bad weather they say, and unfortunately, our neighbour Thailand was hit first. The country is...

More than just making money.
November 16, 2011... The recently held MIA-AFA Conference 2011 touched on how corporate social responsibility has evolved over the years and what's expected of companies now. The term Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been bandied around for quite some...

Visit Thy Neighbours
November 16, 2011... Malaysia's tourism industry will have to increasingly rely on traffic from Asia. Malaysian exhibitors at the recently concluded ITB Asia tourism show of Singapore came out realising that their future will depend, by and large, on tourism...

The value of blending eServices & the contact centre.
November 16, 2011... In Part 1, we talked about why eServices are important to contact centres these days. Here, we will share insights on an implementation that embraced eServices - a credit union company. The smaller size of credit unions makes it easier for...

Banking on opportunities.
November 16, 2011... Is Southeast Asia a new growth frontier for banks? A recent Accenture survey indicated that businesses across Southeast Asia are optimistic about the future growth potential of the region. The combined economy of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia,...

No-frills travel market foray.
November 16, 2011... Singapore Airlines' new long-haul budget carrier Scoot is to take off by the middle of next year. Will it help boost business at the group? Singapore Airlines (SIA) is hoping to muscle in on Asia's burgeoning no- frills travel market with a...

The other side of the future.
November 16, 2011... Nightmare scenarios or the future of work are many and varied. But what about the good news? The author presents the other side of the future. The nightmare scenario of the future of work is increasingly clear. Technology leads to a world...

Toward better healthcare for everyone.
November 16, 2011... It is best that any National Health Care insurance scheme is thoroughly analysed before implementation to avoid abuse and dissatisfaction. A PROPOSED National Health Care insurance scheme will have profound effects on doctors in Malaysia. ...

Three life lessons from my chequered past.
November 16, 2011... Some pointers on managing your finances well so that financial limitations don't derail your plans. In my previous column, I wrote about the passing away of my friend John Law on Oct 20, 2011 after a haemorrhaging stroke. About a fortnight...

When the growing gets tough.
November 16, 2011... When times are tough, it is the time to lay the foundation for business growth in the future. But how to do this? Business is all about growth. If you don't believe me, read any of the great economists, from Karl Marx to J M Keynes, Joseph...

In the name of interest.
November 16, 2011... In Part 2 on Interest Restriction and Pitfalls in the Deductibility of Interest Expense, we look at some of the contentious issues that have risen from the recent Public Ruling on interest restriction. The recent Public Ruling (PR) on...

Real estate investing.
November 16, 2011... Presenting a perspective on Asian property markets. After generating robust returns earlier in the year, Asian real estate securities plunged in the third quarter on concerns about a deteriorating global economic outlook, the European debt...

The Dream Girl.
November 16, 2011... Cheryl Samad, well-known host of Muzik Muzik and Juara Lagu, recently ventured into a brand new territory: musicals. She tells Sharmila Valli Narayanan the experience of being in the musical Dreamgirls, opens up on why her marriage was such a...

Life in the fast Lane.
November 16, 2011... There is nothing like the excitement and exhilaration of watching the Formula One Grand Prix up close in person. Better yet, experiencing it all the VIP way. Monza is regarded by many as the embodiment of Formula One (F1) racing. They call...

It's all in the approach.
November 16, 2011... 'The Top Performer's Guide to Attitude - Essential Skills That Put You On Top,' * By: Dr Tim Ursiny, Gary DeMoss & Dr Marc A Ybaben * Publisher: Advantage Quest * Pages: 114 * Price: RM29.90 The Top Performer's Guide to...

Joy is inside you.
November 16, 2011... 'Happiness Genes - Unlock the Positive Potential Hidden in Your DNA,' * By: James D Baird with Laurie Nadel * Publisher: Advantage Quest * Pages: 288 * Price: RM29.90 Happiness Genes - Unlock the Positive Potential Hidden in Your...

Canon and Yuna unveil printers.
November 16, 2011... CANON and singer Yuna unveiled 17 new models, including the milestone PIXMA AIO E500 Ink-Save model, recently. Canon has designed the new imageCLASS MFPs with printing convenience, cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency in mind. Energy...

KFC'S 53rd Projek Penyayang.
November 16, 2011... IN conjunction with the recent Deepavali Celebration, KFC through its 53rd Projek Penyayang programme visited the 'Rumah Keluarga Kami' in Kajang. KFC's Projek Penyayang feeding programme is being held for the fourth time this year and...

100 Years of Nestle.
November 16, 2011... NESTLE Malaysia Bhd announced its Centennial celebrations recently, adding that 2012 would be a year-long celebration of Good Food and the Good Life. Adopting the vernacular theme, '100 Tahun Nestle Di Sisimu' or '100 years by your side,' the...

New Toyota Innova.
November 16, 2011... THE new Toyota Innova continues with the successful concept of offering the vast space of its eight-seater and updated with various modern touches to meet MPV customer needs. The latest Innova takes a fresh approach in its design, and...

Western Digital.
November 16, 2011... REVENUE Western Digital Corp has reported a revenue of US$ 2.7 billion, hard-drive unit shipments of 58 million and net income of US$ 239 million, or US$ 1.01 per share, for its first fiscal quarter ended Sept, 30, 2011. The company's results...

Konica Minolta's branding master stroke.
November 16, 2011... PARTICIPATING in Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2011 as one of the official partners has always been a part of Konica Minolta's corporate brand- building strategy. The prestigious golf tournament of Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia 2011 took centrestage...

World Gas conference 2012 takes flight.
November 16, 2011... AS Malaysia stages the upcoming World Gas Conference (WGC2012) in June next year, 132 local and international industry professionals, representing 27 corporate organisations and associations, were recently invited to a friendly game of golf at...

UMW establishes Toyota Boshoku 2nd plant.
November 16, 2011... TOYOTA Boshoku UMW Sdn Bhd (TBU) held an opening ceremony for their second plant recently. TBU was established as a joint-venture with Toyota Boshoku Corporation, Japan and UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd in 2006. TBU focuses on manufacturing and...

Malaysia launches global incentives for trading programme.
November 16, 2011... THE Government of Malaysia - through Labuan Financial Services Authority (Labuan FSA) and Malaysia Petroleum Resources Corporation (MPRC) - has announced the launch of the Global Incentives for Trading (GIFT) programme to position Malaysia as...

RHB Bank looks to Singapore.
November 16, 2011... RHB Bank, Malaysia's fifth-largest bank, plans to invest in growing its Singapore business, as the bank commemorates its 50th anniversary there. RHB Bank Chairman Tan Sri Azlan Zainol recently announced the Board's S$350 million capital fund...

IREKA unit awarded building contract in Vietnam.
November 16, 2011... IREKA Engineering And Construction Vietnam Company Limited (IECVCL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ireka Corporation Bhd, has been awarded a building contract from Hoa Lam-Shangri-La 1 Limited Liability Company for the construction of the...

Pure breitling.
November 16, 2011... Breitling has launched the Breitling Avenger Seawolf Blacksteel with yellow accent. Designed for depths till 3,000 metres, the chronograph also has a safety valve enabling it to balance the differences in pressure inside and outside the case. It...

New BlackBerry Curve 9360 smartphone.
November 16, 2011... Research In Motion has launched the BlackBerry Curve" 9360, which features the new BlackBerry 7 operating system (OS). The new smartphone is slim, stylish and beautiful. GPS and Wi-Fi support are included, as well as a 5MP camera with flash...

Sony's VPL-HW30ES 3D home theatre projector.
November 16, 2011... Sony has introduced the VPL-HW30ES, expanding its range of 3D home theatre projectors. Incorporating Sony's latest lamp technology, Dynamic Lamp Control system, the new VPL-HW30ES delivers a contrast ratio of 70,000:1 and a dazzling brightness...