Malaysian Business articles from October 2011

Malaysian Business archives from October 2011

Malaysia's best performing companies.
October 16, 2011... THIS year's survey of the top-100 listed companies shows that Bursa Malaysia's heavyweights have been making good progress in growing their revenue after the financial crisis of 2008/2009. However, profitability wise, very little has changed...

Say 'NO' to graft.
October 16, 2011... In the quest to create a business environment that is accountable and transparent, private firms in Malaysia have begun heeding the call to voluntarily make a pledge to battle corruption in their business undertaking. Unveiled on March 31...

clickTrue expands into Kuala Lumpur.
October 16, 2011... SINGAPORE-BASED clickTRUE, an online consulting firm specialising in Search and Conversion strategies to help brand owners strategise, design and build captivating experiences for the Web, has opened new offices in Malaysia and Thailand, as part...

Thumbs up for the whistleblower protection Act.
October 16, 2011... Whistleblowing has proven to be a significant means of detecting fraud and corruption, hence should be made part of an overall control framework. Towards this end, the Whistleblower Protection Act 2010 came into force on December 15 last year...

Subscription-based pricing for network infrastructure.
October 16, 2011... IN A MOVE TO ALLOW ORGANISATIONS TO ALIGN network capacity with fluctuating business demands, Brocade Inc has unveiled a subscription- based acquisition option for network infrastructure. Brocade's South East Asia Director Gina Tan says that...

The TouchSmart advantage.
October 16, 2011... HP TouchSmart PCs The HP TouchSmart 320 PCs: Starting price of RM2,688. The HP TouchSmart 520 PCs: Starting price of RM3,688. THE 20-INCH DIAGONAL HP TOUCHSMART 320 and the 23-inch diagonal HP TouchSmart 520 PC are designed for...

All about personal style.
October 16, 2011... Lenovo ThinkPad X121e The ThinkPad X121e notebook (Intel processors): The pricing starts from RM1,599. The ThinkPad X121e notebook (AMD processors): The pricing starts from RM1,299. THINKPAD X121e IS DESIGNED for the unique needs...

Swift punitive action.
October 16, 2011... It is a well-known fact that corruption impacts negatively on a country's investment climate. In a nutshell, corruption stagnates economic growth, impedes the flow of foreign direct investment (FDI) and weakens a country's competitiveness. In...

A budget to woo the voters.
October 16, 2011... While Budget 2012 dished out the goodies to appease the rakyat for the impending general election, there is no guarantee that the voters will vote for the ruling coalition, as history has shown. I WAS, at first, lost for words to...

Checkmating corrupt practices.
October 16, 2011... In its quest to curtail corruption, the Government has its focus set on three key areas that are most prone to graft - regulatory and enforcement agencies, government procurement and grand corruption. In the case of regulatory and enforcement...

Towards greater transparency.
October 16, 2011... Soon, listed companies will have to adhere to higher standards of corporate disclosure as stipulated by Bursa Malaysia. However, there are still some outstanding issues that need to be ironed out. COME Jan 3, 2012, listed companies will have...

Winning the fight against graft.
October 16, 2011... As The Global Corruption barometer produced by Transparency International indicates, Malaysia has made great strides in lowering its level of corruption, which augurs well for it economically on the international front. MALAYSIA has made...

The right price.
October 16, 2011... Permodalan Nasional Bhd has extended a takeover bid on SP Setia. Is the offer price of RM3.90 per share worthwhile for shareholders? ASK analysts at stockbroking firms whether shareholders should accept Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB)'s offer...

Big boost.
October 16, 2011... Shell Marine Product is counting on its new star product - the Alexia S4 cylinder oil - to push it ahead of the competition. SHELL Marine Products (SMP), the integrated shipping fuels and lubricants arm of Royal Dutch Shell plc, is leveraging...

Fragile recovery.(Survey)
October 16, 2011... Our latest MB100 survey shows that while Malaysia's largest listed companies were drawing more revenue in their last financial year, margins were nowhere near those achieved in the previous period. THE situation may have changed today. But...

Highest increase in revenue.(Financial report)
October 16, 2011... THE SCORECARD SHOWS THAT COMPANIES did better in this year's survey compared to the previous year, with all in the Top 50 having posted double-digit increases in revenue. In last year's survey, only half the companies had registered a growth of...

Highest return on revenue.
October 16, 2011... PPB Group Bhd retains its lead position three years in a row but with margins remaining unchanged from a year ago at 79.7%. The company, owned by billionaire Robert Kuok, is looking to double its milling capacity in Indonesia to 2,000 tonnes by...

2012 budget - The verdict.
October 16, 2011... As new measures pertaining to taxes were minimal in this year's budget, the government can be expected to continue tightening enforcement to plug leakage. TAXES are a source of Government revenue. There was no announcement in the 2012 Budget...

The future of Islamic Finance.
October 16, 2011... Bank Negara Malaysia through its Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre organised an Islamic Finance Seminar in Istanbul from Sept 28-29, 2011. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, former Prime Minister, delivered his Special Keynote Address at the...

Gold is gold.
October 16, 2011... With the mess the world is in, perhaps it's time we took a relook at the gold standard monetary system, when currency was backed by gold. THE world is still gripped by economic uncertainty and investors spooked by volatile stock markets....

Playing catch-up.
October 16, 2011... Judging by the value of its currency, Malaysia, despite its rich blessings of resources, is still lagging behind its neighbours. Why is this so? AT LAST, I got to the spot where World War 1 started. It was an obscure street corner, on the...

The mastery shift.
October 16, 2011... General management has ruled the corporate roost over many decades. But now is the era of mastery. OVER THE last 80 years, the role of mastery and deep craft knowledge development, through the process of apprentice and masters, has eroded. It...

Rearrange your affairs to grow rich.
October 16, 2011... As the interval between one economic crisis and the next grows shorter and shorter, plan your finances wisely to increase your chances of growing richer. VOLATILITY is up again. Yawn! This pattern of wild asset price swings has become...

In the name of interest.
October 16, 2011... The first of a two-part series on Interest Restriction and Pitfalls in the Deductibility of Interest Expense. INTEREST is an inevitable expense for most businesses today as debt financing is an effective means of funding business operations....

Investing in today's markets.
October 16, 2011... Why we continue to look for fundamentally strong companies in these volatile times. AS dedicated long-term investors with an average holding period of three to five years, we believe our success relies on making sure we have invested in the...

Queen of hearts.
October 16, 2011... Tan Sri Dr Robaayah Zambahari is one of the foremost cardiologists in the country. Currently the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Institut Jantung Negara, she talks to Sharmila Valli Narayanan about the role played by teachers in...

First-rate hospitality.
October 16, 2011... One World Hotel has carved a name for itself in the corporate arena in the short time that it has been operational. Its secret? Good facilities, great technical support and personalised services. HAVING only been in operation for four years,...

Blueprint for life.
October 16, 2011... 'The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich,' * By: Timothy Ferrissm * Publisher: Random House * Pages: 408 * Price: RM64.50 The 4-Hour Work Week: Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich...

Delivering the verdict.
October 16, 2011... 'Writing of Judgments: A practical guide for courts and tribunals,' * By: Datuk Syed Ahmad Idid * Publisher: Lexis Nexis Malaysia & IIUM Press * Pages: 234 * Price: RM80 Writing of Judgments: A practical guide for courts and...

Opportunities for Malaysian businessmen.
October 16, 2011... LOCAL companies should consider taking over some troubled but good businesses in the US and Europe and bring them to Malaysia, said former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. Dr Mahathir said Malaysian corporates should not be afraid to...

The secret life of Nora.
October 16, 2011... THE grand curtains of Istana Budaya's Panggung Sari were finally drawn recently to unveil Enfiniti Vision Media's most anticipated production of The Secret Life of Nora (NORA). Enfiniti, the critically-acclaimed company that produced the...

Zero tolerance for corruption.
October 16, 2011... With the implementation of a host of initiatives under the Fighting Corruption National Key Results Area (NKRA), the Government has continued to demonstrate dedication towards eliminating corruption and graft in the country. Malaysian Business...

The essential CIOs.
October 16, 2011... The year 2011 is already bringing with it lots of new challenges, new demands, new urgency, and new worlds to evaluate and master. And along with such challenges come opportunities for visionary CIOs who've been moving themselves out of the...

The exorbitant cost of corruption.
October 16, 2011... Combating corruption requires both the effort of the public and private sectors. At the enterprise level, the commitment must come from the top management consisting of the Board of Directors and the CEO. Unfortunately, many enterprises have...

Malaysia's first M2M MVNO service.
October 16, 2011... DiGi TELECOMMUNICATIONS Sdn Bhd and MY Evolution Sdn Bhd recently introduced Malaysia's first Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) service. The new service enables communication for machines and devices using DiGi's...

New PCI guidance spells big changes for FSI 'Virtual' Environment.
October 16, 2011... Citibank recently became the latest high-profile victim of data breach in the Financial Services Industry (FSI). Will the trend of virtualisation of payment card data and systems in the banking sector for payment card data see more compromise of...

Opportunity?
October 16, 2011... UOA Development has seen its share price fall by more than half since its listing four months ago. What has happened? It may be heart-breaking to some but an opportunity for others. That's probably the case with property developer, UOA...

Development comes with integrity.
October 16, 2011... At the 'Malaysian Business-CIMA Enterprise Governance Awards 2011' held on Sept 27, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Sri Idris Jala spoke on the importance of corporate governance and integrity in the nation's pursuit of a...

Highest net profit.(Financial report)
October 16, 2011... THERE are a couple of interesting changes to this year's scorecard. While Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) maintains its pole position, CIMB Group Holdings Bhd is dislodged to the third rung after Sime Darby Bhd made a strong rebound in...

Biggest change in profit.
October 16, 2011... CHEMICAL Company of Malaysia Bhd (CCM) recorded the biggest increase in profitability of over 500%, owing to a turnaround in its chemicals division from a loss-making position. Second on the list is Sime Darby Bhd, which made a remarkable...

Highest return on assets.
October 16, 2011... MULTINATIONALS (MNCs) continue to fare better in terms of how efficiently companies use their assets. The Top 10 has five multinationals on board, with British American Tobacco Bhd (BAT) keeping its lead position in a challenging environment...

Highest return on equity.
October 16, 2011... THE essence of shareholder value, measured by the return on equity (ROE), boils down to being able to set long-term objectives and delivering them, rather than merely focusing on the short-term objectives, a fact that can be seen among the...

Budget for the people.
October 16, 2011... While some folk say that the 2012 Budget was an election budget to appease the rakyat, there is also cheer for certain sectors and players. Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Abdul Razak presented his second Malaysian budget in Parliament...

2012 budget: Is it enough?
October 16, 2011... THE Budget proposals for 2012 focussed on addressing some key issues playing on the minds of Government policy makers. These include: * Accelerating investment, * Enhancing human capital excellence through creativity and innovation, *...

Opportunity in the Market.
October 16, 2011... Bursa Malaysia, through its seminars and education outreach, aims to create a class of investors knowledgeable and confident enough to benefit from the current market volatility. INVESTING has become a lot trickier with the current...

Malaysia's over-geared households.
October 16, 2011... Malaysia's household debt remains at an overstretched level, with mortgages leading the pack, followed by hire purchase and credit card debts. What can be done? IF we were to go back to about a year ago, we would have heard many discussions...

Tackling a housing price bubble.
October 16, 2011... In this second and final article on housing price bubble, we look at the steps that can be taken to address it. TWO principal ratios are frequently used to gauge the possibility of a home price bubble. These are the (i) house price-to-income...

Like that button.
October 16, 2011... How the 'like' button is presenting brands and companies with an opportunity to build engagement with Facebook fans. THE wonderful world of Internet presents numerous marketing opportunities for companies to build their brands, many of them...

Winds of Change in Myanmar
October 16, 2011... There are expectations and hopes that tentative steps at reform will grow into firmer strides. WHEN former Prime Minister Thein Sein was elected President earlier this year, he was seen by observers as a puppet of the old regime. They...

Double your productivity.
October 16, 2011... Practise the ABC Method and create large chunks of time. I AM pleased to share with you this article that will help you produce significantly better results when you put into action what you learn here. This also serves as preparation for...

Nestle bags ACCA Malaysia sustainability reporting award 201.
October 16, 2011... NESTLE (MALAYSIA) BHD won top accolade at ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Malaysia's annual awards for Sustainability Reporting. The ACCA Malaysia Sustainability Reporting Awards 2011 (ACCA MaSRA 2011) also...

Belum-Temengor rainforest royal fundraising dinner.
October 16, 2011... PULAU BANDING FOUNDATION is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation which focuses on carrying out research on flora and fauna present within the Belum-Temengor Rainforest Complex. It ensures that appropriate conservation and sustainable...

Toi See Jong becomes Tokio Marine Life CEO.
October 16, 2011... Tokio Marine Life Insurance Malaysia Bhd has announced the appointment of Toi See Jong as the new Chief Executive Officer. In this new position, Toi will be instrumental in leading it into the next phase of its corporate development and position...

President of Kosmopolito hotels.
October 16, 2011... Kosmopolito Hotels International Limited (KHI) has announced that Mok Kwai Pui, Bill, an Executive Director of KHI, will be re-designated as a Non- Executive Director of KHI and will cease to hold the office of the President of KHI with effect...

eBworx banks on mobile solutions.
October 1, 2011... As smart phones get cheaper and service becomes more widespread, mobile banking is expected to spread beyond its current American and European centre and meet the growing demands of the unbanked population in developing countries. ACE-listed...

Top 100 value creating companies of 2010.
October 1, 2011... Sustaining profitability through efficient capital management The year 2010 marked an improvement in the economic sentiments of the country with the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growing by 7.2%. However, the average economic profit (EP) over...

Revitalising old George Town.
October 1, 2011... The nostalgic sights along the vicinity of Penang's Weld Quay will be restored in the quest to preserve George Town's traditional urban character vis-a-vis The Rice Miller City Residences If not for the true grit and perseverance of its...

The rise of allianz.
October 1, 2011... FOR a relatively new player to the local insurance scene, Allianz Malaysia Bhd has done well. It has become Malaysia's largest general insurer and the sixth largest in the life insurance segment. Now it has plans to make insurance more...

The future of mobile banking.
October 1, 2011... IS THE WORLD, OR MORE specifically Asia, ready for mobile banking? According to the KPMG Consumers and Convergence survey, more people are getting more comfortable about using mobile devices and technologies for banking and other financial...

A Grande living unfolds.
October 1, 2011... Nestled in the vicinity of the Tropicana Golf and Country Resort in Petaling Jaya, Tropicana Grande stands out as a jumbo-sized condo offering As its name suggests, Tropicana Grande by Dijaya Corp Bhd - a property developer renowned for...

Transforming contact centres.
October 1, 2011... SUCCESSFUL CONTACT CENTRES should adopt a certain process to be better tomorrow than they are today. Joe Staples, the chief marketing officer for US-based Interactive Intelligence Group Inc and a global provider of unified IP business...

Interactive intelligence leads the pack.
October 1, 2011... INTERACTIVE INTELLIGENCE Group Inc has been positioned by Gartner in the leaders quadrant of its 2011 Magic Quadrant for Contact Centre Infrastructure, Worldwide report. The Gartner report, provides an analysis of vendors in the market based...

Exports by MSC-companies surges on.
October 1, 2011... THE EXPORTS OF MSC MALAYSIA companies increased to RM4.25 billion in the first six months of 2011, a jump of about 19% over the RM3.57 billion recorded in the same period last year. The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) reveals that...

Promising outlook for GLCs.
October 1, 2011... THE G-20 COMPRISES TWENTY large government-linked companies (GLCs) selected as the core set of companies earmarked under the Government- Linked Companies Transformation (GLCT) programme to spearhead the high performance agenda for all GLCs. As...

Web check-in for Firefly.
October 1, 2011... BUDGET AIRLINE FIREFLY HAS INTRODUCED a web check-in facility for all domestic routes and flights between Malaysia and Singapore. Passengers can now check-in online and print out their boarding passes. Those with check-in baggage will go...

For better customer insights.
October 1, 2011... IN A MOVE TO GAIN MORE PRECISE insights about customers and to create better products and services, Malaysia Building Society Bhd (MBSB) has enhanced its data mining solution with the installation of SAS Rapid Predictive Modeler. MBSB...

Unusual rise in property prices.
October 1, 2011... As all of us are aware, residential property prices in Malaysia have risen significantly in the past three years. While prices rose by 20% or 30% in many areas, they rose by over 50% in some of the hotter areas. Based on the National House...

Telekom Malaysia completes Network Inventory System project.
October 1, 2011... CLARITY, THE PROVIDER OF unified solutions designed to simplify the operations of communication service providers, has announced the successful completion of its Network Inventory System (NIS) project for Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM). In...

New internet guidelines on social networking sites.
October 1, 2011... CYBERSECURITY MALAYSIA, the national cyber security specialist centre and an agency under the purview of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI), has introduced a new Internet guideline called, Best Practice on Social...

Sourcefire offers scholarships to local students.
October 1, 2011... SOURCEFIRE INC, THE US-BASED provider of intelligent cybersecurity solutions and the creator of Snort, is promoting its annual scholarship for local university students to be trained in next-generation IT cybersecurity solutions. Established...

The path to political liberalisation can be rocky.
October 1, 2011... The Prime Minister, on the eve of this year's Malaysia Day celebrations, announced several liberalisation measures that included a promise to repeal the 1960 Internal Security Act, the 1959 Banishment Act and amend the Printing Presses &...

Designed to travel.
October 1, 2011... TRAVELMATE TM8481-2462G32 * Genuine Windows 7 Professional 32-bit * 14" HD 1366 x 768 resolution, Acer ComfyView LED-backlit TFT LCD * 320 GB (7200rpm), with enhanced Acer DASP (Disk Anti-Shock Protection) * 2GB DDR3 RAM Gigabit...

Talk the hind legs off a donkey with Gobby.
October 1, 2011... LEARNERS AND SPEAKERS OF English as a second language can now download Gobby - a nifty iPhone and Android application that helps explain the meaning of frequently used idioms in everyday speech. Gobby aims to make English figures of speech...

Bad laws or abuse?
October 1, 2011... While the government's decision to abolish the Internal Security Act and review other laws deemed outdated augurs well for the country, new laws being formulated to replace them must be used wisely and not misused. MUCH has been said recently...

Making a splash.
October 1, 2011... Puncak Niaga Holdings' potential pact with 1Malaysia Development Bhd in the privatisation of national sewerage company Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd is causing excitement. PUNCAK Niaga Holdings Bhd's shares have generally been a laggard over...

Safety in a tough investment environment.
October 1, 2011... Capita Malls Malaysia Trust has been attracting some attention of late, given its attractive retail assets portfolio and large size. IN A hostile and highly uncertain investment environment, there are more and more voices arguing that the...

Petronas' lube push.(Company overview)
October 1, 2011... Petronas aims to oil its way to the world's top five spot for lubricants by 2016. NATIONAL oil company Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has an ambitious goal. It aims to be among the world's top five lubricant companies by 2016 via its...

EG gaining ground.
October 1, 2011... Public Bank bags the 'Malaysian Business-CIMA Enterprise Governance Awards 2011', albeit by the slimmest of margins, indicating that competition is becoming keener in the field of Enterprise Governance. PUBLIC Bank Bhd bagged the 'Malaysian...

Reaching out.(Company overview)
October 1, 2011... Already with a good mix of life and general insurance products, Allianz Malaysia Bhd now wants to make them more affordable to the people. IN the robust Malaysian insurance landscape, Allianz Malaysia Bhd sits pretty as the largest general...

Putting faith in Malaysia.
October 1, 2011... Allianz Malaysia CEO Jens Reisch understands the need to be cautious in these uncertain times, but he's optimistic about Malaysia's potential and resilience. THE current global economic slowdown is hardly the time for optimism. However,...

Telco Tryst.
October 1, 2011... Should investors place their faith in the telecommunications sector's defensive nature in the current uncertain market sentiment? BEING defensive is probably the strategy being chosen by most investors in the current volatile equity market....

Budget 2012 - A tough balancing act.
October 1, 2011... The 2012 Budget to be presented on Oct 7 will have to strike a balance between the need to curb spending to reduce the fiscal deficit and the need to spend to ensure continued growth. A MID the markedly worsening global economic conditions,...

Home Prices: Bubble ahead?
October 1, 2011... Of late there have been renewed concerns over prices of residential properties in Malaysia. Could we be heading towards a housing price bubble? We look at the issue in this first of a two-part article. HOUSING prices in Malaysia have been on...

Price system.
October 1, 2011... Dishing the goods on transfer pricing. LIKE IT or not, every company has to file its tax returns annually. The challenge is to ensure that a correct tax return is filed and this requires a proper understanding of the tax legislations and...