The Breakfast Grille

Derek Chang, Managing Director of Scripps Networks Interactive for Asia Pacific discusses the following topics:- Dealing with the rapidly changing landscape of the media industry   - Competing with user-generated content (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo)   - Competing with other forms of entertainment – social media, online gaming , online radio- Evolution of the distribution model   - Packaging vs. customized selections- Will people switch off from cable and satellite TV?- Effects of new online entrants into the market (e.g. Amazon, Google)- Scripps’s strategy to compete with more established networks in Asia- Market share in South East Asia- Continuing with partners such as Astro vs. expanding to free-to-air channels- Revenue stream: affiliate fees & advertising revenues- Why is Malaysia so attractive to content owners?- Monopoly of the cable and satellite TV industry in Asia – effect on content pricing - Emulating Scripps’s American online strategy in AsiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Wee, Country Manager of Ricoh Malaysia, discusses the following questions: - Ricoh's involvement in three main business segments: Image & Solution - Industrial equipment (such as thermal media products and optical equipment - and ‘Others’ (like digital cameras and the operation of financial and logistics businesses) The Malaysia proposition? - Update on each business segment : Imaging - green revolution - fewer printing : Managed solutions - IT Services - cloud systems? : ‘Others’? - surveillance systems - Effective April 2013: “Ricoh is going to strengthen its business structure in the Asian market.” The globalization of Chinese companies into Southeast Asian - HR issues - changing focus from hardware sales to IT services - Cartridges - grey cartridges - competition - Branding as an important component of Ricoh’s brand awareness Strategy - % of sales - Sponsorship of British Women’s Open and the Malaysian Open tennis - decision tree - New global brand message in Apr. 2012 "imagine. change." - 2020 Tokyo Olympics - confidence booster - implications for overseas subsidiaries - In Japan, a looming Sales Tax increase in April 2014 -- implications for overseas units - Ricoh Japan: 1-year return of +76% and +26% YTD - higher than the broader Nikkei - drivers -Yen weakness - until now a catalyst and a beneficiary of intervention - outlook / approach - Sustainability -extent of importance - interlink with innovationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Delicious CEO Steve Allen talks about running a restaurant franchise in Malaysia and the country’s food culture. Points covered include:- E&O’s investment in Delicious   - Has it paid off?   - Consolidation and product consistency vs expansion- Singapore outlet   - Competitive advantages   - Costs- Price points- Volume & profitability vs. making good food- Viability of healthy food- Malaysia’s cultural food identity   - Lifestyle restaurants vs. kopitiams & hawker stalls- Costs of interior design vs. quality of food- Cost of setting up new outlet- Delicious's quality of service- Can tipping improve service?- Reasons for moving to MalaysiaSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For this year's Malaysia Day we interview two young participants of the Young Enterprise Program on their views of the future of both themselves and the country. Topics covered include: -Introduction of respective students' respective business- Results exceeded expectations- Short term vs long term decision-making- Career choices- What will make money in future?- The environmental impact of businesses- Social media and the quality of communication - The future of Malaysian sports- Will our values change?- Feelings about the future of the country- Exploitation in business- Role of government in charity- Home is home and the value of foreign countries - The original reason of brain drain- Policies that would be introduced if you were in a powerful position- Opinions and speaking up are important- Stagnancy in Malaysia's healthcare- Funding of healthcareSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Kershaw, CEO of M&C Saatchi, talks to Sharaad Kuttan about remaining on top of game in the uber competitive world of advertising, while still having fun. Topics covered include:- Development of the advertising industry - Personal introduction into the advertising career- Role as Chairman of the Cultural Leadership Programme- Advertising as ‘effective parasites’ of current interest- Experience in Malaysia- Reaction to Publicis-Omnicom merger- Leadership of M&C Saatchi- Expansion plans- Effects of global economic downturnSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Country President of ACE Jerneh Insurance, Stephen Crouch talks to BFM about the Malaysian general insurance scene and how ACE Jerneh intends to innovate. Points covered include: - Malaysian general insurance industry compared to the global market      - The acceptance level of malaysians to general insurance      - Premium pricing - Innovative policies for Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) - Preparation for future de-tariffication of the motor and fire insurance markets - Fraudulent claims, the bugbear of insurance - Improving the efficiency of transactions and the claims process     - Frictional costs     - Switching to online sales     - Improving the number and quality of the agency workforce- How crime affects the insurance industry- Entry into the life and takaful markets?- Experience as Country Director in Malaysia compared to other Asia-Pacific countriesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this 2013 Interview, Sigve Brekke, Chairman of DiGi Bhd & Telenor Asia, discusses the following questions: MARKET SHARE - COMPETITION - The latest mkt shr data shows that DiGi and Celcom continue to gain ground on Maxis, with DiGi’s slice of the mobile revenue pie rising to 27.6% vs. Maxis’ 37% and Celcom’s 35%...Are you happy with your current competitive position? - When can we expect DiGi to challenge the Big 2? Is there even a desire to be top two? - There is even a view that all three players might enjoy equal market share .. - Maxis - problems - (lack of) management direction - inability to scrap with No.1 mentality - whether time strike while iron is hot - Are u worried that Celcom is encroaching on your core segment – the youth mkt?- Is there a risk that Maxis may get more price competitive to halt its declining mkt shr? BUSINESS TRUSTS - DiGi is reportedly exploring the setting up a business trust (BT) as a potential vehicle for its capital management initiatives, with a decision to be made by year end… How will a BT potentially allow you to manage your capital more efficiently and boost payouts?- There might be corporate governance concerns - chiefly that such a set-up is potentially more favourable to Telenor (higher dividends) than minority shareholders - pros and cons of the BT structure- Business trusts are a new concept for the M’sian mkt and DiGi could be the country’s firstShouldn’t you be watching to see how they perform? Especially given the performance of business trusts in Singapore has been sub-par? FINANCIALS - Telco companies, such a DiGi primarily focus on EBITDA as a yardstick of profitability - cons - network depreciation - At its 2Q12 result, DiGi had RM761mn cash on the balance sheet, a big drop from the RM1.45bn at the end of last year…Given the telcos ongoing network modernisation exercise… Are the days of DiGi’s dividend surprises over?- Elevated cash payouts have been one of the main reasons why DiGi has re-rated so sharply in recent years (from around 15x trailing PE 5yrs ago, to 28x today…) Do you see a risk of DiGi’s PE multiple de-rating if it fails to provide dividend surprises going forward? DIVIDEND POLICY - MIN 80% OF NP - We understand u continue to stand by your full-year guidance: Revenue growth of 5-7%Flat EBITDA margins YoY, 46%Capex at 11% of revenue, implying flat capex YoY, within RM750 mn>> WHAT are the main threats to any of these three? - DiGi launched LTE services recently but cautioned that it's early days yet for LTE in MalaysiaWhat are the catalysts to some kind of traction occurring? - Telenor 49% of DiGi - desire for up to 70% M&A - SECTOR CONSOLIDATION - And on to the thorny issue of spectrum - or the lack thereof. Isn’t DiGi at a big risk of falling behind its peers as 4G is gradually rolled out? DiGi is after all known in the market as being the most “spectrum-starved” of the “Big Three” players in the country .. - What level of credence should shareholders accord the rumours that DiGi is looking at acquiring companies operating on the WiMAX spectrum, which is on the 2,300MHz band. - After all, a successful precedence exists: in 2008 DiGi bought the rights to valuable 3G spectrum from Time dotCom Bhd for a whopping RM700mil -- a deal which has worked out well for DiGi shareholders .. TELENOR - MYANMAR - Telenor and Qatar Telecom finally emerged victorious in the bid for Myanmar’s coveted telco licencesHowever, given there were delays, confusion and chaos surrounding just the announcement of the winners of the license What does this say about how difficult it’s going to be to operate in Myanmar?- Myanmar currently has a penetration rate of c. 9%, if it reaches its 50% target by 2015, CLSA estimates this could generate c. US$115mn annually – will this justify the cost of the license, in addition to the difficulties of doing business in Myanmar? INDIA - A MARKET THAT TELENOR IS COMPETING WITH MAXIS - Entered as No.14 (No.1 player - Bharti Airtel - has 200m subscribers) - then lost licence - then regained after court battles - outline the challenges - Learnt some lessons in India: partnerships - cost efficiency - network efficiency - adoption in Malaysia PERSONNEL - Maxis seems intent on recovering lost market share - no surprises - and it's doing so with DiGi / Telenor alumniTrade secrets: what is the risk of DiGi's former execs sharing the inside line on DiGi's practices and culture? - If Lundal is instrumental in engineering a successful turnaround of Maxis’ flagging mkt shr what strategies might DiGi instal to counteract this new competitive threat?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr Amat Taap Manshor, CEO of the recently launched Finance Accreditation Agency (FAA) talks to us about the FAA’s role in the finance industry.- Purpose- Is accreditation voluntary or mandatory?- FAA’s funding- Conflicts of interest?- Talent acquisition- The accreditation process- International recognition?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

- Background of the online crime scene- Lack of legal framework to prosecute cybercrime which transcend national jurisdictions- No "silver bullet" for addressing hacktivism- Sourcefire’s business model- Other players in the market- The rise of cloud computing and how it affects Sourcefire- Asian operations- Security for the US govt and private users- Sourcefire's open source platforms ensure continuous upgrade- Financials- Valuations: what makes Sourcefire more valueable than Amazon?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sia Tiong Heng, the Managing Director of SBC Corp., the Bursa-listed family controlled property development and construction company incorporated in 1954, answers the following questions: - SBC is one of Malaysia’s oldest property and construction firms - among the iconic buildings it has built: Bank Negara headquarters, Empire Tower, Wisma Lim Foo Yong, Wisma HLA and Bangkok Bank headquarters. But despite your storied history, SBC is today not a behemoth. You have chosen to stay small. And tightly controlled by the family. WHY - Nor have you apparently courted the big institutional funds, preferring to stay under the radar. If that is the case why suffer the hassle of public listing and quarterly reporting? - One key SBC strategy has been connectivity: transport-themed buildings - with three of your five projects to be handed over this financial year what are your strategy experts proposing the next theme to be? - Another interesting strategy has been your development of non-Peninsula cities - Kota Kinabalu specifically. WHY? - Many of the properties you have developed and purchased through the years have been retained for income - some examples include;The lower floor units of Shah Tower in PJ A couple of units in Intan Kenny in Bukit Tunku At least a dozen each of residential and commercial units at The Peak Suites in KK How valuable have these investment units been in propping up income during the low season and periods in between launches? - We see that you also have about 50 acres in Batang Kali and 5.5 acres in Ulu Yam reserved for future development -- what is the strategy there? - BNM moves to curb speculation - upping LTVRs, loan computation of net, not gross income - how have these tighter lending conditions affected the types of developments you will choose to develop in future - The ‘easy money’ days brought on by a surfeit of cheap Western-originated liquidity also seems to be coming to an end. Again - how is a small firm such as yours preparing for these conditions? - Higher fuel costs - construction costs - - Undocumented workers - labour shortage - You’ve previously had projects in Thailand in the past Why did you exit this mkt? Any plans to re-ventured overseas? If so, where? - SBC has undergone something of a turnaround in recent years, with net income improving to RM26.8mn in the last FY, from a loss back in FY07What's led to this turnaround in SBC's fortunes?Has there been a change of strategy? - Your ROE (return on equity) has been relatively low - consistently in the single digits - do you have any plans to improve this metric? - Flattish revenues - though margins and profits are good -- whether intend to stay at these levels - SBC looking to renew its share buyback programme:>> Why do a share buyback programme when you’re also looking to make a cash call?? - Plans 3-for-5 rights issue, 1-for-2 bonus shr issue, aims to raise as much as RM49.5mMkt hasn't liked this news with shr px falling from RM1.785 at time of announcement to c. RM1.42 currently - SBC's liquidity is reasonable at about RM1mn ADT (average daily turnover) over the past 3mths...But why does your share price still remain relatively depressed? Market cap / visibility issues? Mkt cap - 118 million ringgit - It’s been a bit of a rocky ride this year: down 18% in August alone but still up 36% on the year; how do u explain these gyrations for such an illiquid stock? - A revaluation might give your share price a boost: in June Kenanga pegged a revised Net Asset Value of RM5.86. And even after applying their maximum 60% discount to RNAV they still arrived at a target price of RM2.35: some ways north of your current share price of RM1.44See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For BFM's 5th Anniversary Breakfast Grille, Ho Kay Tat, Group CEO and Publisher of The Edge Media Group and Malek Ali, Managing Director and Founder of BFM Media, discuss: - Malek - fifth anniversary - has it met financial and otherwise expectations - Expansion into non-broadcast avenues with B-school and B-Side - Kay Tat -- The Edge was in the news recently for having bought 23 percent in BFM. It’s not majority -- and therefore goes against the grain of Tong Kooi Ong’s ethos, the man who owns The Edge, who only ever buys 50.1% and more.Why the break with tradition? STAKE PURCHASE - Reasons - Valuations - Synergies - Mindset: LT / exit / details - Edge Comms IPO - meld issues EDGE ISSUES - Biz update - - Ad market - health of - Editorial thrust: update Print challenge - outlook - rates - discounting - WaPost - - The Edge Review - DS Clement Hii - HCK Media - competition - deep pockets - Broader: competition - MKini print licence application - FZ status, news reports New Media - Gen Y - New media expansion - tablets - EdgeReview FEER // BSide - Culture/People/Politics - how have these gone these past two months - Difficulties - FZ - penetration - reach - P2Profitability - adoption - etc - The Edge Online - nascence - print cannibalism - Other platforms: Personal Money - Art - issues BFM RADIO - MCMC - Media freedoms - Expansion: events - grad ed - tablets - Pg - JB - visibility INDUSTRY - POLICY - Media freedoms - liberalisation of the PPPA - applications for all media -- OWNER ISSUES - BFM - board - issues - owner manager - income investment not IPO - LT Plans - succession planning - Edge - Tong - issues - Hands-on - Ongoing reasons for ownership - (Rumoured) IPO Plans INDUSTRY - Talent - Compensations - Ecosystem THE FUTURE OF MEDIA - HKT: “Just like you get the government you deserve” -- “You get the media you deserve” - expect news for free - challenges - Crystal ball - where is the future of media - Malaysia / regionally - changing dynamics on how we get our news - consumption - Gen Y See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dominique de Soras, CEO of Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering on the Breakfast Grille discusses: - second quarter results with lower margins despite higher revenues- half year profits only 38% of consensus forecast, any chance of catching up in the second half of the year?- order book of only RM1.8bn currently. Needs replenishing- delays and postponement of tenders- expansion of capacity despite lower orders- the gap between Malaysian and Korean fabbrication companies- MMHE one of the most expensive O&G fabricators globally based on PE ratios. Overvalued?- relationship with MISC and Petronas- overreliance on Petronas (93% of revenue from Malaysia)- undermechanisation in MMHESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Minor International is one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia Pacific region. It operates over 1,000 restaurants and 30 hotels in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions and Africa.  Based in Bangkok, Thailand, it operates hotels under the Anantara, Four Seasons, Marriott, Elewana and Avani brands, owns The Pizza Company and Thai Express restaurant franchises, and operates restaurants under the Swensen's, Sizzler, Dairy Queen, Burger King and The Coffee Club brands in Thailand and other countries. William Heinecke, Chairman and CEO of Minor International, is on the breakfast Grille to better explain the different business lines of the company and it's prospects. Among the topics of discussion: --  The Hotel Business: Occupancy rates and plans to boost the numbers --  The F&B Business: prospects for the food business, outlet expansion plans and market share --  Expansion Plans: which markets hold the most potential for Minor, new markets Minor is interested in, what Minor is investing in --  Personal Entreprenurial Experience: challenges and opportunities of doing business in Thailand, lessons learnt over the years See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Through good fortune and the generosity of people around him a poor boy from Muar reaches the heights of the corporate world. Tan Sri Arshad Ayub, a man associated with building Institut Teknologi Mara talks about education in Malaysia in this Merdeka Special. He speaks about the need to reintroduce vocational studies, the importance of English in Malaysia, and the challenges ahead.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nafis Jasmani - Country Manager for Axis Communications ASEAN - Axis's history - From print servers to security cameras - Issues in surveillance - Innovative technologies of Axis - Types of customers - Budgets in surveillance systems - Trends in surveillance` - Malaysia crime rates impact on business - Shift of analog to digital - Focus on smart capabilities - Malaysians' expectations of security  - Strategies in camera placement - Impact on crime rates from working with Malaysian govt - Challenges of working with Malaysian govt - Malaysia has highest adoption growth rates - Talent management for a tech company like Axis See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this Aug 2013 interview, Christopher Boyd, Executive Chairman, CB Richard Ellis Malaysia discusses the following questions: - Having come from the Regroup fold and then signing an affiliate agreement with the global property consultancy CBRE in 2009 to tap on some strategic affiliations -- how has this partnership lived up to expectations? - As a full-service consultancy CBRE performs the whole gamut: strategic advice and execution for property sales and leasing; corporate services; property, facilities and project management; mortgage banking; appraisal and valuation; development services; investment management; and research and consulting. How is the firm coping with being full-suite? - And from the standpoint of staying full-suite despite the industry not always accommodating it? HR / qualified personnel? - Looking at the CBRE group revenue breakdown as a whole, it seems that Property, Facilities & Project Management and Leasing services are the primary growth drivers. Does CBRE Malaysia’s revenue percentage mirror this too? If not, how different is it? - Commercial property - status update - oil and gas sector healthy - supply-demand issues - trends - city / Golden Triangle exodus - Section 13 revival - flight to quality (efficient building, continuous power, flexible a/c, vertical ducts, MSC status) - chasm between new and old buildings in re Green/MSC compliant - - With household debt near regional highs and property mortgages comprising half of this debt do you share the widespread view that speculation needs to be reined in? - The Central Bank has weighed in heavily to cap speculation. What is your view as regards its timing and the efficacy of its measures? - Is there a risk of too much intervention, which could 'cramp' growth? - Couldn't restrictions on DIBS be circumvented by developers simply via other promotional tools? - Will rising interest rates globally, and locally, have a major –ve impact on the local property market? - Budget 2014 will be released in October, do you expect any policy announcements targeted at the property sector?Expectations? - Housing affordability is gradually slipping in M’sia, with National Property Information Centre data showing house prices in Malaysia have outpaced median household income growth by 1-4% across the four main property markets since 2009What’s the best way to address this problem? - Your view of govt-sponsored programmes like PRIMA and ‘My First Home Scheme’?What of private sector solutions? - From an investment perspective, which segment (residential, office, retail) are you most positive on?And which geography? - Retail continues to be resilient -- and mall development and refurbishment appears to continue unabated .. ? True / false? - What’s the health of the sale / leaseback market looking like right now? - All the big boys: Sime Darby, SP Setia, IJM Land, even smaller niche players like E&O and Selangor Dredging -- they have or will soon launch projects abroad, with the UK and Australia being particular favourites.Will foreign property purchases continue to attract interest? - Indeed, from an investment standpoint, buying a second property in an industrious, well-planned, well-managed, surplus- and resource-rich nation, with an educated workforce and high savings rate is seen as a good hedge to a local portfolio. In this context, the UK, Australia, SIngapore and HK are popular choices. Do shed some light on how many Malaysians have taken this route? - UK developers seeking foreign equity - aversion of UK bank capital to real estate - seizing the opportunity - In 2010, your Johor colleague Wee Soon Chit (Director of CBRE (Johor) said that he feels that the Johor property market has a long way to catch up with the Kuala Lumpur (KL) property market but Iskandar Malaysia will play a critical role in closing the gap. Has that gap been closed? - Country Garden - China developers - Values have skyrocketed in Nusajaya. But with tapering fears and liquidity outflows, many are now concerned of a slowdown, especially among indebted nations like Malaysia -- is Johor a bubble that is about to burst? - There have been concerns expressed about oversupply risks to Iskandar – particularly in the high-end condo segment- Is oversupply a real threat? Or are these worries overblown?- Is there really a secondary rental market for high-end condo’s in Iskandar? - Do you fear widespread defaults among JB property speculatorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fusionex International plc, MD Ivan Teh discusses the following issues: UK LISTING - Early start - story - Advisors Panmure Gordon - inteest received - Chose AIMS -- reasons - IPO valuation - progress - Pros - cons - pushbacks - Amount raised - proceeds - reasons - Visibility - market for shares OPERATIONS - Staff - location - Positioning - Client base- Growth - targets - Industry 'Big' themes - 2013/2014: Big Data - analytics - data driven decisions - - RM60mil raised: eyeing geographical expansion in other regions Hong Kong, Indonesia and Australia FINANCIALS - Geographical revenue breakdown - Big growth product -- why and how - Outlook and potentialSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ng Chin Heng, Executive Chairman of Coastal Contract Bhd joins us on the breakfast grille to discuss: - highest contract sales and order book in its history - continued demand for Offshore Support Vessels - capacity to fulfill orders - venturing into jack-up rigs - improved consistency in revenues with new asset ownership approach  - oil prices affecting business - geographical splits of revenue and low revenues from Malaysia - income, margins and moving up the value chain - lower valuations compared to its peers - risk of overtrading? - historic share price movementsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tony Collingridge, Director of UK Trade & Investment for Malaysia on the breakfast grille discusses: - David Cameron pledging £8 billion of bilateral trade by the year 2016 - TPPA affecting trade figures - trade barriers in Malaysia - what expertise Malaysian corporates can lend to the UK - sectorial growth prospects for UK corporates in Malaysia - NEM and ETP influencing decisions to invest in Malaysia - rising costs in Malaysia compared to its neighbours - standards of English slipping in Malaysia - Malaysians and British education - Impact of educational link on trade levels - working visas in the UK - differences in doing business in UK and Malaysia - Malaysia's deteriorating economic growth and the impact on inward investment See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ho Wen Yan, CEO of Hua Yang Bhd - Is affordable housing compromising quality and comfort? - Design and technological factors - Degree of price appreciation and speculative activity - Build-then-sell policy in property development - Abandonment by developers - Build-then-sell may increase house prices - Quality issues of current system - Commute time from affordable housing centres to urban employment centres - Integration of affordable housing with society - HDB concept - Growth plans & potential overheating within the property sector - Affordable segment insulated from speculation - No plans to go into higher priced segments - Balancing coporate aims of affordable housing provision with profitability - Remain true to founding vision - Cost breakdown: 10-20% Land cost; 40-50% construction costs; Margins- 20-25% - Labour cost pressures - Minimum wage: no impact - Contractors haven't passed higher cost - Land purchase - 30 acres in Puchong - pushed up gearing to 0.6x - Capital management and expansion - still can borrow - Dividend policy - 25-30% payout ratio - Political connections - Land banking is a trade skill - Plans for Iskandar: serving the local population  - Budget expectationsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Laudi, Executive Editor and Founder of Investor Central discusses:  STARTUP - How - why - transition - story  - Funding - backers  - Profile: shareholders  - What the promise is - LT MT ST  OPERATIONS - Clients- Footprint- LT vision  CHALLENGES - People  - Adoption  - Retention  - Price, margin pressure  - Shallow moat / competition   - Web speeds / reliability  FINANCIALS - Profitable  - Financials - Exit strategy See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Malcolm Rowe,  Regional VP of South Asia for Akamai. -How content delivery network works -Different levels of service -Algorithm provides intelligence to deal with different levels of service -MIT collaboration -IPv4 to IPv6 -Presence in the Asia Pacific region -The direct-to-smartphone generation (skipping PCs) -Competition -Customers -Internet security issues -Have Malaysian companies fully exploited internet?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) President Dr. Klaus Wucherer discusses: Founded in 1906, the International Electrotechnical Commission is the world’s oldest organization in standardization for all electric, electronic and related technologies. The organization is headquartered in Geneva. The IEC Council is the organization’s supreme body. Malaysia joined the organization in 1991. - How it started  - Reasons  - Current relevance  - Funding - staffing  - Reach - ubiquity   WHY IT MATTERS - Electrotechnical standards: why it matters?  - Conformity matters - assessment tests - for commercial reasons   - Extent of industry challenge without technical standards  - Having worked with Siemens and Infineon - the private sector - impressions from the other side - value of IEC  - Malaysia is a full member of the IEC -- impact to this country   TECH - PACE OF CHANGE -  Conflicting technical standards are ubiquitous: CDs and DVDs, telephony systems, computer operating systems, electronic file formats. As the rate of technological innovation continues to accelerate, and as electronic systems become more complex and involve growing numbers of complementary components, technical standards take on increasing strategic importance and need to be managed accordingly. - Current challenges - example - coping with rapid development in tablets - smartphones - digital cameras - other devices?  - Which are other areas occupies IEC’s time? Biometrics? Defense? Details   CHALLENGES  - Standards wars do create uncertainty though --not to mention being extremely expensive .. issues  - In the war to ‘win’ the standards game, what is involved in winning your approval?  - Is there a suitable compromise? The word ‘cooptition’ has been used before ..  Given these considerations, often a better strategic approach is cooptition. That is, first cooperate across with stakeholders across the value net to develop optimal international standards that quickly gain legitimacy and de facto market dominance. This helps to create an attractive industry while reducing costs and uncertainty for individual firms Then compete along other dimensions in this more attractive industry context. The benefits of this approach are the flipside of the drawbacks to standards wars: larger market, faster market growth, more and faster developed complementary products, less uncertainty and lower attendant hedging costs, and lower costs designing, testing, and building to multiple standards. - This virtuous cycle was best exemplified with the compact disc. The two main developers, Philips and Sony, determined that agreeing on a technology and sharing it, would generate a market for the product way above anything that would have existed, had they worked separately on their own. How right they were! Is there a current example?  - Do current industry players get actively involved in standards-setting? In summary, standard-creation raises important strategic implications for managers. While there are exceptions, in many cases, multiple standards weaken industry structure and reduce firm profitability. Betting on the wrong horse in a case of conflicting standards can be devastating; hedging bets by producing to multiple standards is costly. Through active participation in standard-creation in the context of recognized international standards bodies, managers can help to ensure that their industry structure is better, that emerging standards align with the firm’s technical and strategic goals, that forthcoming standards are state-of-the-art, and that the firm is plugged into technical developments in their own and adjacent industries. In politics they say, “Those who don’t do politics get done by politics.” The same logic applies in the context of standards. Standards are going to be imposed on your firm in the future: Do you want to actively participate in their creation or leave this to your competitors and others? RENEWABLE ENERGY  - In an Asian context, new developments in solar, biomass, hydro etc. Where are the standards being fought currently See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Award winning graphic designer, Stefan Sagmeister talks about happiness and design, and how Malaysia needs to develop its own language of design. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahmad Zakie, CEO of the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia - history and mission of FIMM - FIMM's independence - performance of fund managers vs indices - distribution and marketing focus - the problem of the high cost of investing - agent competency - arms length in the unit trust industry - related party transactions channelled by unit trust companies to their banking parents - update of PRS sales so far - hinderences to higher PRS investments - the need for EPF reform? - future directionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

SMR Technologies Chairman & CEO Dato' Dr R Palan discusses the following questions: - You’ve been a trainer all your life. At what point did you realise the necessity to institutionalise your work into a corporate structure  - Discuss the path to SMR - and then the path to becoming a PLC  BUSINESS PLAN - REVENUE STREAMS  - Discussion on each -- and which is the biggest contributor to group revenue - and whether overdependence on one or the other > Professional HR solutions (events/consulting/outsourcing/search)  > HR Software (HRDPower.Net Enterprise, HRDPower SAAS)  > Education (National Capacity Building: english language, vocational skills, tertiaryeducation)  OPERATIONS - Challenges: people / fee and pricing pressure / adoption / preference for foreign professionals and not local?  - Challenges: developers / upgrades? -  - Challenges: dealing with a government which has back-shelved English as a means of learning science and maths  - Positioning? What is SMR? A software firm? Event manager? A university / education provider? A trainer? Clarity of focus - Whether the street / investment community values SMR accordingly - Client breakdown: GLC / Private sector  GROWTH - EXPANSION - With most -- 95% -- of group revenue coming from OCHR (Outsourcing, consulting and HR activities) where is the next leg of growth coming from - Tertiary education: ISSUES  CORPORATE - PLC - EXERCISES  - Purchase of 70%-stake in In-Fusion Education Sdn Bhd - RM27.5 mln - Reasons for purchase  - Loss after taxation of RM4.9 mln with a BV of RM14 mln at FYE Dec 2011. .. Explain? “operating issues”?  - Many of the 1,400 students are government sponsored … PTPTN - issues  FINANCIALS  - Reasons for big revenue increase in FY2011 and in FY12  - SMRT: listed since 2005 and remained on ACE Market since then. Intention to stay “junior” -- big fish in small pond -- or larger plans to graduate to the Main Market  - Liquidity - coverage issues - Vastly undervalued: 3.2x PE  - Concentrated ownership - why stay listed? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ahmad Hadri Haris, the CEO of Malaysian GreenTech Corporation, is on the Breakfast Grille to discuss its role in encouraging nationwide acceptance of green technology, its areas of priority, and challenges in it faces in inculcating green technology. He also gives us an update on the progress of the Green Technology Financing Scheme, which was introduced by the government to support the development of green technology in Malaysia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this 2013 interview, Reza Ghazali, the Country Head & MD Korn Ferry International discusses the following questions:  - Company perspective - industries most served - levels of designation most served - Fee structure: fee vs retainer KF: 1/3rd GLCs are willing to pay -  - GLC or private: which is the bigger market segment for you: if so, dynamics? - Sources of talent: typical sources - KF: country ranking - versus biggest players  - Value of executive search industry in Malaysia- Search unregulated - issues  - No moat? Whether boutique search firms are eating your market share due to aggressive cost-cutting, fee reduction etc  - Competition - Jobstreet - JobsDB - LinkedIn -- online / social media recruitment -- etc  - Talent loss to HK - Shanghai - Singapore - bigger markets - issues  - How cyclical is your business?- Whether industry downturns - quiet periods - Gen Y - the next leaders - lamentations - issues - best approach? - Said to be non-consumer of traditional media and far more questioning of traditional mores - How should GLC Malaysia approach this influential bunch? - Drivers of better wages: performance - education - experience  - Executive compensation that is out of whack with company earnings and performance.  - Puncak Niaga and Genting as standout examples - Counter/contradictory drivers: e.g. stocks/options based reward in companies with dual purposes e.g. stock exchanges  - Wage gap between expats / locals -- perspective - hotelier has mentioned that in hospitality this gap is now closed??  - GLC appointment - Whether among GLCs there is now a greater appetite for non-Muslim, male, Malay talent - perspective  - Maybank: all five shortlisted names, reportedly, are Malay, Muslim and male -- ditto EPF, ditto 1MDB, ditto Sime Darby  - This is concerning: cite Booz&Co research which suggests that private-sector investment has flatlined in the last decade, while most if not all of the domestic investment has come from GLC sources  - GLCs are struggling to find many Malaysian managers who are willing to rough it out in developing markets eg Indonesia, Vietnam etc.  - Too complacent. And on the other hand, people in developed countries eg Japan find it hard to take orders from Malaysian managers eg Joel Neoh in Japan (no need to mention names). - Diversity targets - compromised? Target: 30% females on board by 2015 - achievability / progress / bottlenecks?  - Other minorities? Are there any female Indian CEOs of Plcs in Malaysia? What about gay CEOs?  - Whether KF doing its part to push the Diversity agenda  - Tricubes - directorship - issues See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Silicon Valley's oldest chipmakers, Advanced Micro Devices Inc., or AMD, the world's second-biggest maker of microprocessors for PCs, laptops and corporate servers and one of the largest suppliers of graphics processing units. But AMD, which is Intel's chief rival, has been losing money and struggling to redefine itself as consumers increasingly favour tablets over laptops. Ryan Sim, the ASEAN General Manager for AMD Far East Limited is on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the company’s new strategy and breaking into adjacent markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DH Flinders Ltd ED Craig Dunstan discusses the following questions:  - Reportedly, you and your partner Stephen Hawkins started out initially as real-estate investment professionals, though the firm very quickly morphed into a broad corporate advisory firm. Briefly tell us how DH Flinders is a unique firm in an increasingly crowded advisory market?  - Why Asia, ANZ footprint  - Number of people  - USPs -- tons of boutiques  - Done deals in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, HK/China, even the US. Which region is currently the most active by dealflow?  - And is it representative of the wider picture or a reflection of DH Flinders’ coverage?   - Broad issues in Oz: two-track economy, expensive real estate, reliance on China engine -- how does this translate to transactions currently?  - REITS seem quite commonplace now; is there a next level of real-estate structure?  - We have been reading of the record-high property prices in HK, Singapore, Malaysia and even Vietnam. What do you make of this trend?  - And does it pose a bit of a challenge from your perspective, given the need to find value?  - Bursa IPOs -- themes  - Stockbroking biz: themes: HDBS-OSK-KimEng - sunset - record highs - strike while iron hot?  - BoJ - Yen - 100 then 115-USD -- Competitive devaluations - speculators - RISK?  - QE - massive loans to middle-class -- implications for growth sectors / companies  - Reining in debt markets: how treading? - And in Malaysia: privatisations by major owners -- how interprete?  - Vibrancy of capital markets, exit options currently- Where the best valuations are See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datin Teh Geok Lian, CEO of the KDU Education Group joins us on the breakfast grille to discuss: - her past experience in the oil and gas sector and her current role in education - differing objectives of a business in education versus other sectors - payback period of investments in education - KDU Smart Schools (3 schools on 1 campus) - attracting good teachers - pay scales in schools - recruitment of teachers - KDU University College's new campus at Glenmarie - how KDU attempts to replicate the learning experience of overseas institutions of higher educationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

GD Express Carrier Bhd EDC Teong Teck Lean discusses the following questions: - Singapore Post investment- Synergies - whether fulfilled - Deal more beneficial to GDEX - issues - Nonetheless a good investment for SingPost - where the growth come from - And where the next leg of earnings growth will come from - Importance of East Malaysia? More hubs in Peninsula- Value-added services? Insurance?- Current market share in the local courier services industry? What is POS Malaysia’s share? - Key differentiators? GDex’s core strengths vs. the competition- Competition: Pos Malaysia etc - Branding - brand equity - PosLaju etc - Whether a plan to boost visibility / brand awareness - Fuel costs- Impact of M’sia’s subsidised fuel on profitability - % impact rise in diesel prices on profits - Competition - margins - survival - Example of Yinson -- exit / diversify - oil and gas - success - Singapore only foreign market - others - Growth strategy - organic or inorganic- ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) key catalyst - issues - You intend to grow your export trade business which is currently just 1% of revenue - issues - Cyclicality of courier services - Share price - lofty valuation - justifications - issues - Listing - ACE ACE market - move main board - issues - Dividend - policy - Ownership concentration - issuesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Thomas, Chief Representative of Gatehouse Bank plc on the breakfast grille today. Gatehouse Bank PLC is a fully Shariah compliant, London-based wholesale investment bank which commenced operations in Malaysia this year via a representative office. Richard Thomas discusses: - their findings in Asia so far - whether real estate will be their focus in the region - the licencing process in Malaysia compared to other parts of the world - synergies between Malaysia and London - his position in the business (from Chairman to CEO to Chief Representative)  - being a non-muslim - growth in the industry - depth of knowledge and talent - introduction of sukuk tax legislation in non-Muslim countries - conventional banks that also provide Islamic financing See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alvin Ng Chun Kooi, CEO and Executive Director of Gabungan AQRS joins us on the breakfast grille to discuss: - construction order book - meeting expectations of RM500m of new contract wins - 40% of 2013 revenue from property development - allocation of resources between construction and property development - expectations of property launches totalling RM1.3bn of GDV this year. Only launched RM527m of GDV so far - profit margins in 2012 half that of 2011 - government funding of infrastructure projects - Iskandar property bubble? - being a Klang Valley developer, how they distinguish themselves from the rest in Johor - impact on free warrants on dilution of earnings - reaction to target price of RM1.15 set by RBH Research following issue of free warrants - why share prices peaked on 12 July - plans to expand into M&E sector and acquisition of 49% stake in SEDCO - changing minds about venturing overseasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

INCEIF President & CEO Daud Vicary Abdullah discusses the following questions:  - INCEIF: Set up in 2005 by Bank Negara -- eight years into the gig where are you in terms of student enrolment, teaching body  - Endowment of 600 million ringgit was allocated by Bank Negara to cover operating expenses at INCEIF. > Breakdown of spend  > Key ROI for Islamic Finance industry  > Funds remaining  - Opex today - and breaking even?  - Details of ROI  - THREE KRAS: 1. Academic excellence (international accreditation - INSEAD/ HBS etc - 2nd in MY after University Putra Malaysia - right now being evaluated)  2. Building a global reputation with stakeholders (partnerships - World Bank - Islamic Development Bank - KFH - French Bank - programs being run - World bank April = joint presentation at IMF Spring Meeting)  3. Financial sustainability (using funds wisely but also building them - Harvard has 36b in endowment funds - build credibility, attracting top-class faculty, online student boy and accreditation, strategic growth ?> to build endowments)A number of local and international FIs have sponsored classroom and given student grants - the largest has been half a million USD 4. (Operational excellence) - M'sia is a regional leader in Islamic banking, but revenues from Islamic activities only account for a small % of their overall business.This appears to be a regulatory issue since banks are still highly profitable from conventional banking Is there a lot more to be done from a commercial framework perspective?  - The Islamic Financial Services Act - effective July 1 - prohibits general Insurance and takaful companies holding composite licences from carrying on both businesses simultaneously. But operators will have five years in which to comply Is this too long? Or appropriate?  - Attempts to diversify the product to a retail audience have suffered a lukewarm response -- for example Danainfra’s exchange traded retail bonds and sukuk - oversubscribed by just 0.61 times ..  - Will Shariah ever emerge as a major growth driver for Malaysian banks?  - Lots of global attention: Perception of availability of Gulf funds - but they have not participated as much!ISLF supports the real economy cos it is the ‘real’ economy - Harvard study  - Importance of joint development of Shariah and Conventional banking - Sudan and Pakistan tried to develop ISLF solely and failed  - KL is also not a financial centre - which is essential - needs parallel traction - thus holding Shariah back - ISSUES  - KL is making tremendous headway in cementing itself as the hub for Islamic finance? But Singapore and HK are global financial hubs - how big a problem can this be for Malaysia’s aspirations?  - Globally Shariah also needs to be prominent - it’s still in the single digits as percentage of conventional banking - what’s holding it back  - Asia and Muslims - big opportunity since this continent accounts for a great proportion of the world’s Muslim population - WHAT’S NEEDED - ISSUES  - Lessons from GFC - dangers of 2-3 global financial centres - are we on course for the same mistakes? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Over the last 14 years, Catcha Group has evolved tremendously, going from portal and search engine, to publishing company, to investment group.  The company has interests which span print media, an online property portal, a network of online automotive sites, as well as running Microsoft’s online assets in Malaysia. On the Breakfast Grille is CEO and Co-founder of Catcha Group, Patrick Grove. He discusses, among other things: -- the group strategy in building a coherent portfolio of companies -- Catcha Media's recent merger with Says.com, a social media marketing website -- the synergies from the collaboration -- acquiring Says at an attractive PE multiple -- the possibility of listing the new entity -- the low digital marketing spend atively low in Malaysia -- the possibility of listing the new entity -- potential privatisation of Catcha Media -- the lucklustre performance of the share price -- addressing rumours about its publication arm -- the appeal of emerging markets See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Breakfast Grille is the CEO of Courts Asia, Terry O’Connor. Courts Asia is an electrical, IT products and furniture retailer in Singapore and Malaysia. He discusses: -- The company's turbulent history and turnaround plan -- The shift in focus towards consumer electronics from furniture -- Update on the number of stores in Singapore and Malaysia -- Breakdown of the revenue between Malaysia and Singapore -- The importance of the Malaysian market to Courts Asia -- Differences between Malaysian and Singaporean market -- Re-entery into Indonesia with the opening of a Megastore in Jakarta by 2014 and concerns expanding into that market -- His book 'Why Not? The Story of a Retail Maverick and Courts'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the Islamic Finance industry moves beyond the infancy stage of the last decade, Malaysia is poised to take the lead in this industry. But many argue that globally there are still many misconceptions about Shariah-compliant investing. Datuk Noripah Kamso is on the Breakfast Grille to address these myths and misconceptions. With almost a decade of experience in Islamic finance and as the founding CEO of CIMB Principal Islamic Asset Management, she recently authored the book ‘Investing in Islamic Funds: A Practitioner’s Perspective’ targeted for the global reader.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bernard Peillon, President of Hennessy Cognac joins us on the breakfast grille to discuss: - eau de vie: what is it? - Hennessy's marketing startegy - creating a new generation of cognac fans - the old and new faces of Hennessy Cognac - wealth and age affecting the palate - Asia (partiuclarly China and India) as a growing market - cognac blends: customised for the asian palate? - ability to supply enough for global demand - rise in selling price: a suply/demand issue?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

iCar Asia CEO Damon Rielly discusses the following issues:  - Sept 2012 ASX listing - issues  - Why an ASX listing  - Catcha Media - synergies  - Earnings: junior - revenues of just 300,000 Aussie dollars in 2012, and operating losses of 1.8 million Aussie, itself a great deal higher than the year earlier.What’s the story behind the numbers?  - CarSales.com stake purchase - A$13.4 million for 19.9 percent for ICarAsia -- @ 37.5 cents - multiples - percentage cash - CarSales.Com’s earnings, it’s a pretty successful model: nearly A$200m, profits of A$70m and therefore margins of nearly 40%! But Australia is a homogenous and developed market - quite unlike Southeast Asia. How do you plan to crack the code? This ASEAN code?  - How closely are you watching the CarSales.Com model and how much of it can be adopted here?  - Growth by acquisition - this has been the growth strategy - fast it may be but how has integration gone?  - Are you done buying yet?  - This regional growth model also means potentially losing touch with local market nuances ,, would it be fair to say that PaulTan’s personalised approach gives him a better relationship than the centralised ICarAsia approach?  - Buying LifeLiveDrive  - Key criteria you have in deciding to acquire a site and how much emphasis is placed on sustained visitor traffic flow as compared to rapid short term growth - Accenture rightly notes that Malaysian car buyers visit a ton of different websites -- 11 or so at last count -- prior to making a car purchase - distance from winning referral income from manufacturers - Traffic rankings - Malaysia - Thailand - Indonesia - Effective Measure? Alexa? Google Rankings itself? These can be pretty arbitrary ..  - Combined regional traffic - and potential for monetisation - Ads / sponsorships - model? CPM? CPC?  - Print - Malaysia - Evo -- competition!  - Ad rates - discounting?  - Malaysia is still the biggest contributor -- and Evo’s print ads is the biggest contributor, not online listings or ads  - Indonesia is a costly market - - What’s the branding and marketing strategy? Individual marketing plans for each site or a concerted integrated push?  - But very little money was spent on marketing in 2012 - This cash of c. A$6.3M on the BS -- earning a weighted average effective interest rate of 0.92% -- could a better use be made of the money  - Capacity / willingness of dealers to pay for listings when they have their own websites / marketing channels and free sites to choose from. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sona Petroleum Bhd MD Datuk Seri Hadian Hashim discusses the following questions:  - SPACs -- in which … investors buy stock in a shell company in the hope that the management team locate and monetise qualified assets .. .. have acquired somewhat of a bad reputation among the regulators, who have either rejected or delayed a number of SPACs. (Australasia and Terra Gali spring to mind). The grapevine even whispers of a jammed pipeline of SPACs waiting for SC approval to emerge How would you respond to this perception that SPACs mostly benefit the arrangers only? - Is this why the moratorium imposed on Sona has been the most onerous of any SPAC thus far?  - Sona - in your own words -- have a management team of over 300 years relevant experience between them -- plus with a Dutchman, Indonesian and a Burmese in the fold, there is diversity, useful when buying overseas.If the team is this good -- and the assets so lucrative -- why not go the private equity route instead?  - There have been criticisms that there has been an over-preponderance of Oil and Gas-based SPACS in Malaysia -- and that both the businessmen (as well as the SC) lacks imagination ..  - Of the cornerstone portion – what % went to foreign vs. domestic institutions? - Around 29% -- or some 275 million shares out of the 959 million shares allocated for institutions have been offered to six cornerstone investors, namely Hong Leong Asset Management, Hong Kong-based hedge fund Segantii Capital, and investment firm Davidson Kempner, as well as the three banks backing the listing: RHB Investment Bank, CIMB Investment Bank and Kenanga Investment Bank.What was their purchase price? - And their moratorium terms?  - What was the main pushback from institutional investors during the roadshow? - Thus far -- how much have you raised? How will this affect your appetite for qualifying assets?  - Why are you giving investors free detachable warrants? Why the continued need for this sweetener after the success perceived at least, until earnings flow, for both Hibiscus and CliQ?  - CLIQ listed in April last year, but is yet to make any acquisitionsWhat makes you confident that you’ll find suitable qualifying assets (QA) within the 3yr timeframe?  - Will it be more difficult to find attractive acquisitions with crude prices near $100/bbl and the MYR having come off 5% since the start of May? - You aim to target acquisitions in SE Asia, the Middle East and select African countries – how can your mgmt. team focus on such a broad geographic scope?  - How do you plan to mitigate sovereign / military / conflict risk in African nations? Especially places like Congo, Nigeria & Uganda? - Furthermore, ‘informal payments’ are commonplace in securing deals in these mkts… Will it be a level playing field for Sona? - Your BOD is represented by a national from each of Myanmar and Indonesia… Are these countries of origin good indicators or potential acquisitions?  - Ultimately, oil prices need to remain high for Sona to be viable over the long-term. While you’ve been quoted in the price as saying this is expected to be the case .. more recently we’ve had the Chinese and European economic slowdowns impacting the demand-side, while the US shale revolution and Canadian tar sands have helped boost supply…What are the key long-term structural drivers in your view that will keep the oil price elevated if at all?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Barisan Nasional has named Pulai MP Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed as the Public Accounts Committee chairman, a key parliamentary post that has oversight over government spending. We speak to him how the bi-partisan committee aids in good governance. Jazlan is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants UK and  a member of Malaysian Institute of Accountants. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There will be one billion middleclass consumers in China and India, and more than 135 million Chinese and Indians will graduate from college compared to 30 million in the US in the next 10 years. Michael J Silverstein, partner and leader of The Boston Consulting Group's consumer practice and co-author of "The $10 Trillion Prize: Captivating the Newly Affluent in China and India" talks about the habits and attitudes of these consumers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mohammad Faiz Azmi, Executive Chairman of PwC joins us on the breakfast grille to discuss: - close scrutiny by the public of the conduct within the profession - the public trust deficit and ethical standards - "rules based" versus "principles based" approach to accounting standards - convergence of Malaysian standards to International reporting standards - corporate governance in Malaysian entities - the Big Four and competitiveness - independence of an auditor receiving a fee from its clients - chinese walls in accounting firms - proposals to force companies to change auditors every few years - why the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board answers to the Minister of Finance - Trans Pacific Partnership agreement - the AEC and whether it will come into beingSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this 2013 interview, Roland Folger, the CEO & President of Mercedes Benz Malaysia, discusses the following questions:  - MB - fell to No.2 in Malaysia in passenger car sales last year  - Competition - BMW - passenger car leadership - what happened - BMW’s win was reportedly attributed to two things: a dealership expansion and the introduction of new variants, such as the luxury hybrid segment and luxury coupe segments ..  Was MB slow to respond?  - Global trend: Mercedes Benz came in third in global luxury car sales behind Audi and BMW last year, with Bloomberg reporting that the gap between Mercedes and second-placed Audi had doubled in the past 12 months. How does Mercedes plan maintain or increase its sales in Malaysia to keep up with the competition, especially with the likes of Volkswagen increasing its sales? - To what extent is price a contributing factor -- Mercedes has always sold at a premium to both BMWs and Audis. - To what extent therefore is 2013 the year of recovering the No. 1 mantle? Strategy?? - Recent (June) launch of the highly-anticipated third-generation Mercedes A-Class in M’sia - update - issues - Weakening macro conditions  - 1H sales decline due uncertainties - down a reported 4% from a year earlier - indicates a diminished chance of outperforming 2012  - Govt remarks: ‘cheaper prices’ - impact on premium segment  - Tighter lending environment - Household debt issues - - whether impact  - Rates outlook  - Demand outlook  - Leasing program - operational performance  - Sales targets - passenger / Fuso- Fuso .. standout performer - issues  - National Automotive Policy - consultation - direction - issues  - AP abolishment - issues  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sumatec Resources Berhad CEO, Chris Dalton talks about :  - Roles of stakeholders - Clarification of risks involved - Regarding payments made to Markmore and vice versa - Breakeven levels - Private placement investors - Utilisation of rights proceeds - 200m barrels of oil reserve target - is this too ambitious? - Further asset injections by Halim Saad? - Gas pipeline  - Debt rationalisation details - The Halim Saad connection - Fair valuation and gearing level - Khazakstan nationalisation risks   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Nelson, the Asia Managing Director of US-based Horizon Group Properties, Developers and owners of Factory outlet shopping centres, discusses:  - Distinction - factory outlets versus conventional retail outlets  - Why typically farther out, not centrally located  - Horizon has 10 retail developments in the United States and one JV project with a local partner in China- making Horizon a US expert though not necessarily an Asian one - What distinguishes the Asian / Malaysian factory outlet game from the US one : Similarities? Differences? Strategies?  - Mainstay deputy chairman Terry Teo has said it has about 16.19ha of land in Sepang that it intended to develop. Will Horizon be part of those plans?  - Sepang is Horizon's first investment in Malaysia: details - Financing structure  - Owned - managed - percentage  - Brands - Success metrics   - Future - rollout - plans - timetable  - Gross margins were great prior to delisting - but net was horrible: you were a lossmaking concern. Which factors were most to blame?  - How sure are you that these concerns will not hurt the Malaysian operation?  - Expectations: Malaysian operations for revenues, net profits, margins.  - Turnaround - path to profit - expectations - timetable.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adrian Halter, VP of Certina Swiss Watches -Sports identity - Product tested in different sports for quality - Product caters to sports people as well as those who prefer classic designs - New in Asia but stressing the importance of being in Asia - Malaysia is a developed market in terms of profiled products - Competition from China - Competition with other sports watches - Focused on price range and no higher pricing aspiration - Comfortable with position within the Swatch Group - DS concept - focused on high shock and water resistance - "Swiss Made" in the face of globalisation - Advantages of Swatch Group knowledge is helpful in maintaining quality - Choosing the right watch - Mechanical vs electronic  - Watch industry growth outlook - Low priority on gold watches - 125th anniversary plans See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato' Wong Siew Hai of the Malaysian American Electronics Industry Association (MAEI) discusses the state and future of the Malaysian electrical and electronics (E&E) industry. - High technology - are Malaysian companies up-to-date? - Growth hotspots in E&E - US innovation - what lessons can Malaysia learn? - Understanding complex relationship in electronics supply chain and where to get new technology transfer - Do American innovators have an interest to keep costs down by advocating high specialisation and restricting full technology transfer? - China+1 strategy - update and relevance - Korean & Taiwanese innovators - lessons and opportunities - Design & Development (D&D) - issues in Malaysia - Talent management - experiences at Intel and what needs to be done.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FACT Software CEO Arvind Agarwalla discusses:  - Startup - motivations - funding - shareholding - partners - Early metrics - takeup rate - Market positioning - lower/mid/upper - Whether part of a wider ERP proposition - No. of seats - geographical positioning - Revenue streams - sale / implementation / subscription / support / payments / mobile - Core markets - Delivery mode - SAA - Cloud - issues - Distribution - %age as direct, %age as partner-driven - Fees / revenue: %age as software sales - %age as implementation - - Staff size - proportion of workforce as engineers - Clients - sectors - - R&D - Percentage of revenue - Source of programmers - R&D - geographical breakdown - - Talent pool issues - Integration issues -- mode - delivery - SLA issues - - Premium support - percentage - - Revenues - Profits - Margins - Future growth - monetisation - trade sale - listing - organic? - Mobility solutions - SG as a Global HQ - Government assistance / support.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.