The Breakfast Grille

Barakah Offshore Petroleum Bhd's president and CEO Syed Rahim Syed Jaafar comes on the Breakfast Grille to discuss the company's plans post-listing via an RTO. The company, which is in the business of pipeline commission, transport and installation and hook-up commissioning for the oil and gas industry talks about growing organically and how it expects to stand toe-to-toe with the big boys.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jesse Colombo, an independent economic analyst, investor and Forbes columnist, discusses emerging market bubbles among others he sees forming in Social Media companies, US colleges, US healthcare and housing in many European and North American countries.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Gone are the days of 'government knows best'. A sentiment echoed by many politicians, but can they walk the talk? Bantah TPPA's co-founder Anas Alam Faizli sees the negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks as a litmus test. Thus far, the record has been dismal, according to Anas. He discusses the coalition's negotiations with the government and its efforts in increasing awareness of the TPPA issue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Clint Laurent, Author of Tomorrow's World, joined us on the breakfast grille to discuss his book which studies the demographic and socio-economic structure of the world in twenty years' time. He speaks to Shiao Chan about why he chose to publish the book when he did, how projections are made 20 years into the future and the possible errors in extrapolation. He dispels commonly accepted myths and presents a different picture of the world that we live in, altering our perception of what it might look like in the future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

ABB Malaysia's President and Country Manager, Stephen Pearce, comes on the Breakfast Grille to talk about the company's plan for expansion in the power and automation space. He discusses ABB Malaysia's role in the upcoming the major power plant and rail projects, and how the mothership, the ABB Group, views the region.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adrian Ch’ng, Chief Executive Officer of JobsDB group discusses online recruitment trends and themes, sibling rivalry with Jobseek and industry challenges.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our guests Datuk Seri Michael Yam, President, REHDA (Real Estate Housing Developers Association) and Yee Wing Peng, Country Tax Leader of Deloitte Malaysia delve deeper into the GST and RPGT that were included in the 2014 Budget.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mathijs Benink, Senior Manager of Supply Chain Solutions for APAC, Middle East and Africa, for the Holland International Distribution Council, discusses the economic and comemrcial proposition for companies that might mull using the country as a potential gateway into the matured but complex and diverse European market. In particular, Benink discusses the direct and indirect tax schemes at play and wether that might be specifically structured.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Breakfast Grille we have Westports Holdings Bhd's CEO Ruben Emir Gnanalingam, who came on to talk about the company's recently completed listing that raised just over RM2 billion for its major shareholders. The company is poised to expand its operations further. However, recent headlines about Westports biggest customer pulling out has caused the share price to skitter and the softening global economy continues to raise question marks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On the Breakfast Grille we have Chong Kim Seng, the CEO of Bursa Malaysia Derivatives giving his insight into these new financial instruments. Designed to enrich the market, most investors however are still wary of diving into derivatives. During the interview Chong Kim Seng talks about the future of derivatives for Bursa Malaysia, what is in the pipeline going forward and how they will continue to educate investors.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Akhbar Satar, president of Transparency International Malaysia shares his thoughts about where the efforts of handling corruption in Malaysia are going. We also get his view about his predecessor's, Paul Low, move to the government and the controversy in TI-M's recent leadership selection.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chris Anderson, former editor of Wired and bestselling author of The Long Tail talks about his latest book Makers: The New Industrial Revolution, and how 3D printing will change the world. He is also CEO and founder of 3D Robotics, makers of low-cost drones based on open-source technology. BFM spoke to him exclusively at the 2013 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Kuala Lumpur.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Main Market-bound Karex Bhd has been pegged as the world's largest condom manufacturer with around 3 billion pieces produced a year. Once listed, Karex aims at doubling its output and strengthening its R&D operations. Karex's CEO MK Goh talks about getting to grips with new markets and how to get past the taboo of talking about sex.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Faris Yahaya, the MD of Cyberview Sdn Bhd, discusses the challenges besetting Cyberjaya (human capital constraint, policy inconsistency, multiple stakeholders, politicisation), as well as his plans for the future and meeting its original ambitions of being the 'Silicon Valley of the East'See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Consortium Zenith-BUCG Sdn Bhd Chairman Datuk Zarul Ahmad Mohd Zulkifli discusses the project awarded by the Penang State Government to undertake the RM6.3bil Penang Road and Undersea Tunnel Project. Issues discussed include tender process, environmental impact, toll rates, Ewein's involvement and his BAFIA charge in 1994 by Bank Negara.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With rave review of his 2007 work “Asian Godfathers: Money and Power in Hong Kong and South-East Asia” the Financial Times proclaimed him the “chief myth-buster for Asian business”. His latest offering is “How Asia Works", subtitled “Success and Failure in the World’s Most Dynamic Region” in which he tries to explain the lessons which were learnt, or otherwise, in the formulation of development and specifically industrial models for growth. Listen to Studwell’s unvarnished view of the 9 most developed economies of East Asia.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Datuk Loo Took Gee, Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA) joins us on the breakfast grille. She talks about the ministry's goals to improve awareness of the environment, green technology, subsidies and consumption habits. The rising cost of fuel translates to an ever greater burden on the government as it subsidises water, electricity and fuel rates. We discuss what the ministry has actually achieved since it was established in 2009 and the approach to changing mindsets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Her Chor Siong, CEO of Cuscapi Berhad, joins us on the breakfast grille. He talks about the deterioration of margins despite rising revenues and why he is not concerned. He also discusses Cuscapi's plans for the next 10 to 15 years  to innovate and diversify, enter new markets and lead the point of sales sector into new technological areas.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on the Breakfast Grille is Paul Moung, CEO of IBM Malaysia. He discusses cloud computing, and how IBM intends to utilize this and other 'sexy' new technologies in its business. Additionally, he also talks about IBM offering Smarter Planet solutions to Malaysia's traffic problems. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Teng Chee Wai, CEO of  Hwang-DBS Investment Management talks to BFM on the following topics: - Affin deal now subject to Bank Negara's approval- Appropriate valuations for HwangDBS- Factors in Affin winning the bid - more than pricing- Challenges of integration process- Opportunities to grow fund size to government agencies - Greater footprint in Asia - requires capable people - Not looking at cost-cutting but looking at growth- Addressing performance gap in Affin- Performance of HwangDBS thus far - fund growth, talent retention despite uncertain environment- Role of stockbroking operations that are experiencing falling margins - HwangDBS: Retail or Institutional focus?- Affin's funding and impact of earnings addition from Hwang- Teng's future role in the enlarged entity- Aiming for presence in Japan, Europe and Australia- Nikko Asset Management can help in foray into Japan, plans to stay invested in HwangDBS- Compeitition from product pricing in develop markets: strategy- Marketed as alpha and active management - Pricing in the unit trust industry on the back of normally mediocre performance- Maintenance of good performance as fund size grows- Developing markets offers opportunities to gain alpha (outperformance)- Closing funds if they get too big to protect performance- Fixed income strategy: hold on- High cash holdings in funds: expensive?- Problem of cashing up: uptrending markets- Public still needs more education on PRS- Problem of Malaysia over-investment in PRS and EPF- Appropriate fees for retirement products given long term market returns of 8-10%- Possibility for fee reductionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Professor Glyn Davis, Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne is on the Breakfast Grille. He speaks to Melisa Idris about: -- the position of Australia in the global higher education industry -- the breakdown for the university’s student population -- competition from emerging international alternatives -- the impact of changes in the visa policy and the high Aussie dollar to student enrolment -- challanges in attracting and keeping quality faculty -- avenues of funding for the university -- higher education policy in Australia, post elections -- international partnerships -- the possibility of a University of Melbourne campus in Malaysia See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dato' Seri Suhaimi Abdul Rahman, CEO, Masers Energy Malaysia, discusses: - Masers inception- Story of entrepreneurship- Velchip - unlimited high speed Internet connection of 224Mbps - RM5 per user per month- Velchip company president - Wan Sarkawi Tuanku Jaapar Al-Yahya - issues - What Masers does - How Masers succeeded in winning coveted Malacca project - Whether concession? - Who is paying for this - sovereign guarantee? On what basis? - Govt- quasi-govt debt of nearly 70% of GDP at Q2 - issues - Affect ability to secure sovereign guarantees - Malacca - Potential - what's at stakeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ranjit Singh, President, Institute of Internal Auditors Malaysia, answers on the following points: - Internal Auditors (IA) heretofore almost a backroom function - but no longer - as evidenced by your PR blitz - impetus to the PR blitz - BUT NOT mandatory internal audit function for all private companies? Nor Pre-IPO- Arguments for and against outsourced internal audit practice - Qualified talent - shortage of - implications of ommission - Getting the right people - worst case: not provide value - miss the fraud - planning process - must be able to capture - reputation damage - All listed companies must now disclose their IA fee .. - Efficacy of IA - Concern that IA going through crisis - ambiguity of their role- Internal audit as one of the four cornerstones of corporate governance - Ambiguity of roles and authorities - possibility for role conflicts to take place- IA influence - audit charter, a strong audit committee, a strong professional association, or policies - legislation - arguments for and against - No legal suits against IAs -- until Silver Bird - implications - Securities Commission (SC) deputy chief executive Datuk Nik Ramlah Mahmood suggesting a flexible framework - White Collar fraud - entry of Dato Paul Low to the governmentSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BFM speaks to Jacques Santer, formerly the 22nd Prime Minister of Luxembourg and the 9th President of the European Commission – the executive body of the European Union. Topics covered include:- State of the European Union today.- Should the Union be maintained at all cost?- Quantitative easing and money printing – will another gigantic credit bubble be created, leading to another big crash?- Austerity vs. spending in Europe both side of the same coin to maintain both the welfare system and healthy finances- Reforms needed to increase accountability of the European Commission.- Advocating a Federal Europe, a federation of nation states.- Is a Federal Eurasia or a Federal World possible?- Views on the TPPA (Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement).- Should national sovereignty be given up to form a supranational body?- Is the European Central Bank’s Single Resolution Mechanism – supposedly for handling failed banks – acceptable?- Greece and Spanish riots: problems arising from decisions made by foreign officials- Fraud in the European budget.- Workings of single party rule- Luxembourg’s early election on 20th October, triggered by President Jean-Claude Junckers resignation due to a secret service spying scandal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BFM talks to Richard Duncan, an economist and author of books including The Dollar Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Cures and The New Depression: The Breakdown Of The Paper Money Economy. Points covered include: - Not possible to go back to the gold standard - Credit has expanded 50x since 1968 in the US - Globalisation and economic prosperity resulted - But further credit expansion has the risk of spiralling into another depression - Should have stuck to the Bretton Woods system that would require exchange of dollars for gold - Occasional recessions could have avoided huge gold drawdown but would have resulted more subdued global growth - Tough spending choices should have been made eg. not spending of wars - Not easy for governments to make spending decisions given competing agendas - Things went well until the "creditism"of the late 2000s - Is capitalism a solution to the world's dire problems?- The handling of the bubble is very important and a reversal of that to a pre-bubble equilibrium as suggested by the Austrian school will result in a great depression that we would not live to see the recovery of. - Investment into trasformative technologies and not consumption would be a way to deal with the credit bubble - Policy responses for the global crisis has been largely correct but Fed still largely to blame for encouraging asset speculation - Recently tapering didn't happen because the market overshot on interest rate rises that threatened the weak recovering economy - Fed's challenge is to create enough money to support economic growth and some asset price inflation but not too much paper money that it causes the bubble to grow bigger - Governments should invest in technologies that support very long term causes like energy independence - Currency manipulation by China results in their version of a quantitative easing that dwarfs the Fed's QE - This played a key role in the economic bubble of the 2000s - Credit expansion over the last 4-5 decades has had enormous effects on poverty reduction but continued mismanagement of credit would reverse these benefits and cause a collapse into a new great depression - Difficult to preserve wealth at this pointSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mark Nicholls, Tea Ambassador, Twinings, discusses and answers the following questions: - Twinings is a small component of one of ABFs five divisions: Grocery, which comprises the groups consumer-facing businesses selling its premium teas and malted beverages in more than 100 countries.Ovaltine is the big hitter in the Asias, not premium teas. Clearly a gap then, for ABF .. - Developing markets appear to be more tea-affectionate than developed countries such as the United States, the EU and Japan, which are predominantly coffee consumers Comment - On a production basis, tea seems to be growing faster than coffee, according to the International Tea Committee Explain - In Malaysia, the 2 biggest tea companies are BOH (36% of market share) and Lipton (22%), both local, and both catering to the masses. Where does Twinings sit on the price-quality Malaysia? - Twinings 2 most popular brands are English Breakfast tea and Earl Grey tea ( Black Tea). BOH and Lipton biggest markets are actually their black teas, which are Twinings most profitable teas too. Is Twining competing with their black teas too even if the market is monopolistic as it is? - Twinings also offer green, herbal and fruit teas There have been talks and research that suggest these types of tea are gaining traction among Malaysian consumers. - Twinings market share currently in the Malaysian tea industry? - Most of Twinings teas are manufactured in the UK, with some in China and Poland. Are you looking to build a manufacturing plant in Malaysia? - Malaysia is in the top-third of tea consumers worldwide, ranking 49th out of 141 countries surveyed. Tastes seem to be 'going premium' -- is there a way to quantify it? - Is the growth sufficiently strong from the Twinings viewpoint - You own Nambarrie, an Irish tea company based in Belfast and in trade for over 140 years. Five years ago Twinings announced their decision to close the Nambarrie plant, with global competition being blamed .. A mass market where price and provenance matter for far less, clearly? - Having consolidated UK manufacturing operations and moved some production to China and Poland in late 2011, how have you maintained the quality and supply? - What of issues like skilled labour and management staff? - And away from Australian markets like Australia where u had a good 2012 - what of new markets like Asia?What of the marketing strategy here? - Not only is Twinings the holder of a royal warrant, it has since 1964 been in the ownership of the FTSE 100 firm Associated British FoodsAs a royal warrant holder what has this meant in terms of how business is conducted? - And as a member of a PLC what does ownership since 1964 mean in terms of how business is controlled from above - It is said that Twinings holds the world's oldest continually-used company logo, and is London's longest-standing rate-payer, having occupied the same premises on the Strand since 1706What does all this mean, from a marketing standpoint? How do you use this history - tradition - to your advantage, if at all?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.