Malaysia issues China's ICBC local banking licence

Malaysia's finance ministry has issued a commercial banking licence to China's largest bank, the country's central bank announced Friday.

The licence for the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited (ICBC) follows the signing of an arrangement between the China Banking regulatory Commission and Bank Negara agreed to in the early part of the year, it said in a statement.

The issuance of the licence comes a week after both central banks signed a deal to increase cooperation in banking supervision during a state visit to Malaysia by Chinese president Hu Jintao.

In April, Najib announced measures to liberalise the country's banking sector, allowing nine new banking and insurance licences and easing foreign ownership limits for non-commercial banks.

Malaysia has 13 locally incorporated foreign banks, including HSBC and Citibank, and three foreign Islamic banking operators. No new foreign commercial banks have won approval to operate here for more than a decade.

The banking and insurance industry represented 11 percent of Malaysia's GDP in 2008, compared with 9.2 percent in 2000, and employed 140,000 people.

Excerpts from By Agence France-Presse, Updated: 11/20/2009

http://news.malaysia.msn.com/regional/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3712955

Fortune 14 September 2009

All rights belong to owner(s) of the Magazine.

Luxury Fights Back cover

Quickies:

Gold Rush - the Gold Prospectors Assoc of America seen a 93% rise in membership from 2007 to 2008 with membership standing at 60,000 members. With ups-downs, overall the gold spot price shot up from $650 (2007) per ounce to $937 per ounce (2008). Due to inflation fears, American Eagle one-ounce gold coins made brisk sales from 47,500 (2007) to 86,000 (2008).

The only one trusted reliable source of wealth remains to be Gold. With demand more than supply and evidently so with the flagging world economy (though some begged to differ), inflation seemed to be the order of the day.

Luxury Real Estate Vultures - bankers, hedge funds managers are no longer the suitable candidates of the women in looking. What about their properties? Former MD of Fortress (hedge fund) now CEO of Concierge Auctions teamed up with Sotheby's selling luxury houses of owners who was high-riding the business world at one time. Better to have an exit than to get stuck with a carrying cost of some millions in mortgages or enter foreclosure.

Malls Think Outside the (Big) Box - with dismal retail climate and highest vacancy rate at 8.4% since REIS commercial real estate research firm started collecting data a decade ago, mall operators are starting to be creative when coming to their definition of a tenant. Formerly 4,900 sq. ft. space occupied by KB Toys at the Concord Mall, Elkhart, Ind., is now the evangelical Fresh Start Church. Nashville, One Hundred Oaks Mall is occupied by Vanderbilt Medical Center that took up the 436,000 sq. ft. or half the mall. One that had lost Macy's and Dillard's as anchor tenant, turned its empty space into an artist colony.

In total, 63 churches, 244 medical facilities, 172 schools moving into retail space in the 2nd quarter of 2009 alone as long as tenants agree to shorter leases and rent relief. However, critics from other mall owners prefer to keep the malls empty rather than to fill it with just any tenant.

A Brain-Mall

Now imagine for a while, that a building... say a Mall is like our brain...

Where would you like to setup your business?

Maybe... just say, maybe you choose:

Frontal Lobe - the front part of the brain-mall. Now notice that in a brain, this space is actually very involved in planning, organising, problem-solving, selective attention, personality and other functions such as behaviour and emotions. What's the front part of the mall... normally the well-selected brands (high-end) are place at the front. A lot of activities going on there... people movement, chattings, shoppers moving in-out, small vehicles load/unload (instead of using the designated lifts), all sorts of emotions from smokers to non-smokers, moms pushing the prams, great grand-aunties resting the feet.... BUT again...selective attention. very rarely do you see a lot of customers even though there might be 70% off.

Parietal Lobe - One of the two parietal lobes of the brain located behind the frontal lobe at the top of the brain.

Parietal Lobe, Right - Damage to this area can cause visuo-spatial deficits (e.g., the patient may have difficulty finding their way around new, or even familiar, places).

Parietal Lobe, Left - Damage to this area may disrupt a patient's ability to understand spoken and/or written language.

The parietal lobes has sensory areas that controls sensation (touch, pressure). Behind the primary sensory cortex is a large association area that controls fine sensation (judgment of texture, weight, size, shape).

In the brain-mall circumstances, you have either the Right Wing or the Left Wing... be careful of your choices. Some mall alley ways lead you to a blockage... you would expect the mall to be equally the same but expect differently. No two wings are the same. Choose the wrong wing, you ended up losing customers or basically ended up having to be the tour guide for the people walking around the area looking for other brands.

As for sensory cortex... treat it as though its the escalators... notice that when escalator breaks down (quite often) compare to lifts, people will just get turn off. Thats choosing between climbing or going down, to finding another escalator.

Occipital Lobe - in the back of the brain and processes visual information.

Looking at the way shoppers walk, once after car park, they will go down to nearest level with shopping. Just look around but then they started to choose their favourite places to go. It can be a meeting-place, buying sundries, stroll around, rarely would they want to start with the kids' world (unless they are staying longer there longer first!) Once the shopper catches his/her wind, aircon-cooled, with quality songs played, the shopper will browse and normally those shops at further ends (including departmental stores) receives most shoppers.

Cerebellum - Below and back which helps coordinate movement. Damage may result in ataxia which is a problem of muscle coordination, a person's ability to walk, talk, eat, and to perform other self care tasks. In this case, would be the ground to basement level where.... ALL the FOODS are!

Brainstem - The lower extension of the brain where it connects to the spinal cord. Neurological functions located in the brainstem include those necessary for survival. Back-end. The security guards, the hidden cameras, the leasing and marketing executives, floor cleaners... you dont notice them much but they do see you.

Temporal Lobe - These lobes allow a person to tell one smell from another and one sound from another. They also help in sorting new information and are believed to be responsible for short-term memory. It is where the edutainment, entertainment, movies are.... temporary until the next change of movies or entertainment. If you dont update the cinemas and entertainment attraction is lost, the rest will follow, slowly but surely.

So, if you want to keep your brain-mall safe, ensure to wear hard-hats around. Buy a size that fits the head.

Aspects of Policies, Politics, Personal and Businesses

In the run-up to improve socio-economical factors of strategic management, one has to take account to 3Ps and 1B.

Policies - one has to carefully think, plan, adjust and present 1 series of useful policies that are consistently referred to. That policy can either launch a space shuttle, a product or a service or broken up, smashed and downright kill those supporting it.

Politics - a lot of times inner politics undermine the capability of a good company to become an excellent company. It had hurt the management and staff or simply bore the shareholders if it recurs many times over the years of existence. A third party or a mediator that can stay focus on what are the issues on hand can help to eliminate the differences and push for a momentum to succeed in bringing up the company to a newer level of success.

Personal - Of late, MDs, CEOs with shares; were caught out short of cash to sustain the business. Not only that, they were strongly criticised by major creditors, family and those who have less understanding about risk and returns of businesses. To borrow from Venture Capitalists, one has to take onself at least 20% of the Rate of Investments with very little collateral. This unfortunately pushes the great organisers to a realm previously gone un-noticed by the bigger companies but sufferred many blows by the smaller ones. To shell out more than what the Venture Capitalists has provided, or to be tapped out of funds creates a road to no return.

Business basically has all the earlier 3 elements; policies, politics and personal. While politics are encouraged, the politics and personal resistants need to be mitigated. Nevertheless, to run a fairly good business requires some form of education as plunging self into an untreated water, will cause more damage to health than earlier thought off. Business is both an asset and a liability. No matter how much resources had been piled up, one point or another, there will be the roller-coaster ride regardless of 50-100 external and internal consultants are hired. A good way of not overblowing the business is to diversify into companies that support the parent company. The chain effect arising from these, will somehow guarantees the quality, value and policy set within the arrangement.

Whether an organisation is treated as a business organisation or a non-profit organisation, the emphasis could not be more true than the applications of the 3Ps and 1 B to succeed beyond the normal scope.

Time of Change

Year 2009, New Year.

This is the year of opportune where everything is all worth weighted in golds. Either you beat it or keep it.

Let us review the year that has passed Year 2008.

Most significantly in the mid half year of 2008 - the entire worldwide economy turned topsy-turvy. A lot of people are caught virtually with their pants down as most industries are in the midst of picking up steam to head to the nearest quadrant of success. Those investing in commodity such as oil, gold and energy do not see the sharp down-ride. The same goes for service oriented businesses, property development and just about everyday businesses includingn food and transport which immediately have to implement hike up in their prices or change strategies to suit the new economic weather.

Banks, financial institutions, insurance, home developers, electronics, automobiles and retailers suffered greatly to the point that instead of consolidating their assets, they ended up either seeking for financial assistance from their government or having to sell-out to their rivals at discounts.

Year 2009 is not a year for people to slack but a year of redemption so that they will be part of a more efficient and effective mission to be better in their participating industry. After all, records are meant to be broken.

As the companies measure their performances, what about Malaysia?

From the current standview, it seemed that Malaysian Government has strong beliefs that the downturn will not affect the nation as much as other countries in the world.

With so many Economic Corridors being planned out and soon enough change of Head of Government, things may not be a smooth ride. Reason being, the funds prepared do not seemed to be sufficient to last longer than the larger and much more developed countries and secondly, investors are careful in selecting managing their risks and returns.

The fear of change are well-implanted in many organisations to the extend that even large service-oriented firms that provide consulting and advisory services sought for innovative ideas from the public however big or small. They no longer wish to hide behind the solidarity of all the "strong" companies that tumbled. Big and small consultants are now competing at the same level.

How good is the change?

Changes are often good in any aspect of life. Nevertheless, changes without true and real purposes or directions are very dangerous and should not even be tempted. Everyone has to leave aside personal egos and try working together so that the changes can be well-directed to meet the stakeholders' expectation and that of the leaders.

Throughout the year 2009, MIENS will provide more indicators through our website and also through publication of books.

Be successful in your niche.

Lack of Procedures: Serious Security Breach

Police are investigating a "serious" security breach after a civil servant lost top-secret documents containing the latest intelligence on al-Qaeda.

The unnamed Cabinet Office employee apparently breached strict security rules when he left the papers on the seat of a train. A fellow passenger spotted the envelope containing the files and gave it to the BBC, who handed them to the police.

The official was later suspended from his job, the Cabinet Office announced.

Just seven pages long but classified as "UK Top Secret", this latest intelligence assessment on al-Qaeda is so sensitive that every document is numbered and marked "for UK/US/Canadian and Australian eyes only", according to our correspondent. According to reports, this document may have contained details of names of individuals or locations which might have been useful to Britain's enemies.

His work reportedly involves writing and contributing to intelligence and security assessments, and that he has the authority to take secret documents out of the Cabinet Office - so long as strict procedures are observed.

Options in a Down-turn Economy 1: Acquisitions

In a downturn economy such as what we may be experiencing, company on a higher financial platform often seeks to acquire potential profitable businesses within the next 3-5 years.

Recent cases are as follow:
Information from the Star, 5 May 2008

Apex (Pharmaceutical)

In 1962, Apex started as a retail wholesale pharmacy. Six years later it started pharmaceutical manufacturing

Currently, Apex Healthcare Berhad is strategising to become pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare product-based company which owns the rights and intellectual property of brands.

To achieve this end, the latest corporate exercise undertaken is to invest RM 292,000 in Singapore’s Chastal Marketing, which has the rights to 12 countries for 3 products – lozenges, mints and condoms, that went on sale in Malaysia. Chastal is expected to contribute to Apex’s group earnings from 2009 onwards.

Reasons for Acquisition:

Selling in 6 Countries, Expertise in Mass Market Consumer Marketing, Highly Skilled Team, Help to Increase Sales of Apex’s range of consumer healthcare products.

What are the considerations or information needed to be gathered prior to an Acquisition?

1. Making sense of a purchase: In other words, the purchaser has usefulness for the purchase: a. it can be linked to existing businesses to create better values, higher efficiencies, to complete a product cycle, to reduce total cost or dependencies on suppliers to meet supply needs, or to realise personal ambition or investor’s interest.

2. Calculable rate of returns: Success Transformer Corp Bhd. bought the remaining 40% of Seremban Engineering Sdn. Bhd. (SESB) to make the latter company wholly owned. It is estimated that the Price/Earnings ratio (P/E ratio) was 7.3 times this year. SESB is currently performing much better than internal division and look set to earn a net profit of RM 7.5 million this year.

For example, if a company is currently trading at $40 a share and earnings over the last 12 months were $2 per share, the P/E ratio for the stock would be 20 ($40/$2). (http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/price-earningsratio.asp)

3. Established brand: Pelikan International Corp Bhd. was in discussion to buy up 80% of Pelikan Colombia Indistri S.A. Buying back to redistribute the same brand managed in various countries where its previous owner was financially strained.

Acquisitions work well if there is a game plan for its usage. And for other consultative units, acquisitions can also be a smart investment. These expert acquirers will often confidently purchase companies at lower-price; rescue or restructure the businesses and then re-sold at a higher price. Definitely not one for the faint-hearted!