MiBrand Business Magazine Issue 4 Focus on Big Data Featured Interview on Big Data Exclusive Interview by Malindo CEO Guide for Women Entrepreneurs

4. PUBLISHER
Mibrand is published by
Biz Zoom Media Malaysia Sdn Bhd
Unit 10-01, The Vertical II, Tower B,
Avenue 3, Bangsar South City,
No.8, Jalan Kerinchi
59200 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 603 2242 0550
Fax: 603-2242 4994
E-mail: editor@mibrand.my
KDN No : PP18624/12/2014(034094)
ADVISOR
Jaggarao Simancha
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Bhaawaani Visunathan
MANAGING EDITOR
Arikrishnan Subramanian
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
R Navaaneetha Krishnan
WRITERS
Arikrishnan Subramanian
Michelle Chee
Malini Mattler
GUEST WRITERS
Prasath Kangaras
S Khugan
MARKETING OFFICER
Ramesh Visunathan
ADMINISTRATIVE/CIRCULATION OFFICER
Ummie Anisha
MULTIMEDIA PARTNER
Agenda TV
DESIGNER
TM MEDIA
PRINTER
SKS Print Sdn Bhd
No. 5, Jalan Haji Abdul Karim 53,
Off Jalan Sungai Jati
41200 Klang, Selangor
www.malaysiaprint.com
mibrand.my
Whist every effort has been made to ensure
that the content of this publication is
accurate and up to date and correct in every
way, the publishers cannot be held
responsible or liable for any inaccuracies or
errors with the publication.
Copyright & reprint: Information reproduced
from this publication is protected under the
copyright act.All rights reserved. No material
may be reproduced in part or in whole
without the prior written consent of the
publisher and copyright holder. Permissions
may be requested by sending an email to
editor@mibrand.my
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in
MiBrand Magazine are not necessarily the views
of the publisher.
Big Data has gained much attention not only from IT industry but
also from business and politics. Currently, with over 5 billion
individuals own mobile phones and some 50 billion devices are
expected to be connected to the Internet, such large data
generated numerous challenges and opportunities.
In this issue, we decided to focus on how Big Data and related
technology impacts the businesses . Our lead story explored on
how The Center of Applied Data Sciences (CADS) committed to
empowering and optimizing businesses, governments and
individuals. We were amazed to hear from Ms. Sharala Axryd the
Chief Executive Officer of CADS on Big Data and Data Science.
The readers of MiBrand also fortunate to hear from the pilot of
Malindo Malindo Airways Sdn Bhd, Mr. Chandran Rama Muthy. We
were interested in what they have achieved in this short time,and
so MiBrand has set out to interview them and establish some
facts with him one to one.
“How Safe is Venture Capital Financing?” an article by our guest
writer Mr S Khugan answer a question by our reader and some
points to remember when seeking funding.
MiBrand introduce “Who is Who” and “Key Statistics” columns in
this issue to highlight latest economic, professional and business
leaders in Malaysia.
Remember, we are a team now, do write to us if you
have any suggestions, questions or complaints so
that we can work on improvements. Enjoy the read.
Companies nowadays also face a catch 22 situation when
it comes to data as within their own organizations
there isn’t any democratization of data.
Catch the full datails at our featured session.
Remember the business of
MONEY is MONEY.
EDITOR’S VIEW
4

5. APPLICATION DETAILS
FULL NAME :
NRIC :
COMPANY / BUSINESS NAME :
BUSINESS REG. NUMBER:
NATURE OF BUSINESS :
BUSINESS ADDRESS :
HANDPHONE NO :
WEBSITE URL :
OFFICE TEL NO :
FACEBOOK URL :
LINKEDIN URL :
PAYMENT DETAILS
ACCOUNT NAME : ADASTA NETWORK SDN BHD
ACCOUNT NO : 3151505127
BANK : PUBLIC BANK BERHAD
AMOUNT : RM 300.00 ONLY (Ringgit Malaysia Three Hundred only)
SEND DULY COMPLETED FORM TOGETHER WITH
PAYMENT DETAILS BY EMAIL OR POST :
EMAIL : sales@mibrand.my
FAX : 603-2242 4994
MiBrand Club Secretariat
Unit 10-01, The Vertical II,
Tower B,Avenue 3, Bangsar South City,
No.8, Jalan Kerinchi,59200 Kuala Lumpur
There’s strength in numbers.
When we are together, we have more to deliver and lots of responsibility.
Moreover, the impact will be greater than we could have on our own.
There’s strength in numbers
MiBrand Club
Become a Member of
As a member, here is what you will receive:
1. FREE 4 issues of MiBrand Printed Magazine by post (worth RM48.00)
2. FREE 2 Entry Pass to our Business Networking Sessions (worth RM200.00)
3. FREE 2 Pages write up about your business (worth RM1,000.00)
4. 30% Discount on all published advertisement rate (worth RM 600.00 for standard page)
5. FREE Company Website/ Social Media link back to our website
6. Membership Certificate

6. 3 MIBRAND ADVERTISEMENT
RATE CARD & APPLICATION FORM
5 MIBRAND CLUB MEMBERSHIP
13 23 GOLDEN SUCCESS RULES
BY 26 SELF MADE MILLIONAIRES
14 GETTING YOUR
BRAND DNA RIGHT
17 YOU MAY BE SURPRISED BY
HOW MUCH SALT YOU'RE EATING
20 10 LEADERSHIP LESSON
FROM JACK MA OF ALIBABA
23 WHO IS WHO
24 ASK DRBIZ: HERE’S HOW YOU CAN USE
CROWDFUNDING TO GROW YOUR BUSINESS
28 KEY STATISTICS
29 HOW TECHNOLOGY BRIDGES THE
GAP BETWEEN MARKETING AND SALES?
34 THE EMPLOYER-REE
SYNDROME
4 EDITOR'S VIEW
FEATURED
CONTENTS
6
8BIG DATA IN THE CONTEXT
OF MALAYSIAN BUSINESSES
62HOW YOU CAN BUILD YOUR PERSONAL
BRAND AS WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
46WHY SHOULD A BUSINESS
WORRY ABOUT CYBER ATTACKS?
40MALINDO AIR :
A TRUE COMPETITOR IN THE SKIES
36 Q & A: HOW SAFE IS
VENTURE CAPITAL FINANCING?
45 DID YOU KNOW
50 DEVELOPING A DATA-DRIVEN
MARKETING STRATEGY
54 BIZ BITS
57 THE ART OF
CONFUCIAN MANAGEMENT
56 QUOTES
66 VOX POPULI:
GST

7. Nomination open, visit mibrand.my
CEO of The Year Award
Brand of the Year Award
Entrepreneur Of The Year Award
Award for Innovative Business
Award for The Social Responsibility
& Environmental Awareness Company
Mid Market Business of The Year Award
Small Business of The Year Award
Large Business of the Year Award
Employer of the Year Award
New Business Of The Year Award
The Digital Technology Award
Emerging Brand of the Year
Innovative Brand of the Year
Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year
Veteran Entrepreneur of the Year
Female led Entrepreneur of the Year
Technology Business of the Year
Non Profit of the Year
Business Growth of the Year
Nomina

8. Big Data has been a buzzword of late and we at MiBrand want to understand everything about this
seemingly new trend. It has been applied to many fields, including scientific research, political trends,
medicine and health as well as consumer behaviour.
Big Data in the context
of Malaysian Businesses
FEATURED

9. What is Big Data?
Mrs. Sharala was generous enough to share her thought and
analysis with us, so of course our first question was...
“What is big data?”
“I think that’s a very interesting question”
she begins.
“Not many people are aware of what big
data is and what data science is.
Big data itself is a pretty new term that
became very‘sexy’ in recent years” she adds.
According to her, data analytics itself is not new. The finance
sector has been using it for the longest time but it has become
significantly important because the availability of data out there
has increased by manifold.
There has been an exponential increase in the number of
personal gadgets like PCs and smartphones, plus there are many
apps and social media platforms.
All of these are channels by which data can be harvested.
Anything you do, especially on certain gadgets or online leaves a
footprint which can be used by data analysts.
Decisions and strategies based on gut feeling are
more or less a thing of the past and anyone who
doesn’t use big data or data analytics will soon run
out of luck.
9
Big data is of course extremely useful for the business community too, as a tool to understand
customer needs, suppliers, internal operating procedures and so much more.
To understand more about big data specifically in the Malaysian context, we sat down with
Sharala Axryd , CEO of The Centre of Applied Data Sciences (CADS).
FEATURED

10. Big Data Keeps Businesses Relevant
Big data is particularly important for businesses because you
need insight into your company in order to stay relevant.
These days businesses are being disrupted on a
daily business and if you don’t understand what
these disruptions are and how to solve them,
you risk losing control of your business.
One example of how big data works is through google analytics.
We can see this in action when we browse our e-mails and see
advertisements that reflect our browsing history.
For example if we had looked at a dress earlier, the side bar when
we browse will be full of advertisements about where to buy
clothes. Therefore businesses nowadays are mainly concerned
about how and what their customers are thinking about and how
do I target them.
This strategy no longer depends on chance, or blindly hoping that
customers will walk into your shop. Decisions and strategies
based on gut feeling are more or less a thing of the past and
anyone who doesn’t use big data or data analytics will soon run
out of luck.
Malaysians Upping Their Game
Sharala adds that recently, Harvard Business School partnered
with CADS to run a course on Computing in Business using
analytics.
This is because they realize how Malaysia has
stepped up its game in adopting big data
strategies.
Many industries have expressed their interest to adopt big data
strategies in Malaysia, especially those in the manufacturing
sector. Malaysia had vibrant manufacturing scene since there was
cheap labour aplenty.
However, this is no longer true and Malaysian
manufacturers have to turn to big data to stay
relevant and even change their business model.
This is called disruption and it presents a survivability issue for
many businesses.
All of them have made an effort to stay relevant with the times
and Malaysian businesses are very competitive in this aspect.
10
FEATURED

11. 11
Does Malaysia Have the Talent for Big Data?
CAD recently ran a Datathon involving teams from Universities
from around the world. Participants were given 48 hours to
predict the performance of a cryptocurrency.
The UM team were the underdogs and they
thought that they were only going to be in the
top 20 and nothing more.
To their great surprise they won first place when the results were
announced, competing against much more experienced teams
from Europe and Eastern Europe.
This story, Mrs Sharala says with great
confidence, illustrates how ready Malaysians
are in terms of talent to harness and utilize
big data.
Potential exists in abundance and if the correct opportunities are
not created, these talents will leave and contribute even more to
the brain drain.
Big Data and Privacy
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was in the spotlight recently for
allegedly allowing big data company Cambridge Analytica to
harvest personal details from users to help the Trump campaign.
This highlighted how privacy has always been an issue when data
is collected for data analytics. However in recent years, more laws
have been put in place to protect user privacy, especially on social
media. One such law is the GDPR regulations introduced by the
European Union and coming into effect in May 2018.
This law requires software and app developers to ask users
specific questions on how their personal information should be
used, instead of giving them a long multi-paged legal agreement
which they have to agree to before being allowed to download
anything.
In this respect the GDPR is different because
users can choose to say‘no’ to certain ways their
private information will be used, and still be
able to download the app or software.
This works well for both the developer and end user, as users
have more control over their private details, and it absolves
developers from being the gatekeepers of personal information.
Malaysia should also adopt this approach should they want to
come up with data privacy legislation.
Companies nowadays also face a catch-22 situation when it comes to
data as within their own organizations there isn’t any
democratization of data.
FEATURED

12. The Current Challenges Facing the
Big Data Movement
According to Sharala, the first and foremost issue, not just in
Malaysia but all over the world is definitely a lack of talent. The
issues used to be infra or investments, but this was about three
years ago.
Now, companies have sufficient investments but
insufficient manpower with the necessary skill
and domain language.
Companies nowadays also face a catch-22 situation when it
comes to data as within their own organizations there isn’t any
democratization of data. This means that they don’t have a system
that allows for data to move freely.
On the other hand we have a question of data privacy and data
leaking. The way forward is to understand the importance of data
and then work on the privacy and governance regulations
surrounding it.
What is CADS ‘s Place in All This
According to Sharala, when she first started about four or five
years ago, the talent pool for big data analytics was limited. She
formed the company as one of the Telco companies needed a
project done.
As such, CADS was forced to nurture new talents in the big data
field. This is how CADS started on its journey to train people from
various academic backgrounds on how to be part of this emerging
phenomenon.
Sharala herself believes that people should not be streamlined as
big data requires people from a slew of academic backgrounds
including mathematics, statistics, programming, engineering,
telecommunications and more. As such CADS takes in students
not based on their CGPA, but based on how well they answer a
challenge question that test their mathematical, programming
and communication capabilities.
In addition to training new talents, Sharala also conducts short 2
hour workshops for SME business owners on how they can start
applying data analytics in their own enterprises.
She does this to inculcate an appreciation for
small data, which she hopes will blossom
into an adoption of big data analytics as
time goes on.
Video Interview available at mibrand.my
12
FEATURED

13. 13
INFOGRAPHICS
04
CORE BUSINESS
Never forget what makes your business unique. Stick to your
core business and ensure you are really delivering what you promise.
02
FOCUS
FOCUS on 20 per cent of your customers who provide most of your
business. Look after your profitable customers.
First a class passengers are not always the most profitable.
08
INVEST
Invest in the business—don’t blow money on a Porsche if you
might need that money to keep the business going.
06
STRENGTHS
Play to your strengths, acknowledge your weaknesses and
delegate them to someone who is good at them.
12
COMMUNITY
Be generous. Leave money on the table and
give back to the community.
10 PASSION
Be passionate about what you do.
16
FEAR
Don’t be afraid of failure—there is no such thing as failure in business.
If you go down a path and it doesn’t work, go down another path; you will
always find a way. Once you lose the fear of failure you can do anything.
14
CHANGE
Be flexible and ready to change along with the economic climate.The
goalposts change every day, and you must be able to change rapidly.
20
RESPONSIBILITY
Life is full of choices, and you are the only one
who can take responsibility for those choices.
18 ENJOY
Enjoy things- successful people are those who enjoy themselves.
22
CASH FLOW
Know your financial situation on a daily basis. Cash is king,
keep as much as you can.Make sure cash flow is fantastic.
03
SURROUND
Money alone will not make you happy. The biggest thing, outside of the comforts
that money can bring, is friends. Surround yourself with good professionals such
as lawyers and accountants to give good advice and people as smart, if not
smarter, than you who complement your skills.
01
DREAM
Stay true to your dream. Believe in yourself, you have the
ability to change your own future. You are what you think.
No matter what, have no regrets. Never look back, only forward.
07
NETWORK
Network like crazy. You never know when you’re going to make
that connection that can make your business explode.
05
COMPETITORS
Never underestimate your competitors. Always be thinking about
how you can make your brand better than the competition.
11EXIT STRATEGY
Know your exit strategy before you start.
09
WHAT YOU KNOW?
Don’t listen to other people trying to give you shortcuts
and get-a-rich schemes. Stick with what you know.
15
SYSTEM
Build systems, simplify every process and make sure it
can be duplicated. Fix things once. Multiply every problem
by 100 before starting with the solution.
13
TEAM
Nothing happens without a brilliant, committed team. Make
sure you communicate with staff to engage them.
19
INNOVATE
Be innovative with your marketing. Be prepared to spend
money on innovations,regardless of economic conditions.
There are opportunities even in recessions.
17
FAILURE
Don’t expect others to do what you should do for yourself.
The only thing you get without hard work is a failure.
23INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Keep all your key intellectual property in a house. Don’t outsource it.
21
BRAVERY
Learn from your mistakes and embrace change. Be brave and keep learning.
Believe in self-improvement, it is a journey that never stops.

14. First of all, your LOGO is not your BRAND! The fundamental issue is to understand the difference and
leverage on the uniqueness of both the corporate logo and the product brand.
Getting Your
Brand DNA Right!
BRAND

15. 15
One of the common notions is that brand owners
want to see their names on the papers with award
recognitions and the bottom line and ROI from the
promotion.
What kind of public relations and brand awareness
are we looking for ?
Unfortunately, nowadays clients and customers are focused
directly on the return of investment rather than translation to
actual sales. Although this is a good approach, the question
remains on how much time, money and effort the brand owner is
willing to invest.
A much more interesting discussion will be on what can lead to
an effective management the brand name, direction and
corporate image all seen as a whole; the possible difficulty of
marketing two or more similar brands in the same market.
Nothing particularly wrong about it, but that is subject to how
powerful your brand DNA is! Most of the new SME Brands today
seem to be pretty messed up in their brand DNA.
A brand audit process will cover most of the aspects that SME
brand owners need; but, are the SMEs ready! They do not hire
experts, but refer to competitors and customers to create a brand
version in-house.
Thinking about it, which is where the fundamental
issue is, generating imminent cracks in the
outcomes.
The role of a brand DNA is simply to show the uniqueness of a
product or service. Many brands today seem to be confused with
creativity and uniqueness. Brand DNA defines your uniqueness,
and creativity discovers strategical ways to reach the customer
exclusively!
WHAT IS REALLY IN A BRAND?
A speaker at a forum says,“Two companies may sell the same type
of product and may have similar styles, but each brand has its
own DNA. The brand DNA is always going to be different from
that of another". You are born different, so demonstrate the
difference and be unique!
WHAT IS YOUR BRAND STORY?
Each brand has its own background story. Maybe it was founded
by a man who went through a life-changing experience, and
because of that experience, decided to go into business for
himself.
Maybe another owner purchased his brand from someone else.
And maybe another decided to go into business with his wife, as a
means to strengthen their relationship. Right there, you have
three similar brands with entirely different stories. The DNA is
different already.
The reason why this is important since it defines where this brand
started that eventually will be a great inspiration for many out
there. Some classic brands that have inspiring stories are
Starbucks, DHL, Air Asia, Maggi and many more. They have a story,
an origin and today have become a huge inspiration to many!
DO YOU KNOW YOUR BRAND DNA?
A brand owner needs to brainstorm to identify the strands that
make up the brand DNA. It can be rather shocking to discover the
so many simple features involved. It is one of the most common
techniques that marketers use nowadays to address the
fundamental branding works that needs to be done.
BRAND

16. An inherent exceptional quality identified in any one product or
service is a useful tool to help any business owner to sell the
product or service, any artist to sell the art and even any
employee to promote himself or herself. Once the difference
known, it is much easier to distinguish you from the competition.
FIVE CORE STRANDS of BRAND DNA
STORY
The BRAND STORY may be enhanced keep it real. It should
illustrate your passion and be intertwined with your product or
service. A good human interest story is eventually embraced by
the costomer.
PRICE
Consumers in Malaysia are ‘price-oriented’; it is important to be
strategically right besides being competitive and on the
advantage side. If consumers can recall the price, the work is
pretty much done for the moment.
C-S-R
Market sentiments are very important in dealing with consumers
today. Is the company contributing to the community on a local or
regional level or involved in any charity? Better yet, highlight a
trend that conveys the mission that the brand represents.
TARGET
The brand may sell the exact same product as another company,
but if one is targeted at a vacant slot in the mainstream market,
that changes the playing field and creates opportunities in totally
different areas of media coverage. The more you know your
audience, the better your DNA going to be.
16
BRAND
Guest Writer: Prasath Kanagaras
Prasath is a bundle of electric energy filled with passion
for the advertising industry. He believes that he is a “slave
to great ideas”, highly known for his expertise in branding.
Known as PK to many of his peers, he has more than 10
years’ experience which he effervescently shares his
insights and creative ideas to add more value that benefits
his clients and participants.
QUALITY
That brand that provides the solution to the consumers’ problem
can market itself as offering a better value or better quality than
other products or services. What value can the brand offer? See
the business growth once this message is crystal clear.
The actual formulation of a brand with DNA to suit is
a pretty big and analytical undertaking; this platform
is not enough to explain it in whole clearly. Spare
time with experts and they will be more than glad
to accept the challenge.
An important part would be to seek experience as an intern or
apprentice in advertising or branding firms to strategically
prepare the brand owner to face real clients and customers with
their own product or service.

17. HEALTH
Do you try to be careful about the amount of salt in your diet? Are you pretty sure you’re eating about the
right amount of salt (also known as sodium chloride) every day, according to what most experts recommend?
YOU MAY BE WRONG ABOUT THAT.
Malaysian on the average, consume 7.15 gm of salt daily, higher than the five gm recommended
by the World Health Organisation
You may be surprised by
how much salt you’re eating

18. Even if you throw your salt shaker away, you
may still be taking in a lot of sodium —
especially if you eat processed or prepared
foods. In fact, the majority of sodium in the
daily our diet comes from such foods, which
are often found on supermarket shelves and
in restaurant meals.
That’s why the health authorities globally are working to
gradually reduce the amount of sodium added to foods. The
USFDA has released draft guidance for industry that would set
voluntary goals for reducing sodium levels in processed and
prepared foods.
The targets focus on the sodium added to your foods by
manufacturers and restaurants before you eat them not on the
salt you add on your own either when cooking or at the table.
Today, Malaysian on the average, consume 7.15 gm of salt daily,
higher than the five gm recommended by the World Health
Organisation, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
Such consumption could lead to hypertension and result in heart
disease and stroke that could be fatal, he said to reporters in
conjunction with World Salt Awareness Week 2018.
The goal is to help consumers gradually reduce
their daily sodium intake to 5gm per day.
“It’s no easy task for consumers to consume the recommend-
ed amount of sodium in their diets,” says Susan Mayne, Ph.D.,
director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied
Nutrition. We want to help reduce the amount of sodium
across the entire food supply by setting reasonable goals.”
“There are few interventions that could potentially have as
great an overall benefit to public health,” says Mayne
18
HEALTH

19. Why is Too Much Sodium a
Serious Problem?
The words “sodium” and “salt” are often used interchangeably, but
there’s a difference. The salt you sprinkle onto your meal or add
while cooking is a crystal-like compound (40 percent sodium and
60 percent chloride); sodium, a mineral, is one of the elements
found in salt.
Salt is how sodium is most often consumed: Between personal
use and the salt added to processed and prepared foods, at least
95 percent of the sodium in your diet comes in the form of salt.
Sodium (which the body needs a certain amount of to function
properly) occurs naturally in many foods, including celery, beets
and milk. And as a food ingredient, sodium — whether from salt or
other sodium-containing ingredients — has many uses, such as
thickening, enhancing flavor, and preserving foods.
The problem: too much sodium in the diet can lead to high blood
pressure, a leading cause of heart disease and stroke.
Reducing sodium in foods could prevent hundreds of
thousands of premature deaths and illnesses over a
decade.
Processed or prepared foods that are high in sodium include
salted fish, salted egg, salted vegetables, thick soya sauce, pizza,
sandwiches, deli meats, pasta dishes, snacks, salad dressings,
soups, and cheese.
But don’t rely on your taste buds, alone.
Foods high in sodium don’t always taste salty.
While pickles quickly give themselves away, sweet-tasting cereals
and pastries also have sodium. In addition, while one serving of a
food, like a slice of bread, may not have a lot of sodium, if you eat
it several times a day it can add up—and you may be consuming
more sodium than you realize.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the numbers paint a sobering picture.
• Malaysian aged 18 and above consumed more salt.
• There’s evidence that children who eat higher sodium foods
carry that pattern into adulthood.
• One in three Malaysian has high blood pressure
What Kinds of Food Can Be High in Sodium?
• Instant Noodle, Noodle Snack
• Biscuits, Cream Crackers (> 12 )
• Potato Chips
• Thick Soya Sauce
• Mixed Nuts
• Canned Tomato Soup
• Beef Burger with Cheese
• Dried, Salted Fish
• Cuttlefish Crackers
• Cheese Burger
• All type of Instant Flavouring, broth cubes
• Shrimp paste (belacan)
• Canned Mutton Curry
• Chicken Fried, Fast Food
• Pickles – fruit, mixed, spicy
• Salted egg
List of Malaysian Food High in Sodium (>480mg)
19
The Proposed Solution
Ministry of Health, with the joint cooperation of various bodies
such as players in the food industry as non-governmental bodies
were currently conducting M (Monitoring), A (Awareness),
P (Product) Strategy as stated in the Salt Reduction Strategy to
Prevent and Control NCD 2015-2020.
People generally do not notice small reductions (about 10 to 15
percent) in sodium and, over time, taste buds get used to larger
changes, especially if they are made incrementally. So the FDA’s
approach allows consumers to gradually become accustomed to
the taste of foods that have less sodium.
“This isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. Sodium plays
different roles, depending on the food, and each
food has a different potential for sodium reduction,”
says Kasey Heintz, a biologist in the FDA’s Office of
Food Additive Safety.
In salad dressings, for example, the FDA found a variety of sodium
content levels among top-selling products and a good deal of
potential for reduction.
The FDA also sees the potential for significant reductions in many
snack foods, given the variation in sodium content in the
marketplace.
“That is why the draft guidance document outlines targets for
about 150 subcategories of foods within 16 major food categories
that contribute to sodium intake,” Heintz says.
The FDA estimates that this strategy could yield annual benefits
of $70 billion a year or more in improved health and longevity, as
well as in reduced or delayed medical expenses.
The proposed targets also apply to foods prepared in restaurants
and other food service establishments.
That’s because, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s
Economic Research Service, almost half of every food dollar is
spent on food consumed outside the home.
Compiled from :
i. fda.gov.my
ii. moh.gov.my
HEALTH

20. Jack Ma is considered one of the richest men in Asia, and the founder of Alibaba.com, one of the world’s
largest online trading platforms. Apart from just being a well known entrepreneur, Jack Ma travels the
world as a motivational speaker, sharing his experiences with other entrepreneurs. Some of these talks
attract thousands of people, most of whom are also struggling entrepreneurs who are just starting out.
10 Life and Business Lessons
from Alibaba’s Jack Ma
LEADERSHIP

21. 21
1. Giving Up Means Ending Your Career
Believe it or not, Jack Ma once applied for 30 jobs at once, and
was rejected from all of them. He even went to a KFC and was
told that he was not good enough. Out of the more than 20
people who applied, he was the only one that failed to get the job.
Apart from that, he was also rejected from
Harvard Business School despite attempting to
get in for about 10 times.
However, Ma has always persevered and has never given up. Not
giving up has been the key to him finally achieving the status of
richest man in Asia. If he had lost hope through all his rejections,
we would definitely not hear of him today.
2. Be The First to Seize an Opportunity
Jack Ma started out in the internet in the early 1990s when many
people were still not connected and didn’t see the internet as an
important aspect of life.
Ma was one of the first people in China to offer website making
services at a time when nobody thought of putting their
businesses online and no one even knew what social media
marketing was.
Eventually, he realized that online shopping
was going to be something huge, and that’s how
Alibaba.com started.
To be successful as an entrepreneur, you have to be able to see
the future, by keeping up with the latest technology and
innovations. This way, you will be able to create and fill niche
demands that have never been heard of or seen before.
LEADERSHIP
Jack Ma’s journey towards material success has not been an easy one. He was born into a modest home to parents
who were traditional Chinese musicians. From an early age, he worked hard to improve his English, even cycling
more than 110 km just to work part time as a tour guide to foreign tourists. In this way, he mastered the English
language and eventually earned himself an English degree.
Ma, whose Chinese name is Ma Yun, has many bits of wisdom to offer
entrepreneurs all over the world, and here are 10 of them:
3. Build Up the Next Generation
Ma has been known to be very supportive of young entrepreneurs.
He has said “Help young people. Help small guys. Because small
guys will grow to be big. Young people will have the seeds you
put in their minds, and when they grow up, they will change the
world.”
This means that if you run a fairly successful business, you should
pay attention to the young people in your company who have
potential and show leadership qualities. This will ensure the
continuation of your business. Even in the early days of
Alibaba.com, Ma was already giving equity to the high school
students working for him, as well other young employees in the
company.
4. Ethical Business Practices Will
Get You Far
Since their inception, Alibaba.com and their sister companies like
Taobao and TMall have always been championing anti-piracy
laws. They do this by disallowing any pirated goods to be sold on
their online platforms.
They have so far deleted u to 370 million product listings and
have helped the authorities track down and arrest up to 400
illegal traders on their sites. They are very strict when it comes to
honest business practices, and have a trustworthiness rating
system for all their online vendors so that any problematic sellers
are immediately caught and arrested.
This practice has made consumers much more
trusting of their online trading platforms,
thereby earning them more and more
customers.

22. 5. The Road to Success is an Uphill Climb
Jack Ma has stated that “When you’ve climbed up thousands of
kilometers, what you see from your vantage point is very different
from what you could see at the base.
The problem with that is the people at the base may not believe
what you say you can see from above.”
Success gives you a different perspective, but
that perspective can sometimes be very unusual
or unique.
If you’re a new entrepreneur, you may receive some strange advice
from people who have already made it. You’ll have to do your best
to accept it and put it to practice, no matter how strange it
sounds.
6. A Good Team is Essential for Success
Jack Ma acknowledges that he couldn’t have achieved his current
status alone.“You need the right people with you, not the best
people” he has been quoted as saying.
This means that you have to look for good character, and people
who can appreciate your vision and mission. You don’t have to
hire people from Oxford or Harvard in order to have a good team.
Instead, keep people who are team players, who can work well
with others. You should watch out for people who are in the
company to only climb the ranks and bully others for their own
self importance.
Keep employees who appreciate and respect
one another and can spur each other on.
7. Having Global Intelligence
Jack Ma has been described by his contemporaries as having
‘Global Intelligence’. This means that he’s able to perceive and
adapt his business practices and ideas to different cultures. This is
one skill that’s needed in any business leader today.
It is the ability to see beyond your own
geographical and cultural boundaries so that
you can adapt your business to an international
clientele.
8. Take Criticism Gracefully
Jack Ma has commonly been called ‘Crazy Jack’ by critics and fans
alike, because he often takes risks and makes decisions that
others consider very dangerous from a business point of view.
Despite these decisions often working out positively, Jack Ma
himself acknowledges that many of his critics have a point. When
criticism happens, he does not take it personally.
He still thinks out of the box, but he also keeps
one feet on the ground and listens to what
people are saying about his decisions.
9. See Your Business from
The Customer’s Eyes
Ma is not an internet or tech genius. In fact, he has no background
in IT or programming. However, he views all his online trading
platforms through the eyes of the common person, and this is
what makes them so attractive. He does not come from very
technical aspect and therefore the user interface is extremely
friendly.
10. Have A Balanced View of Your Business
Sometimes, entrepreneurs focus too much on the running of their
business, such as sales and marketing. This may lead them to
neglect other aspects.
Jack Ma always believes that entrepreneurs
should also focus on customer experience, and
employee happiness in his company.
Ultimately, you should also focus on your happiness so that when
you yourself are happy, you can build your own business in the
best way possible.
Every entrepreneur will encounter their own
unique journeys to success.
However, the advice and perspective of those who have come
before them will play a crucial role.
As an entrepreneur, Jack Ma’s perspectives will
no doubt prove priceless.
22
LEADERSHIP

23. 23
WHO IS WHO
Encik Tan Nyat Chuan. Assistant Governor of Bank
Negara Malaysia is responsible for payment systems policy
matters with the primary accountability of promoting reliable,
secure and efficient clearing, settlement and payment systems
in the country. He also serves in several capacities as a
Non-Executive Non-Independent Director on the Board of
Directors of the Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd, and a
member of the Bank’s Financial Stability Committee and Risk
Management Committee.
Dato' Sri Abdul Hamidy Abdul Hafiz.
Independent Non-Executive Director of Ambank (M) Bhd. with
over 30 years of extensive banking experience in the fields of
Commercial and Finance Banking, Investment Banking and
Islamic Banking.
Previously the Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Finance
House (Malaysia) Berhad and prior to that, the Chairman of
Danajamin Nasional Berhad. the Managing Director/Chief
Executive Officer of Affin Bank Berhad, Chairman of the
Association of Banks Malaysia and the Managing Director of
Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Berhad.
Dr Vasuhi
Murugiah. Chief
Executive Office
Subang Jaya Medical
Centre (SJMC). Dr.Vasuhi
began her career at
SJMC as an emergency
room physician. In
November 2011, Dr.
Vasuhi was confirmed
as the hospital director.
She subsequently
assumed the current
position in December
2016.
Selvarany Rasiah. She is presently the Chief
Commercial Officer of Bursa Malaysia Berhad since 15th
February 20187. In her present position she is responsible to
oversee the business in Securities Market, Derivatives Market,
Islamic Capital Market, Information Services as well as market
development. She joined Bursa Malaysia in November 1992 as
a Legal Officer
Mr. Benyamin Bin
Ismail .was appointed
as the Chief Executive
Officer at AirAsia X
Berhad on September 1,
2015. He holds a
Bachelor of Commerce
(Banking & Finance)
from Curtin University
of Technology Perth,
Australia and a Master's
in Electronic Commerce
from Edith Cowan
University Perth,
Australia.
Winner of Best Investor Relations Officer by Corporate
Governance Asia for (2011-14) and two-time winner of Best IR
Professional award by Bursa Malaysia’s Malaysian Investor
Relations Association (MIRA) ( 2011 & 2012).

24. ASK DRBIZ
Here’s How You Can Use
Crowdfunding to Grow Your Business
Funding your business is never easy (unless perhaps you have very rich parents). If you’re an entrepreneur
on your own, and come from a humble background, you may face financial challenges starting a business.
Your business idea may be very novel and has a lot of potential. However, you just won’t be able to finance it
on your own.

25. What exactly is ‘Crowdfunding’?
Crowdfunding is basically a method for entrepreneurs to gather
funding for their business through online platforms. These online
platforms allow then to reach out to the public.
In essence, crowdfunding allows people from all
walks of life to become donors to your business.
Traditional forms of business funding usually involve only one or
a few sources, including banks and investors. The amounts of
money they loan to you or invest in your project tend to be very
high, in the five digit category.
Therefore, this puts a lot of pressure on you to
make the business succeed.
In crowdfunding however, the contributions are much smaller.
People can even give as little as RM 10 or even RM1. Most online
crowdfunding websites are also very transparent and they list out
the name and amount of every contributor.
Crowdfunding also allows you to solicit
contributions from all over the world.
Although the practice of trying to fund your business by asking
friends and relatives is not new, crowdfunding online gives more
transparency and credibility to the process.
Crowdfunding is very popular among small startups and social
entrepreneurs who often get rejected by banks due to the
uncertain nature of their future and their inability to guarantee
the success of their undertakings.
There are Different Types of Crowdfunding
Basically, there are three different types of crowdfunding
available. Most of them run on online platforms which you can
sign up for.
Many entrepreneurs traditionally go to the banks or other financial institutions
for a loan. However, there’s an alternative way to gather funds nowadays
called crowdfunding.
25
ASK DRBIZ
All of these platforms require you to present a
full business plan.The more information you
provide the better.
These platforms often encourage entrepreneurs to provide visual
and audio information too, in order to attract more attention from
the public.
1. Crowdfunding through Donations
This was one of the very first crowdfunding concept and you’ve
definitely heard of websites like GoFundMe and Kickstarter.
Through these sites, you start a page and
members of the public can contribute however
much they want.
You are free to set a minimum and maximum amount for
contributors to give. However, most entrepreneurs don’t set a
maximum.
In donation based crowdfunding, the entrepreneur does not have
to repay anyone. Basically, you are free as a business owner to
manage the money however you see fit.
Your donors do not have a say in how your run your
business.However, proper etiquette dictates that they should at
least update their donors on the progress of the project from time
to time.
Donations based crowdfunding is very popular
among those who are social entrepreneurs.
This means that they’re running businesses that will benefit
communities, rather than merely being a profit based project.
It has also been used by individuals to help fund emergencies and
necessities, such as funding a life saving surgery or putting a child
through school.

26. 26
2. Crowdfunding through Equities
In this model of crowdfunding, you allow strangers to invest in
your business as stakeholders with a profit sharing arrangement.
It’s almost like making your company a listed company where
everyone who invests in it will own a share of the company.
Therefore, everyone that invests in your
business has a say on how it is run.
The arrangement is much more complicated than a donation
based crowdfunding. This is because you as the entrepreneur will
have to prepare detailed financial reports and organize Annual
General Meetings for all your investors.
Investors will also be expecting some form of
profit sharing or pay-out, which you will have to
do throughout the tenure of your business.
Investors can come in the form of individuals or venture
capitalists. In order to attract bigger institutions to fund you, you’ll
have to present a very convincing business plan.
Keep it simple and easy to understand, yet interesting and
attractive enough for investors. Marketing is of course very
important to sell yourself to multiple investors.
ASK DRBIZ
3. Crowdfunding through Loans
This crowdfunding concept is a little different from Equity
funding, as it requires you to pay your back your creditors (people
who lent you the capital) after a stipulated time.
Usually, a small percentage of interest will
accompany you repayment to the ‘loans’you
receive.
This concept is almost similar to taking a bank loan for your
business. However, instead of taking a loan from just one big
financial institution, you’re taking small loans from multiple
people or organizations.
These loans can be very small amounts like RM100 or less, which
is why it’s very different from bank loans.
The interest rate and loan repayment period is a matter of
personal agreement between you and your creditors.
Therefore this type of financing is more flexible
and you’ll enjoy better repayment rates and be
able to work out a repayment scheme that
benefits you and your business best.

27. 27
ASK DRBIZ
Why Should You Consider Crowdfunding?
Crowdfunding is a viable alternative to more conventional
methods of business capital funding.
It’s definitely getting more traction as
entrepreneurs view it as a more relaxed and
beneficial source of funding.
These are among the things that crowdfunding can offer, which
conventional loans can’t:
• Feedback and Validation from Customers
Whether a person is donating, investing or loaning you the money,
you can be assured that they believe in your idea.
This can give you the confidence to pursue your project
wholeheartedly, knowing that there are people out there that will
buy your into your idea, whether it’s a product, concept or service.
In addition to confidence, you’ll be able to get feedback in order
to improve on your business plan.
There will be more people who will be able to see gaps,
weaknesses and flaws of your plan and give you ideas on how you
can improve on it, or add to it.
• Multiple Sources of Financing
This aspect is particularly important. In conventional business
funding, you’ll typically depend heavily on only one or two
sources of funding.
Should there be any financial problems and the funds don’t reach
you, your entire business plan will collapse.
However, if there are many sources of funding, having some of
them pull back at the last minute is not a big deal as you can still
carry on with the main plans and look for more contributors as
time goes by.
This is a form of security for your business too.
• More Exposure for Your Business
Crowdfunding involves a lot of hard work in terms of marketing.
Most commonly, entrepreneurs use social media to reach out to
the general public, hoping that there will be people who will give
financial support.
This means that more people will know about
your planned project.
You’ll have to know the best way to reach the right people on
social media. Remember, it’s not so much how many people you
reach, as who you reach. You have to identify your target market
very early on in your business plan so that you don’t waste time
and resources.
Crowdfunding is a novel method to fund your
business, whether you’re a new entrepreneur or
looking to expand your current trade.
It’s always good to consider the benefits of this
funding for your business, especially if
conventional capital sourcing doesn’t seem to
be working for you.

28. 28
KEY STATISTICS
Earnings Per Share 29.22 sen - basic (9MFY18)
766 ATMs and 175 branch offices nationwide at present
Staff strength of 11,500
Profit after Tax &
non-controlling interests
RM878.7 million (9MFY18)
Shareholders' Equity
RM16.3 billion
Total Assets
RM142.8 billion
AMBANK GROUP SNAPSHOT (as of 31/12/2017) BANK PEMBANGUNAN MALAYSIA
Earnings Per share for last 5 Years
EARNINGS PER SHARE
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
7.08
0.36
4.75
12.31
7.47
In fourth quarter 2017, total employment in the financial
services sector, covering banking institutions,
development financial institutions and insurance
companies/Takaful operators increased by
0.3% to 164,885 persons from 164,463) in 2016.
(source: Bank Negara Malaysia)
TOTAL JOB CREATION
0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
0
1Q16 2Q16
1,655
1,976
1,170
3Q16 4Q16 1Q17 2Q17 3Q17 4Q17
High-skilled Mid-skilled Low-skilled Low-skilled
PERCEPTION OF PRODUCTS
MADE IN MALAYSIA BY COUNTRY
Made-In-Country Index 2017- How “Made in Malaysia”
products are perceived in various countries?
as "slightly positive" or "very positive"
Peru
U.K
Indonesia
Mexico
Venezuela
Russia
Philipines
Brazil
Kenya
Vietnam
Taiwan
Bahrain
UAE
India
China
Saudi Arabia
Morocco
Algeria
Egypt
Pakistan
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
1970
1972
1974
1976
1978
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1996
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
300000
250000
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL POSITION
1970 - 2018 ( RM MILLION )1970 - 2018 ( RM MILLION )

29. MARKETING
How Technology Bridges the Gap
between Marketing and Sales?
Salespeople, as they do in Glengarry Glen Ross, a 1992 film often find that leads from marketing leave
something to be desired. Marketing, in turn, feels that the salespeople fail to follow up on the quality leads
supplied to them. As in the movie, leads are often at the heart of the relationship between sales and
marketing, a relationship that has historically been rocky many times on account of disputes over the value
of leads.

30. 30
MARKETING
With smarter use of data, marketing is
delivering better leads, which means
salespeople are more effectively closing deals.
If salespeople are closing more deals, it means the sales
department begins to have more trust in marketing’s leads and so
pays more attention to them.
In this digital age, the sales and marketing teams at many companies are working more closely
together, and the fundamental changes in the buyer’s journey and the capabilities of the marketing
technology stack are part of the reason.
It also means that there’s more revenue, which creates harmony
between sales and marketing—and pretty much everyone in the
company. Sales needs marketing to be able to take some time to
basically broaden and accelerate their funnel.
But it’s always been a difficult relationship, and
marketing has been in a fight for relevance for a
long time.

31. 31
MARKETING
So as a sales professional, whether you truly appreciate marketing
or not, the very basic fact that marketing is the only entity in the
company that can shed light on that 60 percent to 80 percent of
what the buyer did before talking to you ought to be enough for
you to pay attention.
The marketing automation software uses data to determine what
leads qualify as marketing leads, human hands get involved in the
process to vet the leads via phone calls and e-mails.
“What’s different nowadays is that there is plenty of research that has shed light on the buyer’s journey.
That fact is that a big part of the buyer’s journey, from glimmer in the prospect’s eye to the signing of
the check, is digital.
If they are new prospects, they go into a holding tank.
The telequalification group basically does as many as five
attempts to gather advance criteria on the prospect, and only the
ones that pass the advance test get passed on to sales.
And the lead is not simply passed on to sales. It
is passed on to sales surrounded by data.

32. 32
MARKETING
Technology brings Harmony between
Sales and Marketing
DocuSign is a great example of a company that is embracing
digital marketing technology. The company has a robust
marketing technology stack, and has perhaps even more robust
results to show for it.
Driving leads that are based on data is central to the way this
relationship is constructed. A critical piece of driving leads and the
DocuSign marketing stack is the marketing automation platform.
DocuSign generates about 130,000 leads a quarter, or more than
40,000 per month, and the sales team has the capacity to handle
only about 20 percent of the total leads, or about 8,000 per
month.
So it’s essential that the DocuSign marketing
team deliver to the sales staff the leads most
likely to develop into a deal.
This whole idea of big data comes into play. Using big data to
determine predictive lead scoring has returned some insight into
DocuSign’s customers.
They found that a company engaging in moderate hiring not high
or low, but moderate hiring converts better for them.
The data also showed that companies with a certain number of pages
on their websites were more likely to close,and the same with
companies that tweeted 10 or more times per day.
How Bizo Used Data To Boost
Marketing-Sales Alignment
Bizoa data-driven business was acquired by LinkedIn in 2014 for
$175 million. They have data on 120 million businesspeople,
knowing a person’s job title, industry, size of the company the
person works for, and other data.
With this anonymous data, they help marketers
target and nurture messages via display and
social media advertising.
Bizo CMO David Karel is a data-driven marketer. When he joined
the company in 2010, he was the first hire in the marketing
department.
His first major step was beginning to build out our marketing
technology stack, a process he believed was essential to creating
a marketing organization that could support the sales staff in
driving revenue.
Karel described his philosophy: “I was the first
full-time marketing guy hired to build out the
marketing engine to scale our sales effort.
To leverage the small budget I had at my disposal and scale the
productivity I could get out of the initial hires I would soon make,
the first thing we did was to implement a marketing automation
system.
Today, Bizo’s marketing stack includes a marketing automation
system , a CRM system, a content management system, and many
other software elements. With our reliance on data-driven
marketing.
Bizo has increased its marketing-sourced new
revenue by more than a factor of three every
year since 2010.
In some key segments, marketing accounts for
as much as 50 percent of Bizo’s new business.
Our commitment to data-driven marketing and
to marketing automation in particular is a key
factor in our success.
But marketing automation software is not a set-it-and-forget-it
kind of system. It requires constant monitoring and constant
interpreting of the data it provides to ensure that the system of
nurturing leads for the sales staff is completely optimized.
And in the second quarter of 2013, the lead-generating system at
Bizo took a sudden downward turn.
In the first quarter of that year, things appeared to be humming
along with marketing generating 59 new sales. In the second
quarter, however, that number plummeted to 26.
Bizo was growing quickly at the time. In fact,
the number of account executives on our sales
team had doubled between 2012 and 2013.
These new account executives(AE) needed leads, and the
marketing team was determined to provide them.
“The sales team was pushing hard to get those
new reps productive fast,” said Karel, who
added,“but it’s hard to scale everything at once.”
Amanda Halle, who is now senior manager-marketing at LinkedIn,
described the situation this way: “Marketing found it difficult to
generate sufficient lead volume to keep up with demand.
To get more MQLs [marketing qualified leads] out to the sales
team, the definition of an MQL began shifting almost daily in
order to get enough leads out to new reps.
Not surprisingly, the quality of MQLs began to decline, and new
sales reps and the new sales managers grew skeptical of
following up on the leads they were getting.
The marketing-sourced pipeline was stagnating, and reps were
not methodically following up on marketing-sourced leads.
Good leads were falling off a cliff, while
lower-quality leads were eating up sales
productivity.”
“Month over month, we saw the MQL opportunities going off the
rails way off the rails,” Karel said, adding: “These were literally my
darkest days at the company. We had a lot of self-doubt. I was
wondering,‘Am I going to be able to solve this?’

33. 33
MARKETING
On the positive side, because Bizo relied on dashboards that
reported trends on a weekly basis, the drop-off in lead
performance was identified quickly.
On the negative side, the drop-off was steep:
close rates had fallen from about 15 percent to
below 5 percent.
The question was how to fix the lead-generation system. Leads
had a myriad of attributes, ranging from metrics that measured
how engaged prospects were to their job titles, industries, and
company sizes.
“Qualifying leads is very subjective,” Karel said.“It’s hard to get
real-time feedback from people whether the leads are good or
not. So as we tried to play with our lead scoring, we were inclined
to be aggressive, and we basically lowered the lead scoring
threshold.
We opened the gates, and we started to flood
the sales team with lower-quality leads.
The good leads they were also getting were getting lost or not
getting much attention. The sales team honestly, their enthusiasm
was wavering pretty badly.”
To solve the problem, Karel looked at the data, which indicated
that a big factor in closing sales was the size of the prospect’s
company.
Larger companies, which could handle Bizo’s $10,000 per month
minimum order size, closed at a far higher rate than smaller
companies.
In consultation with upper management and the
sales chiefs, it was decided that prospects with
50 or more employees would be a minimum
threshold for MQLs.
Prospects that worked for companies with fewer than 50
employees would be placed in Bizo’s nurturing program for its
self-service program.
Once this approach was agreed upon, the marketing team began
figuring out a way to add this data to the records of current and
future prospects in Bizo’s database.
Halle described the process: “The big challenge
was that we didn’t have company size
information for 99 percent of our leads that we
had captured in our database.
We immediately added company size to our forms, but it was clear
that we needed to accelerate the data append effort. We
ultimately used ZoomInfo to append company size to as many
records as possible. In less than three weeks, we had company size
appended to about 70 percent of the records.”
In addition to pursuing a data-driven solution to this
sales-marketing disconnect, Bizo also added a human element: a
small sales development representative (SDR) team, managed by
marketing. Via e-mail and phone, these SDRs further qualified the
leads to ensure that the AEs were receiving the most highly
qualified prospects possible.
Positive feedback was almost immediate. The close rate climbed
again to about 15 percent. Marketing-sourced pipelines increased
by 50 percent.
And marketing-sourced deals saw an almost 30
percent boost. In the fourth quarter, Bizo as a
whole posted a record performance.
Dan Gonzalez, a sales manager at Bizo, said,“In theory, marketing
and sales are lock and key. In practice, a seasoned sales rep
sometimes casts a weary eye at supposedly qualified leads.
When we revamped our lead scoring and management from the
ground up, I was skeptical yet cautiously optimistic.
I’m proud to say our sales and marketing team
took a methodical, data-centric approach,
allowing our most qualified leads to receive
faster, better service.”

34. HUMAN RESOURCE
YOU are the BOSS and the OWNER, …………… BUT, you go home late from work, have to lock up the
office, work harder than everyone else, shoulder so many responsibilities and pay everyone their salaries
……… and then even JOKE about it with the other entrepreneurs !
The EMPLOYER-REE
Syndrome

35. 35
BIZ BITSHUMAN RESOURCE
This article is to remind business owners
that if they experience the following five
symptoms in running their businesses, then
something is not quite right; your business
has become a JOB for you without the
freedom to get what you want in life.
DO YOU actually enjoy the benefits of being the
OWNER ? Surely, there are better ways of
running your business. So, let’s examine the
patient………………
Symptom #1 –You regularly go home late –
your loved ones complain !
It is OKAY to be late every now and then; if it happens more often
than not, with you being alone in the office meeting deadlines and
missing family commitments, then that is most definitely, NOT OKAY.
If you occasionally stay late with your team members to complete
some pending works, that is okay. If ONLY you can get it done,
then that is RISKY.
Have you ever thought of what would happen to
your business, and your family, if something
were to happen to you ?
Formulate a virtual clocking system for yourself; you work a
maximum of eight hours only at your business. The staff should
be given specific duties which frees the boss’ s time.
Symptom #2 –You cannot take on new projects
– your staff have to approve !
Employees are usually not willing to take on more work; but if a
business owner shuns new opportunities because of staff
disapproval, then it is a RISKY situation.
Getting employees to work harder for bigger bonuses and
increments while the employer’s portion remains status quo or
even shrinks, is BAD business.
The bottom line depends on taking on new
projects and fulfilling clients’ expectations.
Growing businesses need new orders; emphasise on marketing at
every opportunity with incentives for staff so that they remain
motivated. Include your staff when meeting new clients; it will
convince them of the necessity.
Symptom #3 –You write the minutes –
your staff expect copies !
Business owners take notes so that they can remember what was
discussed; if the employees don’t, it sends a signal that they are
less likely to act on the tasks on hand.
The useful information from the meeting would not have been
absorbed. Does it bother you that when you arrive at the next
meeting, the team is unprepared and waiting for an agenda ?
Set up proper meeting standards with a consistent agenda; the
team should know beforehand what to prepare. Get the team to
present ideas in relevant areas of the business they are
responsible for, not you having to ask for updates. Assign a
secretary to take meeting notes and prepare minutes.
Symptom #4 –You cancel your vacation –
your staff need a break !
YOU, the business owners have to cancel the holidays because
your staff have gone on sick or have an emergency; welcome to
the club. When key staff does not show up for work, someone has
to fill in, and that person is YOU.
This person plays truant, sending YOU, the
owner straight back to work. If it happens
exceptionally, that is okay, but if it happens
often, then it does not make sense in having
this manager.
It would be good idea to train a few staff to multitask at key
functions; instil in them to take responsibility rather than just be
doing the duty. Staff can be encouraged to submit a vacation plan
for the year ahead.
Symptom #5 –You are always ‘busy’ at your
business – no personal time !
You feel indispensable because there is no one else who does it
like you do ? REALLY ?; ask yourself on this one. Employees like
this kind of bosses who cannot delegate his work since it just
means there is less to do.
The truth is, it is not your job to ‘run’ the business; rather, you
should get your staff to conduct the business operations in a
profitable manner.
Being in business is about having a better life and more time for
yourself and the family; get rid or at least reduce the effects.
There are more, but let’s work on these symptoms of
EMPLOYER-REE SYNDROME first !

36. QUESTION : I have a new app idea that is going to revolutionize the food and beverage industry. As I am
new no banks will finance me and I have been told to be wary about venture capitalists. My question is
what Information NOT to be given to Investors in order to safeguard our Ideas? Priscilla Santiago
Q & A :
How Safe is Venture Capital Financing?
FINANCE

37. ANSWER
That is a very interesting question indeed! Let me start by
pointing out the situation the best I can!
The key point to remember is that an Idea remains an Idea till it is
out there! Therefore no matter how revolutionary your idea(s) are,
till they have a market and is recognized you are still an
investment risk.
Please remember ideas are dime a dozen in
the open market. We ourselves had gone
through over 20-30 start up presentations a
week, we choose 1 to a maximum of 2.
As we need to finance not only the idea but the people who we
will be working with us and our Investors, as if the trust factor is
not established there is no point in proceeding further.
Please understand on the whole serious venture capitalist nor
investors are interested in “Stealing” your idea as always
remember the business of “MONEY” is Money.
37
A serious VC or Investor always looks at the
business potential of an idea and the
development of that idea into a business.
So in fact if they want to sabotage an idea then they would be
losing money on the long run as you being the inventor, you know
the product or service better, but a VC or Investor is there to turn
it into a business and cash out when the time is right.
That being said it does not mean everyone out there is a genuine
VC or Investor, as there a lot of conmen out there trying to steal
ideas or basically take you for a ride with false promises.
So be careful of so called investors who ask
you to disclose all information on your
product or service.
I am embarrassed to say that in my younger days I too have been
conned and some of my ideas were later sold to public listed
companies while I was left with nothing to show for it due to my
then trusting nature and naivety, so as you can see none of us are
spared really.
FINANCE

38. FINANCE
38
Now let’s try the best way to answer your
question and safeguard your idea shall we:
Know Your VC / Investors
Always remember Rule no 1 on Investors, they hardly deal with
their clients directly as they don’t have the time nor the attention
span to look into all deals that come their way.
It is facts and figures that
dictate their interest.
Therefore they usually use consultancy firms such as us or
solicitors they trust or even accounting firms.
The reason for this is so that their trusted or appointed firms
would do the primary due diligence and see if the said project is
worthwhile and only then would they consider it.
Again I said consider, as after that if they are interested it all
comes back to the chemistry they have with you as the promoter!
As if they are not comfortable then they would drop the deal as I
myself have seen several million dollar deals go down the tube
due to the Investors not feeling comfortable with the promoters
no matter how good the deal was.
In my opinion always be honest and humble
as it goes a long way.
So if an Investor wants to meet you up personally to finance your
idea, be a little weary if you don’t know them, ask around if they
have actually financed any business around you before you
disclose anything.
Know What You Want
The reason why your business proposal should be complete is
that being your idea you should know what is it that you actually
want, what is the plan from commencement, what is the cash flow
for the next 12 months, 24 and 36 months at least, what are the
contingencies and markets and profitability.
Usually promoters know their product and
services well, but have no idea on handling
the above mentioned as they are a business
perspective.
That’s why some capital is required to handle the said business
proposal as it’s a chicken and egg scenario as without a proper
plan, a VC or Investor cannot see exactly why they are investing in
you and therefore you will end up with the wrong segment of VC
and Investors and hence the fear of being cheated originates.
The Greed Factor
I am sure you have heard stories of greed on the part of the VC/
Investors but take it from me we have seen more the other way
around.
We have had promoters who have maybe a total of RM10,000 to
begin with and wanting an investment of RM 1,000,000.00 stating
that their business is worth RM 20,000,000.00 in the next 24
months with no incorporation, no valid product and definitely no
letters of interest let alone orders.
There is absolutely no basis for the valuation they have come by
and they are so arrogant that they want the investment but not
willing to allow the VC/ Investors to hold shares nor be part of the
company.
In other ways they expect a seasoned VC / Investor to just give
them a RM1,000,000.00 with no guarantees, no security and worst
of all No Business.
The question is would you do this if you had
the money? The question is obviously not
right so why would a VC or Investor do so.
Another important reason to understand is that people with
money to invest did not obtain the said money by being stupid, so
don’t treat them like morons.

39. 39
Keep the plan brief
In order to safeguard your idea is to keep the business proposal
brief. Meaning what the VC’s / Investors want to know is the
following:
a) What is good about the Product / Service
b) Why would customers require this?
c) What are the current sales of the competition/closest competitor?
d) What is the sales forecast?
e) Who are the target markets?
f) How much investment is required?
g) reasons for the required funds?
h) Tenure of investment?
i) R.O.I – Returns on Investment
j) Marketing plan and finally
k) the Exit strategy.
With this the VC/ Investor knows exactly what they are getting
into without dwelling too much into your entire idea but enough
to make an informed decision.
As remember if they are not convinced you don’t get your money
to carry out the business.
Joint Expertise
Another aspect as to the above is that most promoters don’t
understand that converting a Business idea into an actual
business is not easy nor practical as business models change the
practicality of any business.
It is prudent to work with Investors who have existing knowledge
or experience in your business so that they can provide valuable
input as well as Investment.
That’s why we not only work with our panel of VC’s and Investors
for the Investment but for the expertise as well as most times
when they invest they already know the business well and have
the ready contacts in the industry to take the said business further
and faster than leaving it to just the plan designed by the
promoters..
Legal Agreements and NDA’s
Another aspect you can use is getting your solicitors to come up
with an agreement or a Non Disclosure Agreement (NDA) with the
Investors to safe guard your idea.
However in my experience I can tell you when a VC/Investor has
been asked to sign one of this their usual response is “Screw it!
Next”. Again it’s their money so it is important not to offend
anyone when starting out.
So before you listen to others and imagine VC’s and Investors to
be blood sucking monsters that are out to cheat you! Take a deep
breath and see things from their perspective.
Here are some questions that a VC or Investor would ask of any
business:
1) What is the KEY RISK in investing in this business?
2) What are the KEY OPPORTUNITIES in this Investment?
3) Are the promoters experienced enough to handle the business?
4) Do they have the track record to make this work or do I need
external help on this project?
5) Is there a Market for this product or service?
6) Which of my contacts can I use to gain a bigger market share?
7) Are the projections valid or are they exaggerated?
8) Is the Investment worth its returns?
FINANCE
These are some of the questions that the
VC’s and Investors would be asking
themselves before committing to you and
your project.
So as you can see the Fear and Weariness works both ways, so try
to answer these questions within you to know if you are ready to
present your idea to a VC or Investor as this way you would be
able to weed out the serious ones from the con men just by
seeing if they are asking the right questions to you.
I sincerely hope that I have been helpful in answering your
question and I hope that I have been able to shed some light on
the overall weariness business people like you feel whenever they
hear the term VC or Investors.
Guest Writer: S. Khugan
Group Managing Director, the SKB Group of Companies
that focuses in corporate , financial consultancy and
operates 4 subsidiaries, namely mergers & acquisitions,
corporate financing, project facilitation and due diligence.

40. MALINDO Airways Sdn. Bhd is an Indonesian airline company that has successfully made a
breakthrough in the Malaysian market. 2018 marks their fifth year here; it is now an well-known brand in
the region. MiBrand was interested to know how they achieved that in such a short time, and so we set
out to explore and establish some facts.
Malindo Air:
A True Competitor in the Skies
EXCLUSIVE

41. MALINDO’s Raison D’etre
MALINDO’s journey in getting a foothold in the Malaysian airlines
market is mainly due to their commitment to providing value for
travelers.
The main attraction is affordable fares while
not compromising on passenger safety and
comfort.
This has been their effective selling point, and it has apparently
proven positive for this young company in Malaysia.
Among the extra perks that MALINDO seems to give passengers is
extra leg space, duty free purchases in the air, refreshments and
rewards for miles charted.
They have an impressive fleet of aircraft, a total of 45, comprising
of sixteen ATR72-600 aircraft and twenty-nine Boeing 737NG.
They operate as many as 800 flights a week
along 46 routes with plans to expand.
Many of the routes are in the Asian and
Australian regions.
MALINDO has the largest airline fleet in Southeast Asia and is
jointly owned by the Malaysian National Aerospace and Defence
Industries and Indonesia’s Lion Air.
These two pluses definitely sets them apart
from the competitors.
In recognition, MALINDO has won many awards in the short time it
has been in operation; a prestigious award that needs mention is
the CAPA 2016 award for Asia Pacific Regional Airline of the Year.
MALINDO is also a member of IATA, the International Air
Transport Association, which has helped them network with some
of the leading airlines from all over the world. From these crucial
relationships, MALINDO has managed to secure code share and
interline partnerships with eight international airline.
These airline companies include Xiamen Air, All Nippon Airways,
Turkish Airline, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Oman Air as well as
their sister companies, Batik Air and Lion Air.
Mr. Chandran, the CEO of MALINDO AIR
expresses his appreciation for the support of
other industry players and for the confidence
passengers have placed in the young airline.
41
EXCLUSIVE
MALINDO AIR is headed by Mr Chandran Ramamurthy, who previously worked at Singapore’s
Lion Air. MiBrand had the chance to interview him and find out more about MALINDO’s journey
this past five years.

42. 42
EXCLUSIVE
Overtaking the Competitors
IIn 2016, the Centre of Aviation reported that MALINDO had managed to gain almost half of the additional passengers for that year. MALINDO
is turning heads as this puts them ahead of many other established airline companies. Mr. Chandran has stresses that the strategy to achieve
this growth is to try and fill in gaps found in the industry.
They needed to learn the demands and trends of travelers, the consumers prefer. MALINDO then tries
to fulfill these preferences in the most budget friendly way possible, thus providing value for money.
MALINDO is also dedicated to gathering feedback from passengers; they have learnt that most passengers are very contented with the leg
room, baggage allowance, on-board meals, in-flight entertainment and Business Class facilities. Constant and regular market research to learn
the various trends in the travel industry helps to strategize by offering the best flight times at the best prices In order to attract more
travelers.

43. 43
EXCLUSIVE
The Best Business Environment
Mr. Chandran admits that all the countries he has worked in have
been great and with due cooperation and support from local
governments and administrations.
The primary officials have provided effective liaison between the
local government and MALINDO administration. bare crucial
providing the various support needed.
The working environment became more
positive with such collaboration between
business and government.
Although certain minor or temporary setbacks were encountered,
these were quickly overcome by MALINDO. The general consensus
is that they were able to function and thrive as long as they
adhered to the rules and regulations set by each country that they
have operated in.
Technology to Grow Business
MALINDO is actually a child of the technological age, and the
entire business has been designed to be dynamic and depend on
the latest innovations in networking and database mangement.
The advancement of technology has positively impacted
MALINDO in terms of time and cost effectiveness, which then
contributes to increased productivity, hence resulting in smoother
operation flow.
Communications with potential customers have
been made quicker and more productive, with
shorter turnaround times whenever a campaign
is launched.The airline is also able to interact
easily with travelers through various social
media platforms, solving problems and
answering questions.
The internet has also provided customers with ways to seek
honest reviews about MALINDO, which will definitely help guide
their choice to fly with the airline.
In addition to this, the MALINDO website, which functions 24
hours a day, 7 days a week enables travelers to book their flights
anywhere in the world at any time.
MALINDO has plans to go for complete digital
cockpit environment that will translate to a
paperless flying deck.
It is hoped that this initiative will increase efficiency and make
flight operations smoother and more productive. Mr Chandran
says that although the cost of incorporating the latest technology
into daily operations is high, the long term benefits make it
worthwhile.
The important task is to couple technology with proper market
and investment research in order to ensure maximum benefit.

44. Keys to Success
As CEO of the youngest airline in Southeast Asia Mr. Chandran
Ramamurthy shares with us some tips on how to approach various
circumstances :-
On customer education –
“One of my ongoing challenges is in regards to customers making
decisions based on pricing alone. I feel there’s a need to appreciate
the value of products and deals not by monetary standards but by
what the package offers, which is a wholesome travel experience
which includes baggage allowances, meal on board, in-flight
entertainment, the convenience of flying from KLIA as well as
international seamless connectivity through our network and code
share partners. This is what we’re trying to educate travelers about”
On being a successful leader –
“I consider a successful leader is one who has made their employees
happy. A leader is able to inspire trust and is confident enough to
nurture new talent into becoming future leaders”
On understanding customers –
“The empowerment of customers with online information to make
decisions has raised the bar on customer expectations. That is why
an airline like us needs to continue innovating and diversifying. One
of the efforts is by offering travel related products, such as
MALINDO Holidays, MALINDO Air Travel Protection, MALINDO Miles,
onboard duty free etc, in order to keep up with the market.”
On the future of the airline industry –
“The airline industry is changing so rapidly, as we can see in the past
20 years. There are changes we never imagined or predicted. The
airline industry requires great focus and a dedication to maintain a
high level of safety standards, which may eventually restrict the
number of players in the industry.”
On the challenges MALINDO will face –
“The greatest and on-going challenge we probably have is to be
even better than who we are today, making our passenger happier
and remain as their preferred choice at all times by international
standards“
On the future of MALINDO itself –
“MALINDO Air has very good potential, especially judging from the
pace we have grown regionally in a short period of time. We strive
to be the renowned and preferred airline in the region through our
excellent products, great customer services and continuous effort to
expand our route network.”
44
EXCLUSIVE

45. World’s biggest roundabout located
along Persiaran Sultan Salahuddin
Abdul Aziz Shah in Putrajaya with
a distance of 3.54 Kms and has a
diameter of 3.5 kms.
New Zealand with 4 million population has over 70
million sheep, while India is the home for 200 million cows
alahuddin
aya with
nd has a
r 70
million cows
A group of owls is referred to as a
Parliament , as Owls is the goddess of
wisdom and reason according in the
Greek mythology.
SLIDE
000
Largest Island in Asia and the third largest Island in the
world is the Borneo.The island is known for its beaches ,
biodiverse rainforest, home to wildlife such as orangutans.
Spanning over 743, 000 km2, the island is also home for
worlds oldest rainforest.
Fanta Orange is the 3rd largest selling soft drink in the
world.The Fanta brand carbonated drink emerged as a
substitute when Germany impose trade embargo on
Coca-Cola ingredients. Fanta is also second oldest
brand of Coca-Cola company.
Largesesesssttttt IIIIsIsland in Asia and the
ld i h B Th i l d
Fanta
world
susss bs
CCoCCCC c
bbrbb a
arg
DID YOU KNOW
45
DID YOU
KNOW? FIRST CREDIT
CARD was issued by Diners
Club on February, 1950 by Frank X.
McNamara. He together with Ralph
Schneider and Matty Simmons
charged the card at Major's Cabin
Grill, a restaurant adjacent to their
offices on February 8, 1950.
FIRST CREDIT
CARD was issued by Diners
Club on February, 1950 by Frank X.
McNamara. He together with Ralph
ld’s biggest roundaboout locateddddd
the
es ,
ns.
or
any.
SLIDE 001 000
LIDE
000
in the
ed as a
go on
est
001001
SLIDE 002
acent to their
, 1950.
E 002
DE
SLIDE 003
WWWWWWoW
aaaalong
AAbdu
a dist
diame
New Zealand wiith 4 million
over 743, 000 km2, the island is also home fo
worlds oldest rainforest
orl
or
t.
SLIDE 004
SSLSLID
SLIDE 005
The temperatures of Hottest Spot in the Universe
could reach an amazing 300 million degrees C.
By comparison, the centre of the sun is burning at only
15 million degrees C.The cosmic hotspot galaxies
labelled RXJ1347, is five million light-years wide.
U
eg
g
g
e
Universe
grees C.
g at only
galaxies
ears wide.
million sheep, while In
AAA group o
Parliame
wisdom
Greek m
By

46. Why Should A Business
Worry about Cyber Attacks?
In May 2017, Cybersecurity Malaysia confirm the "WannaCry" ransom ware attack spread across Malaysia.
The attack, which locks computers and holds users' files for ransom reported to hit 200,000 victims in 150
countries. The National Health Service reported the massive ransom ware attack shut down work at 16
hospitals across the United Kingdom. Hackers threaten to delete patient records and other critical files if
hospitals don’t pay them.
TECHNOLOGY

47. SMEs HAS THE INFORMATION
HACKERS NEED
Many SME owners neglect the need to implement cyber security
protection measure as they in opinion; they don’t have any
valuable information.
Information Security Breaches Survey found
that 60% of small businesses had suffered a
security breach.
Hackers are aware of this false sense of security, and increasingly
exploit SME businesses' lack of preparedness and security expertise.
Make no mistake: if you’ve got a website, you’re vulnerable.
Source: Symantec
While larger companies have resources to address cyber security issues, MSMEs companies often do not. Usually,
a business owner or his immediate family members handle many different roles within the SME business.
They couldn’t implemented proactive security measures due to budget constraints, poor governance, lack of
security policies and controls, lack of employee awareness and lack of information technology knowledge and
resources to hire that knowledge, many SME businesses are at a great risk of having their systems compromised.
47
Some criminal hackers are motivated for cash;
they gather online banking credentials, customer and employees’
information and other statutory information.
Even if you don’t store financial information
such as customer payment details, the data you
do hold such as employee payroll details,
proprietary data or client information has a
value to someone.
Dell SecureWorks found that the black market for hackers’ data is
booming.
TECHNOLOGY
CYBER
ATTACKS
Malaysia ranks 6th
in the region for social
media scams
Malaysia Ranks 47th
Globally and 12th for
ransom wear attacks
Approx 14 cyber attacks
a day was reported
in 2015
The Services industry
in Malaysia is most
vulnerable, with 72.4 %
cases of phishing attacks

48. TECHNOLOGY
48
ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE IS NOT ENOUGH TO
PREVENT CYBER ATTACK
Security software like paid antivirus software has historically been
the go-to solution for users wanting to protect themselves from
cybercrime. Don’t misunderstand; you need what protection it
does offer, antivirus protection is essential.
Unfortunately, the protection provided is often significantly less
than most people including SME business owners realize, which is
why so many people using antivirus software find themselves
with malware infected computers.
Some limitations of antivirus software
i. the software may stop many of the malicious attacks on your
computers as long as you keep them up to date, but it gives a
false sense of security and does not educate you on how your
actions influence the cyber-attacks made against your
business.
ii. It doesn’t stop the insider threat of someone causing
vulnerability or letting an attacker in.
iii. Avoid using multiple antivirus programs on one computer as
they can conflict with each other.
“The real fact is that no single solution can prevent
all cyber-attacks.
Sophisticated attacks on networks routinely bypass network
security systems, no matter how rock-solid they are or claim to be,”
CNN Tech reports.
BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE A GROWING
CYBER SECURITY TROUBLE
Reduced invested, convenience and flexibility are the main
reasons for bring your own device practice becoming popular.
Take note, if employees bring in their own devices
they can also take them home, or traveling, allowing
them to work from places other than the office.
Allowing employees to bring their own devices to work can
present its own problems.
Bring Your Own Device is the Biggest cyber security
attack risk made by SME business owners
themselves.
Employees’ personal devices are unlikely to have the same level of
security as corporate devices, and may be significantly easier for
hackers to compromise.
Companies that allow Bring Your Own Device should
ensure they have a strict Bring Your Own Device policy
in place while ensuring employees understand good
cyber security practices, and the potential
consequences for the company if they are not followed.
83% View Cyber attacks as one of Top 3 threats to Business,
but only 38% feel prepared for a sophisticated attack.
-isaca.org

49. 49
OPAQUE ALGORITHMS
COMPROMISE INTEGRITY
The Threat Horizon 2018 report by Information Security Forum
Ltd identified organizations will increasingly use algorithms to
maximize efficiency, however, a lack of transparency in how these
algorithms interact will pose significant information security risks.
The report also made following recommendations:
• Identify exposure to algorithm-controlled
systems and understand when human
involvement is a liability.
• Identify alternative ways of treating risk from
algorithm related incidents.
PHISHING DOMINATE CURRENT CYBER
ATTACK LANDSCAPE
Phishing is a fraudulent attempt, usually made through email, to
steal your personal information.
The best way to protect your business from phishing
is to learn and educate employees on how to
recognize a phish.
Phishing emails usually appear to come from a
well-known organization and ask for your personal
information such as credit card number, bank
account number or password.
TECHNOLOGY
Often times phishing attempts appear to come from
sites, services and companies with which you do not
even have an account.
Microsoft says, the company scans up to 400 billion email
messages for phishing and malware, processes 450 billion
authentications, executes more than 18 billion web page scans,
and scans more than 1.2 billion devices for threats each month.
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia
Commission (MCMC) says Malaysia, most of the
phishing attacks detected target internet banking
users and tricks them to reveal their credentials.
The commission has blocked 10,962 websites found to be involved
in online cheating or phishing from 2008 to January 2017.
CYBER CRIME IS HERE TO STAY
The number of threats that cyber-attacks unleash continues to
increase exponentially, and small businesses run a risk of losing
data, sales, productivity, and even money.
Since any organization can be a prime target, it is vital to take all
the necessary steps to safeguard business information,
technologies, and processes.
As only effective filtering tools, education of users
to the threats and continued vigilance can prevent
these attacks.

50. Developing a Data Driven
Marketing Strategy
Big Data is a common buzzword in the marketplace these days. You hear it being used for all sorts of things,
from policy implementation to gauging voter sentiment in the political spheres. Most notably, it’s being used
increasingly in the world of business, especially to build an effective and targeted marketing strategy.
DIGITAL MARKETING

51. 51
Before big data was a thing, marketing departments often
depended on a small number of respondents which were
interviewed verbally.
Often this number did not go above a few hundred. Nowadays,
however, with the advent of social media and other communication
technology, marketers can harvest data from hundreds of
thousands of respondents.
This will give them a much more accurate
picture of what consumers and clients want.
Why Big Data?
Any marketer will tell you that big data is revolutionizing the way
that companies are selling their products and services. It is always
important for any company to gather data in the most ethical way
possible.
This means no prying into the private data
of millions of users.
What exactly is big data? The answer is simple. It is the use of modern analytical and
statistical methods to understand trends and patterns.
These trends and patterns can be seen from data collected from a large number of consumers and respondents.
The key element here is the amount of respondents that are sampled, which number in the tens of thousands.
Instead, ethical bid data gathering practices merely tracks the
behavior and preferences of consumers as they shop online.
This of course, is just one example of how ethical big data
functions. On the whole, here’s how big data can benefit your
marketing strategy:
1. Improving customer experience
Big data has a way of allowing you to know whether your
company’s sales and services are up to par. This includes gaining
an insight about what customers or clients liked and disliked about
shopping with your brand.
From their comments and choices you’ll be able to know whether
they enjoyed the interaction, or whether it was tedious to shop.
Data can also help you to pinpoint the exact experience that made
it difficult for them to access or engage.
This means that you can pinpoint exact areas
for improvement within your business, whether
its your quality of service or processes.
DIGITAL MARKETING

52. 52
2. Maximizing Price Points
The big data approach won’t just give you insights into the
behavior of customers that buy from you; it will also allow you to
understand the performances of your business rivals.
From here, you’ll be able to gauge their
preferences, especially when it comes to fixing
the best prices, and maximizing price points in
accordance to quality.
When you create value for money and charge your customers a
reasonable price, you’ll be able to get a bigger percentage of the
market in the long term.
Data can help you achieve this in a much more
targeted and informed manner.
3. Identifying Target Groups
In order to plan and strategize, you’ll have to first know who your
customers are. Data analytics is one way to assess the
demographics that have the highest possibility of being attracted
to your business.
You will know what economic background,
gender and age they’re from.
DIGITAL MARKETING
These factors will help you craft messages that are more specific
and targeted. In this way, you’ll be able to reach more of the right
people when marketing your brand.
There will also be a deeper understanding of how you can
personalize your messages to masses. You’ll be able to choose
strategies that resonate with certain groups that are relevant.
For example, if your business attracts more
youths below 30 than anyone else, you can now
focus your marketing efforts on social media.
4. Improving Processes and Procedures
Data doesn’t just involve feedback from customers. Big data can
also show weaknesses in your company operations. These include
financial, production and other standard operating procedures.
From data analytics, you’ll be able to identify
whether there are any bottlenecks in
production, or areas of operations which are
taking up unnecessary costs.
In general, you’ll also be able to trim excesses in your company.
This means getting rid of areas that are underperforming or just
not beneficial or cost effective. In this way, operational costs can
be brought down and profits maximized.

53. 53
5. Opening Up New Market Opportunities
Apart from a deeper understanding of how the majority of your
customers think, you would also be able to see the behavioral
patterns related with groups that don’t usually engage with you.
Therefore, you can formulate marketing strategies that target
these groups. It would be an eye opener to see which types of
media they consume, as well as what promotions they are most
attracted to.
The data analytics will then be able to open up new markets for
you, in places and with people that your business has never been
able to reach before.
6. Easy Planning for the Future
Mapping out your marketing strategy for the long term will be
made much easier with data analytics. For one, you will be able to
see sales and income patterns over time, and have a strong idea
about what the main factors influencing them are.
This also means that future trends
can be predicted.
This extrapolation of data allows for future strategies to be put in
place, as you no longer have to depend on guesswork to plan for
the future.
7. Setting Up Internal Quality Standards
Previously, businesses would rely on widely used models for
internal assessments of performance and achievements.
However, with analytics your company can set up a set of
performance and quality standards to gauge things like KPI and ROI
as well as set up indexes that can help you achieve external
standards in the future.
DIGITAL MARKETING
Data analytics is one of the best indicators of how different
aspects of your marketing projects and performing, and thereby
you will be able to identify markers and signs for all marketing
areas to achieve. This will also give your teams clear goals to
achieve in the long term and short term.
8. Building a Loyal Customer Base
Return customers are the core of any business’s survival. However,
many businesses just don’t know what makes people come back
for more. Therefore, they invest in any and all marketing methods,
some of which work and some just don’t.
Data analytics allows you to understand clearly and see the
leading reasons why customers become loyal to your brand. It
analyzes repeat customers’ feedback on why they’re attracted to
your business, so that you can identify one of two clear factors
and work on improving them.
This way, you’ll be able to keep more customers
while still reaching out to new ones.
Big data analytics is a key marketing strategy of
the future, and its changing the way companies
see themselves and the people they serve.
Once you apply analytics to your own business, you’ll be surprised
at how many unexpected facts you learn. In the long run, if you
invest a little into analytics, you’ll end up with a marketing
strategy that is targeted and maximized for performance, as
opposed to going of blindly on your own or modeling it after
other businesses.
What has worked previously for others may not
necessarily work for you.

54. BIZ BITS
Connected Mobility
The Right Step Forward: BMW Malaysia
Connected mobility is one of the main pillars of the National
Automotive Policy 2018 (NAP 2018) and it is the right step
forward, said Chief Financial Officer of BMW Malaysia, Michael
Rainer.
This came after the Showcase on Connected Mobility, where Prime
Minister talked about the future of transportation and the recent
decision to review the National Automotive Policy, and how
Malaysia will embrace this transformation should he be mandated
to lead the country once again.
"In this way Malaysia is showing that it is committed to make out
of Malaysia a hub for high technology.
When it comes to BMW, we are already moving in this direction "
Rainer said on the sidelines of the Malaysia Autoshow 2018 held
at MAEPS Serdang in April 2018. This would serve as a validation
of the Government´s direction to focus on these areas within the
automotive industry, he added.
Malaysia Needs To Accelerate
Private Investment - Don
Malaysia needs to accelerate private investment to achieve higher
productivity and add more value to products and services in order
to lift the income level of the people, especially the Bottom 40
per cent of households (B40) group.
Sunway University Business School's Professor of Economics Prof
Yeah Kim Leng said Malaysia needed to gear itself towards a
high-income economy in order to lift the income level, driven by
high-value activities, so that the people would not be distressed
by rising cost of living.
"The income level is too low. The median monthly income of the
B40 group is about RM3,000, while the average expenditure for a
family is around RM4,000 and they are barely able to cope (with
rising cost of living) as there is a gap.
"Our industry has to maintain this continuous process of
upgrading (towards high-value activities) and be competitive in
terms of exports," he told in an interview recently.
Yeah emphasised that the industry has to move quickly to address
structural issues such as low wages and high dependence on
foreign labour to move up the value chain.
Telcos Enhancing Malaysia's
Socio-Economic Development
Government-linked companies (GLCs) have delivered broader and
impactful contributions to national socio-economic development
by connecting Malaysians with the new digital economy while
promoting greater information and communication technology
proficiency.
Malaysia's economic transformation, from an over dependence on
raw materials and agriculture to a relatively high-tech and
competitive nation, has been accompanied by remarkable
advancement in telecommunication infrastructure. The enhanced
digital experience is providing Malaysians with solutions that
make their lives easier.
One of the key contribution by Telekom Malaysia Bhd to the
digital economy has been the development of its world-class
high-speed broadband (HSBB) network infrastructure, which
supports most of its services and solutions, as well as, the
offerings of other industry players.
54