P P 9 3 8 / 1 0 / 2 0 1 2 ( 0 3 1 4 0 2 )

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W e s t M a l a y s i a R M 1 0 . 0 0E a s t M a l a y s i a R M 1 2 . 0 0 w w w . m i m . o r g . m y

F E A T U R E

REDESIGNING FOR THE DIGITAL ECONOMY A STUDY OF SMES

IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Watering the Roots of Good GovernanceL E A D E R S H I P S E R I E S

Data Exclusivity in MalaysiaL A W

The Potential of Human EndeavourH U M A N R E S O U R C E

Tech vs Touch: The Future ofWork Lies Along a Continuum

F E A T U R E

Contents05 CEO's Message

L E A D E R S H I P

06 Watering the Roots of Good Governance

09 Five People Management Hacks for the Digital Economy

H U M A N R E S O U R C E

13 The Potential of Human Endeavour

19 Digitalisation to Reshape the Malaysian Employment Landscape

F E A T U R E

23 Tech vs Touch: The Future of Work Lies Along a Continuum

27 Redesigning for the Digital Economy: A Study of SMEs in Southeast Asia

A P A G E I N H I S T O R Y

35 Developing the Human Resources for 2020

D I G I T A L

39 Women in Technology: The Stakes Keep Getting Higher

43 Malaysia’s Sharing Economy: Are We Up to the Challenge?

L A W

52 Data Exclusivity in Malaysia

O F F T H E B O O K S H E L F

56 2019 Must Reads

O P I N I O N S

60 We Need to Draw the Line on Climate Change and Environmental Pollution Now!

PUBLISHED BYMALAYSIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT (MIM) Institut Pengurusan MalaysiaUnit T1-L16-1, Level 16, Tower 1, PJ 33, No. 3 Jalan Professor Khoo Kay Kim, Seksyen 13, 46200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia.

PUBLICATION COMMITTEEDato' Ng Tieh Chuan, EFMIM (Advisor) Sivanganam RajaretnanPoovanaswari Kasinathan

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The authors automatically agree to indemnify MIM against any loss, costs, expenses (including legal fees), damages and liabilities that might arise from their own incapacity, negligence, breach of contract or other civil misdeeds. We reserve the right to edit all articles. Submit your articles to management@mim.org.my. All rights reserved. Copyright© 2019 by Malaysian Institute of Management. Advertisements in the MANAGEMENT do not constitute on the part of MIM a guarantee or endorsement of the quality or value of the advertised product or services of the claims made for them by the advertisers. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without prior written permission from the publisher. The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of MIM. Both parties accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, illustrations and other editorial materials.

Sivanganam Rajaretnan

Chief Executive Officer

Malaysian Institute of Management

In accordance to date of admission

HONORARY FELLOWSYM Royal Professor Ungku Abdul Aziz Ungku Abdul HamidYAB Tun Dr. Mahathir MohamadYB Dato’ Seri Anwar IbrahimYABhg. Tun Abdullah Ahmad BadawiYB Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak

COURT OF EMERITUS FELLOWS

PresidentYABhg. Tun Haji Mohammed Hanif Omar

Vice PresidentYBhg. Dato’ Ng Tieh Chuan

YBhg. Datuk Dr. Paddy BowieYM Tunku Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Ahmad Tunku YahayaYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Azman HashimIr. George Lee Yau LungDr. Tarcisius Chin Nyet LeongMr. Robert Kuok Hock NienT.Y.T. Tun Pehin Sri (Dr) Haji Abdul Taib MahmudProf. Liew Shou KongYBM Tan Sri Tengku Razaleigh Tengku Mohamad HamzahThe Honourable Chief Justice (Rtd.) Yong Pung HowYBhg. Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Mohd Rashdan Haji BabaYBhg. Tan Sri Kamarul Ariffin Mohamed YassinYBhg. Tan Sri Osman S. CassimYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri (Dr) Sallehuddin MohamedYBhg. Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan HamzahYBhg. Tan Sri Kishu TirathraiYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr) Abdul Aziz Abdul RahmanYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr) R V NavaratnamMr. Niels John Madsen R, R1YBhg. Datuk Haji Mohd Saufi Haji AbdullahYABhg. Tun Dr. Ahmad Sarji Abdul HamidYABhg. Tun Musa HitamYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Teh Hong PiowYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Lin See YanYBhg. Gen (Rtd.) Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Mohd Zahidi Haji ZainuddinYAM Tunku Tan Sri Imran Almarhum Tuanku Ja’afarYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Mohamed Munir Abdul MajidYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Mohd Hassan MaricanYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Tay Ah LekYBhg. Datuk Seri Haji Mohamed Iqbal RawtherYBhg. Tan Sri Datuk Yong Poh KonYBhg. Prof Datuk Seri Dr Haji Khairil Annas JusohYBhg. Tan Sri Dr. Ali HamsaYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Siti Norma YaakobYBhg. Tan Sri Lim Kok ThayYBhg. Tan Sri Dr. Jeffrey Cheah Fook LingYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Megat Najmuddin Megat KhasYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Lim Wee ChaiYBhg. Datuk Prakash Chandran

GENERAL COUNCILChairmanYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas

Vice ChairmanPuan Rahima Beevi binti Mohamed Ibrahim

Representing Court of Emeritus FellowsYBhg. Dato’ Ng Tieh ChuanYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ (Dr.) R. V. NavaratnamYBhg. Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas

Representing Corporate MembersPuan Rahima Beevi binti Mohamed IbrahimYBhg. Datin Dr. Hasnorliza Abu Hassan Mr. Thiagarajan a/l S. Rengasamy

Representing FellowsMr. Ong Weng Leong

Representing Associate FellowsMr. Azlan bin Abdullah

Representing Ordinary MembersMr. Rama Krishnan a/l ThiruyangadamMr. Selvaraja MuthayaMr. Sugumaran a/l VairavappillaiMr. Lim Eng Weng

Representing Associate MembersPuan Rosmawati binti Mohd Ali

CEO's Message

2 019 whizzed by in a flash. The year has brought upon many new opportunities for us, albeit there were challenges that came along with it. We have had a productive year, organising large and new

events that has catapulted the MIM brand across Malaysia and the region. The year kicked off with our Youth Leadership Development

Programme, Ready to Fly. The 6th year running, the programme was curated to include the introduction to AI, Robotics and Big Data modules, providing relevant information and preparing teens for the ever-changing dynamics of the future.

In April 2019, MIM hosted the 20th AAMO Triennial Conference and Dinner, a regional event which begun with a conference and culminated with the Gala Dinner and Awards Night. That evening, we had the privilege of conferring the AAMO Visionary Leader and Nation Builder Award to the honourable Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and the Asian Leadership Awards under the AAMO banner.

In line with our aim of providing thought-provoking insights on diverse leadership and management topics, MIM organised two events under the MIM Crucial Conversations umbrella. Titled “Fighting Corruption Together” and “Future-Ready HR Professionals”, the events gathered subject matter and industry experts in an open and candid discussion on current issues.

We have also been active on the membership front, organising the first MIM Unity Hunt 2019, a treasure hunt which had over 300 participants, making it one of the biggest hunts for the year!

We ended the year on a high note with our signature event, the 29th Tunku Abdul Rahman Lecture® Series. The address by YABhg Tun Dr. Daim Zainuddin emphasised the need for a future that benefits all Malaysians, one where the people are uplifted in an equitable manner, which I believe resonates with each and every one of us.

As the year draws to a close, in the spirit of Unity in Community, I would like to wish everyone Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May the new year bring us many new opportunities and renewed fervor to achieve our goals.

By UNDP

Restoring core government functions in the immediate aftermath of crises.

Watering the Roots of Good Governance

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W hen you think of crisis contexts, what is the first place that comes to mind? Afghanistan, South Sudan? Yemen, Libya or

maybe Myanmar? What about countries that have faced major natural disasters in recent years like the Philippines, Nepal or Indonesia?

Or countries in transition like Colombia or Liberia? All of them have different definitions of crisis, but they share one major characteristic in common – core governance institutions struggling to deliver on the State’s compact with its people to serve the most vulnerable citizens in times of great volatility.

The world is increasingly experiencing a confluence of crises - natural disasters, pandemics, violent conflicts, financial crises – that reach around the globe hitting rich and poor countries alike, with lasting consequences especially for millions of the world’s most vulnerable people, costing billions of dollars in damages and lost potential.

Last year saw a 25-year peak in violence and conflict, with over 65 million people forcibly displaced. Today, 1.5 billion of the global population, 43% of the world’s poor, lives in countries affected by fragility and that number is expected to grow to more than 80% in the next 10-12 years.

The 2030 Agenda acknowledges that achieving sustainable development is not possible without strengthening effective, responsive and accountable institutions capable and empowered to deliver necessary public services to those furthest behind. Functional core governance institutions can be a catalytic accelerator can trigger positive multiplier effects across all the SDGs.

Yet rehabilitating core institutions of government is often ignored in the immediate aftermath of crisis, leaving the State vulnerable to path dependencies that have proven hard to reverse well after the crisis.

From 11-13 November 2018, world leaders, including Heads of State and Government, from 84 countries convened in Paris at the invitation of President Macron of the French Republic for the Paris Peace Forum, where institutional capacity and effectiveness were the central pillar of discussion in pursuit of durable peace.

The Paris Peace Forum offered a unique opportunity for all of us — international organisations, states, local governments, NGOs, companies, academics, religious groups and citizens alike — to share experiences and ignite innovative solutions to tackle this “wicked hard problem”.

UNDP is a proud partner of this endeavour and and shared our 60-plus years of experience from around the world of working in crisis contexts. Our experience has shown that restoring institutional resilience in crisis-affected context requires at least four interconnected catalysts for success:

Political leadership is required to prioritise rebuilding the foundations for institutional capacities immediately after the crisis hits the country. Leaders must champion the changes needed to restore functional institutions as part of early recovery and bring together national and subnational actors to overcome inherent opposition to changing what has not worked in the past.

The Paris Peace Forum offered a unique opportunity for all of us — international organisations, states, local governments, NGOs, companies, academics, religious groups and citizens alike — to share experiences and ignite innovative solutions to tackle this “wicked hard problem”.

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can also most importantly help to promote transparency and incentives for change.

This is “mission critical” for UNDP. We must and we will strive to do better to serve people impacted by the world’s worst crises and this includes watering the roots of disrupted institutions early on, from day one, so they may build back more resilient and more able to deliver critical services to citizens that need them most.

Abdoulaye Mar DieyeUN Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the UNDP Bureau for Policy and Programme Support

For Article Submission-Advertisements-Subscriptions, please email us: management@mim.org.my This article was first published in http://wwwundp.org/content/undp/en/home/blog/2018/watering-the-roots-of-good-governance.html. It is republished with permission from UNDP.

Incentives for positive change are needed, both at the institutional level i.e. monitoring systems for accelerating critical reforms necessary to address

We must and we will strive to do better to serve people impacted by the world’s worst crises and this includes watering the roots of disrupted institutions early on, from day one, so they may build back more resilient and more able to deliver critical services to citizens that need them most.

Today

1.5 billion of the global population,

43% of the world’s poor, lives in

countries affected by fragility and that number is expected

to grow to more than

80% in the next 10-12 years.

disrupted services and at the level of public servants, including frontline service providers (e.g. through performance targets and non-financial performance rewards. Sustaining effective recovery and service delivery in the aftermath of crisis ultimately depends on the performance of motivated civil servants.

Targeted and sustainable resources, while not a panacea, is necessary to boost national and subnational initiatives for institutional recovery, including through regional peer-to-peer solution, public-private partnership, South-South cooperation, and other forms of sustainable investments in rebuilding institutional capacity.

Active citizen engagement can significantly help change inherent public mistrust in public sector performance in times of crisis. It can break down the State-citizen silo by engaging institutions to share their real-time actions directly with the public on how they are delivering critical support. This

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Digitalisation to Reshape the Malaysian Employment Landscape

By Digtal News Asia

Key sectors expected to grow include the engineering and IT sectorsBanking and shared services sectors, have seen slower growth since GE14

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Information Technology (IT)The expansion of Malaysia’s digital ecosystem will see the implementation of new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, while spending on IT products and services is projected to reach RM65.2 billion. This bodes well for IT professionals who were equipped with the skill set to leverage these technologies in 2019.

Much like the engineering sector, soft skills such as communication and management will play a decisive factor in the growth of IT professionals, as employers are increasingly seeking individuals with hybrid skills to take on new roles and assist the business in their digital transformation journey.

Positions like SAP Team Leads and Information Security Managers were also seen as those likely to rise in demand this year and are also among the highest paying jobs of 2019.

T he Malaysia Salary Guide for 2019 unveiled by Kelly Services, shined a spotlight on the growing need for digital skills among workers

as Malaysia is swept by the digitalisation wave.The report shows that demand for digital talent

is fast growing despite a comparative shortfall of supply, a sign that Malaysia is facing challenges in building its digital workforce.

The report, which dives into a wide range of employment sectors, points out that the banking and shared services sectors have been seeing slower growth since the last Malaysian elections. On the other hand, the engineering and information technology sectors were expected to grow in 2019.

Commenting on the report, Brian Sim, managing director and country head of Kelly Services Malaysia said, “As more and more businesses embrace the 4th Industrial Revolution and digitally transform their businesses, a growing skill gap can be seen in the Malaysian talent pool, with digital competency a core component of many jobs today.

“This issue is being addressed by both the Malaysian government as well as organisations through various policies and initiatives, but workers must also take the initiative to upskill themselves to remain competitive in this evolving employment landscape.”

EngineeringThe engineering sector in Malaysia is poised for growth despite the suspension of some major infrastructure projects and slowing growth in the manufacturing sector. With the support of government initiatives such as the Industry4WRD policy as well as the government’s goal to double the number of skilled workers from 18% to 35% by 2025, there is a clear interest in developing this sector.

Talents in this sector that possess both technical knowledge and soft skills will continue to be highly sought after by employers across different industries. Accordingly, top jobs from this sector in 2019 included Head of Production and Project Managers.

As more and more businesses embrace the 4th Industrial Revolution and digitally transform their businesses, a growing skill gap can be seen in the Malaysian talent pool, with digital competency a core component of many jobs today.

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Banking and Financial ServicesThe banking and financial services sector on the other hand, was seen to see a challenging year ahead in 2019. Despite this, the report indicated a continued trend towards job creation in this sector for high skilled positions such as financial analysts, prioritising professionals equipped with the relevant digital competencies.

Furthermore, following the signing of a collective agreement by the members of the Malayan Commercial Banks’ Association, various employee groups in local banks will also benefit from adjusted salaries in 2019.

The report also indicated that Human Resources (HR) professionals will continue playing an increasingly important role in the growth of Malaysian businesses.

“Companies today are facing challenges in identifying the right person for the job, as skills

deficit continue to be a concern, particularly when it involves digital marketing, e-commerce and big data,” adds Sim.

“HR leaders must not just evolve the way they hire, but also work closely with their business heads to implement and execute training initiatives to develop their workforce in order to drive business growth.”

The Salary Guide had been created with the intention of providing both employers and employees with key insights across a wide array of industries and to help them navigate through an increasingly competitive job arena. Leveraging historical data compiled by Kelly Services Malaysia, the Guide provides insights on the various sectors in Malaysia and the key jobs to look out.

For Article Submission-Advertisements-Subscriptions, please email us: management@mim.org.my

The expansion of Malaysia’s digital ecosystem will see the implementation of new

technologies such as

artificial intelligence and big data,

while spending on

IT products and services

is projected to reach

RM65.2 billion

HR leaders must not just evolve the way they hire, but also work closely with their business heads to implement and execute training initiatives to develop their workforce in order to drive business growth.

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Tech vs Touch: The Future of Work Lies Along a Continuum

By Korn Ferry

We live in extraordinary times with a digital transformation happening all around us. From mobile to wearable technology, digital has become embedded in almost every aspect our

lives. No wonder we often hear the question: Will digital make humans obsolete? Well, in many areas it already has—think bank transactions, cashiers at grocery stores and

warehouses. As technology continues to evolve and make inroads in the human resources function, one has to ponder if the H in HR will ever become obsolete.

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I n today’s age of digital transformation where everything in life has a potential digital mirror image or digital enablement, we often hear the

refrain ‘Will the digital revolution and technology make humans obsolete?’ The most ironical question is when the same question is asked in the context of human resources function, which is all about people. Let’s examine this seeming paradox and try to arrive at a framework to ascertain what has supremacy between “Tech and Touch” and for how long. A unique lens of looking at this problem

is to use the Korn Ferry research based digital framework which examines the seven different ways digital and technology is transforming what firms do. The framework further links it through to the job architecture and what a firm is trying to achieve from a customer perspective. A Korn Ferry research indicates that there are seven kinds of digitally led work transformations that organisations may try to drive relate to the seven kinds of jobs a person in digital/technology space typically has to do (See below graphic).

Let’s examine the classic paradox of man vs machine and try to arrive at a framework to ascertain what has supremacy between “Tech and Touch” and for how long.

SOURCE: Analytics of Success Profile (for Searches and Project Work) at All Levels Organisations

Leveraging digital technology for more powerful and efficient operations

Creating products and

sevices for the digital age

7 Core Areas of digital

transformation focus but jobs

should emphasize only 1-2

Enabling digital commerce

Programmatically driving innovation

Leading nd influencing in a manner suitable

to the digital future

Using digital technology

to shape the customer journey Deploying data

and analytics to make better

decisions

The framework examines the seven different ways digital and technology is transforming what firms do and links it to the job architecture and what a firm is trying to achieve from a customer perspective.

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Digital-led Work TransformationsThe framework examines the seven different ways digital and technology is transforming what firms do and links it to the job architecture and what a firm is trying to achieve from a customer perspective.

Organisations use technology or digital to sell or generate revenue from customers or they use it to drive better efficiency and lower cost of operations mostly seen in IOT, automation, and ERP deployment. Similarly, firms are also using technology to transform the customer journeys into digital journeys and organisations are all trying to design a fully digital product/service, one which brings a 2-click kind of experience to their customers.

We also find companies using data and analytics to take better focused decisions related

to customers or employees or operational efficiency. If you look closely, an interesting pattern emerges i.e. that the “Tech versus Touch” is not a binary choice or outcome but a continuum. This begs the question: How do organisations decide where to place a slider on this continuum when it comes to their firm’s needs, their customers, and their industry maturity curve? To solve this dilemma, the perspectives of the customers, stakeholders, or the employees are crucial.

The decision to have a pure digital e-commerce channel or a hybrid channel that gives customers the ability to touch, feel, and interact with a product depends on a particular customer need or buying behavior. For example, the online born digital furniture and lifestyle e-commerce firms in India such as Pepper Fry &

Urban Ladder are setting-up physical experience centers where customers can walk in and look at the different pieces of furniture and home décor items, but then go online and buy. In contrast, in Japan, the consumer behavior related to researching on insurance is partly done online, but the actual physical buying of the policy is in person, with an agent. Many insurance firms in Japan such as AIG Japan have retail kiosks in malls where customers can walk in, discuss with an advisor, and then buy the policy. In both the cases, the need for a human touch is fundamental to the organisational success — for a large e-commerce home décor retailer with only an e-commerce sales channel, and also for a major global insurance firm using the human interface to close a sale.

This can be extended to the HR function. HR in such firms has to ensure that the reality is incorporated into the many HR facets anchored in the way these firms are approaching consumer experience like the job architecture, success profiles, skill-sets and KPIs they create for this tech and touch value chain, hiring for such positions, in developing KPIs for employees driving the online and e-commerce part of the sales process and the physical human touch part of the sales process, and in defining the skill-sets required for the digital resources and the offline sales resources and how they partner with each other.

The decision to have a pure digital e-commerce channel or a hybrid channel that gives customers the ability to touch, feel, and interact with a product depends on a particular customer need or buying behavior.

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Let us examine another example where technology is used to drive better efficiency and lower the cost of operations — in HR technology HRMS deployment where employees are the end-customers. Imagine a situation where a firm wants to use chatbots to address employee queries and perform other simple actions. Imagine a setting where the employee base is scattered in tier 3, 4 or 5 cities in India or any other similar country. In such a scenario, having a call center or a way to ensure that employees can execute simple transactions or get answers to simple queries through a “digital assist mode” would be key to having a hybrid “tech and touch” solution. To

underscore how “customer” behavior (i.e. employee behavior here) can impact the same issue, just imagine that the majority of the workforce is young (<30 years) and in the same tier 3, 4, and 5 cities in India but relatively digital savvy and active on social apps such Facebook Messenger. Here, a chatbot for Facebook messenger would be extremely easy to adopt and use which will also drive a much better employee experience, higher efficiency, and cost reduction, all in one shot.

Let’s also consider the example of using analytics in HR to take better decisions if we presume that based on analytics and AI we can automate some decisions, such as looking at the performances of employees or attendance regularisation. For example, to auto approve leaves or late punch in for high-performers who are highly productive/high performers. But it’s important to balance this with the reality of what the job may require and what the employees actually do. This logic may work well in a sales role scenario where an employee has to be out in the market in front of customers, as high performance is measurable and uni-dimensional. But if we were to apply this context to the situation where we have a customer service or operations job, then arriving on time and low absenteeism is super-critical and the same AI-based digital process improvement would be counterproductive. So again the “tech and touch continuum”

The tech and touch continuum: you deploy AI in certain situations, but in other situations, you need a human interface.

comes into play, i.e. you could have an AI, analytics-based logic in certain situations, but in other situations, you would need a human interface to be able to take a call.

There is a symbiotic relationship between tech and touch, and the efficacy of one vs. the other or the bias towards one or the other is defined by what the end-user perceives as a superior experience. It’s equally important to understand that the “Tech and Touch” continuum will evolve or change as the experience expectations of customer, stakeholders, or employee preferences change with time or external realities.

About ContributorSharad Vishvanath is a Senior Client Partner & APAC Regional Head for the Transactions & Transformation Practice. He has over 20 years of experience across Banking and Human Capital Consulting. In his previous role, he led the analytics and digital vertical for a leading small finance bank in India. He is a digital enthusiast and focuses on transforming organisations from analog to digital and enjoys shaping agile mindsets, capabilities and culture.

For Article Submission-Advertisements-Subscriptions, please email us: management@mim.org.my

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By Lee Lam Thye

T h i s a r t i c l e w a s f i r s t p u b l i s h e d i n t h e M I M N e w s l e t t e r i n 1 9 9 4

Developing the Human Resources for 2020

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A s Malaysia is undergoing economic transformation and is fast entering era of rapid industrialisation, human resource

development has become a major issue and is crucial for Malaysia to achieve the goal of becoming a fully developed nation by the year 2020.

To ensure the attainment of Vision 2020, it is essential, among other things, for Malaysia to develop a disciplined workforce with high-level technical skills, management and entrepreneurial capabilities equipped with positive work ethics and culture in order to enable Malaysia to stay ahead and maintain its competitive edge.

Closer collaboration between the public and private sectors in human resource development is needed for the successful realisation of this objective.

It is in this context that I would like to refer to the two-day Ministry of Human Resources-Private Sector Dialogue on Human Resources Development Strategies and Issues.

The MHR-Private Sector dialogue was very fruitful and it provided and opportunity for both the private and public sectors to express their views and ideas in the area of human resources development not only to overcome problems identified but also to formulate appropriate measures to sustain Malaysia's economic growth and competitiveness.

When officiating the two-day MHR-Private Sector Dialogue, Human Resources Minister Datuk Lim Ah Lek pointed out that human resource development must encompass three very important dimensions.

First, it must focus on strengthening the educational system to give more emphasis to the teaching of science and mathematics, including enhancing proficiency in the English language and to expand technical education to cope with changing technologies and skills requirements.

Second, it has to master the state-of-the art management techniques and systems through entrepreneurial and managerial development programmes.

Third, there is a need to equip the workforce with appropriate skills through constantly developing and improving training programmes and facilities to keep up with new technology and industrial

processes and to cope with changing skills requirements.

The three approaches outlined by the Minister are very relevant and these three components of human resource development must be implemented in an integrated manner to ensure that the strategies and programmes dovetail together to achieve the objectives of Vision 2020.

In this connection, education and training programmes are crucial and have to be further expanded and improved not only to equip job seekers with appropriate knowledge and skills but also to imbue them with positive work ethics.

We need to develop a human resources strategy to prepare our nation to meet the needs and challenges of the 21st century.

To ensure the attainment of Vision 2020, it is essential, among other things, for Malaysia to develop a disciplined workforce with high-level technical skills, management and entrepreneurial capabilities equipped with positive work ethics and culture in order to enable Malaysia to stay ahead and maintain its competitive edge.

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Our education and training should provide us with a strong base in mathematics, science and technology as well as industrial skills.

Human resources development based on knowledge, skills and technological capability is strategic to Malaysia's march towards a high level of industrialisation.

Our secondary and tertiary education must give more emphasis to the teaching of science and mathematics.

In particular, tertiary education must be tailored to meet future manpower demand in the area of professional, technical and managerial expertise.

The demand for engineers, engineering assistants and technicians, research and development scientists will be on the rise.

In spite of the tremendous increase in public sector capacity to increase the supply of skilled workforce under the Sikth Malaysia Plan, there still exists a wide gap in the skills required and the skills delivered.

One of the proposals that emanated from the two-day dialogue called for the creation of incentives to woo Malaysian scientists who are now working abroad to return.

This is very rational proposal which should merit the consideration and approval by the Government.

According to a study by the Ministry of Human Resources, Research and Planning Division,

H U M A N R E S O U R C E

D E V E L O P M E N T M U S T

E N C O M P A S S 3 V E R Y

I M P O R T A N T D I M E N S I O N S

Master the state-of-the art management

techniques and systems.

Focus on strengthening the educational system to

give more emphasis to the teaching of science and

mathematics.

Equip the workforce with appropriate skills through

constantly developing and improving training

programmes and facilities.

According to a study by the Ministry of Human Resources,

Research and Planning Division,

9,273engineers,

13,312technicians,

21,679craft skilled workers,

and

3,889management executives, will be needed between

1990 and 1998

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A skilled and productive workforce is a prerequisite to maintaining a favourable climate and the competitive adge of Malaysian products in the world market.

9,273 engineers, 13,312 technicians, 21,679 craft skilled workers and 3,889 management executives will be needed between 1990 and 1998.

According to the above source, public sector training institutes only produced 3,800 skilled workers a year while the private sector produced 1,426 skilled workers annually, which was low against the 12,000 needed by the labour market.

It should therefore be the responsibility of the private sector to train sufficient skilled manpower with the help of the public sector.

It is neccessary for the private sector to develop a training culture and utilise the existing public sector training facilities throughhout the country for skills training and upgrading.

A significant step that has been undertaken by the government to increase the supply of skilled workers is the establishment of the Human Resources Development Fund which aims to encourage and facilitate employers in the manufacturing sector to increase and upgrade skills training of their workforce.

With the introduction of the Human Resources Development Fund, and hopefully by extending the fund to include companies hiring fewer than 50 workers and new sectors such as construction and shipping, a better training culture can be developed within the private sector.

The future growth of the Malaysian economy will place greater demand for a high quality

Public sector training institutes

only produced

3,800skilled workers a year

while the

private sector produced

1,426skilled workers annually

which was low against the

12,000needed by the labour market.

labour force which is versatile and which adapts quickly to a changing industrial environment.

A skilled and productive workforce is a prerequisite to maintaining a favourable climate and the competitive edge of Malaysian products in the world market.

While human resource development is important in termas of skills development, the human aspect is equally vital.

This is in regard to the need to improve the quality of life of the workforce through enhanced labour standards, better social security benefits and adequate health and safety measures to bring about a contented and productive workforce.

For Article Submission-Advertisements-Subscriptions, please email us: management@mim.org.my A Page in History is a new segment in the quarterly MANAGEMENT, bringing you news and articles from our MIM Archive, dating back to 1966. It provides perspective on management and leadership emphasis over the years.

A P A G E I N H I S T O R Y

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By Raja Segaran, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation

Malaysia’s Sharing Economy: Are We Up to the Challenge?

I magine sitting comfortably in your living area and making orders for your groceries on your mobile. Then a couple of hours later as you read your

favourite book on your couch, your app alerts you to the impending arrival of your groceries at your doorstep. The hassle of traffic, hunting for a parking spot, jostling of trolleys and queues fade into the past as we travel further into the 4th Industrial Revolution!

Digital technologies married to human innovation are transforming the way we work and live. Many new conveniences are made possible through the Sharing Economy.

The Sharing Economy is expected to grow to meet the needs of increasingly discerning consumers in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region, with its 650 million population accounting for a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of close to USD3 trillion.

How will Malaysia fare in this sector in the coming years? Where are we today? And more importantly, are we primed and ready to meet this challenge?

Collaboration Drives the Sharing EconomyThe sharing economy is a phenomenon that has been sweeping the globe in recent years, and generating disruption across various sectors via technological innovation and new business models. The economic and socio-economic impacts are now being felt by various sectors be it the government, industry, or the general public.

Collaborative consumption, or peer to peer sharing, defines and drives the sharing economy. Examples include Airbnb, which hosts the largest number of properties for home stay in the world without owning a single physical asset, is disrupting the hospitality sector. Closer to home, we have companies like Grab providing transportation services without owning any vehicles.

Entrusted with leading the nation’s digital economy forward, the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) has collaborated with a central planning agency and Bank Negara Malaysia in 2016 to develop the National Sharing Economy Framework with the aim of providing clarity on the definition and scope as well as

The sharing economy is a phenomenon that has been sweeping the globe in recent years, and generating disruption across various sectors via technological innovation and new business models.

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key strategies and building blocks with implementation roadmap from the Malaysian context. Stakeholders from public, private, domestic and international sectors were engaged in various discussions, forums and workshops throughout the framework and roadmap development stages to obtain suggestions, views and feedback.

The global impact of sharing economy will be in the range of USD3.1 trillion with a potential growth rate of 31% according to the study where Malaysia has the potential to see a contribution of up to USD14 billion to its GDP by 2025.

In general, the sharing economy promotes access over ownership and allows more effective resource utilisation, and strongly aligns with the Shared Prosperity vision presented in Budget 2020. The core mechanic sees under-utilised assets and services being monetised whilst community connections are built over time. These new business models bring enormous potentials in the creation of new ventures and innovative solutions, transforming traditional firms, enabling them to contribute to the economic and socio-economic growth.

As for Malaysia, the sharing economy involves four (4) major archetypes where it is defined as a socio-economic system powered by digital platforms that allow sharing of assets and resources between individuals, governments and/or businesses thus, increasing assets and

resource utilisation or promoting access over ownership of assets and resources. The four (4) archetypes with some key examples are:

1. Access to assets and services – eHailing and accommodation sharing

2. Intangible assets – time, skills and talents

3. Goods re-distribution – buy, sell and donation

4. Money – investment and peer-to-peer lending

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Opportunities in the Sharing Economy Ecosystem Back in 2013, there were less than a dozen of local players in the Malaysian sharing economy scene according to MDEC. Fast forward to 2019, the country has

more than 80 local companies and counting. This significant growth is seen in the ecosystem within a space of 6 years with more than 15 categories of businesses including food delivery & homechef services, ride & transportation, logistics

T H E F O U R ( 4 ) A R C H E T Y P E S

W I T H S O M E K E Y E X A M P L E S :

Money – investment and peer-to-peer lending

Intangible assets – time, skills and talents

Access to assets and services – eHailing and

accommodation sharing

Goods re-distribution – buy, sell and donation

If governments expect to develop appropriate policies and effectively

regulate sharing economy platforms and activities, then they must

have deep platform expertise within its agencies.

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learn from other countries, to avoid pitfalls and leverage emerging best practices. Governments and especially certain policy makers have a big role to play here. If governments expect to develop appropriate policies and effectively regulate sharing economy platforms and activities, then they must have deep platform expertise within its agencies. I don't mean merely using apps; I mean understanding how platforms are built, how data is captured and shared (or not), and the blind spots of platform design. Without this internal expertise, governments will always be playing catch-up with business, and they will never fully achieve their mandate to serve the public good." She was in Cyberjaya in October 2019 as a keynote speaker at a dialogue session with the industry players

organised by MDEC called ‘Current and Future State of Freelance, Gig and Sharing Economy in Malaysia’.

The ecosystem needs to be robust to support the growth of sharing economy. Hence, the awareness of the impact and benefits of the sharing economy to the wider industry audience must be meaningful where businesses and individuals can have options to obtain services from platform players such as crowdsourcing and freelancers. With the increase in uptake and delivery of such services, the dynamics of demand and supply are felt with positive growth in the sharing economy. Newer jobs are created with innovate methods of delivery. It is expected by 2020, the freelance jobs will grow to 650,000.

GoGet, a sharing economy start-up aimed at part-timers to

& delivery, digital & professional work and tourism related services amongst others from local and international brands.

With a high internet penetration of 87.4% (2018), where smartphone is the most common device at 93.1% (2018) to go online, it is not surprising to see the mushrooming of the online services offered by the sharing economy players with rising gig economy and start-ups.

April Rinne, who is a Young Global Leader and co-founder of the Sharing Economy Working Group at the World Economic Forum, said “As the sharing economy concept continues to grow, in terms of both business models and global scope, sharing economy industry players in Malaysia need to better understand what works and what doesn’t. We should

The Sharing Economy in Malaysia: Opportunities in diverse service segments

[ ]Total: 112 Local Players: 87As of 1st July 2019Source: MDEC Team Analysis

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perform tasks for individuals and businesses, believes that future of work is about empowerment and being flexible where people connect with each other to get tasks done faster and with better quality. According to its Chief Executive Officer and co-founder, Francesca Chia, the concept of sharing economy is better understood now than 5 years ago. She also commented that Malaysia has the ability to adopt to new technologies, hence, it will be a good test-bed before GoGet expands to other ASEAN countries. With its more than 250,000 users in 2019, GoGet envisages itself to grow further and provide an open network for other partners and businesses to plug into GoGet’s system and generate new jobs in the future.

There is room for many more players in Malaysia as some have already expanded their businesses in the region becoming little multinational companies while maintaining their main operations here. One such company is EzyHaul, a digital road freight platform for Business-to-Business (B2B) short-haul, long-haul and cross-border shipments with more than 7,000 trucks, who started their business in Malaysia in 2016. They have made positive growth with expansion to countries like Thailand, India and Singapore.

According to Darzy Norhalim, Director of Sharing Economy Ecosystem Division at MDEC, when asked about the growth of the sharing economy, he said “The Sharing Economy in Europe is projected to experience

exponential growth by the EU in the next five years, and we expect the local Sharing Economy to also continue expanding annually with double digit growth in the next three to five years. At the minimum, we plan for the local market value to double from what it is now in the next three years, driven by logistics and transportation, tourism, retail, and F&B services.”

Rising Needs of the New Generation of Consumers The rapid urbanisation rate of 76% in Malaysia as compared to a global average of 56% has welcomed a new generation of consumers who want things to be better, faster and cheaper. Services such as transportation, food delivery and accommodation amongst others are high in demand. In addition to that, the new digital age means instant access to information and ever-evolving technologies have developed more knowledgeable and sophisticated consumers. With various services and

products made available at the touch of the screen, consumer behaviour, needs, and demands are ever changing. The sharing economy has given opportunities for platform-driven applications with innovative business models to bridge the gaps between demand and supply.

PantangPlus is a local tech platform founded in 2016 that brings mothers-to-be to enjoy the services of traditional confinement therapists throughout the country. With a few clicks, mothers-to-be can book the services based on the service menu with pricing. The transparency, ease of use, and speed provided by this platform have grown its customer base from 30 in 2016 to more than 500 in 2019. Its co-founder Zamzana Arifin said, “We are seeing young executives with a combined income of about RM8,000 per month seeking for our post-natal therapy services. This segment of customers know what they want and expect high professionalism in our services. They are not just into smartphones but also

The rapid urbanisation rate of 76% in Malaysia as compared to a global average of 56% has welcomed a new generation of consumers who want things to be better, faster and cheaper.

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The convergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), cloud technologies, virtual reality and other emerging technology trends help the sharing economy tech companies to improve customer experience and integrate their business operations effectively.

The Transport Optimisation Planner (TOP) developed by Ezyhaul helps its customers to conduct route planning optimisation in an effective and productive manner. With an AI application that learns on its own, the system is able to recommend the best alternatives for routes coupled with a cloud-based real-time Transportation Management System. For instance, a typical manual process for a 1000 order line in a city will take up to 5 people to plan and assess and up to 1.5 hours to determine the optimized route. With Ezyhaul’s homegrown AI application, the TOP is able to complete this task in 20-30 minutes with 1 person working on it. This has a tremendous impact on operation and decision-making efficiency.

Soon, start-up companies like Lokalocal foresee Blockchain, Software-As-A-Service (SaaS) and AI as the leading technologies to support its market growth. Lokalocal is already in collaboration with a blockchain partner for a loyalty programme to attract more travellers. In addition, Lokalocal plans to grow its businesses beyond experiences. The company has developed a business and technology

In the sharing economy circle, there are four key consumer trends that Lokalocal have observed in their business.

The travellers expect personalisation where they can

have exclusive experience

Secondly, it’s the fear of missing out or FOMO

Thirdly they prefer visual content so that they can share their experiences with family and

friends via social media.

Last but not least is word of mouth. Travellers tend to listen to their friends when they make

decisions as this gives them trust and comfort.

are enhancing our technology to ensure our operations are efficient”.

Travellers, both domestic and international, expect to have quick access to what local places can offer and assess if that’s what they want to do with family and friends. To meet such demand for authentic local experiences provided by local experts, Chin Yoon Khen founded a technology start-up called Lokalocal, that would see it grow its customer base and with over 800 experiences in Malaysia. This intent to grow is further incentivised by the growing middle income group in Asia Pacific which will see a population of up to 66% by 2030.

Known as Khen in the sharing economy circle, he said, “There are four key consumer trends that we have observed in our business. The travellers expect personalisation where they can have exclusive experiences. Secondly, it’s the fear of missing out or FOMO. Thirdly they prefer visual content so that they can share their experiences with family and friends via social media. Last but not least is word of mouth. Travellers tend to listen to their friends when they make decisions as this gives them trust and comfort”.

Driving Innovation with Growth Mindset With the growing innovation in technologies, personalisation becomes important for platform-based companies to create value from the massive amount of data to serve their markets.

able to do proper research and analysis to get the right services. We have now grown our services beyond Malaysia and our clients are from the UK, Australia, Dubai and Singapore. By 2022, we target to grow our customer base to 3 times of what we are today. And to achieve that, we

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roadmap with an aim for Lokalocal to be a leading online travel agency in the country which will include flight and hotel booking with merchant solutions such as e-billing and e-invoicing. This would also help the ecosystem partners to digitalise their businesses and be aligned to the growth trajectory of Lokalocal.

The Role of the Government The Government remains committed and is continuously implementing policies in line with the rapid development in sharing economy. The Dewan Rakyat, in April 2017, passed the Self Employment Social Security Bill which aims to provide Social Security Organisation (SOSCO) protection to every self-employed person including taxi and e-hailing service providers. The Dewan Negara legalised e-hailing services in the country in August 2017 by passing amendments to the Land Public Transport Act 2010 and the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board Act 1987. It is imperative that the wellbeing, safety and security of the consumers and citizens are maintained at all times given the changes and the volatility in the ecosystem, economy and regulations.

Francesca views Government support has been crucial to the growth of start-ups. She said, “GoGet will not be where it is today if not for the support from the Government. We benefitted from MAGIC’s coding programme and Cradle’s seed funding that helped us to grow as well as

MDEC’s eRezeki programme as part of market access efforts to train B40 communities to be our talent pool in their centres without any cost. We are also here to support the Government in solving national problems where people have the opportunity to earn income.”

Darzy further commented on the role of Government and MDEC, and said “Based on the current players in the local market and adoption rate by Malaysians, the Sharing Economy in Malaysia has great growth potential, especially with the Government's will to look into existing policies and regulations with greater granularity. Clarity of policy is key to enable more business innovations and create a somewhat even playing field for both the new digital players and the industry incumbents. Beyond, eHailing, ride sharing and accommodation sharing, many more services or asset sharing areas are still under developed involving C2C, B2C or B2B models.”

In conclusion, with the commitment, support and intervention from the Government and the innovation driven by the industry players coupled with rising demands of consumers, the Sharing Economy is poised to grow. And rest assured, we will see more sharing economy players creating value in the ecosystem and moving Malaysia closer to becoming a vibrant digital economy.

Malaysia is ready for the challenge!

About the AuthorRaja Segaran is the Head of Strategy & Research in MDEC. He is involved in the development of macro & strategic roadmaps for Malaysia’s digital economy.

For Article Submission-Advertisements-Subscriptions, please email us: management@mim.org.my

In conclusion, with the commitment, support and intervention from the Government and the innovation driven by the industry players coupled with rising demands of consumers, the Sharing Economy is poised to grow.

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CIMB Bank

CIMB Bank is the consumer banking arm of CIMB Group, offering retail and commercial banking services.

CIMB Group is one of ASEAN’s leading universal banking groups and is Malaysia’s second largest financial services provider, by assets. It offers

consumer banking, commercial banking, investment banking, Islamic banking and asset management products and services. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the Group is now present in 10 ASEAN nations (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Philippines). Beyond ASEAN, the Group has market presence in China, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka,

Korea, the US and UK.

CIMB Group has the most extensive retail branch network in ASEAN of around 740 branches as at 30 June 2019. CIMB Group’s investment banking arm is also

one of the largest Asia Pacific-based investment banks, offering amongst the most comprehensive research coverage around 600 stocks in the region.

CIMB Group operates its business through three main brand entities, CIMB Bank, CIMB Investment Bank and CIMB Islamic. CIMB Group is also the 92.5% shareholder of Bank CIMB Niaga in Indonesia, and 94.8% shareholder of CIMB

Thai in Thailand.

CIMB Group is listed on Bursa Malaysia via CIMB Group Holdings Berhad. It had a market capitalisation of approximately RM 52.3 billion as at 30 June 2019. The

Group has over 36,000 employees located in 16 countries.

ABOUT CIMB BANK

2019 Must Reads

The Emotionally Intelligent ReaderAuthor: Harvard Business ReviewRP: RM99.90Special Member Price : RM70.00

Become a Better Leader by Improving Your Emotional Intelligence

Bestselling author DANIEL GOLEMAN first brought the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) to the forefront of business through his articles in Harvard Business Review, establishing EI as an indispensable trait for leaders. The Emotionally Intelligent Leader brings together three of Goleman's bestselling HBR articles.

In "What Makes a Leader?" Goleman explores research that found that truly effective leaders are distinguished by high levels of self-awareness and sharp social skills. In "The Focused Leader," Goleman explains neuroscience research that proves that "being focused" is more than filtering out distractions while concentrating on one thing. In "Leadership That Gets Results," Goleman draws on research to outline six distinct leadership styles, each one springing from different components of emotional intelligence. Together, these three articles guide leaders to recognize the direct ties between EI and measurable business results.

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T H I S I S S U E M I M L O V E SThat Will Never WorkAuthor: Marc RandolphRP: RM86.90Special Member Price: RM61.00

In the tradition of Phil Knight's Shoe Dog comes the incredible untold story of how Netflix went from concept to company-all revealed by co-founder and first CEO Marc Randolph.

Once upon a time, brick-and-mortar video stores were king. Late fees were ubiquitous, video-streaming unheard of, and widespread DVD adoption seemed about as imminent as flying cars. Indeed, these were the widely accepted laws of the land in 1997, when Marc Randolph had an idea. It was a simple thought-leveraging the internet to rent movies-and was just one of many more and far worse proposals, like personalized baseball bats and a shampoo delivery service, that Randolph would pitch to his business partner, Reed Hastings, on their commute to work each morning.

But Hastings was intrigued, and the pair-with Hastings as the primary investor and Randolph as the CEO-founded a company. Now with over 150 million subscribers, Netflix's triumph feels inevitable, but the twenty first century's most disruptive start up began with few believers and calamity at every turn. From having to pitch his own mother on being an early investor, to the motel conference room that served as a first office, to server crashes on launch day, to the now-infamous meeting when Netflix brass pitched Blockbuster to acquire them, Marc Randolph's transformational journey exemplifies how anyone with grit, gut instincts and determination can change the world-even with an idea that many think will never work.

What emerges, however, isn't just the inside story of one of the world's most iconic companies. Full of counter-intuitive concepts and written in binge-worthy prose, it answers some of our most fundamental questions about taking that leap of faith in business or in life: How do you begin? How do you weather disappointment and failure? How do you deal with success? What even is success?

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M O R E G O O D R E A D S

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For purchase of books, drop us an email at membership@mim.org.my or call 03-7711 2888 to place your orders. Offer is only valid for purchase through MIM and is not applicable to any bookstores.

Around the World in 60 SecondsAuthor: Yassin NuseirRP: RM89.90Special Member Price: RM63.00

That’s how long it takes to dispel stereotypes in Mexico. Throw a house party for strangers in Israel. Change perspectives in Nebraska. Make friends in Japan. And connect millions of people all over the world.

In 2016, Nuseir Yassin quit his job to travel for 1,000 consecutive days. But instead of the usual tourist traps, Nas set out to meet real people, see the places they call home, and discover what unites all of us living on this beautiful planet—from villages in Africa and slums in India, to the high-rises of Singapore and the deserts of Australia. While he journeyed from country to country, Nas uploaded a single 60-second video per day for his Nas Daily Facebook following to highlight the amazing, terrifying, inspiring

and downright surprising sh*t happening all over the world. Thirteen million followers later, Nas Daily has become the most immersive travel experience ever captured, and finally shows us what we’ve all been looking for: each other.

AROUND THE WORLD IN 60 SECONDS is Nas’ surprising, moving, and totally unpredictable 1,000-day world tour in book form. At times a striking portrait of the most uncharted places in the world, at others a touching exploration of the human heart, this collection of life-affirming stories and breathtaking photographs changes how we think about humanity and invites us all on a journey to see the world, and each other, anew.

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Talking to Strangers Author: Malcolm GladwellRP: RM89.90Special Member Price: RM63.00

Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast Revisionist History and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Outliers, offers a powerful examination of our interactions with strangers--and why they often go wrong .

How did Fidel Castro fool the CIA for a generation? Why did Neville Chamberlain think he could trust Adolf Hitler? Why are campus sexual assaults on the rise? Do television sitcoms teach us something about the way we relate to each other that isn't true?

Talking to Strangers is a classically Gladwellian intellectual adventure, a challenging and controversial excursion through history, psychology, and scandals taken straight from the news. He revisits the deceptions of Bernie Madoff, the trial of Amanda Knox, the suicide of Sylvia Plath, the Jerry Sandusky paedophilia scandal at Penn State University, and the death of Sandra Bland---throwing our understanding of these and

other stories into doubt. Something is very wrong, Gladwell argues, with the tools and strategies we use to make sense of people we don't know. And because we don't know how to talk to strangers, we are inviting conflict and misunderstanding in ways that have a profound effect on our lives and our world.

In his first book since his #1 bestseller, David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell has written a gripping guidebook for troubled times.

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Public Bank

Conceptualised as ‘a bank for the public’ by its Founder, Chairman Emeritus, Director and Adviser, Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Dr. Teh Hong Piow, Public Bank opened its doors to offer banking services in 1966 and has since grown into a premier banking group in Malaysia. As one of the largest banking players in South East Asia, the Public Bank

Group serves about ten million customers across the region with a staff strength of over 18,500 employees.

CORPORATE PROFILE

Public Bank’s unwavering commitment in its pursuit of banking excellence continues to

be recognised by international and domestic awards. In 2018, Public Bank was named

as the Strongest Bank by Balance Sheet in Malaysia 2018 by The Asian Banker, and was also bestowed with many best bank awards, both domestically and internationally. The

Group will continue to strive for greater performance excellence.

A W A R D - W I N N I N G B A N K

As a key player in the financial industry, the Group plays its role in generating value and

contributing to the nation’s economic growth. Apart from being a significant contributor of taxes to the country, the Group also fulfils its

responsibility as a corporate citizen by helping to improve the lives of people through acts of volunteerism, charitable donations and

sponsorships focusing in areas of educational development, improvement of community

healthcare and wellbeing, as well as preserving the environment.

C O R P O R A T E S O C I A L R E S P O N S I B I L I T Y

Public Bank reaches out to its customers through various channels, which includes 265 well distributed

branches and a comprehensive range of digital channels comprising of over 2,100 self-service

terminals in Malaysia, PBe internet banking, PB engage mobile banking as well as social media. In

addition, the Group has an extensive branch network in the region with a network of 77 branches in Hong

Kong, 4 branches in China, 31 branches in Cambodia, 18 branches in Vietnam, 4 branches in Laos and 3

branches in Sri Lanka.

R E G I O N A L N E T W O R K

The Group provides a comprehensive range of financial products and services comprising of personal banking,

commercial banking, Islamic banking, investment banking, share broking, trustee services, nominee services, sale and management of unit trust funds, bancassurance and general insurance products. To serve customers better, the Group has strengthened its digital capabilities by optimising and integrating

facilities and processes. The Group’s digital channels - PBe internet banking and PB engage mobile banking app are flagship touch points to spearhead the Bank’s

digital transformation.

D I V E R S E R A N G E O F P R O D U C T S & S E R V I C E S

We Need to Draw the Line on Climate Change and Environmental Pollution Now!By Ronnie Francis, A member of MIM

A s I pen this article, I feel a sense of relief as I listen to the heavy downpour outside

my home. The haze which has been putting a damper on my mood has started to clear. Finally the onset of the Monsoon rains and the change in wind direction has brought relief from the acrid smoke blown in from the burning peat forests of Sumatra and Kalimantan which has been enveloping the region. This past September has been all about Air Pollutant Index (API) Readings, types of face masks to use, rise in diseases related to the haze and a like. We also read about what world leaders are saying at the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). In a video message sent on September 23rd to participants at the UN Climate Action Summit

in New York, Pope Francis called climate change “one of the most serious and worrying phenomena of our time”. Nations of the world have a duty to fight against climate change.

A 16-year old climate activist Greta Thunberg offered an emotional appeal in which she chided the leaders with the repeated phrase, “ How dare you.” Her lone protest outside the Swedish parliament more than a year ago evolved into student climate strikes around the world on September 20th. She told leaders at the UN that even the strictest emission cuts being talked about only gives the world a 50% chance of limiting future warming to another 0.4 degrees Celcius (0.72 degrees Fahrenheit) from now, which is a global goal. These are not good enough, she

said. “We will not let you get away with this!” Ms Thunberg said, “Right now is where we draw the line.”

Very strong reaction from a young activists, but are political and business leaders sitting up to listen and take the painful and urgent measures to save the planet. In Brazil, the Amazonia rainforests are being burnt down and cleared for agriculture, the same with our neighbour Indonesia. Amazonia is a major source of the oxygen that drives physical life on the planet.The same can be said about Borneo

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Island. World and business leaders need to be shaken out of their complacency. We cannot behave like the proverbial frog inside the boiling pot. We need to jump out of our stupor before its too late. There is still time and with determined leadership we can cultivate integral human development, to ensure a better and more sustainable life for future generations. It is necessary to ask whether there is a real political will to allocate greater human financial and technological resources to mitigate the negative effects of

climate change and to help the poorest and most vulnerable populations, who suffer the most.

Trees are vital to our physical and mental health. 4 cities have developed urban forests. Singapore, Auckland, Nairobi and Dublin have taken strides to create urban greenery within their population centres. On streets lined with trees there are 60% fewer exhaust fumes. Trees also cool cities, reducing energy use and create habitats for wildlife in built up areas. Norway is paying countries like Gabon to protect its rainforest

as a weapon against climate change keeping trees in place to absorb carbon. Gabon has created 13 new national parks since 2000. Norway is counting to stop deforestation and conserve rainforest and generate jobs within such countries in environmental conservation efforts.

Scientist say our time will be remembered as the Plastic Age. Previous geological eras have always been marked by technological advances like the Bronze Age, or the Iron Age. Now scientists say plastic

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fragments will be found in the fossils of the future. A team of researchers examined the ocean floor close to the California coastline. Their study found the amount of microscopic plastics in the sediment doubled every 15 years and they found plastic fibres dating back years in the sediment.

After 1945 the number of fibres increases dramatically almost perfectly mirroring the rise of plastic pollution. The world is still producing far more plastic than it reuses. Just 9% of the plastic produced since 1950 has been reused and 13 million tonnes of plastic waste leak into the ocean every year. Plastics waste can be found everywhere from dumpsites, rivers, oceans and even on mountain peaks. Marine life have been found dead with ingested plastic bags. Recently the media highlighted the sad plight of a 60kg female loggerhead turtle near Pulau Kendi. The hungry and exhausted turtle could not excrete the plastic bags which it had swallowed mistaking it for food. The turtle which was nick named sidewinder is believed to have come from either Japan or Australia since this is where loggerhead turtles are usually found in great numbers and they are known to swim thousands of kilometres. Our use and throw away culture which is generating so much of plastic waste must stop now.

In July 2019 there was a serious air pollution crisis in Pasir Gudang, Johor where toxic chemical waste dumped into

the Kim Kim River caused toxic gases to be released. Thousands of people and young children experienced nausea , dizzy spells and breathing difficulties. People suffered trauma and a lot of time, manpower and money was spent to locate, identify and remove the toxic substances. Such indiscriminate illegal dumping is believed to have been going on for a very long time. We seem to have all the elements for another “Bhopal Gas Disaster” to occur right at our own backyard if we continue to not take firm action to prevent such illegal dumping activities. On September 28th, water supply cuts affected 372,031 households n the Petaling district, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang in Selangor as the Semenyih river treatment plant had shut down due to odour pollution. The cause of the pollution is suspected to be from illegal waste disposal near the Bandar Mahkota sewage treatment plant. On a personal and social life we are required to adopt a lifestyle that embodies honesty, courage and responsibility. Such effective leadership qualities are what is the challenge to avert and overcome Climate crisis and environmental pollution.

Sweden like Norway has shown what honest, courageous and responsible citizens can achieve. In the little town of Eskilstuna there is a mall just for repaired and second hand goods as part of its duty to help the environment. It has 7 different categories for recycling meaning that much less waste is sent to

landfills. Public transport uses biogas and electricity. The town had a high unemployment rate before this but generating carbon neutral initiatives has generated jobs and many citizens are now employed.

We need to create and nuture good values within ourselves to become better leaders in our organisations, in our family life and with society as a whole for building a better world. A world built on a more caring and sustainable economic system with citizens, business leaders, politicians working together to reverse climate change and safeguard our environment. Humankind has been entrusted with this responsibility and we cannot fail. We dare not fail!

Source References:Associated Press, Channel News Asia, RNS, The Catholic Herald, The Star Nation, World Economic Forum, The Malay Mail, NST, The Final Frontier and other sources.

Interested to share your views? Send us your article via email to management@mim.org.my. Opinions is a new segment and features articles contributed by MIM Members. It covers various topics from leadership, human resource, governance to digitalisation and many more, that enrich the personal and professional development of leaders. *The views and thoughts expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not reflect the opinions of the Malaysian Institute of Management.

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