A Monthly Bulletin for Entrepreneurs

PP18996/04/2016(034470)

COVER STORY

Implications of Brexit
on Malaysian SMEs

n recent weeks, the mass media have

been inundated with news and expert
analyses of the United KingdomEuropean Union membership exit or
colloquially referred to as Brexit. With a
voter turnout of 72%, the outcome of the
referendum was 52% voting in favour of
leaving while 48% in favour of remaining
in the Union. Under Article 40 of the Treaty
on the European Union, member states
of the EU have a right to withdraw with
the timeframe for leaving being two years
after official notice is given. The matter is
further complicated with the resignation of
UKs Prime Minister David Cameron from
office. The UK has since selected Theresa
May as their new Prime Minister and the
negotiations on the UK leaving the EU are
only expected to begin next year.
The impact of Brexit on the worlds
economy was immediate and felt across
the globe from London to Kuala Lumpur. The
consequence was anticipated considering
the UKs prominent position as the fifth
largest economy in the world and the
second-largest economy in the EU with a
Gross Domestic Product of US$2.85 trillion
in 2015. Over the same period, the country
was also the eleventh-largest exporter and
sixth-largest importer globally.
The British Pound slumped to its
weakest level in more than three decades
as it fell from 1.33 to 1.50 against the US
Dollar. This decline was largely caused by

UK Votes
Leave

51.9%
17,410,742
VOTES

Turnout
Rejected ballots

Issue 6
July - August 2016
Complimentary Copy

by Dr Ghaz

investors fleeing to safe-haven shelters

of US treasuries, Japanese government
bonds, German bunds, and gold. With
regards to the latter, precious metals
have always been long-time favourite
investments during uncertain times.
Britains stock market was also hard
hit following Brexit, with its blue-chip
FTSE100 index plunging 8.7%. Meanwhile
its FTSE250 index, which holds more UKfocused companies and often seen as a
bellwether for the overall UK economy fell
7.2%. Indices from across the world were
also not spared. The USs S&P500 and
Dow Jones each fell 3.6% and 3.4%, while
Germanys DAX and Frances CAC both
recorded losses of 6.8% and 7.9%. Back on
our shores, the Bursa closed 28.1 points
down, with 179 counters recording loses,
especially index-linked counters such as
TNB, Maybank, CIMB and YTL.
Although the Ringgit has strengthened
against the British Pound to 5.59 from 5.89
after the announcement, it has weakened
slightly against the in-demand US Dollar
from 4.03 to 4.09. Malaysian institutions
and MNCs such as the EPF, SP Setia,
Sime Darby and YTL with investments in
the UK could be affected in the short term
due to the British Pounds depreciation
and a decline in property prices. Direct
investments in the UK from Malaysia have
been in rising trend up 159.8% between
2008 and 2014.
While the UK and
Malaysia have shared a long
history of economic ties,
Leave
bilateral trade between our
two countries had declined
sharply since 1990 when they
Remain
were our fourth largest trading
partner behind Singapore, the
48.1%
US and South Korea. Today,
16,141,241
Malaysias import and export
VOTES
to the UK represent only
72.2%
1.1% of the countrys overall
trade, ranking 17th out of 240
Source: BBC
26,033
trading partners.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Perspective:
An Overview on Private Hospital Sector
Page 2-3
Analysis:
The Enormous Potential of the Medical
Tourism Sector Page 4-5
Business Alert Page 6-7
Urus Bestari:
Pembelian dan Pembiayaan Semula Premis
untuk PKS Page 8
Point-of-Sale:
Strategies for Retailers in Tough Times
Page 9
Human Resource Management:
How to Run an Effective Formal Meeting
Page 10
Sembang Usahawan:
Dato Azlin Ahmad Shaharbi Page 11
Knowledge Spa:
Unlock Opportunities in the Healthcare
Sector Page 12
Entrepreneurs Event Calendar Page 12
The UKs contribution to Malaysias
foreign direct investment (FDI) is much
more significant, representing 9.3% of total
FDI to Malaysia at RM1.8 billion, as at first
quarter 2016. At the same time, the EU was
the largest contributor to Malaysias FDI
at RM30.3 billion or 39%. Unlike portfolio
investments such as stocks and bonds,
FDIs from the UK and EU to Malaysia
are expected to remain unaffected as its
consideration involves more medium-tolong term factors.
continue on page 2

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2
Adviser
Datuk Mohd. Radzif Mohd. Yunus
Group Managing Director
Editor-In-Chief
Sheikh Ghazali Abod, Ph.D
Chief Operating Officer, CEDAR
Editor
Norhisham Hamzah
Contributors
Raja Shahriman Raja Harun Al Rashid
Shahrir Amran
Hayati Abu Seman
Nik Mohd Adzlan Nik Adnan
Ahmad Azuar Zainuddin
Shakiratur Shahida Osman
Rusydan Hamedy Rusli
Coordinator
Akmar Kamari
Design & Layout
Haja Sharoni Shah
Rafiq Asyraf
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Fax: +603 2276 1124
Published By
Small Medium Enterprise
Development Bank
Malaysia Berhad (49572-H)
Menara SME Bank
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Wilayah Persekutuan
Tel: +603 2615 2020
Fax: +603 2698 1748
Customer Service Centre:
1-800-88-3131
www.smebank.com.my
Project Management
Centre For Entrepreneur
Development And Research
Sdn Bhd (CEDAR) (1042601-M)
Level 6, Menara SME Bank
Jalan Sultan Ismail
50250 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603 2615 2063
Fax: +603 2692 5916
www.cedar.my
DISCLAIMER
The views and opinions expressed
throughout this newsletter are those of the
authors and do not necessarily reflect the
official position and views of the SME Bank.
Copyright Small Medium Enterprise
Development Bank Malaysia Berhad.
All rights reserved. This publication is not to
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SME Bank Group of Companies

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Perspective

An Overview on
Private Hospital Sector

he Malaysian healthcare industry is

experiencing steady growth, rapidly
expanding to meet the needs of the
society. In 2012, the domestic healthcare
market was valued at RM6.8 billion and is
estimated to grow to RM15.1 billion by the end
of 2016.
There are several factors attributable to the
increasing demand for better healthcare
services in Malaysia:
The ageing population. In recent years,
there has been a shift in the distribution
of the nations population towards older
age groups. The number of older people in
Malaysia is expected to double up to more
than 3.4 million by 2020.
Increase in awareness toward a healthier
lifestyle and private insurance. The growing
middle-class society has been more aware of
the value of a healthier lifestyle which leads
to growth in health checkups. The awareness
for the need of private insurance also allows
for more access to private hospitals.
The increasing urbanisation and faster
treatment time needed. About 2.6 million
people are expected to move from rural to
urban areas in Malaysia in between 2013 to
2018 (Source: theborneopost.com), which
explains the prevalent locations for private
healthcare services and faster treatment
time needed.
Popularity of medical tourism in South East
Asia. Recently, there are travelling patients
visiting Malaysia for low-cost quality medical
services and treatments that are either not
available or prohibitively expensive within
their own countries such as Indonesia,
India and Japan. Patients in neighbouring
countries are attracted by the short travel
times, the wide range of services, reasonable
costs, and cultural compatibility concerning
religion, language and food.

By Raja Shahriman Raja Harun Al Rashid

Malaysian Healthcare Industry Overview

As of December 2014, Malaysian Government
has been the largest provider of the healthcare
services of hospital treatments (70.7% of total
hospital admissions in 2014). As for private
hospitals, the Health Facts 2015 produced by
the Ministry of Health showed that admissions
to private hospitals represented nearly 30% of
total admissions for the year 2014.

As of December 2014, the Government
approved licenses for a total of 220 private
hospitals with multiple services, growing the
number of beds at private hospitals to 13,608.
1995

2014

Growth
rate

Number of Public
Hospitals

111

133

19.8%

Number of Private
Hospitals

197

220

11.7%

Indicators

Number of
beds in Public
Hospitals

26,896 35,318

31.3%

Number of
beds in Private
Hospitals

7,192

89.2%

13,608

Additionally, the Economic Transformation
Programme (ETP) is expected to generate
181,000 healthcare jobs in Malaysia by 2020
through projects in the pharmaceutical, biotech
and medical devices industry. The Government
will also be intensifying the initiatives to
enhance collaboration between public and
private healthcare providers.
Key Characteristics of Private Hospitals
There are several key characteristics of Private
Hospitals, as follows:
Higher medical cost due to operating and
set-up cost. The Higher cost is largely as a
result of the establishment or maintenance

continue from page 1

So What Really Are The Implications Of Brexit
To The Malaysian SMEs?
Many analysts have assured that the implication
of Brexit to Malaysias overall economy
would be minimal as our exposure to the UKs
economy is relatively small. Indeed, the market
is currently undergoing temporary shock
following Brexit, but the impact over the longterm still remains unclear. SMEs involved in
trading directly or indirectly with the UK market
may be impacted by the immediate volatility of
the exchange rate between the two currencies,
which in turn may have repercussion on the
supply and demand trends of the products or
services they are involved in. Nevertheless, we
believe such instability may be short-term in
nature and may find its own equilibrium soon.
However, in an already uncertain global
economic environment, the knock-on effect

as a consequence of the Brexit may further

contribute to some business implications on the
SMEs (though with no profound justifications
at all).
In essence, while there isnt any tendency
for alarming implications, but the strategic
approach for the SMEs would always be to
capitalise on any possible upside potentials
under such circumstances. Our advice is
to remain calm, stay focus, and be wary of
the changes in the market interest rates,
consumer spending sentiments, the cashflow management, and move towards
prudent calculated risk-mitigated investment
opportunities.
Dr Sheikh Ghazali Abod is the COO of the Centre for
Entrepreneur Development and Research (CEDAR), a wholly
owned subsidiary of the SME Bank Malaysia. He can be
reached at sheikh.ghazali@smebank.com.my.

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Perspective
business plan to act as a blueprint as
to how the hospital is going to operate
moving forward, at least for the next five
years or so.
Doctors track record, the area of
specialisation and retention strategy.
Recently, there is a growing concern
over the quality of medical professionals
in many private hospitals in Malaysia
where most practitioners were found
to be either interns or fresh graduates.
In this regard, excellent remuneration
package should be able to retain
expertise. The hospital management
should also preserve doctor-and nursepatient ratio to maintain the quality
of services.
Initiatives to manage cost. Stronger
partnerships with insurance
companies can be useful in gauging
demands and latest development in
healthcare services.
Strong support from the parent
company. Based on the record of
established private hospitals in
Malaysia, strong parental support is
crucial to ensure adequate financial
sustenance for this high CAPEX
business.
The
KPJ
Healthcare
Grouphas, for example, has proven to be
a successful chain of private hospitals
due to its strong parental support from
Johor Corporation Group.

of facilities and services including

CAPEX, specialists and medicines/
drugs. The rate is compounded by the
need to replenish/ replace obsolete
medical equipment, which proves to
be steep.
Better quality medical professionals.
It is believed that the quality is better
especially during the recovery stage i.e.
post-surgery, given the ability of private
hospitals to pay for premium expertise.
Advanced infrastructure. Over the
years, private hospitals have become
increasingly dependent on advanced
equipment used for diagnostics and
treatments of medical conditions,
which proven to be effective. The
infrastructure in private hospitals is
also preferred by VIPs as they can offer
luxury services e.g. beddings/rooms
for VIPs.
Threats of new entrants. Rapid growth
in private hospitals was as a result of
Government policy of letting private
sector play greater roles in healthcare
services. However, license for private
hospitals is difficult to be obtained
as the applicant needs to fulfil strict
requirements and standards.
Deviation Elements for Private Hospitals
There are several deviation elements that
we can look into to determine a better
private hospital for assessment purpose:
Strategic location. Established private
hospitals are typically located in urban
areas where the growing middle-class
society stays.
Feasible business plans. Private
hospitals should develop a long-term

and 2016.The ETP and 10th Malaysian

Plan, with the emphasis on health care,
are expected to be a major driver for
investments spurring a flurry of capacity
building by both public and private
sectors. The public-private integration
is projected to relieve the over utilisation
of resources in the public sector as the
ancillary services such as imaging and
laboratory services may be outsourced to
the private sector.

In this regard, the private hospital
market size is forecast to grow to RM 15.1
billion by the end of 2016 at a CAGR of
18.1% (from 2011 to 2016).Major driving
factors for growth in revenue for private
hospitals include:
Higher uptake of private insurance by
middle-income earners which act as
enablers to more complex treatments
or procedures in private healthcare
facilities;
Transfer of the rising medical costs to
patients; and
Growth in the medical tourism industry
of which travelling patients are seeking
for certain complex procedures which
are cheaper to be done here rather than
in the neighbouring medical hubs of
Singapore and Thailand.

Current Trend and Outlook on

Healthcare Sector
Healthcare expenditure is forecasted to
reach RM65.9 billion in 2016, growing at a
compounded annual growth rate (CAGR)
of 8.7% during the period between 2011

Healthcare Expenditure Estimates and Forecast, 2011E to 2016F

43,429
46,782
51,068
55,776
60,639
65,948

Public
Healthcare
Expenditure
(RM million)
18,313
20,241
21,513
22,866
24,304
25,833

Private
Healthcare
Expenditure
(RM million)
25,115
26,541
29,554
32,909
36,334
40,115

Private
Hospitals
Market Size
(RM million)
6,565
7,912
9,494
11,077
12,770
15,081

8.7%

7.1%

9.8%

18.1%

Total Healthcare
Expenditure
(RM million)

Year
2011E
2012F
2013F
2014F
2015F
2016F
CAGR

2011E-2016F

Source: Analysis and Forecast by Frost & Sullivan

Revenue (RM million)

Private Hospitals Market Size Growth Trend and Forecast, 2016 to 2016F
16,000
14,000
12,000
10,000
8,000
6,000
4,000
2,000
0

-20

2006

R(
CAG

10.2%
011E)
-2
6
0
0
(2
CAGR
6,038
4,048

4,280

4,719

.1%

14
16F)

.1%
) 18
F
6
201

1E201
(
GR
9,494
CA

15,081
12,770

11,077

7,912
6,565

5,252

6
7
8
9
0
E
F
F
F
F
F
200 200 200 200 201 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Source: Analysis and Forecast by Frost & Sullivan

Success Story: KPJ Healthcare Group

Established more than 34 years
ago, KPJ Healthcare Berhad (KPJ)
currently operates 25 hospitals in
Malaysia, two hospitals in Indonesia,
one hospital in Bangladesh and
a sizeable share in a hospital in
Thailand.
Coupled with its strong network of
hospitals in Malaysia and the region,
the business recorded significant
growth in the number of patients
served, reporting an increase of
more than 100,000 patients yearon-year, taking the total number to
more than 2.8 million.
As one of the pioneers in health
tourism, KPJ also showcased
its capabilities at international
trade fairs and expositions. These
included the Arab Health Expo
held in Dubai, and the International
Medical Expo held in Medan,
Indonesia.
It also participated in the MATRADE
mission to Phnom Penh, Cambodia,
which enabled KPJ to strengthen its
presence in the country.

Raja Shahriman Raja Harun Al Rashid is the Director of

Group Compliance and Risk Management, SME Bank
Malaysia. He can be reached at shahriman@smebank.
com.my.
Issue 6 : July-August 2016 | BizPulse

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Analysis

The Enormous
Potential of the
Medical Tourism Sector

he Asian Financial crisis in 19971998 triggered the emergence of

new tourism market that related
to healthcare. Medical tourism
involves all activities related to travel
and hosting a tourist who stays at least
one night at the destination region, for
the purpose of maintaining, improving
or restoring health through medical
intervention (G Musa, U. Malaya).The
expansion of medical tourism is largely
contributed to by the globalisation of
healthcare services, where boundaries
among nations have been minimised,
enabling patients to move across borders
for medical treatment.

According to a report released by
Accel Partners, global medical tourism
is on the rise as between 6 and 10
million people annually chose to travel
abroad to find the best medical services
and the sector valued at US$55 billion.
Transparency Market Research (TMR)
recently published a market study on the
global tourism market which estimates
this market to rise at an exceptional CAGR
of 17.90% over the period from 2013 to
2019 and reach a value US$32.5 billion by
the end of the forecast period. The same
study also indicated that India, Singapore,
Thailand, Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, Turkey,
Taiwan, and South Korea are the major
medical tourism markets across the
world. Among the medical tourists from
Western Europe, Thailand has emerged as
the most popular destination for cosmetic
surgeries. In 2012, Thailand welcomed
around 2.5 million foreign patients,
accounting for approximately 45% of the
overall number of foreign medical tourists
in Asia. However, Malaysia is expected
to dominate the global medical tourism
market in the coming years.

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

By Hayati Abu Seman

GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES
Boosted by rising demand from Asia
and a weakening Ringgit, the medical
tourism sector will continue to be a key
theme in Malaysia. Medical tourism has
emerged as one of the fastest growing
tourism sub-segments over the last few
years with approximately 882,000 health
tourist generating over RM730 million in
2014. The total number of medical tourist
arrivals in Malaysia reached to 700,000
in 2013 and the government is targeting
10% per annum revenue growth for the
period 2011 to 2015. The Government of
Malaysia has undertaken many initiatives
in ensuring the expansion of medical
tourism in Malaysia and recognised the
need for a facilitating agency to drive the
development of the industry. The Malaysia
Healthcare Travel Council was formed in
2009 to raise Malaysias profile as the
worlds top-of-mind destination for world
class healthcare services and to facilitate
the overall development of the Malaysian
healthcare travel industry, by coordinating
industry collaborations and building
valuable public-private partnerships, at
home and abroad.

Among the initiatives include beefing
up the quality of healthcare in terms of
facilities and services. These include a
provision of tax incentives to refurbish

wards and rooms in private hospitals and

a 100% tax exemption to private hospitals
that are willing to construct new hospitals
or expand, modernise, and refurbish
their existing ones. The government has
encouraged public and private hospitals
to undertake national and international
accreditations such as MSQH, JCI, ACHS
to increase the quality of services. Most
of the private medical centres have
achieved certification for internationally
recognised quality (e.g. ISO 9002) or the
Malaysian Society for Quality of Health
(MSQH) (APHM, 2008). Joint Commission
International (JCI) is an important factor
for medical tourism related agencies
to recommend overseas healthcare
centres to their customers. Quality: 8 JCI
accredited hospitals in the country (JCI,
2011), located mainly Kuala Lumpur (6)
and one each in the island city of Penang
and Kuching. In encouraging demand
for medical tourism, the government has
extended the visa period for health patients
and assisted in providing comprehensive
information about products, prices and
places of healthcare services through
the creation of health tourism website
(http://www.myhealthcare.gov.my).
WHY MALAYSIA?
The growing arrival of tourists into
Malaysia for healthcare services will
continue to be driven by several key
fundamentals.
Medical facilities in Asias emerging
markets remain unable to meet the
growing needs of their population, in
particular with the epidemiological
transition towards chronic diseases.
Indonesia for example, had 36
doctors per 100,000 people in 2014,
significantly lower than Malaysia
which had 143 per 100,000 in the
same year. Consequently, Indonesian
medical tourists represent the majority
of arrivals in Malaysia amounting to
57% of the total in 2011, according
to the Malaysia Healthcare Tourism
Council. In addition, the Malaysian
government will continue to promote
the sector actively through the Malaysia
Healthcare Travel Council, which has
representative offices in Indonesia and
Hong Kong. This will dovetail with the
planned implementation of the ASEAN
Economic Community (AEC) in 2015,
which will remove restrictions on the
foreign consumption of healthcare in
South East Asia.
In addition, the Malaysian government
will continue to promote the sector
actively
through
the
Malaysia

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Analysis

Factors attracting medical tourists
include low cost, efficient staff and
medical facilities that are on par with
western standards. Some hospitals even
offer luxurious accommodations with
personal butlers and fulltime nurses.
Popular medical procedures include eye
surgeries, orthopaedics, cosmetic, urology,
neurology, rheumatology, endocrinology,
obstetrics & gynaecology, oncology, and
cardiology. Among other pull factors
include value for money, excellent medical
services and supporting services, cultural
similarity especially from the ASEAN
tourists, lower labour costs, large skilled
workforce, extensive use of the English
language, availability of alternative
therapies, attractive natural environment
and health facility as well as technology.
PERFORMANCE OF MEDICAL TOURISM
IN MALAYSIA
In March 2016, the Malaysian Health
Minister stated that the medical tourism
sector hopes to provide RM1.30 billion
(US$326 million) to the countrys revenues
in the year. The industry has been
increasing steadily over the last few years
with revenues rising from RM700 million
(US$174million) in 2014 to around RM900
million (US$224 million) in 2015. In April
2015, Malaysia secured the top spot in the
healthcare category of the International
Livings Annual Global Retirement Index
2015. The index found that the countrys
healthcare system offers excellent and
affordable care, and has some of the
best-trained surgeons and specialists in
the world. The MHTC is now working to
push Malaysia as a major medical tourism
destination, aiming to attract 1mn health
tourists to the country in 2015 and garner
at least RM1 billion (US$270.38 million)
in revenue.
In
2015,
Malaysia
attracted
889,406 medical tourists to the country
with approximately 80% arriving from
neighbouring countries such as Indonesia,
Thailand and Singapore. Indonesia (57%)
is the key source of cross-border medical
travel to Malaysia, followed by Singapore
(10.0%), Japan (3.0%) and China (2%).
The majority of medical tourists travel
to Penang (61%), while Malacca and
Kuala Lumpur only receive 19% and 11%
of health tourists respectively. Johor
state claims 27,500 medical tourists in
2012, 31,000 in 2013 and 33,700 in 2014.
Penang is known for attracting primarily
lower-middle income patients from the
nearby Indonesian island of Sumatra. The
emerging source country for Malaysia
medical tourism market includes China,
Japan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh and
many others.

Forecast for Medical Tourism Market (Million US$), 2014 - 2018

400
350
Million US$

Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), which

has representative offices in Indonesia
and Hong Kong. This will dovetail with
the planned implementation of the
ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in
2015, which will remove restrictions on
the foreign consumption of healthcare
in South East Asia.

300
250
200
150

216

243

274

309

348

100
50
0

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

Source: Renub Research Analysis

Renub Research Analysis has

forecasted that by 2018, Malaysia would
receive 1.3 million medical tourists
with total medical spending reaching
US$348 million. This is almost double
the amount of arrivals seen in 2013. Out
of this, Indonesia remains an important
contributor with forecasted 481,743
medical tourists representing nearly 38
percent medical tourist arrivals. Malaysia
is still considered one of the major
destinations for ASEAN countries for
regional medical tourist attraction due to
its relatively cost saving factor and highquality services. Demand from the Middle
East comes from the Saudi Arabia and
Libya due to the Halal factor and partially,
lack of trust in the home-based health
system in the case of Libya.

Efforts are being made by the ministry
to promote Malaysia to the Middle East,
Japan and Bangladesh. Bangladesh is
seen as a lucrative market with a steady rise
in the number of medical tourists coming

to Malaysia. Over the last five years, the

number of patients from Bangladesh to
Malaysia doubled to 20,000 in 2015. The
government is expecting 25,000 to 30,000
patients a year from Bangladesh by 2017
with most seeking treatment for cardiac
and orthopaedic problems. Based on
cumulative annual growth rate of medical
tourist arrival, we can overall double-digit
CAGR of 12.6% with the highest growth
from Nepal and Bangladesh, few of the
emerging markets for medical tourists,
and Germany at 18.2%.

Overall, medical tourism in Malaysia
plays a pivotal role in contributing to
the tourism and healthcare industries in
Malaysia. The ever increasing medical
tourist arrivals signal that the Malaysia
healthcare provides excellent treatments
and world-class quality facilities and
services and Malaysias becoming
more strategic destination with its
competitive medical costs in attracting
medical tourists.

Medical Tourist Arrival

2013
2018
CAGR
Indonesia
371,759 481,743
5.3
Others
150,742 450,534
24.5
India
22,437
35,481
9.6
Japan
18,743
27,362
7.9
China & Hong Kong 16,660
33,756
15.2
UK
16,380
34,902
16.3
Bangladesh
13,020
28,024
16.6
USA
12,880
23,438
12.7
Australia
12,180
22,164
12.7
Nepal
10,150
24,202
19.0
Libya
9,687
17,627
12.7
Saudi Arabia
8,463
15,400
12.7
Singapore
7,770
14,139
12.7
Philippines
7,049
12,827
12.7
Myanmar
6,370
11,592
12.7
Korea
5,950
12,903
16.7
Germany
5,581
12,903
18.2
France
4,180
7,607
12.7
Country

Medical Tourist
2013
2018
CAGR
102.12
131.00
5.1
41.41
123.00
24.3
6.16
10.00
10.2
5.15
7.48
7.8
4.58
9.23
15.0
4.50
9.54
16.2
3.58
7.66
16.4
3.54
6.41
12.6
3.35
6.06
12.6
2.79
6.62
18.9
2.66
4.82
12.6
2.30
4.21
12.9
2.13
3.87
12.7
1.94
3.51
12.6
1.75
3.17
12.6
1.63
5.00
25.1
1.53
3.53
18.2
1.15
2.08
12.6

Hayati Abu Seman is the Head of Business Intelligence section of the SME Banks Corporate Planning. She can
be reached at hayati.seman@smebank.com.my.

Issue 6 : July-August 2016 | BizPulse

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Business Alert

BUSINESS ALERT
by Corporate Planning , SME Bank Malaysia

OIL, GAS AND ENERGY

RECENT DEVELOPMENT

Oil prices (12 July 2016, Tuesday) Oil

capped the biggest quarterly advance in
seven years as falling US supply added to
speculation the global surplus is easing.
Brent for August settlement fell by USD0.93
(1.8%) to USD49.68 a barrel.
OPECs crude production increased in June
2016 as Nigeria raised output following
repairs to some infrastructure that had been
damaged by militant attacks. OPEC pumped
an extra 240,000 barrels a day last month.
Nigeria pumped an average 1.5 million
barrels a day, a gain of 90,000 a day from
May 2016 while production in Saudi Arabia
rose to 10.3 million barrels a day, a monthly
gain of 70,000 a day. Iraq posted the biggest
decline, with production falling 70,000
barrels a day to 4.3 million barrels a day.
Gas Malaysia: The average gas tariff will
be revised upwards by RM1.52/(MMBtu) or
5.95%, from RM25.53/MMBtu to RM27.05/
MMBtu, effective July 15, 2016.
(One MMBtu is equivalent to one million BTU
or British Thermal Unit.)

The review, however, will not affect the

residential customers, where the tariff will
stay at RM19.52/MMBtu.
The revision is in line with the national
rationalization plan and gas cost passthrough mechanism whereby the adjustment
to the price of piped gas will take place every
six months.

OUTLOOK: NEGATIVE

RAM Ratings expects Brent crude

oil price to average USD40 per barrel
in 2016 and USD45 in 2017 as prices are
expected to stay volatile in the coming
months, pressured by a slew of uncertainties
over supply growth and concerns about
unsustainable consumption growth in major
consumer markets. The recent uptick in prices,
substantially driven by unplanned supply
outages in Canada, Nigeria, Iraq and Libya, is
unlikely to last once productions normalise.
Meanwhile, the underlying oversupply remains
significant and is expected to persist at least
until the 1H2017.

International Energy Agency (IEA): Global

natural gas prices will remain under pressure
in the medium-term as demand remains
tepid across the world leaving suppliers to
scramble for new markets. The weak demand,
low prices and a sharp cut back in investment
weigh on growth of natural gas forecast.
Industry analysts expect natural gas demand
to grow at 1.5% annually until 2021, compared
to the robust 2.2% annual growth seen in the
past five years.

HEALTHCARE
RECENT DEVELOPMENT

M&A Research: KPJ Healthcare is leveraging

on medical tourism to enhance its earnings.
As an initiative, KPJ is planning to build three
new hospitals, namely Bandar Dato Onn
Specialist Hospital (BDO) in the Klang Valley,
Melaka Specialist Hospital and Port Dickson
International Specialist Hospital to attract
demand from its target markets.
On top of that, the government is aiming to
promote the development of three healthcare
hubs in Penang, Melaka and Johor Bahru as
part of the 11th Malaysia Plan where KPJ
Healthcare has already set its track.
Industry analysts opined that the weakening

ringgit and the price ceiling of consultation

fees in Malaysia will boost patient volume
for local private healthcare providers which
provide identical medical services with
relatively lower prices as compared to those
of the neighborring countries.

OUTLOOK: NEUTRAL

BMI: The Malaysian government

will continue to actively promote the
medical tourism sector through the Malaysia
Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC). The MHTC
is now working to push Malaysia as a major
medical tourism destination, aiming to attract 1

million health tourists to the country in 2016 and

garner at least RM1.3 billion in revenue.
The industry has been increasing steadily
over the last few years with revenues rising
from RM700 million in 2014 to around RM900
million in 2015.
Malaysia had also secured the top spot in
the healthcare category of the International
Livings Annual Global Retirement Index 2015.
The index found that the countrys healthcare
system offers excellent and affordable care
and has some of the best-trained surgeons
and specialists in the world.

COMMUNICATIONS CONTENT AND INFRASTRUCTURE

RECENT DEVELOPMENT

Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)

recorded a significant growth in investments
from MSC Malaysia companies in 2015,
despite being a challenging year for the global
economy. Total new investments inflow from
MSC Malaysia companies reached RM19.8
million last year, with RM15.2 billion coming
from existing investors, while RM4.57 billion
came from new investors the highest since
its establishment in 1996.

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

The four clusters in terms of investments are:

i.
Creative Content and Technologies
(formerly Creative Multimedia) cluster
attracted RM230 million;
ii. Higher Learning and Incubators cluster
attracted RM70 million;
iii. InfoTech cluster attracted RM1.64 billion;
and
iv. Global Business Services (GBS) cluster
attracted RM2.64 billion.
The construction of the FASTER cable
system, a 9,000-km submarine cable
system linking Japan and the West Coast
of the US, is completed and ready for
service starting on July 2016. FASTER is a
consortium of six international companies.
One of its members is Global Transit, a 100%
unit of Malaysias TIME dotCom Bhd. The
completion of the cable system will provide
capacity to support the expected fourfold increase in broadband traffic demand
between Asia and North America.

OUTLOOK: POSITIVE

Ericsson (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd expects

Long-Term Evolution (LTE) subscription
in Malaysia to increase from the current 21% to
61% by 2021. Malaysia, Australia, Singapore,
Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are
among the countries in the region that are
rolling out LTE and continuing to improve
coverage. The Ericsson Mobility Report
also reveals:

By 2021, smartphone subscriptions in
Malaysia will almost double, from almost 25
million in 2015 to more than 40 million.
Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to overtake
mobile phones as the largest category of
connected device by 2018. Between 2015 and
2021, the number of IoT connected devices
is expected to grow 23% annually, of which
cellular IoT is forecast to have the highest
growth rate. Of the 28 billion total devices that
will be connected by 2021, close to 16 billion
will be IoT devices.

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Business Alert

BUSINESS SERVICES
RECENT DEVELOPMENT

Telekom Malaysia (TMB) in a joint venture with

Inneonusa Sdn Bhd has opened the countrys
first Integrated Operation Center (IOC) in Iskandar
Puteri, Johor.The IOC will serve as a centralised
command centre for Internet of Things (IoT)
operations of smart city services.
This will host a single nationwide monitoring
dashboard to coordinate operations of smart
services involving physical devices and
sensors, vehicles, buildings as well as incidents
and events.
The aim of the IOC is to manage the operations
of smart services nationwide such as smart
ICT, safety and security, smart mobility, citywide services,

OUTLOOK: NEUTRAL

AffinHwang Research: The strong

airlines earnings in the 1Q2016 will

likely sustain in the remaining quarters as

up to 75% of fuel requirement are already
hedged. However, given the uptrend in oil
prices, earnings momentum into 2017 maybe
challenging. Industry analysts predict jet fuel
for 2017 is at USD68 per barrel from USD54 a
barrel in 2016.
RAM Rating Services Bhd has maintained its
negative outlook on the automotive sector
and expects total automotive industry volume
(TIV) to contract up to 10% in 2016, following
a 17.6% YoY plunge in vehicle sales to 218,101
units in the first five months of the year. The
agency predicts consumer confidence to
remain weak this year owing to the uncertain
economic environment, the rising cost of living
and tighter credit conditions. Meanwhile, the
severe devaluation of the ringgit last year had
impacted the sector, given the higher costs of

imported completely-knocked-down vehicle kits

and automotive parts.
Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB)
expects passenger traffic at Malaysian airports
to improve further in the 2H2016 following
a pickup in momentum early this year. As of
May 2016, Malaysian airports had recorded
an encouraging growth of 4.3% YoY, with KLIA
Main recording 9.3 million passengers and
KLIA2 11.6 million passengers, which was a
13.4% increase over the same corresponding
period. The number of international and
domestic (passengers) has increased, due to
new airlines coming in like Shaheen Airline and
VietJet Air which introduce new routes, and
existing airlines increasing their frequencies
as was announced by KLM recently as well as
high growth from Malindo Air.

during 2016, which is 18.6% higher than

the 25.7 million tourist arrivals last year.
However, hotel operators and tour agents
reported that hotel occupancy was soft in the
first five months of 2016 while the growth in
inbound tourism remained flat year-to-date.
As a result, these service providers are not as
optimistic as Tourism Malaysia that its fullyear tourist arrivals target can be met.

Business Monitor International (BMI):

Industry analysts are broadly maintaining
forecasts for steady growth in Malaysias
inbound tourism market, which are
forecasting to grow on average 6.4% per year
from 30.3 million international arrivals in
2016 to 38.8 million arrivals in 2020.
The growth in international arrivals will
provide a step up to tourism related
expenditure, which we are forecasting will
grow by 5.7% in 2016 to reach USD25.8
billion.
Asia Pacific states will continue to account
for the bulk of international arrivals, although
analysts expect to see healthy growth in
arrivals from the Middle East - currently a
relatively small source region for Malaysia
but one with enormous potential.

TOURISM
RECENT DEVELOPMENT

Tourism Malaysia: Thai tourist arrivals to

Malaysia in the 1Q2016 recorded a 31.7%
increase compared to the same period last year.
During the period, some 409,000 Thai tourists
visited Malaysia compared to 311,000 in the first
quarter of 2015.
The contributing factors included the
strengthening of the Thai Baht against the
Malaysian Ringgit which made Malaysia
a more attractive and affordable holiday
destination in the region.
Aggressive promotions by airlines and travel
agencies offering tourism packages to
Malaysia also.

OUTLOOK: NEUTRAL

CIMB Research: Tourism Malaysia

is maintaining its current target of
attracting 30.5 million tourists into Malaysia

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL

RECENT DEVELOPMENT

Online payment solution provider, iPay88

Sdn Bhd has collaborated with PayPal to
ease cross-border trading and payment for
iPay88s existing base of close to 10,000
local eMerchants. The collaboration would
allow eMerchants, which included small
and medium enterprises (SME) and large
conglomerates, to register with PayPal
and enable them to sell their goods and
services cross-border. This will also enable
them to leverage PayPals 184 million active
accounts in over 200 markets to extend their
reach and go where the demand is, without
the costs of traditional geo-expansion.
PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) - Total Retail
Survey 2016: Online shopping is poised for
significant growth, given its rising popularity
and relatively new adoption rate among
local customers. The growth is encouraging

considering that Malaysian consumers are

relatively new to the online marketplace.
South-East Asian consumers are leading
the world in usage patterns of mobile
phones to make purchases, where 66%
of consumers in both Malaysia and
Singapore and 73% in Thailand use their
phones to make purchases, compared
with the global average of 54%.
The report, which surveyed 500 consumers
per country, revealed that about half of
Malaysian consumers making online
purchases at least once a month and only
7% have never shopped online.
Malaysian consumers are also ahead of
other South-East Asian countries in terms
of reading reviews.

OUTLOOK: POSITIVE

Retail
Group
Malaysia
(RGM):
Malaysian retail sales contracted by
4.4% QoQ in the 1Q2016 attributed to higher
pre-GST sales during the 1Q2015 as well as
weak Chinese New Year sales in February 2016.
Prices of retail goods and services have been
increasing gradually since early this year, partly
due to the weaker ringgit. This had further
deteriorated the spending power of Malaysian
consumers during the 1Q of this year.
The association expects businesses to
moderate during the second quarter of 2016
with an average growth rate of 9.9% QoQ
(2Q2015: -11.9% QoQ).
Growth rates for the third and fourth quarters
of 2016 are estimated at 5.0% QoQ and
5.5% QoQ, respectively with poor consumer
spending expected to be the biggest
challenging factor for 2016.
Issue 6 : July-August 2016 | BizPulse

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Urus Bestari

Pembelian dan Pembiayaan

Semula Premis untuk PKS
Oleh Nik Mohd Adzlan Nik Adnan

ejak penubuhannya lagi, SME Bank

merupakan pemangkin kepada
perusahaan kecil dan sederhana
(PKS) ke arah menyumbang kepada
ekonomi negara. Bagi tujuan ini, SME Bank
menawarkan pelbagai jenis pembiayaan
untuk memenuhi keperluan PKS di
Malaysia, termasuk bagi tujuan pembelian
dan pembiyaan semula premis. Setakat
ini, SME Bank telah meluluskan sejumlah
RM884 juta bagi tujuan pembelian
dan pembinaan hartanah industri dan
komersial di lokasi strategik di seluruh
negara dengan pelaburan melebihi RM983
juta pada Mei 2016.

Pembiayaan SME Bank ditawarkan
kepada pelbagai sektor ekonomi dan
perusahaan
pelbagai
saiz.
Sektor
perkhidmatan merupakan segmen terbesar

i-EPF

i-Enterprise Premise Financing (i-EPF) adalah pakej pembiayaan khas untuk PKS bagi
tujuan membiayai sebahagian pembelian atau membiayai semula premis seperti
kilang, kedai-pejabat atau kedai-lot di kompleks komersial sama ada siap atau dalam
pembinaan. Pakej ini digabungkan bersama dengan modal kerja untuk menyokong
operasi perniagaan dan/ atau dana tambahan.

FASILITI
Komoditi Murabahah Pembiayaan
Berjangka untuk premis / bangunan,
siap dan dalam pembinaan dan bagi
pembiayaan modal kerja
Kadar yang menarik
Kadar keuntungan yang kompetitif
MANFAAT
Margin pembiayaan sehingga 150%*
daripada nilai pasaran (NP)
Tempoh yang panjang sehingga 30
tahun; dengan tempoh pernafasan
sehingga 6 bulan (untuk hartanah yang
siap) dan 24 hingga 36 bulan (untuk
hartanah dalam pembinaan)

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

portfolio pembiayaan hartanah industri

dan komersil SME Bank dengan 89.8%,
manakala sektor perkilangan mencakupi
11.2%. Dari segi saiz, perusahaan kecil
merupakan segmen pelanggan terbesar
bagi tujuan pembelian atau pembiayaan
semula premis pada 46.0%, manakala
perusahaan
sederhana
dan
mikro
membentuk
keseluruhan
pelanggan
masing-masing pada 31.2% dan 18.2%.
SME Bank menawarkan produk
kepada PKS bagi tujuan pembelian dan
pembiayaan semula premis seperti
teres industri, duplex, berkembar, kilangkilang yang dibina khas untuk lot tanah
perindustrian
dengan
pembangunan
hartanah pelengkap dan komersial. Dengan
pengalaman dan pengetahuan yang luas
dalam pembangunan hartanah industri,
SME Bank akan terus menyediakan
penyelesaian perniagaan yang memenuhi
keperluan pelanggan.

Pada tahun 2015, sistem perbankan
telah meluluskan sejumlah RM38.4 bilion
pinjaman kepada lebih daripada 35,000
PKS bagi tujuan membeli serta membina
hartanah perindustrian dan komersial.

Duti Setem, Yuran Guaman, Mortgage

Reducing Term Takaful (MRTT) dan Kos
Penilaian boleh dimasukkan dalam
pakej pembiayaan*
Tiada penalti untuk penyelesaian awal*

KELAYAKAN
Pemilik tunggal dan perkongsian
Syarikat Sendirian Berhad dalam
definasi kebangsaan PKS
Individu pemilik perniagaan
* Tertakluk kepada terma dan syarat
Nik Mohd Adzlan Nik Adnan merupakan Ketua
Pembangunan Produk, SME Bank Malaysia. Beliau
boleh dihubungi di mohd.adzlan@smebank.com.my

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Point-of-Sale

Strategies for
Retailers in
Tough Times
By Hanzo Ng

ith rising costs of doing

business in Asia
whether its fixed cost
like rental or salaries,
aggressive
competition
from
other brick and mortar retailers,
or tough competition from online
companies to slowdown in
purchasing from consumers
retailers all around Asia is taking a
hit from the global slowdown.
I recently came across an online
post about French brand Celio
exiting Singapore. They do not
want to play anymore for the
reasons I mentioned above. Lets
face it the retail business is a
tough business. So what can we
do to overcome these massive
challenges?

Improve Conversion Ratios:

Because of the above reasons, walk-ins
in malls are very poor these days. Driving
heavily on marketing trying to push up
traffic is not wrong, but the first thing I

would do is to fix the driving conversion

ratio. That means for every walk-in
there is, the retail staff need to focus on
closing the sale. No longer can they just
sit there and wait for customers to buy;
they need to be proactively serving and
selling.

Improve Up-sells:
When someone buys something from
your store, they love your products.
Because traffic is slow, how do we get
10% sales increase? From the current
purchase, of course. For example, if the
customer buys RM100 of clothing and
the retail staff is able to sell one more
item for RM20 thats 20% transactional
increase for that customer. If we do
that for every single purchaser, we can
increase sales that way.

Improve Stock Sells:

The other day I saw a brand use this
strategy buy four items and get 50%
off. Its no longer buy one-free-one
which is essentially a 50% discount.
The last thing you want is inventory
hanging there. We want cash. Some
Hong Kong-based brands love to use

buy first item at full price and second

item at a lower price whether it is 50%
or 70%. Psychologically, this certainly
sounds better than a 25% discount.

Improve People Development:

Train your staff if you want them to
sell more effectively. If you just hire
them and have high expectations on
them to close sales from every walk-in
I suggest you re-look at your people
development plans. Without wellthought development, strategy 1, 2 & 3
above will not work.

Improve Repeat Customers:

Acquisition cost for a new customer is
extremely high and difficult these days.
Every customer that has ever purchased
from you must hear from you. The most
basic communication tool is e-mail but
that is too cluttered. Hence, more and
more brands are finding their ways into
our smart phones via the social media
path. Also bear in mind that luxury
brands will engage their customers. The
rule if simple the higher the price, the
more you need to engage the customer.

Improve Differentiation In Your

Marketing:
Why should I come back? Why should
I buy from you again? Too much
marketing is boring and predictable.
With
thousands
of
advertising
bombardment these days, how do you
intend to differentiate your brands from
the competitors? If it sounds the same
and looks the same, the consumer will
ignore you.

Hanzo is currently the Group CEO of The Sales Ninja

Group, a regional sales solutions company. For more
information on Sales Ninjas programme or training,
visit www.SalesNinja.asia.

Issue 6 : July-August 2016 | BizPulse

10

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Human Resource Management

How to Run an Effective

Formal Meeting

by Shahrir Amran

s your small business

grows so will the size of
your company meetings.
Informal get-togethers can
be effective, but when time is tight
and projects are complex, more
order is necessary. Working with
corporate clients may also require
you to lead a formal meeting.

STEP ONE: Set Objectives

A clear objective will encourage people
to attend the meeting because they will
understand its intent. It also will set the
foundation for a focused meeting.
Meetings usually have one of two
objectives - to inform or to decide.
Discussion is not a meeting objective.
For example, to determine the market
positioning for Series 2000 trade
advertising is an effective objective. It is
focused and clearly announces the aim
of the meeting. To discuss Series 2000
marketing sounds aimless and could
invite rambling instead of action.
STEP TWO: Assemble Attendees
Create a list of who needs to attend this
meeting. Think carefully about whether
or not someone needs to be in the room
for the duration of the meeting (perhaps
they can join you via conference call, or
for one specific topic). Remember, if you
waste someones time, he or she will be
less likely to attend and participate in the
next meeting you run.

Be definitive when you invite people to

a meeting. You must be courteous of
peoples schedules, but you will have an
easier time scheduling a meeting if you
say Please plan to attend and if you
cannot make it let me know. Always let
people know the objective of the meeting,
the time it will begin and the time it will
end. Also, stress that it will begin on time.
STEP THREE: Create an Agenda
An agenda is a list of the key items to
review in order to meet your objective. It
can be something you use for yourself or
hand out at the meeting. The upside of
handing out an agenda is that it provides
a script for people to follow. The downside
is that it may distract your attendees;
it could tempt them to jump to issues
youre not ready to cover. For example, if
the fifth bullet down is engineering, the
engineers in the room may want to jump
right to that. If you need to resolve other
issues first you may want to keep the
agenda to yourself. If you are running a
status meeting you can use your project
timeline as your agenda.
If you decide to hand out an agenda, be
sure to state the objective and date at
the top of the page. All points should be
bulleted. Everyone in the meeting should
receive one, so be sure to make more
than enough copies.
STEP FOUR: Maintain Control
Once the meeting has begun, it is your
responsibility to keep it moving and

keep it focused. Here are some tips for

accomplishing this:
Start on time, even if people are late. If
you wait until the last person arrives,
you train people to be late.
Briefly state what the meeting is about.
If you have passed out an agenda, be
sure everyone follows it so that you
accomplish your objectives.
If discussion drags on a topic and a
decision is not being made, it is your job
to interject and say something like, For
the sake of the timeline of the project,
we need to make a decision.
If it is apparent that something cannot
be resolved, determine what will be
necessary to resolve it in the future and
add it to the project timeline.
Crowd control: You have to be firm if the
group gets off track and suggest that the
matter be discussed at another time.
Schedule the next meeting at the end of
the current one.
If you called the meeting, you are
responsible for taking notes or
appointing someone to take notes.
STEP FIVE: Follow-Up
Once the meeting has ended, you still have
work to do. Put together and distribute
an internal memo summarizing what
was covered, what was resolved, and
what actions need to be taken for issues
requiring further clarification. This should
come straight from the meeting notes.
Dont make this memo long -- a handful of
bullet points should do the trick.
Make sure to thank people for attending
and participating. They will be happy to
know their time was appreciated.
Update your timeline to cover progress
reported at the meeting. In your update,
make sure to include the date of the
next meeting, along with what needs to
be accomplished by then. Distribute the
revised timeline.

Shahrir Amran is the Director of Group Human Capital Management, SME Bank Malaysia. He can be reached at shahrir.amran@smebank.com.my.
BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Temubual oleh Akmar Kamari

SEMBANG USAHAWAN bersama

Dato Azlin
Ahmad Shaharbi
Managing Partner
Nama Syarikat
Azlin Shaharbi & Associates
Bidang Perniagaan
Firma Guaman
Alamat Perniagaan
29, Jalan Kent 3,
54000 Kuala Lumpur
Telefon/E-mel
+603 2694 2800 /
azlinshaharbi@gmail.com
Website
www.azlinshaharbi.com/

zlin Shaharbi & Associates adalah sebuah firma guaman yang ditubuhkan pada tahun
1990 dan mempunyai lebih dari 26 tahun pengalaman dalam pelbagai bidang undangundang. Teamwork dan kerjasama di antara rakan kongsi, peguam dan kakitangan
serta perancangan yang tepat menentukan firma ini bertahan sehingga kini dalam
menawarkan perkhidmatan perundangan yang berkualiti dan cekap.

Dato Azlin Ahmad Shaharbi, Managing Partner, Azlin Shaharbi & Associates yang
juga Presiden, Persatuan Wanita Bumiputera Dalam Perniagaan dan Profesyen Malaysia
(PENIAGAWATI), telah berkongsi pengalaman, pengetahuan dan pendapat beliau dalam dunia
keusahawanan bersama BizPulse.
S: Apakah yang mendorong anda untuk menjadi
usahawan dalam bidang guaman?
Ramai yang menyangka bahawa peguam
adalah seorang profesional dan bukan
usahawan namun hakikatnya peguam yang
memiliki firma guaman sendiri merupakan
usahawan yang menawarkan perkhidmatan
guaman. Apabila saya kembali ke tanahair
setelah mendapat ijazah undang-undang
dari University of Kent, England serta
menghabiskan kursus barrister-at-law di Inner
Temple, London, saya telah menjalankan
tempoh chambering selama 9 bulan dan
seterusnya diiktirafkan sebagai peguambela
dan peguamcara di Mahkamah Tinggi Kuala
Lumpur pada tahun 1988.

Walaupun ibubapa saya lebih cenderung
bagi saya memulakan kerjaya di dalam
perkhidmatan kerajaan, namun saya memang
merasakan bahawa keusahawanan lebih sesuai
bagi karakter dan jiwa saya justeru itu, saya
menurut katahati saya dan terus menubuhkan
firma guaman saya pada 1 Januari 1990
walaupun pada masa itu saya hanya berumur
26 tahun dan tidak mempunyai banyak
network atau wang. Namun yang penting
adalah kesediaan kita untuk bekerja keras dan
komited kepada apa yang kita inginkan jika
mindset kita positif ke arah sesuatu, kita tentu
akan berjaya dalam apa yang kita lakukan.

Semangat keusahawanan bukan ada
pada semua orang. Memang ramai yang lebih
suka bekerja dengan orang lain. Saya pula lebih
minat untuk menguruskan firma saya sendiri di
mana saya boleh menjadi kreatif dan bebas
untuk membuat kerja yang saya fikir sesuai

dan untuk merancang kerjaya saya sendiri.

Namun dalam hati kecil saya, saya bersedia
untuk menukar kerjaya sekiranya saya gagal
dalam perniagaan.

Pada permulaan perniagaan, saya pergi
sendiri ke bank-bank dan pejabat pemaju
perumahan untuk meminta mereka memberi
kerja-kerja guaman. Bukan senang pada masa
itu kerana firma saya baru dan tidak mempunyai
track record tapi Alhamdulillah, apabila kita
meminta dengan ikhlas, Allah bukakan hati
orang untuk membantu kita. Kami telah
mendapat sokongan yang erat dari BSN yang
pada masa itu baru sahaja memulakan skim
pinjaman perumahan. Kami juga telah dilantik
ke dalam panel peguam bagi banyak bank dan
juga pemaju perumahan seperti PKNS, I&P
dan lain-lain. Saya bersyukur kerana dalam
tempoh 6 bulan, firma saya telah break-even
dan seterusnya mencatat keuntungan. Ini juga
kerana di dalam bidang perkhidmatan guaman,
modalnya tidak besar berbanding dengan
bidang lain terutama sekali pengeluaran.
S: Apakah konsep perniagaan anda yang
berbeza dari pesaing lain?
Saya tidak mempunyai aspirasi untuk memiliki
firma yang besar dengan ramai pekerja dan
overhead yang tinggi. Saya lebih suka dengan
konsep work smart di mana kita menekankan
kualiti dari kuantiti. Firma saya dibangunkan
sebagai satu boutique firm di mana saya cuba
mendapatkan kerja yang menjana yuran yang
tinggi dan fokus kepada niche market.

Firma yang besar tidak semestinya
mencatat keuntungan lebih dari firma yang

Sembang ANALYSIS
Usahawan
kecil. Yang penting bukan turnover tetapi
bottom line kita iaitu keuntungan bersih yang
kita dapati. Sesetengah firma menggaji ramai
pekerja, membuat banyak kerja dan mencatat
turnover yang tinggi, namun belum tentu lagi
keuntungannya besar kerana setiap bulan
terpaksa membayar overhead yang tinggi.
Firma kecil tanpa banyak masalah
pengurusan yang menjana pendapatan tinggi
adalah sesuai bagi saya terutama sekali kerana
ianya membolehkan saya memberi tumpuan
kepada kerja-kerja sukarela seperti Peniagawati
yang mengambil banyak masa.
S: Bagaimana syarikat anda menempuh
keadaan ekonomi yang tidak menentu?
Memastikan kos operasi rendah dan juga
mempunyai aliran tunai yang sihat adalah
amat penting. Ini adalah masalah yang
dihadapi oleh ramai usahawan. Mereka tidak
berfikir untuk menyimpan dan ini menyebabkan
masalah ketiadaan modal yang seterusnya
mengakibatkan mereka tidak mampu untuk
memajukan perniagaan atau bertahan di dalam
keadaan tekanan ekonomi.
Di dalam tempoh 26 tahun sejak
penubuhan firma, saya telah melalui beberapa
tempoh kegawatan ekonomi namun jika
overhead kita rendah dan kita mempunyai
simpanan, in shaa Allah kita akan dapat
bertahan sehingga keadaan ekonomi pulih
semula. Saya juga percaya bahawa di dalam
kegawatan, terdapat banyak peluang baru in
every crisis, there is opportunity jadi kekalkan
minda positif dan kita bukan sahaja akan dapat
mengharungi cabaran ekonomi, tetapi mungkin
akan dapat mencatat keuntungan baru.
Sebagai usahawan kita perlu melihat cabaran
sebagai peluang.

Setelah beroperasi selama 26 tahun, saya
kini sedang memikirkan tentang succession
planning dan strategi yang sesuai untuk
kesinambungan firma saya. Saya tidak mahu
firma ini hanya bertahan untuk satu generasi
namun mencari pengganti yang sesuai
bukannya mudah.
S: Apakah kualiti yang diperlukan untuk berjaya
dalam perniagaan?
Bukan senang untuk menjadi usahawan kerana
terdapat pelbagai cabaran dan dugaan setiap
hari. Usahawan perlu mempunyai pengetahuan
yang tinggi tentang produk dan industri
yang diceburi, sanggup bekerja keras dan
mempunyai semangat never say die. Usahawan
juga perlu memberi penekanan kepada inovasi
dan kreativiti supaya dapat berdayasaing
dan berdayatahan. Minda yang positif amat
penting dalam perniagaan ini akan sentiasa
mendorong kita untuk mencapai kejayaan.
Sebagai Presiden Peniagawati, saya
sentiasa
menekankan
tentang
budaya
membaca dan budaya berfikir di kalangan
usahawan. Saya fikir ini adalah sesuatu
yang perlu kita tingkatkan terutama sekali
memandangkan tahun 2020 kian hampir di
mana Malaysia akan menjadi negara maju.
Tidak ada maknanya jika negara kita maju,
namun mentality kita tidak maju.

Di Peniagawati, kita menjalankan pelbagai
program bagi membangunkan usahawan. Saya
selalu menyarankan kepada semua usahawan
untuk menyertai persatuan kerana ia adalah
satu platfom yang baik untuk meningkatkan
kemahiran serta meluaskan jaringan niaga bagi
kemajuan perniagaan serta diri kita sendiri.

Issue
Issue66::July-August
July-August 2016 | BizPulse

11
11

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BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August 2016

Knowledge Spa
Reviewed by Ahmad Azuar Zainuddin

Unlock Opportunities in
the Healthcare Sector

Project
Coordinator : Sheikh Ghazali Abod, PhD
Project Leader : Shamshubaridah Ramlee,
PhD
Hardcover : 98 pages
Publisher : Centre for Entrepreneur
Development and
Research (CEDAR)

he Malaysian healthcare industry

is currently undergoing robust
growth. Between 2014 and 2015,
the sectors contribution to the
GDP increased 10.5% to RM16.9 billion,
compared to RM15.3 billion in the previous
year. This trend is driven by the increase in
demand caused by the countrys changing
demographics with an ageing population,
rising affluence and willingness of
consumers to spend on high-quality
healthcare. This development is expected
to continue not only due to the strong
domestic demand, but also the emphasis
and support the government offers to
the sector, as one of the National Key

Economic Areas (NKEAs) that will drive the

country towards achieving high-income
status and global competitiveness.

Acknowledging the important role
of SMEs in this sector, the Centre for
Entrepreneur Development and Research
(CEDAR) in collaboration with the
Centre for Entrepreneurship and SMEs
Development (CESMED) of Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia took the initiative
to publish the Industry Research on the
Healthcare sector as part of a collection
of significant research findings focusing
on National Key Economic Areas (NKEAs)
which includes Wholesale & Retail;
Tourism & Hospitality; Oil, Gas & Energy;
Education; and Green Technology. The
study seeks a deeper and more meaningful
understanding of the small and medium
enterprises (SMEs), their potentials,
market dimensions, challenges as well as
business prospects for both the existing
players and prospective new entrants.

The book comprises nine chapters
which among others include: an
overview of Malaysias healthcare
industry; key success factors of SMEs;
customers; related policies, regulatory
and institutional support; and new
opportunities and growth areas.

The study draws upon the responses
of interviews with 30 various SME
healthcare service providers across
Malaysia which include medical, dental,
pharmacy, optometry, ophthalmology,
maternity,
haemodialysis,
nose-earthroat, alternative medicine practitioners

and specialists, and aesthetics as well

as beauty care operators. Applying the
Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
and Threats (SWOT) analysis and
Balance Scorecard, the study presents an
understanding on healthcare SMEs with
regards to their characters, linkages and
development in the context of Malaysias
healthcare industry.

Among the key findings of the book is
the strong tendency of owners who have
started their healthcare business based
on self-initiation to use internal sources
before looking for external sources of
financing due to the perception that they
face disadvantages when raising finance
from formal financial institutions such as
banks. In order to address this information
asymmetry, more efforts need to be done
to reach out and educate healthcare
entrepreneurs on risk taking and
decisions on financing. If not addressed,
the implication of this may lead to the
impediment of some healthcare SMEs
from maximising their full potential.
To purchase the SMEs in Malaysia
research series, call 03-2615 3082,
e-mail to nanthakumaran@smebank.
com.my or log on to www.cedar.my.
Ahmad Azuar Zainuddin is a Senior Associate at the
Centre for Entrepreneur Development and Research
(CEDAR), a wholly owned subsidiary of the SME Bank
Malaysia. He can be reached at ahmad.azuar@
smebank.com.my.

ENTREPRENEURS EVENT CALENDAR

12-13
Aug

Young Entrepreneur
Programme (YEP)

25

Aug

Seminar Kemudahan
Pembiayaan Perniagaan
Untuk Bumiputera

31 Aug
2 Sept

Medical Fair Asia 2016

Venue:
Menara SME Bank, Kuala Lumpur

Venue:

Venue:
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

The YEP is a specially designed 2-day

programme
that
provides
young
entrepreneurs with essential skill-sets
for success from generating ideas to
financial projections. The programme
will also help entrepreneurs to develop
a full set of business proposal for the
Young Entrepreneur Fund (YEF) financing
application.

Recognising the role of Bumiputera

entrepreneurs in driving the nations
economy, the Government has taken the
initiative to provide many of financing
facilities. Organised by the Malaysian
Institute of Accountants, this programme
aims to expose Bumiputera entrepreneurs
with the various financing facilities
available and how they could apply for
them. The sessions will be presented
by representatives from the respective
agencies.

Southeast Asias definitive exhibition

on hospital, diagnostic, pharmaceutical,
medical & rehabilitation equipment and
supplies provides the perfect platform to
discover the latest industry innovations, to
network and do business in one convenient
location. The event is expected to welcome
1,000 exhibitors from 45 countries, 20
national pavilion and country groups and
15,000 qualified trade buyers and decision
makers from across Asia.

www.cedar.my

www.mia.org.my

www.medicalfair-asia.com

BizPulse | Issue 6 : July-August

July - August2016
2016

Connexion Conference and Events Centre @

Nexus, Kuala Lumpur