The Breakfast Grille

Microlink talks to BFM on their role in the IT world, by supporting the banks in Malaysia. They also talk about their outlook on the future of banking in Malaysia and beyond. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vijayakumar Tangarasan, the country manager of Regus Malaysia discusses how the traditional workstyle is being transformed by technology, replaced by greater flexibility in terms of hours as well as working locations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It has been more than 100 days since the implementation of GST, but the teething problems of the new tax system is far from resolved. Yee Wing Peng of Deloitte and Datuk Subromaniam of Royal Malaysian Customs jointly discuss the current push-backs that are faced by various industries and steps to further broaden the tax base, as well as advancing the transparency of the new tax regime. See omnystu...

Berjaya Auto's Executive Director and CEO Dato' Sri Ben Yeoh, talks about the company's impressive sales and financial performance this year, helped by a slew of capable new models, affordable prices thanks to its use of local content and a weak Yen against the ringgit.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Landmarks Berhad sold Sungei Wang Plaza some years back to channel resources into the Treasure Bay Bintan resort. As a relatively quiet island off Singapore and with a targetted 5,000 rooms in the first few phases of the 850-acre resort, bringing up Bintan to the public eye seems an uphill task. Does Landmarks have a few tricks up its sleeve? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Plaza Premium is a home grown business which specialises in airport lounges. The business model on the surface looks solid because it is too costly for airlines to setup their individual lounges globally. But rising competition could come from more entertaining consumer electronics, free wifi and increasing vibrancy of airports in providing eateries, restroom facilities and entertainment. See omny...

Advertising isn't what it was decades ago. How is the advertising world changing to meet new demands? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BFM talks to TS Global Network, Malaysia's premier satellite company on what they do for a living, and how they inadvertently support the entire nation's consumption on satellite usage. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pestech International is one of the local EPC (engineering, procurement and commissioning) in power transmission lines. The hunger of Asean and the greater Asian region for electricity drives growth for Pestech but can its small balance sheet handle it? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

John McKendry, the country manager of Pfizer Malaysia, discusses the cost of product development, the so-called 'patent cliff', and how to repair the 'trust deficit' between Big Pharma and consumers.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ordinary Malaysians are in dire need of financial advice and planning. But just as dire is awareness on who the right people are to advise and plan. Issues like conflicts in commissioned selling and high costs of financial products also stand out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Law Minister of Malaysia explains the reasons for the amended Sedition Act. She also talks about the need to have a review on laws regarding marital rape. She stands tall against terrorism, even when doing things that are against the grain of popularity by introducing the Prevention of Terrorism Act. YB Nancy Shukri is one of only two full women ministers in the cabinet. She hails from Sarawak...

Arica Walters, Executive Director and COO of the SGX Catalist-listed, Malaysia-based maker of mid-to high-end office furniture Versalink Holdings Limited, talks about its recent listing and dealing with the ringgit’s collapse, the introduction of GST and the plunge in oil prices, which has hurt business in its core Malaysian and Middle Eastern markets. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Founded in 1853, Levi Strauss & Co is now 162 years old -- the oldest of the five Fortune 1,000 apparel companies that have been around since 19th century. Nic Versloot, the Managing Director for Australia and Southeast Asia for Levi Strauss, talks about how innovation has kept the brand exciting over the years. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joel Neoh of Kfit wants to pack in the gyms with people through technology and clever pricing. He also wants Kfit to be a major contributor of revenues for fitness clubs. We talk about whether the feeling is mutual for customers and clubs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In May this year President Aquino made remarks to the effect that his Administration was not dropping long-standing claims to Sabah. While the Malaysian government summoned Philippine Charge d'Affaires over the remarks, and Malacanang is not pursuing the matter actively, the Sabah claim continues to drive politics in the archipelago’s southern provinces.   We cover this as well as the B...

The Asean region is steadily becoming one of Volkswagen most important market since its entry into Malaysia in 2006. Armin Keller discusses the group's efforts to address quality concerns & its after-sales service that has fallen short, as well as how the industry as a whole is coping with post-GST amidst tighter lending guidelines. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

FGV's Group President and CEO Dato' Mohd Emir Mavani Abdullah discusses FGV's poor performance since their 2012 IPO, the group's much-criticized M&As such as Pontian Plantations, APL and more recently the deal that has become the talk of town: a share sale agreement with Indonesian plantation PT Eagle High that has sparked strong negative reaction in Malaysia.  See omnystudio.com/listener...

Dr Kenneth Pereira, Managing Director of Hibiscus Petroleum Bhd., Malaysia's first Special Purpose Acquisition Vehicle (SPAC), discusses his company's path to profit, the viability and attraction of his assets in Norway, the Middle East and Australia, and the possibility of new acquisitions.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Never mind 'cutting-the-cord', a phenomenon where people end their contracts with cable companies, there is now a new generation of 'never-the-cord' adopters who consume entertainment directly from the internet and smart devices. While iflix wants to capture the expanding market of people who are dissatisfied with traditional TV or Cable, the challenge is getting around content costs and retaliati...

The world of investing is often viewed as closed & exclusive, with many not having the capital or expertise to start investing. 8 Securities is leveraging on its technology expertise & robo-advisory services to help ease people into investing with lower fees and a customised portfolio. We find out from Mathias Helleu if you should hand your investments to a computer that helps you tra...

The e-commerce realm is a jungle, and it can be hard to keep up with all the options. iPrice, an eight-month old startup based in Kuala Lumpur, aggregates the options available to the online shopper. Live in the studio, Heinrich Wendel founder and CTO, discusses his business model, how iPrice differentiates itself from other price comparison sites and the online shopping trends of Malaysia. ...

In his 2004 memoir, John Perkins reflects on his life working in the upper echelons of corporate & political circles and how as a so-called 'economic hitman', he helped the U.S. cheat poor countries around the globe of trillions of dollars. Mounted with debts they could not possibly repay, these countries are effectively neutralised to succumb to US political pressure. A deadly exposé o...

The 11th Malaysia Plan was launched with much fanfare, but most Malaysians are asking what the hype is all about. As consumer sentiment and the ringgit weakens, Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar discusses the hallmarks of a developed nation and whether it stretches beyond infrastructure & construction projects. Should more be done to improve other indicators like freedom of expression, education &am...

Sakae's conveyor belt system of delivering sushi, called Kaiten isn't new. Much of the innovation is made through its business processes. Sakae talks to us about how they try to offset the problem of fish depletion with minimal wastage and lowering their overall carbon footprint. Longer term, higher protein consumption from rising affluence will support growth. See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...