General

The pandemic has taught the world that being able to go with the flow is crucial. Sometimes, life throws the unexpected in your path - and creativity is the key to handling the unexpected. Alper Almelek, motivational speaker, discusses his creative approach to life, and how creativity benefits the workplace.

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Eatcosys is an F&B and retail tech solution provider that aims to help businesses ride the wave of disruption by going digital. The platform, which provides digital solutions that cover the entire lifecycle of F&B businesses, is the brainchild of Vincent Kok - formerly of event-tech provider VMO and foodie site foodadvisor.my. We speak to Vincent about the impact Eatcosys is making in the F&B segment, their recent acquisition run, as well as how they plan to maintain their aggressive growth post-pandemic.

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The 2021 Digital News Report compiled by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism revealed that trust in the media increased by 6% globally to 44%, as audiences sought credible, authoritative news sources during the pandemic. Malaysia saw a similar uptick in trust in media, but with media freedoms on the decline under Perikatan Nasional, Professor Zaharom Nain of University Nottingham Malaysia believes the trend is unsustainable. We discuss the findings of the report in the Malaysian context, and other trends in media consumption over the past year.

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Finance Minister has suggested that Malaysia's GDP will be in the range of 4% due to the extended lockdowns. But could the Malaysian economy surprise on the upside? Dr. Sailesh K Jha Group Chief Economist and Head of Market Research at RHB Bank tells us.

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As EMCO has been lifted last week for most of Klang Valley, Malaysia’s healthcare system remains strained to its limits. We ask Azrul Mohd Khalib, CEO, Galen Centre for Health & Social Policy if special privileges should be given to fully vaccinated individuals. We also discuss the decision to reopen schools in September and what strategies should the government take now.

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As parliament is set to reconvene next week, we ask Ibrahim Suffian, Programme Director at the Merdeka Center what he expects from the parliamentary sitting. As a follow-up from the survey conducted by Merdeka Centre that showed Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s approval at 67%, we also ask him for an update on the approval rating of politicians.

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From its inception in 2011, Johor-based Haily Group has grown into a construction company that pulled in RM166 million in revenue in 2020.  Now scheduled to list on the ACE-market this week, CEO Yoong Woei Yeh speaks to us about the reason for the listing, the company's expansion plans, and its outlook on the economy.

According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), mean salaries and wages fell 9% in 2020 due to the economic effects of the pandemic. Is this downward trend a temporary blip, or could we see long-lasting implications for the Malaysian economy? Labour economist Dr. Niaz Asadullah helps us understand the data better.

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In the last week, Biden’s government implemented several measures that indicated a hardening stance against China. We speak to Richard McGregor, Senior Fellow, Lowy Institute about this tension between the two countries.

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US equity markets are taking a breather while bonds are rallying despite the inflationary outlook. Kingsley Jones, Chief Investment Officer at Jevons Global helps us make sense of what is happening.