NEWS
SOBA winners say thinking out of the box is one of the hallmarks of success
Thursday, November 03, 2011
PETALING JAYA: Perseverance, hard work and thinking out of the box are some of the hallmarks of success, said top winners of the coveted The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA 2011).
Wednesday, November 02, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR: The Star Outstan-ding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA) came to a fitting climax last night when a total of 27 awards in 11 categories were presented during a grand ceremony at the Royale Chulan Hotel here.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
LACK of strategic tie-ups and inadequate knowledge of free trade agreements (FTAs) are some of the barriers that have hindered the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from venturing overseas.
More SMEs focus on home growth amid global concerns
Saturday, October 22, 2011
IN good times, many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore took up the governmentÕs call to expand their business overseas.
Businesses need the right tools
Saturday, October 08, 2011
With the current global economic uncertainty, companies like small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are also not spared the external economic brunt. Can SMEs take advantage of this current situation to boost their businesses and stay ahead of competition? What are some of the things they need to put right and emerge stronger after an economic turmoil as well as improve their funding ability? These were some of the questions which were discussed at the recent The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) roundtable discussion.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
PETALING JAYA: To ensure the sustainability of a business amid the current economic uncertainties, companies including small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should have trade credit insurance, the ability to manage market changes as well as take charge of their businesses by having the right strategies.
SOBA sees stronger participation from local firms, SMEs
Saturday, September 17, 2011
THE Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2011, scheduled to take place on Nov 1, saw stronger participation from local companies as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) vying for various awards.
Judges say quality of award entries are of high standard
Thursday, September 15, 2011
PETALING JAYA: The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2011 is drawing to a close with the judging process entering the final stage yesterday.
Star Outstanding Business Awards draw many highly qualified entries
Thursday, September 08, 2011
PETALING JAYA: Judging the winners of The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2011 is expected to be tough as the award has attracted greater participation from companies with good track records and strength in various areas. The initial judging for the SOBA 2011 took off yesterday with 115 entries from 82 companies comprising local small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
SOBA a platform for smaller companies to shine
Saturday, August 06, 2011
It allows small businesses a chance to win an award and be recognised
SOBA aims to help local business to the next level
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
THE fourth and final forum for The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA) took place at The Royale Chulan Hotel Kuala Lumpur recently.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR: Participants were given valuable insights by industry experts on how local fledgling companies can excel and become industry leaders at the fourth and final forum of the The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA) held at the Royale Chulan yesterday.
Second briefing for SOBA applicants on Friday
Monday, July 25, 2011
PETALING JAYA: A second briefing for award applicants and participants of The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2011 will be held on Friday.
Last chance for entrepreneurs to attend business awards forum
Friday, July 22, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR: Tuesday is the last chance to attend The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2011 forum. The fourth and final instalment of a series of business forums organised in conjunction with SOBA, will be held at the Royale Chulan Hotel here.
Govt keen to draw firms into franchising
Saturday, July 16, 2011
THROUGH franchising, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can expand their businesses domestically and internationally without incurring huge investments. However, despite the potential of franchising, not many SMEs realise its benefits and scope. The good news is, slowly but surely, the Government is taking proactive steps to encourage more entrepreneurs to embrace franchising.
Friday, July 15, 2011
KUCHING: Malaysian Franchise Association plans to set up a chapter in the state to get more local entrepreneurs involved in the business.
Forum sharpens business acumen of participants
Thursday, July 14, 2011
THE third forum for The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA) took place in Kuching yesterday with participants from non-listed local companies and small-and medium enterprises (SMEs), including aspiring entrepreneurs.
40 participants turn up for briefing in PJ
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
PETALING JAYA: A briefing for those interested in participating in this year's The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2011 was held yesterday at Menara Star.
SMEs should embrace IT to expand market reach
OF some 600,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, slightly over 100,000 have websites. This drives home one main point - there's still plenty of room for technology to seep its way into the sphere of small firms in the country. And this is something SMEs can ill afford not to allow, that is, if they aspire to become world-class entities.
Sabah and Sarawak entrepreneurs will have the chance to learn from industry leaders
Friday, July 08, 2011
KUCHING: The third forum for The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA) will kick off on July 13 at Grand Margherita Hotel here.
Special briefing on SOBA and how to make submissions
PETALING JAYA: To assist those interested in taking part in The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA), there will be a special briefing next week so that they can know more about the awards and how to make submissions.
SMEs need to grow out of fringes
Thursday, July 07, 2011
GEORGE TOWN: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) must scale up to a certain size and not remain SMEs for a long period of time to overcome pressures from bigger players in the industry.
Exim Bank: SMEs should be prudent
Thursday, June 23, 2011
JOHOR BARU: Local small and medium-enterprises (SMEs) have been advised to conduct feasibility studies and due diligence before planning to export their products or services.
More streamlined innovative move for SMEs, urged
Saturday, June 18, 2011
WHILE the Government's newly-launched Green Lane facility to spur innovation among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is a good move, industry observers feel more is needed to ensure its success.
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR: The Media Specialists Association (MSA) will be highlighting the important role that the media can play in improving brand presence among consumers at the Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) Forums 2011, which kickstarts on June 22 in Johor Baru.
Monday, June 06, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR: Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Bhd (Exim Bank) has targeted to disburse loans worth RM1bil by year-end and offer new initiatives in line with its capacity building programme.
Saturday, June 04, 2011
The Star is featuring a series of stories in conjunction with The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA). Into its second year, SOBA honours local enterprises for excelling in areas that p various sectors. In line with the awards, business forums will be held in four cities to give local companies a boost to the next level. Themed "From Mediocre to Merit", the forums will feature experts who will share views, strategies and experiences to help fledgling companies become future industry leaders. SOBA is presented by EXIM Bank with BMW as gold sponsor and supported by Bursa Malaysia. BDO is the auditor for the awards. Other partners include The Royale Chulan KL as official hotel partner, Bernama TV as official TV news partner, Shang Hai as official business magazine, and 98.8FM as official radio station.
MAICCI members urged to take part in SOBA
Saturday, May 21, 2011
PETALING JAYA: Members of Malaysian Associated Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MAICCI) have been urged to participate in The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA 2011) given its great recognition to Malaysian companies.
Awards to honour the best in M'sian businesses
Friday, April 29, 2011
PETALING JAYA: The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2011 (SOBA 2011) was officially launched yesterday to pay tribute to up-and-coming local non-listed companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) striving to carve a niche in the business world.
New SME loan scheme gets mixed feedback
Saturday, April 02, 2011
A NEW financing scheme for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) has drawn mixed reactions. While observers recognise that the scheme is a good initiative, they say there is room for improvement.
Small businesses - should they list?
Saturday, March 19, 2011
THERE are many small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia that have the potential to list on the local stock exchange. However, the perception of a lack of investor appetite for small businesses has been holding them back.
Need for better solution to labour shortage
Saturday, September 18, 2010
WHILE the economic recovery has boosted sales among small and medium enterprises (SMEs), these businesses are facing labour shortage, which has become a stumbling block for them to grow and tap rising business opportunities.
Siti Noor Wahida wins LCD TV in SMS contest
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
IT WILL be a joyful Hari Raya celebration for Siti Noor Wahida Mohamed as she recently emerged The Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) SMS contest grand prize B winner.
Venturing into China and Asean region
Saturday, August 28, 2010
SMALL and medium enterprises (SMEs) should tap into the rising consumption in the Asean region and China to boost their profit margins.
Keen to insert emblems in trademarks? Think again!
MARKS are a very valuable form of intellectual property because they become closely associated with quality and consumer expectations of a product or service. This explains why most entrepreneurs would want to register their marks, whatever the cost.
Awards like SOBA will motivate winners to climb the ladder to success
Saturday, August 07, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: The atmosphere at The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur on Thursday turned lively when the names of the winners of the inaugural Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2010 were announced.
Husni hopes SOBA awards will further spur SMEs
Friday, August 06, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: The inaugural Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2010 came to its climax last night with the presentation of the awards by Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah.
KL set to host major SME summit next month
Saturday, July 31, 2010
MALAYSIA'S largest gathering of small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) next month is expected to generate RM95mil in business for its participants compared with RM80mil last year, says Business Media International (BMI) executive director Jessy Leong.
EVERY year, the SMI Association of Malaysia receives complaints from its members about the difficulties of securing credit.
SMEs encouraged to widen contacts
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
JOHOR BARU: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are encouraged to widen their network of contacts internationally in order to be able to compete globally.
Retaining and managing talent - key to growth
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Challenges SMEs face at the developmental stage.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
A roundtable discussion was held at The Star on Wednesday to ferret out the issues on what makes a business truly stand out
The dream to make local brands global
Saturday, July 03, 2010
THE Branding Association of Malaysia (BAM) is striving to get more local brands, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs), onto the global market.
SOBA: Vote and get chance to win great prizes
Friday, July 02, 2010
THE inaugural Star Outstanding Business Awards 2010 is into the final stretch and now is the chance for members of the public to vote on the category of the People's Choice of Outstanding Malaysian Brand Award.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
THE competitive business landscape makes it vital to revise the definition of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to enable this group to access financing more easily, says SMI Association of Malaysia president Chua Tiam Wee.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
ENTRIES for The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2010 must arrive at The Star head office at Menara Star, Petaling Jaya, by Monday.
Friday, May 14, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: It is time for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to play a bigger role and push the economy to greater heights, MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
MULTIMEDIA Development Corp (MDeC) is planning to establish an e-commerce platform for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with the view of helping them develop into global vendors.
Importance of CR work starts to hit home
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Social, community and environmental issues are increasingly on the radar screen of companies and many have incorporated them to formulate successful business strategies.
CellSafe unit and PT Kimia Farma in biotech tie-up
Saturday, April 24, 2010
PETALING JAYA: PT Cellsafe International, a unit of CellSafe International Group, has entered into a MoU with one of the largest integrated healthcare services companies in Indonesia, PT Kimia Farma TBK.
SEREMBAN Engineering Bhd, which is slated to be listed on the Bursa Malaysia main market on May 10, plans to venture into the environmental cleaning services business for the oil and gas (O&G) industry to broaden its income base.
Participants find forum informative and give it the thumbs up
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
JOHOR BARU: Many of the participants at the second forum held here in conjunction with The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2010 found it educational and enlightening.
SOBA awards help prepare companies for Bursa listing
Saturday, April 17, 2010
IT is vital for homegrown companies and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to actively participate in the Star Outstanding Business Award 2010 (SOBA) as this will allow them to shine and pave the way for a listing on Bursa Malaysia.
THESE days, to stay ahead of the competition and to ensure survival in the long run, a good business model must be paired with an equally solid branding strategy.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
LOCAL small and medium enterprises (SME) currently make up about 70% of the companies listed on Bursa Malaysia.
SMIs beefing up investments in R&D
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
GEORGE TOWN: Several small and medium-sized industries (SMIs) are making fresh investments to expand and increase their research and development (R&D) activities to cater to the needs of their multinational corporation (MNC) customers.
What it takes to be a top employer
Saturday, April 03, 2010
TO be successful and be regarded as among the best employers, a company among other things should be able to strike a balance between business goals and employee needs.
Forum: Taking risks, using technology vital to SMEs
Thursday, April 01, 2010
JOHOR BARU: Taking risks and using technology to enhance small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) were the key subjects during the second forum held in conjunction with The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2010 (SOBA).
Need for different credit assessment on innovative SMEs
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
THE financial industry must make credit assessment differently for innovative small and medium enterprises.
NEM calls for clusters of SMEs
THE New Economic Model (NEM) calls for the formation of clusters of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within the same location and the transformation of the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (Mida) into an effective one-stop agency.
THE New Economic Model (NEM) unveiled by the Government will take into consideration the needs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and micro-enterprises which form up to 40% of income earners.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
BRANDING involves more than just spending on advertisement and adopting new communication solutions to grow business is not a costly affair.
THE Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2010 continues to draw interest from entrepreneurs and business groups.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
The Star shines at Putra Brand Awards 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: The Star is a Silver award winner under the Media & Entertainment category of Putra Brand Awards 2010. It is also the only print media that won in that category.
Successful brands are getting the recognition they deserve with the Putra Brand Awards.
PADINI began as a back-end operation in Malaysia's apparel industry. It manufactured, traded and supplied garments to order for retailers and distributors. Today, it is a brand leader in the distribution and retailing of its own fashion labels through 190 freestanding stores, franchises and consignment counters.
Maybank is 50 years old and still going strong.
TO excel in an increasingly globalised world, Malaysians have to stay alert and stay ahead of the rest.
Participants learn in-depth business solutions at SOBA
Monday, March 22, 2010
MOST of the participants at the Star Outstanding Business Awards (SOBA) 2010 forum found the talks delivered by the speakers to be helpful, particularly on branding and adopting new telecommunication solutions to grow a business.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
ALTHOUGH information and communication technology (ICT) has been a buzzword for many businesses for quite a while, this does not exactly hold true for most small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
SMEs need to overcome fear of using digital media space, forum told
Thursday, March 18, 2010
GEORGE TOWN: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are still fearful and uncertain about tapping the business opportunities provided by digital media space, says Maxis Bhd general manager Kenneth Lee.
Get tips to make your business stand out
Thursday, March 11, 2010
A FORUM in conjunction with The Star's Outstanding Business Awards 2010 will be held next Wednesday at the Cititel Hotel in George Town, Penang. It will be held from 8.45am to 2pm.
Forums on maximising business potential
Monday, March 08, 2010
PETALING JAYA: A series of forums on how to maximise your business potential will be held in Penang, Johor Baru and Kuala Lumpur in conjunction with The Star's Outstanding Business Awards 2010.
Local SMEs must know how to retain their talent
Saturday, March 06, 2010
LEADERSHIP development is essential for all companies, particularly small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to retain talent. Unfortunately, it is not widely practised by local SMEs.
StanChart Islamic arm to expand SME products
Saturday, February 27, 2010
FUELLED by a wider product range, branch expansion and marketing campaigns, Standard Chartered Saadiq Bhd expects to at least maintain a double digit compounded annual growth rate for its small and medium enterprise (SME) business over the next few years.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
The Inaugural The Star Outstanding Business Awards will give recognition to nine high achievers in August.
The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2010 launched
Thursday, February 11, 2010
KUALA LUMPUR: The Star Outstanding Business Awards 2010 (SOBA) was officially launched on Thursday to inspire and drive up-and-coming local companies and small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) towards greater success.
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