KUALA LUMPUR (May 7): Google Malaysia and Astro AWANI have announced a partnership to create workshops and virtual training courses to help microenterprises as well as small and medium enterprises (SMEs) adapt and thrive in the digital space.
In a joint statement today, the companies said their “Jiwa SME Google AWANI” partnership will enable microenterprises and SMEs to upskill their workforce by participating in workshops and virtual training that showcase Google’s digital tools, as well as foster knowledge sharing among industry leaders through Astro AWANI’s programmes.
“Google has a plethora of digital applications to assist the micro and SME industry in Malaysia. Approximately 60% of new digital consumers are from non-urban areas and this reflects the correlation between consumer behaviour and untapped digital economy potential in non-urban areas,” said Google Malaysia’s managing director Marc Woo.
Sime Darby Property has appointed Rizal Rickman Ramli as Chairman of the Group’s Board of Directors to succeed Tan Sri Dr. Zeti, with effect from 7 May 2021. Rizal Rickman joined Sime Darby Property’s Board as Non-Independent Non Executive Director on 5 April 2018 and is currently the Chief Investment Officer, Private & Strategic Investments at PNB.
He joined PNB in March 2018 as the Executive Vice President of Property/ Real Estate and assumed the role of Chief Investment Officer, Real Estate in 2020. Under his leadership, the PNB real estate portfolio has doubled in size and broadened its focus from primarily commercial offices into new areas such as logistics, industrial and multi-family residential. The portfolio is now well diversified and includes investments in markets such as the United States, Japan, Australia, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
A new research by Microsoft has indicated that business leaders in Malaysia should resist the urge to see hybrid work as business as usual, and rethink long-held assumptions for future work arrangements.
For instance, most workers in Malaysia want flexible working to continue, yet they crave for more in-person time with their teams.
Additionally, more than half of the local workforce feel overworked and exhausted, increasing risks of burnout among employees as boundaries blur between work and relaxation.
Sustainability is one of the core focuses at Philip Morris Malaysia (PMM) as we are cognizant of the role we have in improving our world and using product innovation for the benefit of public health. Sustainability efforts at PMM is governed by four key strategic pillars: Innovating for better products, operating with excellence, caring for the people we work with and protecting the environment.
Zooming in on United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) SDG #14: Life Below Water, where the focus is on “conserving and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development,” PMM’s efforts have been greatly focused on reducing cigarette filter litter which contaminates rivers and oceans and is shown to be one of the most polluted materials in ocean clean-ups.
To this end, PMM is piloting a cigarette filter canister initiative, where we will be partnering with Reef Check Malaysia to install close to 200 cigarette bins across the country. In this 9-month pilot project, these cigarette filter canisters will be installed in strategic, high littering locations. Each month, Reef Check and PMM will be collecting the litter from these canisters, mapping out the data collected per location, and then transporting the butts to a secure location that does not impact surrounding environments. We expect this project to make a lasting impact, consider collecting 10kg of cigarette filters from each canister, the amount of cellulose acetate, fine paper and smoke residue averted from harming the environment and water sources will be significant.
Beyond this, PMM is also proud to have provided all our employees with approved and tested reusable masks. Here, we worked with Batik Boutique—who employ urban poor mothers—to design the masks. These masks were then tested by our labs in Switzerland for breathability and safety. Even with a conservative assumption that each PMM employee uses these reusable masks 10 times, we are projected to have prevented close to 5000 disposable masks from being thrown and littered into trash dumpsites, where the degradability of disposable masks will pollute the surrounding soil and water sources. In this initiative alone, PMM is projected to reduce at minimum 298kg of polyethylene from the environment and water.
During the Movement Control Order (MCO) period announced nationwide from 12 May to 7 June 2021, there are sectors that can still operate but need to be registered in the CIMS 3.0 MITI system.
This is a list of sectors allowed to register with with CIMS 3.0 and continue operations:
- Manufacturing and related services – Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)
- Professional Services – Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI)
- Retail, wholesale and distribution -Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs (KPDNHEP)
- Construction – Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB)
- e-Commerce – Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)
- Sports -Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS)
The MITI letter can only be used for the movement of employees from companies registered with MITI. It is PROHIBITED to be misused for personal purposes or movement with family/friends.
The QR code in the MITI letter contains the company registration information including a list of employee names that can be scanned by the PDRM.
