KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 24): Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak presents the government’s 2018 budget on Oct 27. Below are some items that it could feature, according to analysts’ research notes and Malaysian media reports.
OCBC Bank expects another year of cash handouts, estimating that the allocation will rise to RM7.5 billion from the RM6.8 billion spent in 2017.
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The Kulim HR team has been awarded the recognition as one of the top HR organizations in the Malaysia at the HR Excellence Award 2017 held on 4 October. Kulim submitted the “Wellness for Life” program under the category of Excellence in Workplace Wellbeing.
A total of eight companies were shortlisted as finalists under this category. First Solar Malaysia was announced the Bronze award winner. In total, there were 77 companies in Malaysia who participated with 180 project submissions for 19 Award categories. Fifty-five companies were shortlisted as finalists and only 31 companies managed to bring home the trophies.
Wellness for Life was introduced by in 2013 to promote healthy lifestyles among associates. Prior to 2013, Kulim faced an increasing trend of medical insurance claim ratio which exceeded 100 percent, higher insurance premiums, and high-risk medical illness cases due to poor health management. On top of that, the whole industry was affected by general medical inflation rate Year-on-Year (YoY) as much as 18 to 21 percent.
The intervention initiatives were crafted outlining the strategic action plans as follow:
1) Immediate short term: To control the drastic increase in the operation expenses
2) Medium term: To create awareness and reduce the number of potential major medical illness
3) Long term: To instill “Wellness for Life” culture and mindset
Some of the Wellness activities that organized under this program such as weekly Zumba/ aerobics/gym sessions, quarterly blood donation campaign, Wellness rewards program (associates collect points by joining wellness events. Points can be redeemed for prizes quarterly), Focus Group Intervention Program, Healthy eating campaign (fruits and vegetables), Health Day/Week, Solarthon (fun run), Cyclethon (fun ride), external sports competition (futsal, badminton, netball, marathon), In-house fitness center, external futsal and badminton courts and etc.
The program was proven effective as Kulim managed to sustain the claim ratio in Market Healthy Market Range (75 – 85 percent). The Wellness for Life program was also named as one of First Solar Kulim’s Top Kaizen Projects in 2016 and also received recognition at the Tigers Golden Globe Award 2017 under the category of Organization with Innovative HR Practices.
The Company’s commitment has also been recognized by world leading organizations with multiple prestigious awards won at local and global level. Among them are the Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Awards 2014/15 in 3 categories (Exceptional Achievement Award, Kedah State Award and Special Project Gold Award), Global Leadership Award 2015 (Excellence in Renewable Energy Manufacturing Sector), Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management (MIHRM) Employer of Choice Award 2015 & 2016, Aon Hewitt Best Employer for Gen Y Award 2016, National Occupational Safety and Health Excellence Award 2016 (electrical and electronic sector) and Anugerah Kecemerlangan Industri Kedah 2017 in 2 categories (Anugerah Menteri Besar – under MNC Category and Anugerah Kecemerlangan Pelaburan Luar Negara (FDI)) and The Golden Globe Tiger Awards 2017 in 2 categories (Organization with Innovative HR Practices & Best Leadership Development Program for Workers).
Along with this, First Solar Malaysia believes in being a caring employer who is committed towards the welfare of the employees. One of the key caring initiatives the company focused on is changing the mindset and encouraging team collaborations to create healthier working environment.
Cisco Systems Inc, the world’s largest networking gear manufacturer, is nearing a deal to buy U.S. telecommunications software firm BroadSoft Inc for close to $2 billion, a person familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
The deal, which comes after Reuters first reported in August that BroadSoft was exploring a sale, would allow Cisco to further diversify away from its stagnating switches and routers business by giving it a stronger foothold in selling unified communications software to big telecommunications firms.
If deal negotiations are completed successfully, Cisco’s agreement to buy BroadSoft could be announced as early as Monday, the source said, asking not to be identified because the deal discussions are confidential.
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(Oct 19): Boeing Co said on Thursday it invested in Near Earth Autonomy, a Pittsburgh-based firm that develops technologies enabling autonomous flight such as drones.
In addition to the undisclosed investment, Boeing said the two companies will also explore products and applications for emerging markets such as urban mobility.
It was the first investment in autonomous technologies by Boeing’s venture capital arm, Boeing HorizonX, since it was established in April of this year, Boeing said.
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AMCHAM is proud to announce that six out of the list of winners at the recently held HR Excellence Awards 2017 are members of AMCHAM -Citibank Malaysia, First Solar Malaysia, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Sharp & Dohme Malaysia, Mondelez Malaysia and SunPower Malaysia Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd.
Click here to view the list of winners.
KUALA LUMPUR: Safety enhancements are often associated with higher expenditure on preventive amenities for the aviation business, but US-based Honeywell International Inc is out to change the notion with its “connected aircraft” solutions.
The solutions keep aircraft away from hazards, while helping airlines to be more economical.
Honeywell’s air transport and regional commercial aerospace vice-president for Asia-Pacific, Brian Davis, said the solutions are particularly relevant in the rapidly growing aviation industry in Southeast Asia as air travel demand increases.
