By KINIBIZ
Issue 012 of KINIBIZ Magazine hits the stands today with it’s lead story why Sime Darby ought to break up and how such a break-up would be hard to do.
Breaking up may be hard to do as Neil Sedaka crooned way back in 1962, but sometimes it might just be the thing that is needed to turn a lumbering leviathan into a lean, mean corporate entity ready to ride the waves of a challenging economic environment and emerge triumphant.
Eight years after a mega merger exercise, the behemoth that is Sime Darby has lost more than a fifth of its market value and is mired in some RM18 billion in debt. Regaining lost ground and advancing further likely means another massive restructuring exercise to unlock the value within. This would mean being brave enough to separate the many pieces brought together all those years ago.
It is true that recent months have seen valuations fall as global uncertainty and turbulence battered the stock market. However, Sime Darby still retains substantial value that can be unlocked via corporate spin-offs even in these less-than-ideal times. The question now is whether its CEO Mohd Bakke Salleh will grab the bull by the horns and make some painful but necessary decisions.
While Sime Darby’s CEO contemplates breaking up, the nation as a whole is fighting to win the war for talent. The brain drain affecting Malaysia has been rising and sinking beneath the waves of news for many years now, yet the specifics of this thorny problem remain very much a mystery. How large exactly is the Malaysian diaspora and where is all this talent located? Why do they leave in the first place and how do we both draw them back and prevent more from leaving?
Johan Mahmood Merican
In our Featured article we look at all these issues and interview Talent Corp’s Johan Merican for his take on what is going on. We also look at the situation across the causeway in Singapore and try to offer some solutions to the issues that cropped up as we asked our questions.
In our Featured Corporate section we look at the love-hate relationship between MAHB and AirAsia. It’s always been at least a little stormy between the two but the argument escalated recently after AirAsia issued a letter of demand to MAHB. The airline believes it is being bullied while MAHB says AirAsia is exaggerating. The battle looks likely to continue with neither side willing to concede. What is all this really about? KINIBIZ investigates and brings you the story.
Finally because all work and no play makes both Jack and Jane dull, we tell you all about what’s in a name in Take 5. Would you like to know what a chief logistics officer does? How about a sanitation engineer? Director of first impressions? I suggest you make a guess first and then read our article to see how how close you came to the bull’s eye.
KINIBIZ Magazine can be bought at the stands for just RM15. A combined subscription to both KINIBIZ online and KINIBIZ Magazine is just RM318 per year. In order to subscribe, all you need to do is click here.
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