Penang’s Investment Numbers
9 min read
Introduction“There are no free rides” as the saying goes. To have output and growth, we need to make investments. Sir Roy Harrod in 1939 and Evsey...
Top of The Class – Penang Shines in Auditor-General’s Report
7 min read
The ins and outsA state’s financial statement is divided into three parts – consolidated revenue fund, consolidated trust fund and consolidated lo...
A review of the ONE-YEAR-OLD ETP
7 min read
In March 2010, the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) was launched by the federal government’s Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) to...
The Working Poor
5 min read
“Poverty”, as defined by the World Bank, refers to the minimum level of earnings by a person per day. In 2009, the mean of the national poverty line...
Will the 50% stamp duty cut make a real difference?
6 min read
With the New Year comes a new policy aimed at easing the rakyat’s burden. Beginning January 1, 2015, a 50% rebate on stamp duty exemption for the transfer...
Ripples from global events threaten local economy
13 min read
The economy of Malaysia – and of Penang – depends to a significant degree on global trends, since both are highly exposed to externalities nowadays....
Soldering a regional platform for semiconductors
7 min read
The annual Semicon Singapore event, a regional exposition of the semiconductor industry, has been taking place for the last 21 years. However, this time around,...
Penang’s semiconductor industry moves from assembly to R&D
4 min read
Since the opening of Malaysia’s first Free Industrial Zone in the 1970s, Penang’s economy has been thriving, based on export-oriented labour-intensi...
Making Full Use of a Creative Economy
6 min read
The importance of a creative economy is undeniable – it generates income, jobs and export earnings based on the practical ingenuity of individuals and groups. According to Unesco’s 2013 Creative Economy report, a total of US$624bil in world trade was generated by creative goods and services in 2011.
Moving Towards High-performing Shared Services and Outsourcing
6 min read
Global capitalism is changing. MNCs are now expected to build the next generation of high-performing support services operations at their offshore centres throughout the world.
Cautiously but Surely, Penang's Growth Continues
8 min read
Penang’s economy is dependent on national and global economic conditions; the US economic recovery, lower oil prices, the Asean Economic Community (AEC) and the implementation of GST in Malaysia are likely to change consumers’ spending and producers’ output, as well as business strategies.
Can Malaysia Achieve High-speed Widely Penetrative Broadband by 2020?
4 min read
The 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) highlighted that broadband infrastructure will continue to expand to cover rural households, and to provide affordable broadband and high quality digital infrastructure.