International Communication – Page 3

HOW IT FEELS LIKE TO BE THE THIRD GENERATION WORKING AT NST

by Noor Amirah Asraf

I was recently asked about what it feels like to be the third generation member from my family working at the New Straits Times (NST). I have never really thought about this before. Why? Maybe… I needed a job and had seen an NST ad for sub-editors, I applied, went for the interview and got the job.

But this question made me recall the times when my father, Asraf Dahari, who was an NST photographer for 15 years, used to tell us, his children, about the joy he had working here. For as long as I can remember, my father has always described the years he spent at NST as the best time of his life. Even to this day, whenever we talk about NST or when people ask him about his experience working here, he would have nothing but good things to say.

When I told him that I wanted to apply to be a sub-editor at NST, he immediately supported my decision. He even went the extra mile in making sure that I prepared all the documents needed to apply for the position.

When I told him that I got the job that I wanted, he was overjoyed. He kept telling me how he was happy that his daughter chose to continue the family tradition of working here. He was beaming with pride when he sent me off on my first day of work. He told me how he wished my late grandfather, or Tok Ayah, was around to see his granddaughter serve the same English daily they once worked for.

My Tok Ayah, Dahari Ali, first joined NST as a reporter before he was appointed as chief reporter. The last post he held before he retired in 1982 was assistant group editor. My dad idolised his father. I remember well how he used to tell me great stories about Tok Ayah.

Tok Ayah was one of the very few people who supported my father’s decision to become a photographer instead of the engineer that his family wanted him to be. It was him who inspired my father to take pride in what he did for a living. It was him who taught my father to appreciate the hard work put in publishing newspapers — from writing, finding pictures that fit the stories to editing — Tok Ayah taught him not to take even the smallest details for granted. It was Tok Ayah who taught my father that working for a newspaper is a job that comes with great responsibilities –we are responsible for informing people about the things that are happening around us.

Amid mounting excitement to embark on a new adventure in my first real, serious job, I suddenly felt like I had a huge burden to bear.

My father’s and Tok Ayah’s stories that I’ve kept close to my heart all these years, somehow, made me doubt myself when I first started working here.

On my first day of work, I couldn’t help but feel scared. Truth be told, as I was nervously walking to my desk for the first time, I could feel a tight knot forming in the pit of my stomach. I had so many thoughts running through my head. I remember asking myself whether I made the right decision to work here. What if I’m not good enough? What if I can’t live up to my Tok Ayah’s or my father’s good name and reputation? What if people expect me to be as good or even better than them?

As I did not know much about the roles of a sub-editor (except for the basic information about the job that I found on the Internet), I spent the first few weeks trying to adapt and learn as much as I could. I would get anxious whenever some of my father’s colleagues and senior employees who once worked with my Tok Ayah came up to me and greeted me (all thanks to my father who excitedly told his friends on Facebook about his daughter joining NST).

The fact that some people knew my father and Tok Ayah made me feel like I had to prove that I deserve to be here because of my skills, and not because I was someone’s daughter or granddaughter.

The first few months were tough. The nature of my work, which requires me to stay cool, calm and collected, however, left me little time for self-doubt.

My colleagues, too, have been helpful in guiding me as I learn the fundamentals of my job. I slowly learnt to stop comparing myself with my father and Tok Ayah, but instead, make them as my inspiration to keep on improving myself as a sub-editor. I’ve learnt to find joy in completing my tasks the way my father always did when he was working here and emulate my Tok Ayah’s passion and dedication to his job. I’ve discovered that by doing so, I no longer feel the need to prove myself to anyone. The only thing that I should be doing is to have faith in myself and trust my capabilities.

Working here for the past three and a half years has taught me a lot about life and myself. I’ve learnt to appreciate the beauty of language, get out of my comfort zone and be more open to learning new things, and along the way, I’ve not only made new friends but also found a new family. Working here means I get to learn new things every day. Being the third generation working here has only given me the privilege to know why this place holds a special place in my father’s heart. And for that, I will forever feel grateful and lucky to be part of the big NST family.

The Present and Future for LGBT Youth in Malaysia

by Wan Allef Elfi Danial bin Wan Sukeri

Lights. Gone. Before. Time. This is not the actual acronym for LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual) but rather an interesting analogy that perfectly describes the LGBT youth in Malaysia. The LGBT community is often considered as the scourge of the society due its members’ lifestyle, which was perceived as immoral and unnatural. Malaysia is notorious for its ban on homosexuality in which any sexual acts involving same sex individuals are heavily frowned upon and in some cases, punishable by law. A popular case involving the public caning of two lesbians who were caught committing sexual acts in a car (Lamb, 2018) is a distinguishable example. But rather than dwelling on the past, I would like to talk about the present and future concerning the LGBT youth in Malaysia.

From showing signs of conflicting qualities, such as men femininity or women masculinity to dressing up differently from the norms of fashion, Malaysian LGBT youths are constantly under attack in Malaysia. However, a study titled How Race and Religion Shape Millennial Attitudes on Sexual and Reproductive Health conducted by Dan Cox and Robert P. Jones from the Public Religion Research Institute indicated that millennials are more accepting towards homosexuality compared with the people of the previous generation (Felicetti, 2015). Furthermore, they also find it difficult to express themselves within a safe space. Even posting any LGBT-related matters on social media platforms warrants them full-fledged discrimination and hatred from society. This fear is the main reason of why many people from the LGBT community are discreet on their sexuality and refuse to further showcase their talents and abilities to the world. Without a proper platform and support from the society, LGBT youth will fade into the background, their talents grow unpolished and their confidence turned nil. Eventually, the spark that once resides in them will grow weaker, as well and their dreams become forgotten.

It is depressing to know that Malaysia is oblivious from the creativity, achievements and amazing ideas that can be produced by the LGBT youth. LGBT youth can never find the opportunity to shine and display their talents properly. The LGBT community in Malaysia should come together and strive for the similar purpose and goals, not fighting for the rights that obviously go beyond the tolerance of religion, such as same-sex marriage and gender change, but instead for the protection against being discriminated, bullied and abused. Hopefully, the future generation is inspired to open their eyes and mind to see the suffering and torment faced by the LGBT community whilst providing protection to them when needed. Empathy is a treasure that needs to be nurtured within the younger generation. Aside from that, I also hope that young LGBT representatives are given a fair and equal chance to be featured in various fields, such as entertainment, economy and politics. In my opinion, everyone should have the same rights to contribute to this blessed land.

It is very crucial to note that the chances of LGBT youth exposed to all types of bullying are fairly high. These bullying activities if not prevented at a young age, can lead to worse repercussions in the future, such as physical abuse and murder. However, it is upsetting to consider a person getting murdered just for loving another person. It is sad and frightening to see people justifying these horrible acts for the sake of preserving Islam sanctity. As days past by and we are inching closer to the year of 2020, the cases of LGBT misfortunes seem to be rising at an alarming rate. In 2018, a video of two men being beaten up by a group of people for allegedly having sex in a car in Kuala Lumpur went viral and caused uproar among the Malaysian society (Adam, 2018). Such similar incidents are likely to occur again if no safety is guaranteed for the LGBT community. Apart from that, this issue can sprout other concerns, such as the increasing cases of LGBT youth affected by mental health risks, often leading to suicidal thoughts and self-harm. A study done by Meyer (2003) showed that stigma, prejudice, and discrimination towards the LGBT community create a hostile and stressful social environment for them that lead to mental health problems. To make things worse, the society seems to be satisfied in pushing them, the LGBT community, to the edge of the cliff.

Islam is a religion of peace and perfection. But the Muslims are not. There have been guidelines and proper methods in handling a phenomenon like this. Unfortunately, some people took matters into their own hands in dealing with homosexuality issues. To many, inflicting pain and abuse upon the LGBT community is a justifiable act. If this behaviour is made into common tradition and hatred is spread, the LGBT youth will face a bleak future. In June 2017, a teenager from Penang was beaten and raped by a gang of young men for having effeminate traits (Thiagarajan, 2017). 18-year-old T. Nhaveen was brutally assaulted and ended up being brain-dead from the various wounds that he sustained on his head, hips and multiple burn marks on his back (Thiagarajan, 2017). Unfortunately, Nhaveen did not survive from the incident and died later on, which led to the case being reclassified as murder (Logeiswary & Sekaran, 2017). Is this the life that the LGBT community has to endure? It seems like being a heterosexual is a privilege.

Furthermore, the Prime Minister of Malaysia has released his statement on LGBT rights in Malaysia by stating that their lifestyle will not be part of the nation’s value system (Pillai, 2018). In order to find solace within the society, LGBT community depends on the millennial’s perception and acceptance towards their rights as those millennials are the future of the country. This is where the upcoming generation, regardless of their sexuality differences, plays a vital part in securing a better future for their homosexual allies. Decades ago, homosexuality topics are considered as a strong taboo and are often refrained from being discussed in households and school settings. Undoubtedly, this has resulted in various repercussions, such as parents of LGBT individuals not knowing the correct way to show support, the society finding it enjoyable to bully effeminate boys, ridiculing masculine girls and many more.

In Western countries, such as the United States, LGBT communities are given rights to be represented in media and entertainment although the appearances are still rather marginal. Some LGBT youth consisting of celebrities are sculpted into icons and followed by millions of fans across the globe. However, this situation is non-existent in Malaysia. This is due to the discrimination woven through decades of fear mongering towards the LGBT community the second their sexuality is revealed. This further pushes the possibilities of LGBT community hiding behind masks and suppressing their skills. Aside from that, a survey conducted by the trend forecasting agency, J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group, young Americans aged 13 to 20 were discovered to be far more open-minded and tolerant than the older millennial groups regarding the issues of gender and sexuality (Zing, 2016). Lastly, the millennials provide their support in increasing government funding towards the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS and accept more LGBT immigrants from other countries that criminalize sexuality (Cohen, 2018).

In short, the LGBT community, especially those from the younger generation, should not be hindered from expressing their true self and showcasing their talents, abilities and ideas. Hopefully, Malaysians will learn to be more understanding and accepting towards the LGBT community. This is easier in the current proliferation of media technology. With the help of the Internet, the younger generation nowadays is broadly exposed to differences of race, religion and culture, feminism, gay rights and other pertaining global issues (DiSabito, 2014). Additionally, LGBT youths need to be assured that the future can hold a bright prospect for them. Thus, Malaysians must come together to achieve undisputable harmony and democracy.

References

Adam, M. (28 December, 2018). Malaysian men beaten up and dragged out of car for ‘having gay sex’. Retrieved 10 January, 2019, from Pink News: https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2018/12/27/malaysian-men-beaten-up-gay-sex/

Cohen, C. J. (10 July, 2018). Millennials Support LGBT Rights But Take Issue With ‘Homosexuality’. Retrieved 11 January, 2019, from Advocate: https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2018/7/10/millennials-support-lgbt-rights-take-issue-homosexuality

DiSabito, A. (4 March, 2014). Millennials are making the world a better place. Retrieved 10 January, 2019, from Daily Collegian: https://dailycollegian.com/2014/03/millennials-are-making-the-world-a-better-place/

Felicetti, R. (15 April, 2015). Millennials: More Accepting of Homosexuality? Retrieved 10 January, 2019, from The Outlook: https://outlook.monmouth.edu/news/30-volume-86-fall-2014-spring-2015/2578-millennials-more-accepting-of-homosexuality

Lamb, K. (2018, September 3). Women caned in Malaysia for attempting to have lesbian sex. Retrieved from TheGuardian: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/03/women-caned-in-malaysia-for-attempting-to-have-lesbian-sex

Logeiswary, T., & Sekaran, R. (16 June, 2017). Teen bully victim Nhaveen dies. Retrieved 11 January, 2019, from The Star: https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/06/16/teen-bully-victim-nhaveen-dies-family-and-friends-fill-hospital-grounds-grieving-and-fuming-over-boy/

Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, Social Stress, and Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual. American Psychological Association, 674-692.

Pillai, V. (21 September, 2018). No way we’ll recognise gay rights in Malaysia, says Dr M. Retrieved 20 December, 2018, from freemalaysiatoday.com: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2018/09/21/no-way-well-recognise-gay-rights-in-malaysia-says-dr-m/

Thiagarajan, T. (2017, June 13). Teenager from Penang Beaten and Sodomised for Being ‘Effeminate’ Now Brain-dead. Retrieved from World of Buzz: https://www.worldofbuzz.com/teenager-penang-beaten-sodomised-effeminate-now-brain-dead/

Zing, T. (10 March, 2016). Teens These Days Are Queer AF, New Study Says. Retrieved 8 January, 2019, from Broadly: https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/kb4dvz/teens-these-days-are-queer-af-new-study-says

The Curious Mind on Trial by Media in Malaysia and India

by Nurul Ezzati Aisya Mohd Zaki

Article 10 (a) of the Malaysia’s Federal Constitution stated that “every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression”. Media is a form of speech and expression in the manner which they transmit information to be consumed by society. The dissemination of information assists society in comprehending issues and molding viewpoints. It is every citizen’s right to freedom of information in order to make informed decisions. However, the freedom is not absolute as stated in Clause (1) of Article 10 – “Subject to Clauses (2), (3) and (4)” whereby Parliament may impose law and restriction on said freedom. Guided by the notion that media is the check and balance for society, freedom of speech and expression is practiced either carefully or provokingly in Malaysia.

In order to understand the media take on freedom of speech and information, this paper will look into cases of trial by media in Malaysia and India. Trial by media is a “dynamic, impact-driven, news media-led process by which individuals—who may or may not be publicly known—are tried and sentenced in the court of public opinion” (Greer & McLaughlin, 2010). The process and object of fascination in any trial by media can be varied, from pre-determine outcome of an actual court proceedings against average everyday people, to the ruthless quest of high-profile personalities and public figures “deemed to have offended in some way against an assumed common morality”.

For a nation to function like clockwork, media has to take its seat as the fourth estate. Developing nations require media to be the watchdog – becoming the eyes and ears of citizen. As part of its power of distribution, media not only can attain information easily but also disseminate them to citizen beyond the restriction of accessibility. Media as watchdog is advantageous for society as they take the role as an agent of change, including making known and educating public of litigation. Trial by media in this sense is a welcoming act whereby media probe into marginalized issues and push them into the limelight. One of the common ways into which media probe an issue or individual, is through investigative journalism. Investigative journalism in its entirety as watchdog monitors authority and capitalist conglomerate, serving society as its stakeholder (Ismail, Ahmad, & Mustaffa, 2017).

The discussion will explore the investigative journalism championed by a group of young journalists for a Malaysia’s English newspaper, The Star. In light of worsening sex crime against children in the country, the team known as R.AGE, trialed men accused of grooming young girls into sexual acts. The 2016 extensive campaign, code name “Predator in My Phone”, includes online petition and a documentary film, is a six months intrepid investigative journalism exposé on pedophiles and the push for anti-grooming law. Sex crime against children is regulated in Malaysia, yet grooming or inviting children to sex act was not criminalized. The R.AGE team saw loop holes in the dire situation and took up the stand as agent of change and played a substantial role in the newly gazette Sexual Offences Against Child Act 2017.

Despite the expedient role media play in uncovering marginalized issues, trial by media can took a distasteful turn into sensationalizing court proceedings. Concurrently with the ongoing court proceedings, some media took to their hand the responsibility to meddle in the actual legal process. This include a separate investigation being run by editorial team related to the case in focus, building ‘a public opinion against the accused’, striping the accused of their dignity and right to privacy. The excessive publicity on suspects on trial may interfere with the administration of justice, due to prejudice and pro-plaintiff bias (Effect of Trial by Media before Courts, 2013).

Prejudice and pro-plaintiff bias are starkly apparent in litigation involving major capitalist conglomerates, public figures or celebrity status individuals. The star power of these proceedings increase viewership and readership which unethical media outlet devoured whole-heartedly. One prominent trialed by media example is the 2008 Noida double murder case, where a 13-year-old girl, Aarushi Talwar and her family live in 45 years old domestic helper, Hemraj Banjade, were found murdered in the Talwar residence. The long trial against Aarushi’s parents, Rajesh and Nupur Talwar as the accused was resolved, though killers still undetermined, as both accused were acquitted of all charges in October 2017. With the encouraging exposure by the media, the Talwar became and still to this day a household name in India. Both Rajesh and Nupur Talwar were trialed by media viciously due to the fact that they are from an affluent physician family in the county. In a recent HBO Asia documentary titled The Talwars: Behind the Closed Doors, the Talwar was still heavily distraught by the loss of their only daughter and the public judgment against them. Since the proceeding and media attack, the Talwar had to shut operation of their clinic and no longer able to practice medicine.

Media without a doubt possess a prevailing ability to reach out and shape public opinion. The power is a mandate by society that needed to be practiced with high ethical and moral stance. It is vital for media organization or individual journalist to write, record or edit with the public interest in mind. Guided by the urge to thrive for truth and unwitty curiosity, media are free to practice their freedom of speech and expression. However, cautious is the name of the game as freedom can be strip off as easily as it is given.

Reference

Effect of Trial by Media before Courts. (2013, November). Retrieved from Law Teacher: https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/commercial-law/effect-of-trial-by-media-beforecourts-

Greer, C., & McLaughlin, E. (2010). ‘Trial by media’: Policing the 24-7 news mediasphere and the ‘politics of outrage’. Theoretical Criminilogy, 15(1), 23-46. doi:10.1177/1362480610387461

Ismail, A., Ahmad, M., & Mustaffa, C. (2017). Investigative Journalism in Malaysia: The Battle between Outside and Inside Newsroom Challenges. 33, pp. 1-5. SHS Web of Conferences. doi:10.1051/ 73300079

DHL E-Commerce Way to Expand its Business

Written by Noor Zahra Zamalik

Image credit: http://assets.hardwarezone.com/img/

The post and parcel industry is undergoing a revolution especially when e-commerce has been introduced in the business sector and change the way DHL thinks and acts. Basically, e-commerce is the process of dealing with customer to buy and sell goods via internet and the transactions involved business-to-business, business-to-consumer, consumer-to-consumer or consumer-to-business. As such, DHL e-commerce is adapting its systems away from business-to-business, to cope with the new consumer-driven environment. DHL e-commerce is one of the divisions operated under DHL Group.

In Malaysia, DHL e-commerce is one of the largest postal and service providers and its hub is located in Puchong, Selangor. The process chain includes domestic delivery within Malaysia and cross border delivery in the international. DHL e-commerce has penetrated its market across the globe such as China, Japan, South Korea, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, India and Brazil. The division is led by Malcolm Monteiro, Regional CEO Asia-Pacific, Thomas Schlickenrieder, VP Operations, Gerard Anthony Leonardo St. Maria, Managing Director, Lee Ai Kuoh, Head of Operation and Charles Brewer, Chief Executive Officer.

DHL e-commerce aims to become a leader in global e-commerce logistics activities focusing on three areas: cross border delivery, domestic delivery and fulfillment. Besides, the company also aim to make the cross border shipping simple and affordable and deliver the smile in the last mile while provide a global fulfillment network connecting customers with their products and services. Due to achieve its objectives, it has established the central distribution hub that operated in Puchong as well as as well as depots in Penang, Johor Bahru, Cheras and Puchong. Besides, DHL e-commerce promises the next-day deliveries within selected areas whilst outside aforementioned area will be delivered within two to four days across other areas of West and East Malaysia. According to Charles Brewer, DHL e-commerce is a game changer and it is purely B2C operator and understands what e-commerce is trying to achieve to its customer. Thus, the division is looking to expand its business operation by focusing on the SME’s by establishing one stop e-business resource for SME’s as well as looking into transforming Malaysia into regional fulfillment hub and reduce border clearance lead times for parcels for the purpose of efficiency delivery.

DHL e-commerce provides a range of cross border shipping services that cover more than 220 countries and territories around the globe. It also provides end-to-end domestic delivery solutions such as pick-up services, track and trace, reverse logistics, cash on delivery with daily remittance and call center capabilities to reach its customers with regards to delivery services within Malaysia. It aims to give best-in-class domestic delivery with quick, predictive and secure delivery. Apart from that, DHL provides solution to every problem encountered and believe that it is part to increase its productivity. Thus, it has invested B747 freighter service that provides reliable uplift between Asia, US and Europe as a solution of tightening freight capacity during peak season.

Besides, DHL announces to grow its e-commerce in China by over 50% as online retail and the corresponding demand for logistic solutions. DHL also invested in technology to improve processes and have better communication in management and operation of the division. For instance, it has established a relationship with logistics management solution, FarEye that creates a system for the operation of the delivery. DHL believes that in order to increase their productivity, they can’t stand alone and need to collaborate with other existing and well-established companies to ensure their operation is running efficiently. They also trust that innovation can take place in the area of product and services, business models, technology and processes can change for betterment of the organization and industry.

Air Asia Berhad

Written by Shafiaina Izhar

Air Asia Berhad was established in 1993 with commenced operations in 1996. In 2001, a Tune Air Sdn Bhd, Tony Fernande’s company had purchased this airline from DRB-Hicom. Air Asia’s main base before was in the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at Kuala Lumpur International Airport, while its secondary hubs are at Kota Kinabalu International Airport, Senai International Airport and Penang International Airport.

This airline is known as the main Malaysian low cost airline instead of other airlines that Malaysia had like Malaysia Airlines Berhad. There is no frills airline even its Asia’s largest low fare. The airlines claims ‘No Admin Fee’, but still has some fees for others like services which are free for other airlines. The slogan of Air Asia is ‘Now Everyone Can Fly’.

As a main base of Air Asia at LCCT, it was opened on March 23, 2006 and is said to be carried about 10 million passengers a year. The Air Asia subsidiaries are the likes of Thai Air Asia, Indonesia Air Asia, Viet Jet Air Asia and Air Asia Red Tix. Meanwhile, Air Asia associate companies are Air Asia X, Tune Hotel and Tune Money.

Under the founder of Tony Fernandes, the airline was flying high in 2002 and had launched its new route on that year. For instance, in 2003, a second hub was opened in Senai International Airport, Johor Bahru, same as the airline’s maiden international flight to Bangkok. Not long after that, the Thai and Indonesian subsidiaries were set up as well as the commencement of flights to Indonesia, Macau, China, Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia in 2005.

To be added, AirAsia now can flies to all ASEAN countries that including India, Iran, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh as well as to the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Korea and Australia via AirAsiaX. Another hub is on the way in setting up other similar operations in the else region soon after.

The Air Asia Berhad main vision is to be the largest low cost airline in Asia so that the company can provide a low cost service that will allow the three billion people to fly to more destinations across the region. The company also aim to be a truly ASEAN airline corporation as they look out for every country’s best interest. One of the company’s vision is to maintain the highest quality, to embrace technology, cost reduction, eleviate service levels and provide the guests with a “WOW” experience.

For investor interest in Indonesia AirAsia, Air Asia Berhad has been considerable that the airline has fully turned around its finances. The airlines achieve higher average fares in Indonesia during Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations by 16% year-on-year. Not only that, the Philippines operations also was ancillary per passenger growing 33% year on year which contributing to the increase in revenue per ASK of 13%. There were several one-off costs (RM31 million) incurred in third quarter for re-delivery of aircraft, maintenance and overhaul as well as relating to peso depreciation.

Aside of new airline partnerships, Air Asia Berhad are forming a ground handling joint venture with SATS Ltd. Both joint venture, named Ground Team Red (GTR) will take over ground handling for all stations in Malaysia and Singapore. To be added, the new operating structure and expertise from SATS is expected to drive down unit aircraft turnaround costs by 16% in the first year of operations. The cash proceeds from the joint venture with SATS of USD89 million are due in December 2017.

Global Creative Media Agency (GCMA)

Written by Aliya Soraya

BACKGROUND OF COMPANY

Global Creative Media Agency (GCMA) has come a long way since they opened their doors in 2011 and have contributed significantly to Malaysia and the regional media entertainment industry. With the support of the industry and the growth of their networks not only in Southeast Asia but around the world; GCMA has ideally positioned themselves as the premier PR & Marketing company for the media entertainment industry.

GCMA’s offering are always evolving and changing accordingly to the market trends and the needs of their clients. They also will go extra mile to supportt their client and take their client’s company to the next level.

Apart from that, GCMA also is one of Reed MIDEM member. It is a subsidiary of Reed Exhibitions, the world’s leading exhibition and conference organiser with over 500 events held in 39 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Reed Midem is the leading organizer of professional events for the media entertainment sectors, they are dedicated to providing their clients with the very best in premium-quality international B-to-B trade shows, conferences and networking opportunities.

Reed Midem, based in Paris (HQ), London, New York and Hong Kong, is positioned to cover the full spectrum of the music and television industries, to better meet the needs of the wide range of participants at their events. To achieve this, their core value is an in-depth understanding for the diversity of their clients and their respective needs, combined with a passion to deliver.

Reed Midem’s portfolio of entertainment trade events includes the world’s leading music industry trade show, MIDEM, held annually in Cannes. In the segment of television and digital content, their events encompass the leading global markets, MIPTV in spring and MIPCOM in autumn, plus trade events specializing in key genres of programming, from documentaries and kids’ to formats and the future of television.

Reed Midem has appointed GCMA as their authorized representative office for the Southeast Asia region for their entertainment trade events, serving Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, etc.

World Hub Global Carrier Services Sdn Bhd connecting people around the world

Written by Amni Ahmad

The main entrance of the World Hub

World Hub Global Carrier Services Sdn Bhd is a company that deals with telecom network. It was established in 2004 and was known as World Hub Communications Limited. The office is located in Puchong, Selangor. The company is an international voice service and solutions provider. It is a wholesale carrier which owns and operates a telecom network and sells network capacity to other telecom service providers. World Hub Global Carrier Services Sdn Bhd are serving over 400 of their partners which include major telco, major carriers, mobile network operators, private route operators, calling card operators, resellers and ISP’s whom benefit from competitive rates and an individual approach and highly responsive service.

World Hub Global Carrier Services Sdn Bhd has an international network and their services reach out to more than 150 countries. Example of the countries are Singapore, Philippines, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, and Thailand. This company provides long distance, IP Voice services to carriers, CLECs (competitive local exchange carriers), resellers, ISPs (internet service providers) and businesses. Furthermore, they also responsible in terminating calls into International Gateway Carriers, local PSTN, and GSM networks. The company also supports both traditional TDM (SS7 and PRI) and packet based (ITU H.323 and SIP) interconnects.

There are several types of products offered by the company such as White CLI routes, premium routes, and wholesale standard routes. White CLI routes is suitable to for operators whose subscribers need the highest voice quality with CLIPs display. Apart from that, premium routes are the best choice for operators whose subscribers expect good voice quality at competitive prices with stable performance. Besides that, wholesale standard routes fits the requirement for wholesale partners who request for competitive rates in the wholesale voice industry.

Working environment in the World Hub Global Carrier Services

Based on an interview conducted with a telecommunication engineer at World Hub Global Carrier Services Sdn Bhd, Mohd Tasnim Ahmad, he stated that the competition in this business industry is to provide a competitive rate without compromising the quality to their clients. His role is to ensure that they able to meet SL1 customer target. He need to make sure that the route quality is at the optimum level. Apart from that, he also mentioned that his responsibility is to monitor and report the network condition so that the user able to enjoy their services.

In addition, Mohd Tasnim added that he need to ensure that special customer’s traffic meet the specified target. The trouble ticket that occurred must be responded immediately so that it runs smoothly. Besides the services, he also need to make sure that the equipment and hardware used is maintained and at the optimum level.

According to Mohd Tasnim, the challenges in this business are to ensure that the traffic runs smoothly with assured quality around the clock. They need to solve the dispute in the traffic so that people can stay connected. In order to with the challenges the company need to provide a better than average industry standard availability. This can be done by offering a highly redundant Tier-1 switching, routing, support, monitoring and billing infrastructures to support even the most stringent quality requirements from Tier-1 operator.

In conclusion, the World Hub Global Carrier Services is trying their best to provide a quality service in order to achieve their motto “to serve and to connect” people around the world. In order to stay in the competition, the company always keep updated with the current technologies and ensuring their staff stay committed in doing their job.

Managing International Communication in ICE Petroleum

Written by Anis Adrina Md Nor

ICE Petroleum, is a company that is actively operating in oil and gas industry, offering services in EPCC (engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning) jobs, as well as specialising in the fabrication of utility tanks and pipelines. Up until now, ICE Petroleum has been in the oil and gas industry for 25 years.

Reborn as ICE Petroleum

ICE Petroleum has been established in 1991. Previously, it was operating under the name, PT Technic Engineering Ltd which was a unit of Singapore-listed Hiap Seng Enginering Ltd. In early 2015, the company went through the acquisition process in which it was acquired by Abdul Jalil Maraicar and executive director Muhtar Hashim in February 2015. It was then reborn as ICE Petroleum with the hope that this new branding will move the business direction.

ICE Petroleum in international level

Throughout the 25 years of operation, this company has been involved in many projects internationally such as in Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Sudan. Not only focusing on international market, ICE Petroleum also has been focusing on local market which Malaysia recently.

ICE Petroleum definitely has set up strategy to grow internationally. Since the company has been focusing on local market for few past year, starting from the beginning of 2017, ICE Petroleum has started to position themselves to expand more in overseas project again.

According to Head of Corporate Development, Mohd Rafiq Ramli, the number one target market for ICE Petroleum this year is the Middle East market such as UAE, Qatar and Kuwait and secondly, Malaysia local market. Moreover, the next emerging market that the company will look into is Myanmar.

Managing international communication: Medium of communication

Mainly, for its main audience which is their existing international clients, the medium of communication that is actively used is e-mail and phone calls. For instance, according to its Head of Corporate Development, Mohd Rafiq Ramli, when they are going to get the updates from the potential IPO international investors, their number one mode of communication is e-mail. Additionally, when there is the need to discuss more in-depth with multiple parties, Rafiq Ramli said that ICE Petroleum will do teleconference which will involve them and their advisors as well as their potential investors sometimes their lawyers.

Another medium that ICE Petroleum used for communicating internationally is social media. “For our second audience; the potential customers and potential employees also the potential sub-contractors, suppliers, vendors and partners, these are the audience that we cater to and the medium of the communication that we use is the social media”, Rafiq Ramli said. He added that, currently, ICE Petroleum is very active on LinkedIn and Instagram, the two platforms that the company used to do the occasional blast in terms of delivering information. One more medium that is important for ICE Petroleum is their website. According to Rafiq Ramli, the company take their web presence seriously as that is the main medium for clients or potential clients to get the information about them.

Challenges in international communication

In interacting with international companies, of course there are challenges due to the difference of origin, culture and language. To ICE Petroleum there are many challenges in communicating with international clients. The main challenges is language and culture difference. When dealing with companies from Non-English speaking, it is very difficult to communicate as they need someone who can speak the language. Not only the matters of language difference, ICE Petroleum Head of Corporate Development also stated that when dealing with Soviet countries companies, the challenges would be they have different system in terms of how they do their business, their contracts is different, as well as their legal system is different. One way to media with the challenges of language is they will bring translator when there is negotiation or discussion session with the other parties to ease the process of discussion. Thus, in cases where there is difference in language for example, Mandrin, it is usually mediated by the translators who are also the company’s technical people.

The writer and ICE Petroleum Head of Corporate Development, Mohd Rafiq Ramli

SUBALIPACK MALAYSIA

Written by Aris Abdul Rahman

Subalipack (M) Sdn. Bhd (70909-X) was incorporated in 1981 and today it has about 150 employee nationwide. The company’s core business is Transportation of Household Goods and Commercial Logistics. The company is certified ISO 9001:2015 and currently operating through 9 full facility branches in Malaysia and 1 office in Khartoum, Sudan. Subalipack are the Malaysian International company affiliate of FIDI-FAIM association which controls Global International moving market. Subalipack are now working together with 1352 partners in more than 100 Countries are linked across six continents to provide a seamless International moving experience. This company has a branch in Khartoum, Sudan where their workers are specialised expert in oil and gas cargo. The company also has been appointed as MTO (Multimodal Transport Operator) from The Ministry of Finance Malaysia and they have moved thousands of customers within the country and worldwide destinations. Among their customers includes Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Ibni Al-Marhum Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail, Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim. This international company is also an official transporter for Petronas Formula One cars. They have been transporting F1 cars worldwide. Recently this company is venturing is into Records Management Services, which includes providing document management solutions and Electronic Data Managements System (EDMS).

Most Transnational Corporations (TNCs) today emphasis that the “most powerful economic force for global media today” are information and entertainment. In line with this economic force, the mission of this company is to provide fast and safe delivery, competitive price and committed to excellent services. This international company provides services such as Global Mobility Services (GMS), International Moving, Domestic Moving and Multimodal Transport Operator. All this information can be obtain through the internet thus makes this company competitive in the logistic market. In the context of market globalisation, the free market capitalism is the only economic system operating in the world today and it pushes companies to create “new and innovative products and services”. This can be seen in Subalipack as Petronas trust this company to transport their Formula Car everywhere. Here, the innovation that is shown by this international company is a plus point when dealing with international logistic. Another good example would be when a General Manager (GM) from South Africa is being transferred to Malaysia. This GM will look into FIDI website https://www.fidi.org/ to search for affiliates in Malaysia. Subalipack is the first bumiputra company to be listed under FIDI Affiliates. FIDI is the global alliance of professional international moving and relocation companies, specialised in moving household goods and personal effects from one country to another, from one continent to another, according to the best quality standards. Once the GM has contacted Subalipack then necessary follow up will take place in order to secure all the belongings and comprehensive door to door moving services with the best care and protection of the GM’s belongings.

Being an international company, Subalipack must have their strong advantages in order to compete with local and international competitors. The Multi Modal Transport Operator (MTO) operates on any freighting mode such as airfreight, sea freight, road or rail freight. The MTO has technical planning for all heavy lift and dimensional loads via specialized truck, rail, barge, ocean vessel & aircraft and dedicated, hands-on project coordination, anywhere in the world. This company has transport shipment of 24 units Electric Train Coach from Masan, Korea to Malaysia, Oil & Gas Steel Pipe from Japan to Lumut, Perak and 18 units Army Vehicles for Ministry of Defence from Spain to Malaysia. That is just a small example of what this company has done. They have won the customer’s confidence by doing previous great job and this is a strong point when dealing with international business.

The challenges faces by Subalipack are competition from international companies such as Crown Line and Asian Tigers Mobility. The main challenge for this logistic company is to find a way of achieving a sustainable competitive advantage over the other competing products and firms in a market. Subalipack must have strategic short and long-term planning that involves managerial decisions and production in order to stay competitive in this globalized market. A competitive advantage is an advantage over competitors gained by offering consumers greater value, either by means of lower prices or by providing greater benefits and service that justifies higher prices.

THE ANALYSIS OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION PRACTICE BY THE EDGE

Written by Balqis Ariffin

Primarily, the concept of international communication is significant in our contemporary culture as it revolves around the advancement of technology and globalization. The operation of the news organization is not excluded as it associates with the concept, due to the current practice which regards the progression of the journalism regardless of any borders. Therefore, concerning over such notion The Edge Malaysia is a suitable example to be studied upon as it is a leading financial publication in both Malaysia and Singapore.

According to its writer Khairani Afifi Noordin, 26, the news value of each pullouts relating to the national and international reports are varied. She further explained by giving the weekly pullout Personal Wealth as an example, in which she stated that the Personal Wealth’s audiences are high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) or affluent investors residing in Malaysia. Hence, the stories are made with them in mind.

“While our audience may make most of their investments in Malaysia, they do want to diversify by owning assets with exposure outside of the country. This is the reason why we cover investment opportunities and issues outside of the country as well. However, we do angle our stories so that it is relatable to our audience – this means asking our interviewees more questions such as “What does this mean to Malaysian/Asian investors? What is the impact towards the investors in this region?” she said during the interview.

Besides that, in terms of the global news flow, the role that the economic power of the nation has on the news value depends on how it will affect The Edge’s audience.

Khairani clarified that “If the Federal Reserve today announces a hike in the interest rate, this will definitely affect out audience’s assets outside of the country especially in US bonds. This is why we would reach out to an analyst or fund manager straight away to get their comments and assess how this would affect our Malaysian investors.”

“We do cover investment opportunities in less economically powerful countries as well, in the angle of investment opportunities. Personally, I have written feature stories on Emerging Markets and India,” she added.

A question was asked to the interviewee whether the rules, regulations or policy relating to the intercultural and international communication have hindered the process of news reporting. However, she stated that The Edge follows the local media law and journalistic ethics, in which she felt that it did not hinder the reporting process, but she said that it may also be attributed to the fact that The Edge is a private company, unlike many other local media companies.

Furthermore, The Edge Malaysia obtains wired stories from several news agencies namely Reuters, Bloomberg, and AFP. However, Khairani stated that she does not use sources from outside of the media company when she works on feature stories.

She stated that “I directly work with the person giving the news. For example, if a Singapore-based fund management company today announced that they are thinking of launching an innovative, first of its kind fund, I would call the company directly and schedule for an interview to speak about it at length.”

“Sometimes, I do refer to research reports to support the points being given out in my stories. To do this, I need to verify by myself that the research report is done by a reputable, valid company – typically by looking at whether they are regulated or not. But this also depends on what type of information I am searching for. “said Khairani who wrote for several pullouts in The Edge Malaysia.

In addition, Khairani explained that The Edge Malaysia and The Edge Singapore which were established from the same parent company, The Edge Media Group do exchange news, but it is also subjected to the relevance of the news article amongst the audience in both nations.

She said during the interview that, “Personally, some of my stories have appeared in the The Edge Singapore before. One of it is a story about an insurance technology company called Smallticket. Although the company is based in South Korea, it expresses interest to scale to Singapore, thus the reason why the editors decided to feature it in their paper.”

“I would like to believe that since we are operating within the same parent company and the same region, we have the same culture and values. Both companies champion accuracy in reporting, and will report without fear or favour.” She explained when asked about the differences of working in a company with foreign expansion.

Apart from that, she stated that there are no significant differences between the news content of the print and digital formats of the Personal Wealth pullout.

She further explained that “The reason being that our digital stories are just stories that have appeared in our print copy a week prior. Very rarely, we write online-only news pieces, but our priority is always the print copy.”

Moreover, she agreed that the digital format of The Edge has ensured the flow of information in international level a The Edge does a lot of reporting outside of Malaysia.

“Out of five people I interview, two are probably those based somewhere in America, Australia or the Middle East. We also try to be ahead of the curve – while our competitors have not yet written about blockchain, cryptocurrencies or robo-advisory, we have already dived into the topics with many feature stories explaining how these will impact the future of personal finance. This attracts those from outside the country to reach out to us to work the probability of new stories pertaining the topics discussed.” She said.

“The Edge is now more than 20 years old, and I have only been in the company for more than two. When I first started working with The Edge, my learning curve was very steep. I need to make sure that my reporting is not only limited to my understanding – I need to absorb information as quickly as I can. The Edge Malaysia is highly regarded as the leading business newspaper in Malaysia. It is recognised for its timely, insightful and in-depth reports – I need to uphold this and make sure that I can represent the company as best as I can.” She opined when asked about the elements that distinguish The Edge from other business-oriented magazines.

“I do not want to say more than what I have already said, but I am proud to be part of the company, and continue reporting without fear or favour.” She said while ending the conversation.