REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT IN MALAYSIA

PROPERTY IN MALAYSIA

Malaysia’s house price rises have continued, but at a slower pace, due to a slight GDP growth slowdown to 5.1% in 2011, from 7.2% in 2010.  Malaysian houses prices have tracked inflation during the last decade, except during the recent surge. 

In Q1 2012, the national house price index rose 6.1% (3.7% in real terms) y-o-y to Q1 2011, down from 8.9% growth last year (5.9% in real terms), according to theValuation and Property Services Department (JPPH).  The average house price was MYR 219,219 (US$ 68,905) at year end, according to the JPPH.

Price increases should moderate in the remainder of 2012, according to C.H. Williams Talhar & Wong’s 2012 Property Market Report .

Kuala Lumpur’s house price index rose 6% y-o-y to Q1 2012.  House prices also increased in Selangor (8.9%), Pulau Pinang (5.2%), and Perak (4.2%).  Johor and Negeri Sembilan had the lowest y-o-y price growth, at .2% and 1.6%, respectively.

By property type, nationally:

• Terraced houses rose 6.6% y-o-y to Q1 2012
• Detached houses rose by 2.3%
• Semi-detached houses rose by 7.8%
• High rises rose by 4.6%.

There were 6,359 units sold in 2011, down 21% from the previous year.  In Q4 2011, only 5,519 new housing units were launched, down 45.6% from the previous quarter, and a 62.3% drop from the same period last year, according to JPPH.

Despite maintaining the Overnight Policy Rate (OPR) at its current level of 3%, the BNM’s implementation of more restrictive lending guidelines in January 1, 2012 is expected to cause fewer speculative developments. In the recent past, the BNM has also lowered the loan-to-value (LTV) mortgage cap for third house financing from 90% to 70%. The Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) was also re-activated by the government.

The property market will grow further in 2012 but price increases are likely to moderate according to the 2012 Property Market Report  of C.H. Williams Talhar & Wong.

In 2012, the economy is expected to grow by 4.2%, according to the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER). Inflation has moderated to 2.3% in Q1 2012 from 3.2% in Q4 2011.

“Right now, we have a moderation in the rate of inflation. We have interest rates at a point where they are accommodative. Accommodative in the sense it is not restricting borrowing activities and it is supporting the overall growth. Therefore, at this point in time, I believe that unless inflation does begin to again rise, it does not merit consideration of raising rates,” says Malaysia’s Central Bank Governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Najib Razak has introduced Malaysia’s first minimum wage to support low income households. Workers in Peninsular Malaysia will receive MYR 900 (US$ 297), while rural areas workers will receive MYR 800 (US$ 252).

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HEALTH CARE IN MALAYSIA

Healthcare in Malaysia : A great option

HEALTH CARE IN MALAYSIA   -   A critical review

Introduction :

Jose Marc Castro is a Pilipino, based in Philippines.  He has been a contributing writer and researcher on ExpatForum.com since 2007.  His legal background gives him the ideal skills needed to research and write great and useful material for expatforum.com.

The writer give positive remarks about healthcare in Malaysia.  Jose emphasize that Malaysia is fortunate country where health care had been improving over the years and Jose encourage tourist from other countries to consider  Malaysia for their medical care destination, where Malaysia is embarking of medical tourism as part of the country’s wish.  Eventhough there were issues mentioned by the writer, however those issues were not only persist in Malaysia but are common within Asian countries.

I personally agree to Jose’s writing about overall healthcare in Malaysia, eventhough there are some setbacks, overall Jose post more of positive points and promote the Malaysian healthcare system.  Jose made it clear in his second paragraph that going to Malaysia for healthcare is never a hassle.

Summary

Jose praised Malaysia as healthcare tourist destination, with its high-end hospitals that provide the best services.  Entering Malaysia is simple and easy, more over for healthcare matter.  The writer emphasized that Malaysia through the private and public sectors provided comprehensive and sufficient coverage of medical needs for its population.   The number of  health colleges and schools is enough to attest that Malaysia is serious on the on-going improvement  of its healthcare system to provide the quality health care.

To make the foreigner comfortable, he also mentioned of Malaysian various ethnics groups which carry different cultures which he described to be an interesting customs and vibrant cultures.  Another important issue which gives credit to the Malaysian healthcare system, mentioned by the writer is that the Malaysian healthcare system also encouraged foreign doctors to share their expertise in Malaysia, by working in Malaysian hospitals.  This is exactly true that not only private hospitals employ foreigners, but also the government hospitals do have foreign specialist contributing to the number of expert in government hospitals.  The writer also mentioned specifically that the quality health care are being provided not only to its residents but also to tourists, emigrants and visitors as well.  Presently, eventhough the private hospitals are set to make profit from needy patient, the cost is still affordable for the medical procedures and also the accommodations.

Critique

The writer, a Pilipino with legal background had written not less than six articles of the same nature but for various countries.  He wrote on – Health Care in Malaysia as this one we are reviewing, other articles are on Cyprus, Dubai, Hong Kong, Japan, UK, Thailand and also his homeland, Philippines.

Going through his writing on his own country and what he wrote on Malaysia, seemed that he is not biased on his comments and opinion.  He gave good remarks on Malaysian standard of healthcare.

His comment which is not agreeable to me is that the modern healthcare in Malaysia was due to Malaysia being a British colonial, whereby modern and western medical practices were being introduced due to the colonialism.  He mentioned that the medical care were being transferred from the British colonial rules to meet the growing needs.

Actual fact, the growth and improvement of Malaysian healthcare was due to the positive growth of the Malaysian economy that give room for better healthcare standard.  Growth of the economy have lead to better standard of living and created the high needs for better healthcare. 

On two negative comments he made on the issues on Malaysian healthcare,  eventhough we may not like it, but it is the truth that the writer commented.  First was the common issues he mentioned which is rampant even to neighboring countries, that is some doctors who have their mind-set to gain much money from their patients.  Secondly, was the growth of modern hospitals was almost all at the urban areas, leaving the remote area with less fortunate medical care facilities.  

Other than those mentioned above, his comment on Malaysian healthcare system and policy was overall better than many other countries in the region.  He praised Malaysian Government on the commitment to provide high-quality health care for the public whether they are locals or foreigners.

The growth and establishment of the various medical schools in the Malaysia is the confirmation that Malaysia is really serious to provide high quality health care to the public.  Medical practitioners in Malaysia are not only those who studied in Malaysia, but also from other parts of the world including universities from US.

The writer also mentioned that hospitals in Malaysia are considerably the best with the latest medical equipments for optimum performance.  A very strong point mentioned here was also that Malaysia have medical practitioners who earned their degrees from universities in US.  This kind of remark is very important for Malaysia that will boost confidence to foreigners to have their medical treatment in Malaysia.

Conclusions

This article helps Malaysia market it’s medical tourism destination. The many positive points given by the writer as against the few negative issues is much acceptable to me.   Overall this article is short and simple, easy to understand and the message he expressed in this article is precisely clear to all, whoever read it will understand and will assist in one’s need for a medical treatment.

Published at :

www.expatforum.com/articles/health/health-care-in-malaysia.html

by  :  JOSE MARC CASTRO on August 8, 2009.

AVOIDING TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT

Trademarks ( brand names) Indicate Commercial Source

Trademarks may be words, logos or other symbols which indicate to consumers

that goods come from a particular company. They may even be sounds, three

dimensional symbols such as the well-known "golden arches," or colors. There are

also service marks which indicate the source of services - and still other kinds of

marks which need not be considered here.

Copying May Be Irrelevant

As with patents, one can infringe another's marks without copying them or even

being in direct competition with their owner. All that is necessary is to use the same

or a similar mark under circumstances where consumers may be confused as to the

source or sponsorship of goods or services.

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AVOIDING COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

Copyright infringement can be avoided by establishing that a work was

independently created. Therefore, records which show independent creation are

helpful in avoiding liability. Even with such records, establishing an independent

creation may be difficult if the original work was widely disseminated or otherwise

available to the alleged infringer. In one such case, the court held that, while

copying may have been unconscious,'the original was nevertheless infringed.

Copyrights are unlike patents in that the term is much longer (the lifetime of the

author plus 50 years in the case of identifiable, living authors). They arise

automatically and they are inexpensive to register. Yet, subject to some fairly basic

limits, a copyright provides an owner with the exclusive rights to reproduce the

work during its term.

One of the limits to copyright protection is that ideas (as contrasted with

expressions) and technology -computer software aside -- are generally not

protected. This means that our inventor would have been free, at least as far as

copyright laws are concerned, to use any information that could have been found in

books on mousetrap designs and to make and sell working copies of anything

shown or described. A copyright gives the owner only the right to prevent

reproduction of the text or drawings themselves.

But, what if the inventor wants to use some of the text, for example, in an

advertisement? While there is a remote possibility that such use might be protected

under the so-called "fair use" defense, it is very unwise to proceed without getting

permission or expert advice.

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AVOIDING PATENT INFRINGEMENT

One Need Not Copy In Order To Infringe

Patents do more than prevent copying; their owners can forbid the making, using or

selling of a covered invention even though it was independently created. This is

certainly true for utility patents -- which is what people usually mean when they use

the term, "patent." These provide 17 years of exclusive rights for inventions which

deal with the way things work and otherwise qualify. It is also true for design

patents which afford 14 years of protection for significant improvement in the

appearance of useful items such as car bodies or furniture. (The only possible

exception is patents on natural plants which will not be covered in this publication.)

Copying may actually be a way to avoid infringement. Our inventor of the

mousetrap might have avoided potential problems by using technology which had

been described in a printed publication, publicly used or on sale. Products which are

on sale and give no notice of patent coverage are relatively free from the risk of

infringement

However, if the technology is fairly new, one should keep in mind that an inventor

has one year from public sale or disclosure within which to file a patent application.

Further, because patents often take two or more years to issue, there is some risk

that a patent will be issued at a later time. While there is no liability for pre-issue

infringement, one would nevertheless have to cease making, using or selling the

technology at the time of issue -- losing both unrecovered start-up costs and

inventory.

A patent search is helpful in minimizing the risk of infringement if the technology is

not known to be old. But, of course, if our inventor is determined to make a better

mousetrap, there would be no interest in copying something else found in the

market. Still, before spending too much time and money on research, the inventor

should make sure that others do not have exclusive rights in the same area being

explored. The inventor certainly should not assume, because a product was not on

the market, that it is unpatented. As many independent inventors have learned to

their chagrin, it is usually easier to patent something than to market it profitably.

Successful Succession Planning in Business

Source of stress in an organization.

In what ways do they affect the individual employee?  What can manager and supervisors do to make the workplace less stressful?

What Is Stress?

Stress is the combination of psychological, physiological, and behavioral reactions that people have in response to events that threaten or challenge them. Stress can be good or bad. Sometimes, stress is helpful, providing people with the extra energy or alertness they need. Stress could give a runner the edge he or she needs to persevere in a marathon. This good kind of stress is called eustress. Unfortunately, stress is often not helpful and can even be harmful when not managed effectively. Stress could make a salesperson buckle under the pressure while trying to make a sales pitch at an important business meeting. Moreover, stress can increase the risk of developing health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and anxiety disorders. This bad kind of stress is called distress, the kind of stress that people usually are referring to when they use the word stress.

A convenient way to think about stress is in terms of stressors and stress responses. Stressors are events that threaten or challenge people. They are the sources of stress, such as having to make decisions, getting married, and natural disasters. Stress responses are psychological, physiological, and behavioral reactions to stressors. Anxiety, depression, concentration difficulties, and muscle tension are all examples of stress responses.

The connection between stressors and stress responses, however, is not as straight forward as it may seem. Mediating processes, for instance, stand in between stressors and stress responses. Whether stressors lead to stress responses depends on mediating processes like how people appraise potential stressors and how well people are able to cope with the negative impact of stressors. Furthermore, a number of moderating factors, such as personality traits and health habits, influence the links between stressors and stress responses. These mediating processes and moderating factors help determine whether people experience stress-related problems like burnout, mental disorders, and physical illness and are the focus of many stress management techniques that emphasize cognitive-behavioral approaches

Work

The specific types of stressors that employees are exposed to in the workplace fall into four categories of demands: task demands, interpersonal demands, role demands, and physical demands.   Among these categories, work overload, boundary extension, role ambiguity, role conflict, and career development are particularly relevant stressors.  Additionally, an employee's home-life can interfere with his or her job.

Work overload is a good example of a daily hassle that is particularly relevant in the workplace. When employees feel overwhelmed from trying to work on more tasks than they can handle or from trying to work on tasks that are too difficult for them, they are suffering from work overload. Work overload is common after layoffs among the remaining workers who are assigned more tasks. It is also common among newly appointed managers who feel unprepared for their new, unfamiliar roles.

Boundary extension is another good example of a daily hassle that is particularly relevant in the workplace. Some jobs, such as public relations and sales, require employees to work with people in other occupational settings.  Such boundary extension can be difficult for employees, especially if it involves any of the following difficulties:

• Dealing with very diverse organizations
• Maintaining frequent and long-term relations with people in other organizations
• Interacting in complex and dynamic environments
• Not having screening mechanisms like secretaries or voice mail
• Participating in non routine activities
• Trying to meet demanding performance standards

 

Role Ambiguity and Role Conflict

Two more good examples of daily hassles that are particularly relevant in the workplace are role ambiguity and role conflict. When employees are unsure about what is expected of them, how to perform their job, or what the consequences of their job performance are, they are experiencing role ambiguity. When employees finds it difficult to perform their job effectively because of the multiple explanations about their job performance, they are experiencing role conflict. Role conflict takes place in five basic ways:

• Receiving conflicting or incompatible expectations from another employee
• Receiving different expectations from two or more other employees
• Receiving expectations that lead to incompatible roles
• Receiving too many expectations, expectations leading to too many roles, or expectations leading to roles that are too complicated
• Having values and beliefs that conflict with expectations

Career development is a good example of a major life event specifically related to work. Changing jobs or occupations can be stressful.  People may feel frustrated and afraid, for example, after being laid off or fired from their job.  Similarly, employees may feel belittled or embarrassed after being demoted.  These feeling may be even more damaging for employees if such changes in occupational status interfere with their family life.

Sources of Stress

Stressors, the sources of stress, include three types of events, referred to as daily hassles, major life events, and catastrophes. Additionally, specific types of stressors occur within certain domains in life, such as family, work, and environment.

Stressors

Daily hassles are the little hassles or annoyances that occur practically everyday, such as having to make decisions, arguing with friends and family, trying to meet deadlines at work, stepping on a piece of bubble gum that someone carelessly spitted out, and caught in traffic jams. Although a wide variety of daily hassles can be sources of stress, they often involve conflicts between behaviors people may or may not want to do. In particular, daily hassles that involve interpersonal conflicts seem to have an impact that lasts longer than does that of most other daily hassles. Additionally, according to a survey of middle-aged adults, the top ten daily hassles are as follows:

1.      Concerns about weight

2.      Health of a family member

3.      Rising prices of common goods

4.      Home maintenance

5.      Too many things to do

6.      Misplacing or losing things

7.      Yard work or outside home maintenance

8.      Property, investments, or taxes

9.      Crime

10.  Physical appearance

Managers should play a role to ensure that workplace is less stressful by discussing work matters with their subordinates.  While discussing the subordinates will be able to share their work problem, in a way when they are able to speak out the problem is already one way to release the stress.  Whenever a difficult task is being assigned to an employee, the manager should at certain period discuss the progress of the task with the employee giving him the opportunity to speak out and managers to offer assistance along the line. 

Another way is the implementation of the organizational development program, is a special approach towards organizational change in which the employees themselves are given the opportunity to formulate the change that is required within the stipulated rules.   Team building is another approach or process to improve team effectiveness.  During the team building exercise the employees are given equal opportunity to speak out what is in their mind and all ideas are being recorded by the facilitator for future follow-up.

During such process, confrontation meetings will be held to bring about solutions between inter groups or inter departments which will reduce stress at workplace.