Podcast
Enterprise Explores
Hosted by BFM Media · EN
Helping you navigate the ever-changing universe of business, from headlines to the bottom line
68episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Should We Tax Revenue Instead of Profit?
2d ago00:46:27Tap to summarizeInstead of tweaking tax rates, why not simplify? While LHDN's recent record-breaking tax revenue for 2025 is a win for public finances, it inevitably raises critical questions about national fiscal strategy.Dr. Veerinderjeet Singh, Senior Advisor on Tax Policy at KPMG Malaysia, and Dr. Carmelo Ferlito, CEO of the Center for Market Education, joins Enterprise Explores to dissect the state of Malaysia's fiscal architecture.We examine why a highly compressed local wage structure limits direct household taxation, the systemic complexities of navigating the current multi-rate Sales Tax and Service Tax (SST) framework, and the operational compliance friction facing businesses.The panel unpacks radical proposals for structural tax simplification: from tying corporate tax liabilities directly to audited financial statements to introducing flat-rate personal reliefs and enacting presumptive turnover taxes to formalise the shadow economy.Finally, we look at why reaching a sustainable 15% tax-to-GDP ratio depends heavily on fixing public sector leakages, cutting government-linked intervention, and restoring taxpayer trust.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →World Cup 2026: Does It Matter for Malaysia F&B?
3d ago00:35:36Tap to summarizeThe 2026 World Cup is officially here, but for Malaysian food and beverage operators, the celebration comes with an operational headache: awkward kickoff times scheduled for 3:00 a.m., 6:00 a.m., and 9:00 a.m. local time. Compounding the problem, this commercial milestone arrives just as the sector battles a brutal stretch of rising operating costs, war-induced inflation, talent shortages, and shrinking consumer wallets.Brian Choo from the Soul Society Group and Jeremy Lim from the Bistro Association of Malaysia (and founder of Blackbyrd KL) join Enterprise Explores to break down what the World Cup actually means for Malaysian F&B operators.We also discuss the "delusional insanity" required to navigate the industry's steep churn rate and unpack their aggressive tactical pivots, from transforming alcohol-led bistros into 6:00 a.m. hotel-style breakfast buffet spots to combatting free home-streaming options.Also discussed:The Discord Threat & The Demographic Cliff: How younger "digital native" consumers have traded face-to-face bistro gatherings for home streaming and virtual hangouts, and why F&B brands face a financial cliff as their core millennial customer base ages out.Selling Experiences, Not Just Screens: Why simply showing a live match on a television is no longer enough to attract customers, requiring score-prediction games, physical activities, and interactive social elements.Discipline Over Passion: A look at why long-term survival in the brutal F&B landscape requires rigid personal routines, strict operational frameworks, and business acumen over mere culinary creativity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Insider Trading: What You Don't Know Can Hurt You
4d ago00:34:06Tap to summarizeInsider trading seems straightforward, but it isn't. From overheard phone calls to presidential social media posts, the boundaries of what counts as illegal trading on non-public information are often misunderstood.Tune in to learn more about:Drawing the Line: What separates a perfectly legal share sale from insider trading, and why the moment of disclosure is everything.The Clever Crook: How insider information travels through layers of friends, cousins, and classmates.Does Size Matter? Whether small trades based on insider information still constitute an offence, and how prosecutors exercise discretion.Penalties and the Law: What the Securities Commission and AG can do if they suspect someone has conducted a trade deemed to be insider trading.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →The Hidden Cost of Messy Bookkeeping and How to Fix It
5d ago00:31:15Tap to summarizeSmall businesses may look organised on the surface. But behind the scenes, messy bookkeeping habits quietly accumulate, and the damage is often felt when it's too late.We discuss:The Hidden Cost: Why messy bookkeeping habits quietly accumulate into a liability only to surface at the worst possible moment. Why AI is Not The Answer: The three things every business must get right before reaching for any software or AI solutionBookkeeping Done Right: Best practices for building clean, documented, and future-proof financial processes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →What the Middle East Conflict Could Do to ASEAN's Growth
1w ago00:32:24Tap to summarizeASEAN economies are still growing, but cracks are forming. Inflation is rising, stagflation is possible, and intra-regional trade has barely budged in 30 years. What happens if the Middle East conflict drags on? And what will it finally take to boost intra-ASEAN trade?We discuss:Growth Outlook: Why AMRO is sticking to 4% growth even as energy prices climb and supply chains fray — and what could blow that off courseThe Stagflation Threat: What it would actually take for the region to tip into its worst growth-inflation combo since the Covid pandemicA Poly-Risk Crisis: The three biggest risks facing the ASEAN region now. The Integration Gap: Why intra-ASEAN trade has been stuck at 22% for decades, and what would it take to develop trade and investment among ASEAN economies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Quick Commerce: Why ASEAN Shoppers Choose Math Over Speed
1w ago00:39:45Tap to summarizeIn markets like China and India, quick commerce completely upended traditional retail, turning ultra-fast delivery into a daily necessity. But in Southeast Asia, the script is a lot messier. Despite having the logistics infrastructure ready to go, regional platforms face a unique bottleneck: local consumers consistently value financial savings over sheer speed.Weihan Chen, Head of Insights at Momentum Works, joins Enterprise Explores to unpack the realities of the hyper-local retail landscape. We decode why our dense networks of neighborhood mini-marts and grocery stores act as a highly efficient roadblock to app adoption, and why operators cannot simply copy-and-paste strategies across highly fragmented markets like Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand.We also discuss the structural "super app" advantage held by food delivery giants like Grab and FoodPanda utilising idle rider windows, how traditional brick-and-mortar brands are successfully integrating with apps to extend their physical radius, and the long-term path toward structural cost compression that platforms must achieve to survive without endless cash-burning subsidy wars.Tune in to learn more about:Defining Quick Commerce: How hyper-local fulfillment setups and dark stores differ from traditional, planned e-commerce hubs like Shopee or Lazada.The Offline Retail Roadblock: Why Southeast Asia's highly accessible brick-and-mortar landscape prevents the same structural gap that quick commerce filled in India and China.Six Fragmented Markets: A breakdown of regional realities, from Indonesia's mini-mart duopoly to Thailand's corporate distribution networks, and Malaysia's wide-open competitive space.The Math of Convenience: Why price-sensitive consumers view on-demand speed as an emergency backup rather than a daily default shopping habit.Structural Cost Compression: Moving beyond subsidy wars to optimise rider density, inventory placement, and overall basket sizes.The Super App Fleet Advantage: How established delivery platforms lower marginal costs by deploying riders to retail routes during non-meal hours.The Playbook for Consumer Brands: Why fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) brands are already in the channel by default, and how they should measure future allocation.Image credit: ShutterstockSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Is Your Company Ready for Gen Z?
1w ago00:30:06Tap to summarizeGen Z is entering the workforce in numbers, but are companies ready for them? Employers need to consider what this younger cohort wants and expects, from talent acquisition to retention.We discuss:The Workplace Gap: Why traditional structures and office-first cultures are clashing with Gen Z expectationsFlexibility vs. Salary: Pay comes first, but Gen Z brings many other considerations to the tableGenerational Collaboration: Why blending older and younger workers works best when you play to each generation's strengths rather than forcing uniformityRetention & Career Growth: Why Gen Z job-hops, and what businesses can do to keep young talent engagedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Productivity Stalling? Why HR May Be the Missing Link
2w ago00:34:25Tap to summarizeCan businesses really transform if the function responsible for their people hasn't evolved? As Malaysian companies pursue productivity gains, AI adoption, and workforce transformation, many still view HR as an administrative function. Malini Vijaya Rajah, Managing Director of PROMERITUS and HRCI Malaysia, joins us to explain why HR may be one of the most overlooked drivers of business performance. We explore the gap between traditional HR and strategic workforce leadership, and why "human capital strategy" could become a competitive advantage.We discuss:Beyond Payroll & Hiring: Why treating HR as a support function could be limiting productivity and slowing transformation efforts.The Transformation Blind Spot: Are companies investing in technology and automation while neglecting the workforce strategy needed to make them successful?Malaysia's Talent Challenge: Why skills shortages, employability concerns, and workforce readiness may be symptoms of deeper planning issues.AI Changes Everything: How HR's role is expanding from managing people to redesigning jobs, skills, and organisational capability.From HR to Business Partner: What separates strategic HR teams from the rest, and what leaders should be doing differently.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →The Energy Transition Conference 2026: Powering the Next Phase of Energy Transition
2w ago00:15:09Tap to summarizeAs Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digitalisation continue to reshape industries, the need for a smarter and more resilient energy ecosystem has never been greater. In this episode, Dato’ Ir. Muhamad Nazri Pazil, Senior Chief Strategy, Regulatory & Sustainability Officer at Tenaga Nasional Berhad, shares insights on the growing synergy between Energy and AI, and how ETCon26 is driving regional conversations on the future of energy transition across Malaysia and ASEAN.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcribe →Private Credit: Is It Right for Your Business?
3w ago00:33:54Tap to summarizePrivate credit has quietly become one of the fastest-growing corners of global finance, but most Malaysian business owners and investors have never heard of it. So what is it, how does it work, and is it right for you?We discuss:What it is: How it differs from bank loans and private equity, and why it exists at all.The Must-Knows: What providers look at before and what borrowers are actually signing up for.The Borrower's Checklist: What business owners need to understand about cost and structure before taking on private credit.When Is It Suitable: Private credit is expensive, but for business owners confident in their growth trajectory, the flexibility it offers may be worth the premium.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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