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Many among those looking
to do business online, or via
the Internet, may still have
doubts about its market poten-
tial in this country.
Some of them might also be
worried about competition,
with the increasing popularity
of online businesses.
However, the truth is oppor-
tunities still abound for those
wishing to become online en-
trepreneurs, considering that
only 10% of the online market
has been tapped so far.
That means 90% of the mar-
ket is still there for the taking
for those keen to take their
business online, said Bryan
Gan, who is the marketing
trainer for a Facebook online
business programme called
“Fesbuk Power”.
He noted that only 5% of the
1.2 million small-time entre-
preneurs use the online me-
dium as a business channel.
“Of this 5%, not all will be
successful, as their success will
depend on their marketing
methods and creativity in play-
ing up their products to con-
sumers,” Gan told Bernama.
Gan said social networ-king
site, Facebook, is the most pow-
erful medium at the moment
for marketing, since the site
has the largest number of users
worldwide.
In Malaysia, from a total of 13
million Facebook users, about
25%-30%areboundtopurchase
products sold online.
“This figure is expected to go
up from time to time, as people
are also beginning to be more
confident about making online
purchases,” Gan stated.
“Nevertheless, it also de-
pends on the marketing strate-
gy entrepreneurs adopt to con-
vince consumers that their
purchases will be smooth and
secure,” he pointed out.
Traders who want to start
conducting their businesses on-
line would need to first identify
the products they want to sell.
Then they can sign up for a Fa-
cebook account and start mar-
keting their products, Gan ex-
plained. To be even more
effective, they should also con-
sider opening a website or blog
to provide more information
about their products.
“Do not be disappointed if
the account fails to record a
high number of “likes”, as what
is more important is consum-
ers’ desire to make purchases,”
he said.
Gan, who is also the
founder of a fragrance product,
“Scarf Perfume”, which he sells
online, said entrepreneurs
could gain much from going
the online way, particularly if
they know how to use the
available technologies and
adopt the right marketing
strategy.
Unlike the conventional way,
conducting business online
will also cut down costs for
traders, since no costs will be
incurred for renting a business
premise or paying salaries to
workers. Simply with the right
equipment, the business can be
operated from home, which
can cut down time and costs.
“However, entrepreneurs
must first study the market be-
fore spending money on devel-
oping a product in order to
avoid any losses,” Gan said.
Besides, with just a tap of
their fingertips, entrepreneurs
can explore online a wider
market within a very short
period of time. — Bernama
by Linda Archibald
Small and medium enter-
prises (SMEs) in Asean mem-
ber countries can and should
ride on the Asean Korean Free-
Trade Agreement (AKFTA) to
grow their businesses and
market share.
“With AKTFA ratifications,
it is imperative for the Asean
members of state SMEs to har-
ness the potential business op-
portunities by having greater
understanding of the impor-
tant information on regulatory
requirements, benefits and op-
portunities arising from the
FTA agreement,” says SME
Corp CEO Datuk Hafsah
Hashim (picture).
Through the years, the trade
volume between Korea and
Asean member countries has
increased persistently with to-
tal trade amounting to US$124
billion (RM390.6 billion) in
2011, ranking the republic six
out of 10 major trading part-
ners in the region.
“Leveraging on that poten-
tial and creating better eco-
nomic climate and liberalising
trade barriers, the AKFTA was
signed for goods in 2006 and
for trade in services in 2007
while in August 2009, Asean
and Korea signed an agree-
ment on investment,” she
said.
In the region, Hafsah add-
ed, Korea has been one of the
economic powerhouses of
Asia with the amount of
RM3.08 trillion trading value
globally in 2011. According to
Korean International Trade
Association, Asean has been
the third-largest trading part-
ner, investment destination
and the second-largest con-
struction market besides the
Middle East.
Korean SMEs which account
for 99.9% of its enterprises and
contribute 88% to its employ-
ment with 47.6% production
rate have been resilient with a
strong foundation to economic
advancement of the economy.
Products and services from
Korean SMEs complement big
conglomerates paving the way
for them to establish them-
selves as the major global force
in electronics, heavy engineer-
ing, creative technologies as
well as multimedia.
She added that apart from
the technology and innovation,
Korea has begun to tap into
their entertainment and cul-
tural strength as one of the
best-selling products from
their local industry.
Hafsah said the Asean-Ko-
rea SME Conference 2013
(AKSC 2013) which begins to-
day at Kuala Lumpur Conven-
tion Centre is an impetus to-
wards growing the SME
market potential in Asean
countries and Korea alike.
In a recent weekly publica-
tion, Hafsah estimated that
this year’s business matching
sessions at the conference are
expected to generate potential
sales valued approximately
RM300 million, compared to
last year’s RM278 million.
The two-day conference, co-
organised by Malaysia’s Min-
istry of International Trade
and Industry (MITI), SME
Corp and Korea’s Small and
Medium Business Corp, is rid-
ing on the reputable SME An-
nual Showcase — SMIDEX
(June 12-14) hosted at the same
venue.
The first day’s morning ses-
sion sets the tone with AKFTA
participating member states
discussing the potential eco-
nomic growth, market oppor-
tunities and trade liberalisa-
tiontobederivedfromAKFTA,
and how businesses from
among the countries who are
signatories to AKFTA can lev-
erage on potential trade oppor-
tunities in Korea.
The panel of speakers to be
featured here include repre-
sentatives from the Korean In-
ternational Trade Association,
representatives from the inter-
national chambers of com-
merce from Asean member
states, and Korean Embassy’s
Minister and Consul General
Yoon Sang Soo.
The keynote address will be
delivered by Korean Ministry
of Trade, Industry and Energy
DG Dr Toh Kyung-hwan,
while Malaysia’s high-profile
former minister of MITI Tan
Sri Rafidah Aziz, who now is
at the helm of AirAsia X Sdn
Bhd as its chairman, will also
be delivering a paper.
The first day session culmi-
nates with a sharing on valu-
able insights innovation and
how SMES in the region can
capitalise on this for their
businesses. The panelists in-
clude Thailand’s Small and
Medium Enterprise Promo-
tion deputy DG of office Dr
Wimonkan Kasumas, MPDA
Global Co Ltd CEO and found-
er Won Sangho and Singa-
pore’s HistoIndex Pte Ltd MD
Dr Dean Tai.
The second day will com-
mence at the Exhibition Halls,
with a business matching ses-
sion followed by a tour of SMI-
DEX 2013, and then a Pocket
Talk.
AftertheNetworkingLunch,
participants will adjourn to the
conference for a presentation
of SME success stories from
across Asia and Korea featu-
ring Philippines’ Hi Las Mar-
keting Corp’s president Rober-
to Amores, Korea’s Mirtec Co
Ltd’s CEO Pak Chan Wha and
Thailand’s Tao Kae Noi Pte Ltd
founder and MD Aitthipat Ku-
lapongvanich.
Before the day culminates
with closing remarks from
Hafsah, the participants will
get a glimpse into the booming
creative industry in Korea and
the budding Malaysian crea-
tive industry, who’s been learn-
ing from their big brothers in
Korea.
The panelists here include
Korea Tourism Organisation
MD Yun Jaeyin, Creative Con-
tent Association of Malaysia’s
CEO Datuk Mohd Mahyidin
Mustakim and Korea Creative
Content Agency researcher Lee
Yang-hwan.
SMIDEX, which has been
running as an annual land-
mark event for 16 years now,
highlights the capabilities of
Malaysian SMES in offering
products, services and tech-
nologies for the global
market.
The theme for this year’s
SMIDEX event “SMEs Chang-
ing the Game” was chosen in
line with the launch of the
SME Master Plan 2012-2020,
which has been dubbed by
Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Mohd Najib Razak as the
“Game Changer”.
To date, almost 400 have
confirmed participation in the
conference with companies ac-
counting for more than half of
the participants, while over 50
international businesses and
agencies, and over 50 members
from the academia. The rest
are representatives from gov-
ernment agencies and financial
institutions.
The participants at the con-
ference also include 30 Korean
delegates and about 30 dele-
gates from Asean member
states. SMIDEX is expected to
draw 15,000 visitors this year.
Asean SMEs can leverage on AKFTA
Many bosses find themselves
in leadership positions without
ever having consciously made
the choice of becoming a lead-
er, let alone a great leader.
The “Peter Principle”,
(named after it’s originator L
Peter) states that in modern or-
ganisations, most bosses rise to
the level of their least compe-
tence, like the specialist (eg ac-
countant, engineer, lawyer etc)
who is so good at their craft
that they get promoted to a
management position in
“charge of people” without
having mastered any real lead-
ership skills. And then they
bomb. It’s not their fault, they
were promoted into the posi-
tion with little or no training or
mentoring...it’s sink or swim.
In some cases GlobalEvent
Asia came across, well inten-
tioned promises of leadership
development,coachingormen-
toring were made to the leader
when they were appointed,
only to fall by the wayside be-
cause more pressing business
matters crowded out the hours
in the new leader’s day.
If you are in this position, or
you know someone who is
(your boss?), helpful advice is
available. Just read on...
Developing High
Performance Leadership
Like a captain of a sporting
team or a general of an army,
leaders need to innovate, in-
spire, excite or provide a clear
vision to others. They hold and
believe in a vision and just as
importantly, have the self-be-
lief and conviction to commu-
nicate it to others. Furthermore,
leaders do not have definitive
characteristics. Some inspire
and organise, whereas others
are strategic or tactical, spot
opportunities or protect
against disaster.
Leadership is a journey of
discovery. It is the expression
of a person at his or her best
whose aim is to transform
something for the better and
to develop this potential in
others. It is not a solitary pur-
suit but one that harnesses the
energy of those around you.
A manager can implement
processes, monitor perform-
ance, set business goals and
objectives and generally take
care of the day-to-day needs
of their staff. However
achieving authentic leader-
ship takes more than text-
book management skills.
No one can argue that a
great leader can boost an or-
ganisation’s growth and per-
formance in much the same
way a poor leader can run one
into the ground. But what
makes a leader effective or in-
effective is a more nebulous
concept to pin down.
What Makes a Good
Leader?
The leadership qualities that
are required to make a good
high performance leader can
vary in different companies,
teams and situations.
According to Jim Kouzes,
author of the best-seller “The
Leadership Challenge,” the
qualities that make an effective
leader have two distinct per-
spectives: what followers look
for and what research from the
past few decades has shown.
1) People want a leader who’s
honest, trustworthy and has
integrity;
2) They want someone who is
forward-looking, who has a vi-
sion of the future, foresight and
thinks about the long-term;
3) People want a leader who
is competent, has expertise,
knows what they’re doing; and
4) A leader who is inspiring,
dynamic, energetic, optimistic
and positive about the future.
Leadership Styles
of High Performance
Leaders
Globalbusinessleadersareover-
reliant on a single leadership
style (coercive style), demotivat-
ing employees and holding back
organisational performance as a
result, says new research from
globalmanagementconsultancy
Hay Group.
As reported by The Economic
Times of India on April 4, 2013,
the study is based on an analy-
sis of Hay Group’s Leadership
Styles and Organisational Cli-
mate data, covering 95,000
leaders in over 2,200 organisa-
tions across the world. Some
people have one style of leader-
ship, which is fine if they can
find a situation that requires
that style of leadership.
Flexible leadership, however,
involves being able to adapt
your leadership style according
to the situation and the state of
the team — eg: taking charge
when a team is forming but
playingtheroleofcoachwhena
team is managing itself well.
Also, the need to change
one’s leadership style accord-
ing to the circumstances is one
of the fundamental principles
underlying popular models
such as Situational Leadership
(developed by Blanchard and
Hersey in the late 1960s).
Havingsaidthat,thecoercive
or autocratic style of leadership
is the least successful of all. It
wouldbeagoodideatodevelop
a more involving style that
gives you the benefit of ex-
change with and commitment
from the people around you.
This approach is especially use-
ful to people within positions
like yours who, by definition,
can’t tell others what to do (very
often) and get away with it.
If you have not learned the
skills of working cooperatively
with others in ways that allow
them to see you as a leader, then
learn those skills. If you find
yourself dictating direction to
peoplewhoregularlyresistyour
well-intentioned efforts, then
learn more participatory skills.
When you have the skills, you
can call on them. Without them,
you are stuck with doing what
you have done in the past, and
you will get similar results.
Conclusion
For Asian’s budding leaders to
compete with the world’s best,
senior managers need to em-
brace the latest techniques of
human leadership develop-
ment. The price of not doing so
will create plenty of managers,
but very few leaders.
Finally, remember: Leader-
ship is a journey, not some-
thing that can be learned on a
five-day training course. It
requires time and reflection.
This article is contributed
by Professor Sattar Bawany
who will be delivering his
talk in this upcoming
Leadership Master Class
seminar on July 3, 2013,
Seri Pacific Hotel, Kuala
Lumpur, with other
distinguished international
speakers to add to the
impact as well: Paul Dunn,
Karen Schmidt and Laurenz
Koehler, all of them focusing
on High Performance
Leadership. Please visit
www.globaleventasia.com
for further information.
Achieving high performance
leadership the global way
Asean-Korea SME
Conference
participants to draw
from S. Korean
success stories
A L L B U S I N E S S D A I L Y
24 • WEDNESDAY • JUNE 12, 2013
Enterprise
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
Online business
potential remains
largely untapped
Prof Sattar
Bawany
www.smecorp.gov.my