What is so unique about CEDAR ?
The Editor ’ s Quill
Riding High on the Halal Waves
Imagine getting a tiny slice of what turns out to be US $ 2.1 trillion industry . That ’ s what the global halal economy is estimated to be worth and certainly no farsighted entrepreneurs would wish to miss such boat . Given its strategic location , we at the ACE magazine believe that countries in the Southeast Asian region have vast potential not only in tapping the abundance of opportunities but also to serve as a global halal gateway or hub .
We start the ball rolling by featuring Malaysia ’ s experience in harnessing the halal economy and how the country is able to position itself as a halal centre of excellence that comes complete with stringent adherence standards .
In essence , the halal industry in Malaysia today covers food and nonfood products , including pharmaceuticals , health products , medical devices , cosmetics and toiletries . Meanwhile , services within the industry include logistics , packaging , branding & marketing , printed & electronic media , banking , insurance and travel & tourism .
Elsewhere , we take a peep into the recently staged World Halal Week exposition in Kuala Lumpur which attracted participants from 70 countries as well obtaining a bird ’ s-eye view on how halal tourism is emerging as an economic sector ripe for tapping by small and medium enterprises ( SMEs ) in the Southeast Asian region .
On the same note , we caught up with three non-Muslim ASEAN countries , namely Thailand , the Philippines and Singapore to observe how they take a plunge into the lucrative halal trade .
In our regular “ Expat Entrepreneur section ”, we tour Cambodia while sharing the various business-cum-living tips for a would-be entrepreneur to co-exist with the local community .
Inevitably , there will be growing pains for anyone who sets up shop in Phnom Penh because the Khmer government is still laying down the groundwork for everyone to play fair and get the best deal out of everything . However , the most gratifying news may be that local rules allow businesses to be fully owned by foreign investors and the relatively ease of moving money in and out of the country .
Last but certainly not the least , we introduce a new segment by embarking on a journey to uncover success stories from ASEAN-wide SMEs . We kickstart our journey by unveiling the ASEAN tourism edge where we touch base with the key drivers and enablers , and watch how they shape the industry that they operate in .
Roy Chen Editor
What is so unique about CEDAR ?
• CEDAR is an outcome-based coaching outfit that is very focussed on entrepreneur development as its flagship programme and does not represent the generic training centres that offer menu-driven business-development courses .
• CEDAR develops its unique but proven entrepreneur development programmes based on its widebased industry research and market findings , as well as case studies .
• CEDAR complements the role of the SME Bank Malaysia in extending its intervention services through the conduct of various programmes that are customised and mapped against the matrix of the SMEs , based on the latter ’ s stages of growth , market-cycle , businesssizes , as well as the industries they are involved . It employs the 7 Stages of Entrepreneur Development Roadmap .
• CEDAR ’ s intervention services span from the point of ideation and extend beyond the point of commercialisation over a period of 12-24 months , focussing on each entrepreneur ’ s initiatives , with the objective of realising their business success and sustaining their growth in an all-encompassing and meaningful manner .
ISSUE 2 : 2016 | ASEAN COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURS 9