Video #23 - Malaysia: Multimedia Super Corridor
Wednesday, January 11, 2006BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The Malaysian government set up the Multimedia Development Corporation in 1996 to oversee the development of a Multimedia "Super Corridor" (trade zone). The idea was to make Malaysia a major production and service sector for high tech and multimedia industries. The corridor is located south of Kuala Lumpur and is 50 km long by 15 km wide. The MSC was set up with the goal of developing seven "flagship" applications:
- Electronic government with an automated administration/ paperless bureaucracy.
- Smart schools aimed at developing an IT literate society by 2020.
- Tele-health to modernize all aspects of health care and education.
- Research and development clusters to support the growth of future multimedia technology, pairing universities and corporations.
- A multipurpose smart card incorporating government information and payment applications to upgrade security and customer service. This card may serve as identification, credit card, phone card, driver's license, passport ATM card and health information.
- An E-Business initiative to create an environment to help MSC companies develop and grow.
- Technopreneur development aimed at the small and medium enterprises. This is intended to help smaller businesses develop world class information and communications technology through the MSC's resources.
According to the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (MIDA), one result of the MSC is that the number of the country's personal computers has increased by 150% in the last five years and the number of internet users has increased twenty-fold since 1996. Siemens Malaysia Sdn Bhd's President and Chief Executive Officer Rainer Althoff says the convenience of the MSC is one factor making the nation interesting to investors, along with a highly skilled workforce; room for expansion and relatively low operation costs. As of February, 2005, about 1187 companies and 41 institutions of higher learning were located within its boundaries.
Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said in September that outsourcing is estimated to become a $500 (US) billion global industry by 2008 and he wants Malaysia to be a key player in this development. Abdullah also noted that outsourcing operations are expected to be one of the largest sectors in the MSC, with operations for 49 foreign companies there already creating about 8,000 jobs. AT Kearney is reported to have listed Malaysia as "the third most attractive offshore location in terms of cost and skills behind India and China."
Prime Minister Badawi has said: "We don't know if Malaysia is going to be Asia's Silicon Valley or not, but we are working very hard. We cannot run away from competition. We have invested a lot and we must continue to do all we can to attract the best brains, the best talent to be involved in this industry."
SOURCES
"Sector 2: IT and Telecommunication," www.mgcc.com.my/mgcc/ Retrieved February 17, 2005. "Malaysia seeks to become Asia's top outsourcing centre," SpaceDaily, ( Agence France- Presse), September 1, 2004 .
"Multimedia Super Corridor," AllMalaysia.info. Retrieved February 22, 2005.
LESSON PLAN
GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:
10-12 grade Economics, International Relations, World History, Geography, International Baccalaureate Programs (IB), Current Events.
PURPOSE:
To present activities to be used in a variety of classroom situations in order to enhance student understanding of the Asian economy and its significance globally.
OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to:
- Describe the history of the MSC.
- Illustrate the development of the MSC.
- Evaluate the effect of the MSC in Malaysia's economy.
MATERIALS:
- Background information provided.
- Resources on Malaysia available at your school's Media Center and the Public Library System in your area.
- Background information available through Internet "search engines."
ACTIVITIES:
May be assigned as group activities or as individual tasks. They may also be designed as preparation for related presentations either by individuals or groups.
- Create a timeline illustrating important events in the development of the MSC.
- Use charts and graphs to evaluate the effect of the MSC on the Malaysian economy.
- Design a brochure advertising the benefits of the MSC for international investors.
- Write an editorial using the above information to support your views on the future role of the MSC on the Malaysian economy
EVALUATION:
Individual assignments should be graded by the teacher using established criteria.
Group activities, presentations and projects may be evaluated by teachers and students using the following criteria and scale: Content 1 = Superior (A) Creativity 2 = Excellent (B) Clarity 3 = Good (C) 4 = Fair (D) 5 = Poor (F)
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