COMPANY BACKGROUND Sime Darby Berhad was created in 2007 by the merger of three large companies in Malaysia consisting of Sime, Darby Co. Limited, Guthrie and Golden Hope. Originally, all three companies were involved in the commercial plantations of Malaysia. Sime, Darby Co Limited was initially involved in the rubber industry. The company later expanded into palm oil and cocoa cultivation and achieved great success. The Guthrie Company was the first British trading company in Southeast Asia. They introduced rubber and palm oil to Malaysia. Golden Hope Plantations Berhad was a tea and coffee trading company. Then, they purchased some small properties in Malaysia and merged them to form Golden Hope Rubber Estates. It is one of the largest companies on Bursa Malaysia with a market capitalization of RM57.6 billion (US$17.4 billion) as of June 2013. It is also listed in Forbes magazine's Global Leading Companies of 2000 list at number 598 The company also manages to rank at number 666 in sales, 588 in earnings, 1307 in assets and 658 in market value. Sime Darby has five main businesses which include plantations, real estate, industrial, motors and energy, and utilities. In addition to its five core businesses, the company also operates in the healthcare, aerospace and utility industries. The company is involved in the property development sector in eight countries, namely Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, People's Republic of China, Australia and the United Kingdom. Sime Darby's real estate division is well known for elite township projects in the Klang Valley such as KLGCC, Ara Damansara and Subang Jaya, as well as in other states, for example Taman Pasir Putih in Pasir Gudang, Johor and Bandar Ainsdale in Seremban , ...... middle of paper ...... with both local and global companies.2. Political Risks Politics can be recognized as a threat as it can easily change some business rules which could have a negative effect on the company.3. Bad EconomyA bad economy can harm businesses by decreasing the number of potential customers. When the economic situation is bad, people will not want to buy property as they have less income and will only spend their money on more important things.REFERENCES1. Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sime_Darby2. The Star Online, http://www.thestar.com.my/Business/Business-News/2014/05/09/Phase-2-of-Msian-driven-Battersea-property-project-95pc-sold/3. Forbes Online, http://www.forbes.com/companies/sime-darby/4. Sime Darby Property Website, http://www.simedarbyproperty.com/1006280810%C2%BBAbout_Us.aspx 5. Sime Darby Annual Report 2013