Commentary

How creativity can solve SMEs' woes

This is a season where much focus is placed on SMEs again. At SME events and through the media, we hear various ministers speak of plans to help SMEs. Besides monetary assistance through the Budget, what do SMEs really need to raise productivity and value?

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How creativity can solve SMEs' woes

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Trade Associations and Chambers must stay nimble and neutral to truly benefit members

More help for small and medium businesses (SMBs) – that was a ringing hymn from the chorus of trade associations and chambers (TACs), as each offered their own stanza of suggestions to steer Singapore through a more uncertain future, since the national Budget was unveiled in March.

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Drive, data, and disruption: Who would make the transition?

Would the functional manager/director of today be ready to become a C-suite leader of tomorrow?

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The rise of Singapore's contingent workforce, and what it means for talent attraction

Economic uncertainly is pushing more employers towards increasing their contingent workforce, so what does this mean for talent attraction?

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Even a small salary increase could be your best business expense

Businesses have many assets that contribute to the growth and competitive advantages of the company, but none are more important than its human capital. Every night the human resources that drive the productivity of a company walk out the door and in the morning they choose to come back. Business owners and leaders that are conscious of this choice understand that employees need to be treated well enough that they continue to contribute the majority of their waking hours to greater good of the company.

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Singapore hotels keeping up with the changing business travel experience

The latest Asian Business Travellers report commissioned by the Singapore Tourism Board finds that Asian corporate travellers desire and expect more autonomy. Rather than relying on personal secretaries, many of them are taking ownership of their own travel itineraries and are more comfortable with personally managing their travel.

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Temporary workers may hold the key to alleviating Singapore's skills shortages

According to a recent Hays survey, 40 percent of candidates in Singapore are now more open to temporary/contract work than they were in recent years.

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Managing healthcare inflation in Singapore

At the official opening of Farrer Park Hospital on March 16, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said that as Singapore's population increases in age, the private healthcare sector must offer services at a lower cost to meet their needs. He called on private hospitals to upgrade their IT systems in order to provide improved services.

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7 success lessons your degree failed to teach you

Recently, a friend of mine had the good fortune to meet Grace Ho, Chief Commercial Officer of SingPost, through a mentorship and networking session organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) for Professionals, Managers, and Executives (PMEs) under its Future Leaders programme.

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The basics of Employee Share Option Plans (ESOPs) in Singapore

In Singapore, start-ups compete for talent with multinationals and cannot offer large paychecks compared to their large competitors. Recruiting the right talent and retaining motivated talent is vital for any company that seeks to innovate.

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When technology could stifle transformation

I met the CEO of a SME business in Singapore recently and he lamented that new technology pilot projects don't always seem to result in enhanced productivity or business returns. At the same time, a number of mature professionals I meet at U Future Leaders Series have expressed lack of hope for their own careers in the current phase of transformation since they feel it is all about cutting-edge technology, a space beyond many of their comfort zone.

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Should wealth managers recommend Bitcoin?

Of all the alternative investments out there, should Singaporean investors start badgering their wealth managers to start buying up Bitcoin?

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The greener future of Asia's aviation sector

Singapore just played host to yet another successful installation of the Singapore Airshow 2016 with some 50 deals inked, out of which 10 carried a total value of US$12.3 billion.

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At the crossroad of digital transformation and disruption

With the proliferation of devices and rapid improvement in infrastructure, Singapore, along with the rest of Asia, is at the crossroad of digital transformation and disruption. No other region is developing quite as quickly when it comes to the adoption of new technologies and innovation. This has brought a lot of attention to apps and technology that connect users, information, and devices.

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Work-life balance: Solution or curse?

The rhetoric on whether a work-life balance for Singaporeans is sustainable has been hotly debated. In some sectors, it has leveraged better staff retention, increased productivity, and enhanced career growth but at what cost? High stress levels, long working hours, decreased family time, and marital strife are some of the consequences highlighted by this paradigm shift in work-centric Singapore.

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Singapore needs a Bounce-Back Budget for 2016

"I believe in the notion of a trampoline." That metaphor was all it took for Singapore’s deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam to encapsulate Singapore’s approach toward fostering socio-economic resilience in her population. The robust exchange with BBC’s Stephen Sackur happened at last year’s St Gallen Symposium in Switzerland, which theme was fittingly dubbed "Proudly Small", as if conference organisers were tipping their hat toward how big of an influence this Little Red Dot has become.

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