Commentary

This morning, I woke up from the smell of haze smoke; my throat went dry and my eyes become uncomfortable. Last night (19 Jun 2013), Singapore reached the PSI (Pollutant Standards Index) level of 321, the worst so far in the history of my country.

Anthony was given the task of doubling the sales target of his region again this year.  He has been doubling his team's sales targets consecutively for the past 3 years, that everyone thought he is a Superman. 

As emerging markets in Asia continue to open up, global corporates are increasingly looking for ways to penetrate the region,and are developing strategies around how they can capitalise on growing consumer spending power in this market.

As one of the easiest places to do business in the world according to World Bank reports, Singapore has a reputable track record of pro-business regulations and investor-friendly policies. This signals Singapore’s emergence as a global business hub that continues to attract multinational corporations (MNCs) to set up operations in the country.

As the Singapore Government tightens its policy on foreign labour in light of public dissatisfaction over high costs of living and immigration, Singapore is shifting its economic growth from being manpower-driven to one of sustained productivity improvement.

Recently, the Acting Manpower Minister of Singapore made a speech about work ethic.  He said, "The best form of welfare is work, because the dignity that comes with work is very important.  To be able to provide for your own family, to stand on your own two feet, I think there's a value that comes from that that public assistance cannot replace."

The recent MasterCard Global Destination Cities index showing Thailand rising to the top of the ranks as a tourist destination is both good and bad for Singapore. On the positive side of the ledger, international travel numbers are strong, and are growing at a good rate. Asia is a preferred destination. People are looking for the experiences we can provide. But, on the other side, competition is increasing—and Singapore, as a high-end destination must look for ways to keep ahead of the curve.

We present a noteworthy solution to busting a mid-career slump or breaking the salary glass ceiling.

The use of paper in business for records and correspondence will start declining within five years, and become entirely redundant in 10. This was the bold claim that appeared in the 1975 edition of BusinessWeek where the paperless office concept was first introduced.

Graduate recruitment programmes are run by employers who want to secure the best and brightest talent, as this comes available from universities around the world. Programmes usually focus on exposing graduates to numerous parts of the business (although this is not always the case) and giving them the opportunity to move and grow within their organisation. The benefits for the employers are significant as many graduates go on to be strong leaders.

In these competitive times in Singapore and the region, it’s not enough for marketers to just build brand awareness. In a study of CEOs and decision makers by Fournaise Marketing Group, 73% of them said that CMOs lack the ability to grow their organisations’ top line in terms of more customer demand, more sales, more prospects, more conversions or more market share. Also, 77% had issues with all the talk about brand equity that can't be linked to actual firm equity or any other financial metric.

If you have been working in Singapore for a while, some of these information might not come as a surprise for you. But for those who are just joining the workforce after graduation or starting out work in Singapore as a foreign talent, these 5 interesting facts may offer you a glimpse of what to expect at your workplace!

The results from International Institute for Management Development (IMD) 25th Anniversary World Competitiveness Rankings should send a chill down every Singaporeans' heart. With reference to The World Competitiveness Scoreboard 2013 which ranked economies from the most to the least competitive, Singapore has fallen from 4th to 5th position (2012 rankings are in brackets). We have long been proud of our Little Red Dot's economical achievement in the global arena despite our physical limitations but are we still as competitive as we should be? Why did our competitiveness drop? Is this a temporary concern or a sign of long-term decline? Please click here to view The World Competitiveness Scorebaord 2013

There's no dispute about the desirability of work-life balance. Without it, health and relationships suffer, stress levels soar, and work productivity falters. There's plenty of research to illustrate these ill-effects.

The recent video of the supervisor hitting an intern in a local SME generated much reactions and responses. For such a thing to happen here in Singapore came as a shock to many. Some of the reactions and responses were quite tempered while the majority were quite emotional. What was your response when you first saw that video? How did you feel? What if you were the one at the receiving end of that abuse? What would you have done?

For Singaporean companies looking to expand, China remains one of the most attractive markets in our region and should be on every company’s watch list. This year a glut of university graduates seeking jobs provides an opportunity available to all companies but Singaporean companies have a head start.