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Full-Text Articles in Business
Chilling A Hot Planet: Many Solutions, No Answers, Knowledge@Smu
Chilling A Hot Planet: Many Solutions, No Answers, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Rising temperatures and massive environmental catastrophes should rightly bring about greater emphases on climate change issues. Yet, there is much inertia due to disagreements amongst world leaders on emission curbs and their ensuing economic impact. A panel of speakers at the recent Social Sciences and Humanities Seminar on climate change discussed the various approaches taken by governments as such issues feature increasingly not just in political chatter, but also, in security assessment.
Social Renaissance: When Governments, Businesses And Society Collaborate, Knowledge@Smu
Social Renaissance: When Governments, Businesses And Society Collaborate, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
It would neither be appropriate nor reasonable to apply conventional thinking to new and increasingly complex social issues. Creative thinking and innovation, more often associated with arts and technology, can bring great value to the social sector. Best of all, it can, all at once, address public, private and social sector challenges. Speaking at the Lien Centre for Social Innovation's Social iCon 2011 conference, Geoff Mulgan, chief executive of UK's National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, shared insights on social innovation can create win-win solutions.
Read Leadership Books. Become A Leader., Knowledge@Smu
Read Leadership Books. Become A Leader., Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Leadership books, be it biographies or self-help books, often present "leadership" as something achievable by any common person through diligence, skills, and, of course, luck, if only to sell the hope and magic that such power can sometimes come out of nothing. In 'How to Lead', author Jo Owen frames this 'luck' as 'context' – a meeting of 'skills' and 'performance' at the right place and at the right time.
Opportunities And Challenges For The Asset Management Industry, Knowledge@Smu
Opportunities And Challenges For The Asset Management Industry, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Singapore, with its open economy and stable business environment, is host to some of the world's largest asset management companies. It has been observed, however, that local asset management firms are lagging far behind; somehow unable to capitalise on the same opportunities available to the global giants. Speaking at a conference organised by SMU's Centre for Asset Securitisation and Management in Asia, a panel of industry experts shared their views on what it would take to get both local and Asia-based firms into the big league.
Designing A More Efficient And Fairer Tax System, Knowledge@Smu
Designing A More Efficient And Fairer Tax System, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
A competent tax system should meet an economy's fiscal needs, but that cannot exist without a tax design that understands, pre-empts, and ultimately shapes human behaviours. Drawing from the UK's Mirrlees Review, Richard Blundell, research director at the London-based Institute of Fiscal Studies, delivered a lecture at Singapore Management University's School of Economics on the principles of the tax reform, and the challenges that await governments in formulating a coherent and economically efficient tax structure.
Singapore: Building A Future Without Cheap Oil, Knowledge@Smu
Singapore: Building A Future Without Cheap Oil, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Singapore’s past success at building a world-class economy launched on the back of a hugely successful oil refining and trading system could count for little as it confronts the threats of the increasing scarcity and cost of energy supply. In a book commissioned by the International Trading Institute@SMU, 'Singapore, The Energy Economy: From The First Refinery To The End Of Cheap Oil, 1960 to 2010', author Ng Weng Hoong argues that Singapore’s single-minded focus on growing the economy while assuming that the supply of energy and natural resources will always be cheap and plentiful leaves the city-state increasingly vulnerable and …
Cloud Computing: Low Cost High-Rise Living For Small And Medium Businesses, Knowledge@Smu
Cloud Computing: Low Cost High-Rise Living For Small And Medium Businesses, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The proposition that one can cut costs whilst increasing operation efficiencies should be music to the ears for all business owners. Yet, many are adopting a wait-and-see approach to cloud computing - a scalable information technology service that supports a wide range of computing needs, and at the same time, minimises the burdens of IT ownership, maintenance and management. Speaking at a UOB-SMU Entrepreneurship Alliance Centre seminar, IT services entrepreneur Moonshi Mohsenruddin offered tips and pointers on how businesses may harness the power and efficiencies of operating on the cloud.
Supporting Global Metals Markets: The Role Of The London Metals Exchange, Knowledge@Smu
Supporting Global Metals Markets: The Role Of The London Metals Exchange, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Most people would expect automobiles and electronics, comprised of many important metal parts, to be sold at relatively stable prices. Little do consumers appreciate, however, the backend market mechanisms that keep these prices stable. A prospective car buyer does not have to monitor his or her dream car's daily price fluctuations, for example, precisely because the parts that go into its manufacture maintain steady prices. This is, in part, the doing of metal exchanges that regulate the demand and supply of metals. Liz Milan, managing director of the London Metals Exchange Asia, explained this and more at a seminar organised …
No Fear: Leadership, "Digital Cowboys" And The "Playstation Generation", Knowledge@Smu
No Fear: Leadership, "Digital Cowboys" And The "Playstation Generation", Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
In the book, 'No Fear: Business Leadership in the Age of Digital Cowboys', author and Finnish entrepreneur Pekka Viljakainen gives his take on the skills required of future leaders, who have to manage the hordes of young adults who grew up with mobile phones, game consoles and the internet. Viljakainen argues, through personal and gathered anecdotes, that the best way to manage the "digital cowboys" of the "PlayStation generation" is to inspire and empower. To do that, a leader needs to be fearless, and to be "where the battle rages".
Measuring Social Networks For Real-Time Competitive Advantage, Knowledge@Smu
Measuring Social Networks For Real-Time Competitive Advantage, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Social networks offer up a goldmine of information. Save for privacy concerns, it has never before been easier for researchers to understand the needs and wants of their subjects or to examine links between the likes and dislikes of connected individuals. Going beyond the report of human quirks over the internet, however, web 2.0 data has practical uses too, especially for professionals in finance and marketing. At the 3rd International Conference on Social Informatics, hosted by SMU's School of Information Systems, academics discussed the hurdles and real-world benefits of data mining.
Predictions For Protection: A System To Measure And Detect Asset Bubbles, Knowledge@Smu
Predictions For Protection: A System To Measure And Detect Asset Bubbles, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Millions of lives can be ruined with the bursting of economic bubbles. Just in the past two decades alone, the world has had the misfortune of witnessing two such incidents; first with the dot-com burst, and then most recently, with the housing and sub-prime crisis that led to a global recession. While there is reportedly no cure for the greed, economists have made strides to identify and predict bubbles – thereby paving the way for institutional stopgaps that could well prevent a financial crisis.
Leadership In A Multinational Corporation: Going Beyond Stereotypes And Expectations, Knowledge@Smu
Leadership In A Multinational Corporation: Going Beyond Stereotypes And Expectations, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Leadership can be complex, especially for highly diverse, multicultural teams. Yet, there are several principles that translate well across spaces and time. Fabio Landazabal, vice president and regional director for GlaxoSmithKline Asia Pacific, has held various leadership positions all across the world. He outlines some leadership traits that he believes are essential for multinational organisations at a Wee Kim Wee Centre CEO Talk for students.
Growing In Asia: P&G Turns To Market Research, Knowledge@Smu
Growing In Asia: P&G Turns To Market Research, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
There are many ways to grow a business in a competitive market. For Procter & Gamble, the parent company of renowned brands such as Gillette, Olay and Pampers, strategic innovation through market research is crucial. To succeed in Asia, however, the company will have to get creative, says Medhee Jarumaneeroj, P&G Asia's male grooming marketing and external relations lead at a SMU Centre of Marketing Excellence lecture.
Ingredients For Creating And Sustaining Growth For The Long Term, Knowledge@Smu
Ingredients For Creating And Sustaining Growth For The Long Term, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
It is easy to grow. Just buy a rival. However, this is a strategy fraught with risks and not all organisations are in the rightly suited to grow this way. Philip Zerrillo, a professor of marketing at the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, explains the thought process and ways by which organisations can try to grow and do so for the longer term.
What The Future Holds For Higher Education In Singapore, Knowledge@Smu
What The Future Holds For Higher Education In Singapore, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Higher education in Singapore needs to do more than meet the needs and aspirations of both Singaporeans and the economy. At a Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics Public Lecture Series held at the Singapore Management University, Singapore President Tony Tan espoused a future where Singapore's tertiary institutions can play a greater role, not just in grooming a viable workforce, but also, in nurturing a compassionate and civic-minded citizenry.
Growing Singapore's Funny Bone: Laughing In The Face Of Dangers, Pitfalls And Politicians, Knowledge@Smu
Growing Singapore's Funny Bone: Laughing In The Face Of Dangers, Pitfalls And Politicians, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Is Singapore the funniest country in the world? Yes, according to Mr. Brown, perhaps the country's most prolific satirist, and (un)officially, the 'Emeritus Senior Blogfather of Singapore'. Despite several run-ins with censors and authorities, the self-professed 'social media junkie' believes he has an important national duty to inform and entertain. Speaking to an amused crowd at a Wee Kim Wee Lunchtime Talk, Mr. Brown talked about his humble beginnings and where he finds inspiration for his brand of comedy.
Inspiring Change: The Roles Of Women And Their Communities, Knowledge@Smu
Inspiring Change: The Roles Of Women And Their Communities, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Change never seems to come fast enough for the hungry and oppressed, yet 'change', when hurried, is often shallow and fraught with casualties. So rather than indulging in fantasies of revolutionary and sweeping social upheavals, two luminary speakers at the Wee Kim Wee Centre’s second 'Women in the Community' conference argue the virtues of patience and persistence. Through anecdotes of their personal struggles in a 'white man's world', author RJ Rozan and political activist Wu Qing present a case for 'change' that is both sustained and sustaining.
How The Mindless Growth Mantra Of Modern Economics Is Failing Us, Knowledge@Smu
How The Mindless Growth Mantra Of Modern Economics Is Failing Us, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
As the world ponders the possibility of yet another global recession, one economist has offered up, instead, a critical view of the fundamental flaws within a system so caught up with consumption that a second wave recession would seem more intentional than unnerving. In 'The End of Progress: How modern economics has failed us', author Grame Maxton takes readers through a re-examination of 'the invisible hand' and puts forth several radical ideas for how the world economy may repair itself.
Global Brand Alignment: Finding And Guarding 'The Force', Knowledge@Smu
Global Brand Alignment: Finding And Guarding 'The Force', Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Branding, done right, can bolster the bottom-line and even turn a floundering company's fortunes around. Running a good brand campaign can, however, be tricky - especially when it involves connecting with audiences all around the world. Sharing their experiences with localising world renowned names, industry practitioners at the Brand Finance Singapore Forum 2011 treaded the tight rope between strong brand guardianship and adaptability.
For A Competitive Edge In Services, Invest In The Right People And Processes, Knowledge@Smu
For A Competitive Edge In Services, Invest In The Right People And Processes, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Great products alone will not give rise to transformative customer experiences. Businesses that have carved out a competitive edge in services also know that it requires far more than frontline skills and knowledge to succeed with customers in the longer term. But how and where should organisations be placing their focus to entrench customer service for strategic advantage? - a question that academics and industry practitioners attempted to answer at the Institute of Service Excellence at SMU Global Conference on Service Excellence 2011.
Building Structured Products: Like Manufacturing A Complex, Abstract Car, Knowledge@Smu
Building Structured Products: Like Manufacturing A Complex, Abstract Car, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The inner workings of structured financial products and the structured products industry might seem complicated to outsiders looking in. After all, regulatory restrictions, quantitative financial modelling, and foreign exchange options are not exactly universally understood commonplace terms. Industry insiders at a Lee Kong Chian School of Business Public Lecture say, however, that an appreciation for this seemingly complex domain is more about attitude than aptitude.
Avoiding Road Bumps: Four Reliable Wheels For Biomedical Start-Ups, Knowledge@Smu
Avoiding Road Bumps: Four Reliable Wheels For Biomedical Start-Ups, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Starting up a business in the biomedical industry is much like driving a car. According to Ting Choon Meng, a doctor and chief executive officer of HealthStats Singapore, there are four main 'wheels' that the entreprenuers must learn to operate. And just as in a real car, all four wheels must run in unison, or the business will not advance according to plan.
Of Ice And Men: Chilling Leadership Tales Of Four Great Explorers, Knowledge@Smu
Of Ice And Men: Chilling Leadership Tales Of Four Great Explorers, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Four great names with four different temperaments; four different fates but one common passion: the honour of conquering the icy frontiers of the North and South. Having documented the experiences of four 19-20th century Norwegian and British explorers, author Ragnar Kvam shares stories from those expeditions at a SMU Wee Kim Wee Centre talk – tales of what leadership ought not to be.
Risks And Opportunities For The Construction Industry, Knowledge@Smu
Risks And Opportunities For The Construction Industry, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Foreign labour cut-backs and exposure to global competition can only mean one thing for building and construction companies in Singapore: Get productive or get out. But what can companies do to stay on top of the game, or perhaps even just afloat? A panel at the SMU-BCA Advanced Management Programme for Leaders of the Building and Construction Industry offered some thoughts on the risks and challenges ahead.
To Succeed In Life And Business, Adapt And Fail Productively, Knowledge@Smu
To Succeed In Life And Business, Adapt And Fail Productively, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
There is no success without risk-taking, and most people will accept that risk-taking requires a tolerance for failure. Yet, how realistic is it to expect success in a world so bent on punishing failure? Why should people expect high returns in politics, economics and society when they continue to reward risk-averse politicians and leaders? Tim Harford, author of popular non-fiction books like Adapt and The Undercover Economist, explored this dichotomy at an SMU talk.
Better Than Bread And Butter: Singapore’S General Election 2011, Knowledge@Smu
Better Than Bread And Butter: Singapore’S General Election 2011, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
This year's parliamentary election offers plenty of fodder for academics and political analysts. After all, it saw the highest number of contested seats, the awakening of an oft-assumed apathetic electorate, unprecedented opposition gains, and consequently, the incumbent's worst showing – all of which may be discussed freely on non-regulated social media and networks. For those who enjoy a more traditional form of browsing, the recently published Voting in Change offers up a collection of colourful essays from political commentators such as SMU's Bridget Welsh and Eugene Tan.
From The North To South Pole: Lessons In Leadership And Love, Knowledge@Smu
From The North To South Pole: Lessons In Leadership And Love, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Robert Swan, who has walked to both Poles, has expanded his life-long passion for exploration into the championing of environmental issues affecting the Antarctic region. Speaking at the inaugural Vitol Industry Speaker Series organised by the International Trading Institute @SMU, Swan shares stories of his faraway travels, as well as lessons on leadership and teamwork that, he believes, applies on both hazardous treks and life-threatening boardrooms.
Beyond Price Tags And Promotions: Investing In Marketing Values, Knowledge@Smu
Beyond Price Tags And Promotions: Investing In Marketing Values, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Customers today look not only at the product, but also at value - not just economic value, but also, the social, environmental and ethical merits behind every purchase. For companies, particularly small to medium sized enterprises, simply hawking products will not cut it anymore, says marketing expert Gaurav Bhalla. Speaking at a Singapore Management University graduation ceremony, Bhalla shares his thoughts on the role of 'marketing' in attracting and retaining today's sophisticated consumers.
Singapore’S Brand “Keloid”: Going Beyond Canes And Chewing Gums, Knowledge@Smu
Singapore’S Brand “Keloid”: Going Beyond Canes And Chewing Gums, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
With a tip of the hat to names like Michael Fay, Oliver Fricker and Wrigley's, Singapore’s international brand image, as viewed through Western lenses, may be that of a harsh nanny state. But of course, recent megaprojects and events are starting to change perceptions. Yet, even with new coats of polish on an enhanced cosmopolitan brand, blemishes from the past remain – scars that are better left unpicked, says author Koh Buck Song at a Singapore Management University talk.
Roubini On Global Economic Risks: “Dr Doom” Or “Dr Realist”?, Knowledge@Smu
Roubini On Global Economic Risks: “Dr Doom” Or “Dr Realist”?, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Renowned as the brutally frank commentator that correctly predicted the 2008 financial crisis, New York University's economics professor Nouriel Roubini has made a reputation for himself as the prophet of doom. What does 'Doctor Doom' make of all the fuss about Asia's tiger and dragon economies? He shares his take at a lecture organised by SMU's Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics while informing audiences that he prefers to be known as 'Doctor Realist'.