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Full-Text Articles in Business
From Information Technology To Ice-Cream: One Man's Entrepreneurial Quest For Happiness, Knowledge@Smu
From Information Technology To Ice-Cream: One Man's Entrepreneurial Quest For Happiness, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Medal-winning fencer Wong Toon King is not some swash-buckling corporate hot shot, slashing and hacking at business rivals. Rather, the former government scholar turned serial entrepreneur believes that the important ingredients to building businesses include not just good ideas, but also a knack of identifying trends and a good sense of timing. Most importantly, entrepreneurs need to be happy at what they are doing – even if it means scooping and serving Ben & Jerry's ice-cream every day, said the founder of The Happy People Co., local franchisee of the popular brand of ice-cream.
A Peek Into The New Korea: Will The Hermit Crab Come Out Of Its Shell?, Knowledge@Smu
A Peek Into The New Korea: Will The Hermit Crab Come Out Of Its Shell?, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
South Korea's economic and industrial rise over the past decade has been a subject of envy. Here is a country that has gone from being 'the one with the fermented vegetables' to the high-tech gadget innovation hub that it is today. Samsung and LG have attained worldly status, with consumer electronics that can give the big old boys from across the Sea of Japan a good run for their money. Yet, despite its success, the country remains mired in much of its painful past – from the divide between the former kingdoms of Silla, Baekje and Goguryeo to the North-South …
Leeden's Transformation: Giving Prominence To A Lesser Known Industry, Knowledge@Smu
Leeden's Transformation: Giving Prominence To A Lesser Known Industry, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
When Steven Tham took the helm at Leeden Limited, a local welding, gas and safety company, he had the unenviable task of making some decisions that would ultimately close some operations and displace employees. However, within a decade, not only did he turn the company around, he grew its revenue by a whopping ten times. All of it would not be possible without a systematic expansion strategy, and a keen eye on the market, he told an audience at SMU's Wee Kim Wee Centre.
Friendships, Trust And Advertisers: The Art Of Mining Social Networks, Knowledge@Smu
Friendships, Trust And Advertisers: The Art Of Mining Social Networks, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The exponential growth of social networking sites over the past few years has not escaped the attention of business and government leaders, many of whom are now scrambling to uncover how best to exploit social interactions online for monetary or political gains. However, before any benefit can be realised and reaped, patterns in the relationships between users on these networks need to be analysed and understood; and to do that, there is a need to first unearth and organise data. Academics and industry practitioners exchanged their findings at a recent School of Information Systems workshop.
Amazon's Clout: World's Largest Online Retailer Joins The Cloud Computing Camp, Knowledge@Smu
Amazon's Clout: World's Largest Online Retailer Joins The Cloud Computing Camp, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Many organisations invest heavily in information technology, acquiring the best IT equipment, backup for the best IT equipment, and hiring highly skilled and reputable IT consultants and vendors. While a great IT infrastructure will be critical to business success, its escalating costs have become somewhat prohibitive, thanks, in part, to a vicious lock-in cycle that handcuffs organisations to heavy machines. Enter cloud computing – a new paradigm in IT management that slashes capital expenditure and operating costs. Amazon.com, which runs the world's largest online retail store on a cloud, believes that cloud computing is the way forward for the connected …
Private Banking In Asia: Going Beyond Trust And Confidence, Knowledge@Smu
Private Banking In Asia: Going Beyond Trust And Confidence, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Asia's private banking industry is expected to expand in the near future, and all signs point to greater competition amongst existing markets and wealth management entities. The nature of the financial service, however, remains rather interpersonal. Private bankers work almost exclusively with sophisticated, high net worth individuals. Long term survival, for them, means sticking with high value clients over the long haul, over and above sticking it out with the institutes that back those financial services. What might this spell for the market? SMU's Ang Ser-Keng asked industry experts through a series of interviews.
Salvaging The Marriage Between A Distrusting Boss And His Fearful Employee, Knowledge@Smu
Salvaging The Marriage Between A Distrusting Boss And His Fearful Employee, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Will empowering employees to manage their own careers bring about better job performance or will a more permissive environment lead to abuses? Dale Simpson, managing director of a human resources consultancy, leans towards the former, but he knows that most employers would rather hold on to the reins. After all, most employer-employee relationships today are premised on distrust – starting with the signing of a contractual agreement that holds each party legally liable for non-compliance. He believes, however, that employers can reap great benefits when they think of their relationship with employees as a 'marriage', bound not only by law, …
Keys To Better Capitalism And Human Welfare: Entrepreneurship, Knowledge@Smu
Keys To Better Capitalism And Human Welfare: Entrepreneurship, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The word “entrepreneurship”, despite its universal prevalence today, was a relatively new term that entered common lexicon only a few decades ago. Yet, there is no denying the role that entrepreneurs play in creating wealth, not merely for themselves, but also opportunities and welfare for large swathes of the populace, benefitting the overall economy. At a recent talk, Carl J. Schramm, president and CEO of the Kaufmann Foundation, reinforces the case for entrepreneurship and debunks some common views on who “entrepreneurs” are.
Managing Social Media: An Exercise In Managing Organisations, Knowledge@Smu
Managing Social Media: An Exercise In Managing Organisations, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Managing corporate reputation used to be an exercise in managing information flow and building relationships with the media power brokers. But in the world of social media, where just about anybody has the power and ability to produce and publish instantaneously, the very idea of controlling information and public sentiment may seem more like an exercise in futility. Unlike traditional media, there are no professional codes of conduct ruling over online comments, tweets or blog posts. Anything goes! The task is made even trickier with the need to manage senior business leaders who, brought up in a different era, may …
Redefining The Library In The Age Of Google And Wikipedia, Knowledge@Smu
Redefining The Library In The Age Of Google And Wikipedia, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
There used to be a time where people would visit the library and shuffle between books in search for information. Back then, successful library vists hinged considerably on luck – if the book is available; if it can be located in the spot that corresponds to its call number; and if, once found, the book actually contained information relevant to what one might be looking for. Today, Google can tell us if a book is available at our library. Better yet, it can throw up thousands of search results to our query, thus saving us a trip to the library.
A Challenge To Smes: Creating Creative Ways To Attract Talent, Knowledge@Smu
A Challenge To Smes: Creating Creative Ways To Attract Talent, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
For many small and medium enterprises, finding, attracting and retaining the right talent is a perpetual challenge. Save for perception issues that are unlikely to go away anytime soon – that the smaller businesses don't pay as well or offer as many opportunities as their large multinational counterparts – these enterprises have much to learn about attracting talent with limited resources. Helen Lim, a social entrepreneur and human resources consultant, believes that the smaller companies may not be able to compete on price and prestige, but they can certainly afford to raise their game. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bridging Cultural Differences In The Global Corporate Environment, Knowledge@Smu
Bridging Cultural Differences In The Global Corporate Environment, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
People form cultural biases from a young age, and this is something that we carry into our adult lives, as members of society, parents, employers and employees. Globalisation has, however, connected familiar and unfamiliar cultures – and people may be ill-prepared to manage their biases. It is not unusual today, for instance, to expect that many jobs will involve some form of interaction with a non-local. So, according to Natalie Turner, the CEO and founder of a multinational consultancy, organisations that give greater attention to bridging cultural gaps will reap greater efficiencies.
The Growing Giant: How Samsung Electronics Got Its Appetite, Knowledge@Smu
The Growing Giant: How Samsung Electronics Got Its Appetite, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Samsung Electronics, one of the biggest brands in consumer electronics today, was once seen as a low-quality producer of knock-offs. Yet, under the controversial leadership of its founding Lee family and plenty of nudging from a helpful South Korean government, the company has defied conventional growth patterns of large companies, made itself a critical player in the semiconductor industry, overshadowed fellow Korean companies, provided cause for anxiety amongst overseas competitors, and won over the hearts and wallets of finicky consumers all over the world.
Developing An Advanced High-Tech Entrepreneurial Habitat, Knowledge@Smu
Developing An Advanced High-Tech Entrepreneurial Habitat, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Technology, in and of itself, cannot transform ideas to profits. According to William Miller, a professor, entrepreneur and venture capitalist, having the technology that the market wants is only part of the game. To be successful, technology requires other necessary conditions to be in place – an ecosystem of talent, money, trade, education, art, even lawyers – to grow and flourish. The challenge, however, is in getting the hardware-software combination right.
Social Media: More Work For Teachers And Students?, Knowledge@Smu
Social Media: More Work For Teachers And Students?, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
There used to be a time where social media was simply for recreational socialising; to share noteworthy encounters, odd photos, hilarious videos and interesting links. That understanding of social media has somewhat evolved over time. For students, social media now includes graded forum postings and discussions, wiki-assignments, blog-based homework, lecture podcasts and so on. While many students and teachers are happy to work via these new mediums, some have complained that work on social media requires a lot more effort. Others have also opined that social media should, essentially, be for leisure and not work.
Wait Not For Another Crisis: Weighing In On The Fair Value Accounting Debate, Knowledge@Smu
Wait Not For Another Crisis: Weighing In On The Fair Value Accounting Debate, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The use of fair value accounting – simply defined as the booking of numbers based on current market value – has been named as a catalyst in worsening the recent financial crisis. Emerging from the rubble, accounting regulators, like the IASB and FASB, together with industry players, are now trying to work out rules and standards. However, the question of to “fair” or not to “fair” is the subject of a hot debate. Columbia University’s Stephen Penman weighs in at a recent SMU lecture.
From Imitators To Inventors: China’S Changing Innovation Landscape, Knowledge@Smu
From Imitators To Inventors: China’S Changing Innovation Landscape, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Long derided as an economic entity happier to copy than to invent, the number of patents filed and assigned in China has been growing at 13% annually in the two decades to 2006, with a total of 1.1 million patents awarded. Private enterprises, after a slow start, are now leading the charge in securing an ever bigger number of patents, especially after 2001. Individuals, meanwhile, are the second most prolific group. What causes this surge in patent applications? What are some of the issues involved? SMU management professor Kenneth Huang details findings from a recent study.
Lohas: Marketing A Green And Sustainable Way Of Living, Knowledge@Smu
Lohas: Marketing A Green And Sustainable Way Of Living, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
What prompted former corporate warriors like Adam Horler and Tay Lai Hock trade their suits for t-shirts and embrace a new way of life with green and sustainability as its central tenet? It is LOHAS, or Lifestyle of Health and Sustainability, described as a “biggest market you’ve never heard of”. In a recent talk at SMU, Horler and Tay share what is their motivation, what is the appeal of LOHAS, and how are they marketing this concept to bring more converts on board.
To Be Ahead Of The Game, Consider Game-Based Marketing, Knowledge@Smu
To Be Ahead Of The Game, Consider Game-Based Marketing, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Games have a way of engaging people in ways that advertisements simply cannot. Many a date, birthday or meeting have been forgotten and disregarded, thanks to the likes of Warcraft and StarCraft – 'sticky' programmes that have caused people to betray their better judgements. Beyond computer gaming, however, consumers have been known to choose a coffee shop, supermarket or airline for reasons that also defy what's rational: to collect stamps, amass points and accumulate 'miles'; all of which have nothing to do with drinking coffee, buying groceries or getting from point A to B. Yet, people play along willingly, in …
Tackling 'Grey Hairs': How Companies Can Turn An Ageing Workforce To Their Advantage, Knowledge@Smu
Tackling 'Grey Hairs': How Companies Can Turn An Ageing Workforce To Their Advantage, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The greying working population in developed economies will be widening intergenerational fissures in today’s companies and organisations. Young managers find it difficult to handle the 'grey hairs' under their charge, while older workers are not always happy taking orders from their younger supervisors. Yet, without talent, businesses run the risk of losing their competitiveness. How should companies bridge the gap and turn the skills and experience of their older workers into their advantage? Drawing examples and cases not just from America but also Singapore, Peter Cappelli and Bill Novelli, professors at Wharton and Georgetown respectively, share some ideas in the …
Private Equity: The Players, The Jargons, And What Lies Ahead, Knowledge@Smu
Private Equity: The Players, The Jargons, And What Lies Ahead, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
What do private equity and venture capital fund managers do? The short answer to that question will hardly do justice to the profession. Yet, it is not easy to provide an accurate explanation without first condensing the nuts and bolts that form the mechanics of the industry. Dan Schwartz, editor of the Asian Venture Capital Journal, does just that, albeit in the form of the 236-page The Future of Finance: How Private Equity and Venture Capital Will Shape the Global Economy – a book that has prominent industry leaders speaking to the layman.
Nation Branding: Presenting The Image That Matches National Identity, Knowledge@Smu
Nation Branding: Presenting The Image That Matches National Identity, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Brand launches are, more often than not, quiet affairs. Attention-hungry marketers might sometimes resort to controversies, so as to leverage on hype. Even then, it may take a fair amount of provocation and amusement just to get the slightest response from the modern-day multi-tasking, attention-deficit consumer. Contrast this with the launch of Singapore's latest tourism brand, YourSingapore, earlier this year – an event that elicited some fervent objections from the public. The people behind those heated responses were not necessarily experts on tourism or marketing. It was a matter that compelled everyday citizens to weigh in with their thoughts. Why, …
Changing Business Practices In A World Of Emerging Economic Giants, Knowledge@Smu
Changing Business Practices In A World Of Emerging Economic Giants, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
It can sometimes seem as if there is an overemphasis on Asia's two economic powerhouses. But while few people would dispute these manufacturing capitals' knack for delivering good value for money, very little attention has been given to the countries' capacity to innovate and market. Today, blueprints and concepts are often seen as domain of those 'advanced economies', whilst 'emerging economies' are habitually discounted as engines of production. Such notions are quickly being displaced as businesses and consumers of China and India exert their influence on the rest of the world.
Right Up Our Valley: Why Singapore Ought To Quit Copying Silicon Valley, Knowledge@Smu
Right Up Our Valley: Why Singapore Ought To Quit Copying Silicon Valley, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
For a small piece of land with no natural resources to offer, Singapore's economy relies a lot on its strategic geographical location, human talents, as well as a penchant for wanting to be the global, and if not, regional 'hub' for commerce, arts and sciences. Where technology is concerned, the one to beat is Silicon Valley. A tall order, perhaps, but the draw is unmistakably alluring. On its own, the Valley boasts a GDP of US$100 billion, generating more wealth per person than anywhere else in the USA. Not content with just salivating over that piece of the pie, Singapore …
Before The Fields Run Dry: How To Avoid The 'Dutch Disease', Knowledge@Smu
Before The Fields Run Dry: How To Avoid The 'Dutch Disease', Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
For any economy, the discovery of abundant natural resources is almost akin to striking nature's lottery. But as any eager financial planner might say to a lottery winner, no windfall can last for long without a solid financial plan. Singapore, a country admired for its relatively substantial national reserves, is home to almost no natural resources (except for human capital, we're told). This lack of natural resources, however, may well be the reason behind the country's economic success. According to Svein Gjedrem, governor of Norges Bank, natural resource-rich countries often suffer from a 'disease' that causes them to rely too …
Uob's Sustainable Approach To Talent Management For The Private Banking Industry, Knowledge@Smu
Uob's Sustainable Approach To Talent Management For The Private Banking Industry, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
After a hiatus during the financial crisis, the poaching of private banking relationship managers is back. For the players, incumbent and new, local and international, poaching is probably the quickest and most straightforward means of a headcount-led expansion. No need to nurture and develop new recruits when they come nicely packaged with all the right credentials to hit the ground running. But what happens as more and more companies adopt this attitude to recruitment? Wilson Aw, head of private banking at United Overseas Bank, says the industry knows that it cannot grow from within such a vicious cycle. He shares …
Poverty Alleviation Begins With A Job, An Ambition, And A Little Bit Of Money, Knowledge@Smu
Poverty Alleviation Begins With A Job, An Ambition, And A Little Bit Of Money, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The same dollar, used by a woman, can have 20 times more impact on a child’s survival than the same dollar used by her male counterpart. Unfortunately, 70 percent of those stuck in the lower economic rungs in Asia, are women. With socio-cultural factors perpetuating gender-based disadvantages in this part of the world, much more has to be done to empower those caught at the bottom of society's 'pyramid'. That is why Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, founder of microfinance institution, Bandhan, has chosen to target his services towards women. According to him, empowering this group by just a little can go …
Secrets And Lies: How One Man Charmed His Way Into The Hearts, Minds And Wallets Of New York's Rich And Powerful, Knowledge@Smu
Secrets And Lies: How One Man Charmed His Way Into The Hearts, Minds And Wallets Of New York's Rich And Powerful, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Bernie Madoff’s reputation as the largest ponzi scheme operator will probably outlast the 150-year jail sentence he is now serving. For decades, the man created an aura around himself that spoke to the romantic ambitions of Wall Street's sycophants: unyielding success, exclusivity and power. Moreover, Madoff conjured a mystique so intriguing he had investors practically begging to surrender their money. But not everyone was blinded. Harry Markopolos, a financial consultant turned famous whistleblower, was convinced that the magician hath no magical abilities. For close to ten years, he nudged US regulators to no avail. His journey is detailed in the …
Building Beyond Singapore: Local Real Estate Businesses Venture Overseas, Knowledge@Smu
Building Beyond Singapore: Local Real Estate Businesses Venture Overseas, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Despite the recent property and construction boom in Singapore, local players in this field have always kept an eye on overseas markets. Lured by the promise of profits and prestige, many are setting up in cities around the world. However, unlike consumer mom-and-pop shops, the size of the investment typical of property and construction companies demands an ultra careful study of the overseas market. Companies have also got to ask if they have the required skills, talents and resources to churn a good project, said industry experts at a recent SMU forum.
East Side Story: Lessons From Japan's Business Leaders, Knowledge@Smu
East Side Story: Lessons From Japan's Business Leaders, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Japan's phenomenal post-war transformation into a high-tech nation of vending machines, electric toilets and 24-hour convenience stores, has been the envy of most developed nations. Where, in the past, the country would look towards America, with the import of Western goods, services and business philosophy, Japan has recently taken a turn towards that of self-discovery. In the book, Rediscovering Japanese Business Leadership, author Yozo Hasegawa examines how some of Japan's leading brands, like Nintendo, Uniqlo and Canon, have weathered, quite stealthily, the recent global financial meltdown, and he makes a case for why more Japanese companies are returning to home-grown …