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Full-Text Articles in Business
Building Workplace Trust In Some Cultures Is To Blur The Line Between Professional And Personal Life, Knowledge@Smu
Building Workplace Trust In Some Cultures Is To Blur The Line Between Professional And Personal Life, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
In China and Turkey, the separation between work and personal life is not so clear cut as compared with western societies, according to a joint study by Singapore Management University professor of organisational behaviour Tan Hwee Hoon, and management professors S. Arzu Wasti and Selin Eser of Sabanci University in Turkey. The main purpose of their research was to provide insights into the impact that different cultures have on trust in the workplace.
Marketing On A Shoestring In Not-For-Profits: No Pain No Gain, Knowledge@Smu
Marketing On A Shoestring In Not-For-Profits: No Pain No Gain, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Sarah Mavrinac is the founder and president of not-for-profit financial education organisation, aidha, which started operations in January 2007 in Singapore. aidha offers training courses to women migrant workers, in particular those in domestic service. Mavrinac delivered a talk recently on “Marketing on a Shoestring -- The Challenge of Not-for-Profit Outreach", organised by the Centre for Marketing Excellence of the Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University.
Making Great People Decisions Is The Toughest Business Challenge Say Top Executives, Knowledge@Smu
Making Great People Decisions Is The Toughest Business Challenge Say Top Executives, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Where great people decisions are concerned, the right person in a leadership position can take an organisation to greater heights, but the wrong candidate can steer a path to disaster. Founding leader of global search firm Egon Zehnder International, Claudio Fernandez-Araoz, introduced his new book, Great People Decisions, recently at a Singapore Management University Distinguished Public Lecture, followed by a panel discussion featuring top executives in Singapore.
Tennis, Anyone? Lessons On Innovation In A Mature Industry, Knowledge@Smu
Tennis, Anyone? Lessons On Innovation In A Mature Industry, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Tennis qualifies as the oldest racquet sport in the world. Since 1874, little had changed until the 1970s when the wooden racquet was phased out, followed by a succession of cutting edge designs. How did the classic tennis racquet lend itself to being so thoroughly reinvented? Wharton management professor J.M. Pennings, together with Hann E Kim, professor at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Korea, set out to find some answers.
St Engineering: A Globalisation Success Story, Knowledge@Smu
St Engineering: A Globalisation Success Story, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Tan Pheng Hock is president and CEO of Singapore Technologies Engineering (ST Engineering), one of the largest companies listed on the Singapore stock exchange.The global integrated engineering group has 18,000 employees with operations in 20 countries, and 100 subsidiaries serving customers in more than 70 countries. Tan was the featured speaker at the Singapore Management University's Wee Kim Wee Centre CEO Talks series recently. He spoke to Knowledge@SMU about ST Engineering’s globalisation strategy and key learnings.
Monitor Group's Go-To-Market Methodology Advocates The 'Outside-In' Approach, Knowledge@Smu
Monitor Group's Go-To-Market Methodology Advocates The 'Outside-In' Approach, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
How can companies, especially those operating in end-consumer industries and saturated markets, become successful? By transforming themselves into truly marketing-led organisations, advises the Monitor Group, a global management services firm. Monitor has developed a finely tuned go-to-market approach which calls for a fundamental shift at the leadership level from an inside-out perspective to an outside-in view of the marketplace.
Is Direct Method Cash Flow Reporting Better At Predicting Future Performance?, Knowledge@Smu
Is Direct Method Cash Flow Reporting Better At Predicting Future Performance?, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
“Cash is king” goes the saying. Even companies enjoying brisk business have been known to fail because of unhealthy cash flows. The accounting profession is split over the benefits of the direct method (DM) versus the indirect method (IM) of preparing cash flow reports. In a study of over 100 US-based companies which used direct cash flow statements, Singapore Management University accounting professor Yoonseok Zang shows conclusively that the direct method does better at predicting future performance and earnings. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transforming A Region Into A Vibrant Entrepreneurial Economy: How To Create The Multiplier Effect, Knowledge@Smu
Transforming A Region Into A Vibrant Entrepreneurial Economy: How To Create The Multiplier Effect, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Sankaran Venkataraman is business administration professor at the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Virginia, and visiting professor of entrepreneurship and business at the Singapore Management University. At a recent seminar in Singapore, Venkataraman explored the question, “What does it take for a nascent entrepreneurial region to create the multiplier effect necessary to transform itself into a vibrant entrepreneurial economy?” In his view, institutional specialisation, division of labour, the architecture of entrepreneurial sub-systems and intangible cultures all play critical roles.
Michael Schaper On Small Businesses: Unravelling Popular Myths About Their Value And Viability, Knowledge@Smu
Michael Schaper On Small Businesses: Unravelling Popular Myths About Their Value And Viability, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Small businesses typically account for more than 95% of all private sector entities and employ more than half the workforce in some countries, reveals a study by Michael Schaper, dean of the Murdoch University Business School in Australia. Speaking at the Singapore Management University’s UOB-SMU Enterprise Alliance Centre recently, Schaper dismantled some common misconceptions about the value and profiles of small businesses and their owners.
Global Sourcing Model Helps Companies Optimise Benefits From Free Trade Agreements, Knowledge@Smu
Global Sourcing Model Helps Companies Optimise Benefits From Free Trade Agreements, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
As FTAs (Free Trade Agreements) proliferate, companies increasingly face difficult decisions about where to source for components and set up manufacturing bases so as to benefit from FTAs. Brian Rodrigues, professor of operations management at the Singapore Management University, and management sciences professors Li Yanzhi and Andrew Lim at the City University of Hong Kong, have developed an easy to use algorithm which helps companies do just that.
Understanding Differences In Behaviour: The Role Of Mental Models, Knowledge@Smu
Understanding Differences In Behaviour: The Role Of Mental Models, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Why do some people make snap judgements about another person based on a single behaviour, while others make up their minds only after repeated observations in different situations? Singapore Management University psychology professor Jennifer Tong attempts to shed new light on why people entertain different assumptions about the nature of human behaviour in a series of psychological studies with a difference. Her findings have practical implications for interactions in the office and at the personal level. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Do Software Development Projects Dispersed Across The Globe Deliver The Goods?, Knowledge@Smu
Do Software Development Projects Dispersed Across The Globe Deliver The Goods?, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Higher demands on computer systems and networks compel technology companies to assign software development duties across many dispersed centres in the US, India, China and elsewhere. In actual practice, does this distributed development model work well? Singapore Management University information systems professors Narayan Ramasubbu and Rajesh Krishna Balan examined this question in an award-winning paper, “Globally Distributed Software Development Project Performance: An Empirical Analysis,” presented recently at a joint meeting of the European Software Engineering Conference and the ACM SIGSOFT symposium.
Minimum Profitability Ruling A Boon Or Bane? Some Lessons From China, Knowledge@Smu
Minimum Profitability Ruling A Boon Or Bane? Some Lessons From China, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
China’s Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) stands out in its approach to tighten restrictions for listed companies wanting to initiate rights issues or seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). The country’s experience, relevant to other emerging markets, is the subject of a research paper published recently in the International Journal of Accounting, co-authored by Kevin C.W. Chen, accounting professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Singapore Management University accounting professor Jiwei Wang. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top Performing Hedge Funds: Does Geography Make A Difference?, Knowledge@Smu
Top Performing Hedge Funds: Does Geography Make A Difference?, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Do hedge funds earn above-average returns? Is there a way to identify these top performers? Where hedge funds are located makes the difference, according to Singapore Management University finance professor Melvyn Teo, who is also director of the university’s BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre. Teo puts forward evidence for the hypothesis that locally-managed hedge funds are better able to monitor their investments and, therefore, generate superior returns.
The Power Of Social Media: Only The Tip Of The Iceberg?, Knowledge@Smu
The Power Of Social Media: Only The Tip Of The Iceberg?, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Social media is redefining the way people and companies around the world communicate with one another by dissolving geographical and cultural boundaries. Akanksha Goel, newly appointed Editor-in-Chief of Stuff Singapore -- a gadgets and technology lifestyle publication launched in the UK five years ago -- is a final-year marketing and corporate communication student at Singapore Management University. Goel talked to Knowledge@SMU about how social media compels us to rethink culture, and why companies should take advantage of these new channels to grow their businesses.
Michael Spence On The Growth Commission: Charting The Unknown To Stimulate And Sustain Development, Knowledge@Smu
Michael Spence On The Growth Commission: Charting The Unknown To Stimulate And Sustain Development, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The Commission on Growth and Development, launched in April 2006 by the World Bank and four other sponsors, is chaired by Nobel laureate Michael Spence, former dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Business. On a recent visit to Singapore, Spence addressed an audience of business leaders and academics at the Singapore Management University on “Growth Strategies and Dynamics: Insights from Country Experiences,” drawing on examples from the developing world as well as Singapore.
The Oil And Gas Industry In Asia: Fuelling Growth At A Cost, Knowledge@Smu
The Oil And Gas Industry In Asia: Fuelling Growth At A Cost, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2007, China alone accounts for 15% of global energy consumption and 70% of growth in the consumption of coal. The review describes "robust demand" for oil and gas in Asia overall despite high prices. Dennis Ang, president of Statoil Asia Pacific, the Singapore based affiliate of Norway's largest company, shares his views with Knowledge@SMU on global energy issues, the environmental impacts of Asia’s fast growing demand for energy, and how the region could do more to move towards a`greener’ future.
Prediction Software Identifies Cellphone, Cable And Internet Subscribers Who Are Likely To Defect And When, Knowledge@Smu
Prediction Software Identifies Cellphone, Cable And Internet Subscribers Who Are Likely To Defect And When, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Winning new customers is expensive. More businesses are acting proactively to forestall losing existing clients by using predictive software to help pinpoint those likely to defect. Singapore Management University marketing professor Andre Bonfrer is working in partnership with George Knox (Tilburg University), Jehoshua Eliashberg (The Wharton School) and Jeongwen Chiang (Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business) to develop a predictive model targeted at the subscription-based service sector.
Should China Keep Its Dollar Peg? Some Parallels From Japan, Knowledge@Smu
Should China Keep Its Dollar Peg? Some Parallels From Japan, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
At a recent Singapore Management University School of Economics Distinguished Lecture, Stanford University international economics professor Ronald I. McKinnon warned of a possible ‘lost decade’ of falling price levels and undesirably low interest rates in China, similar to those experienced by Japan in the 1990s. McKinnon draws parallels between Japan in the late 1980s and present day China in his paper entitled “Why China Should Keep its Exchange Rate Pegged to the Dollar: A Historical Perspective from Japan”. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clear Leadership: Promoting Organisational Learning And Squashing ‘Interpersonal Mush’, Knowledge@Smu
Clear Leadership: Promoting Organisational Learning And Squashing ‘Interpersonal Mush’, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Gervase Bushe, management and organisation studies professor in the Segal Graduate School of Business at Simon Fraser University in Canada, is also a consultant and an award winning author in the field of organisational change and development. In July 2007, Bushe was one of the main speakers at the Seventh International Conference on Knowledge, Culture and Change in Organisations, held at the Singapore Management University. Knowledge@SMU spoke to Bushe about teaching Clear Leadership to facilitate organisational learning.
How Do Word-Of-Mouth Reviews Affect Product Sales? Applying The Stock Market Analogy To Online Stores, Knowledge@Smu
How Do Word-Of-Mouth Reviews Affect Product Sales? Applying The Stock Market Analogy To Online Stores, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Online word-of-mouth communication -- such as product reviews by consumers -- has become a major information source about product quality. Singapore Management University information systems professor Nan Hu and his team investigated both quantitative and qualitative aspects of online reviews using Amazon.com as their study base. They found that, besides review scores, consumers do pay attention to other contextual information such as a reviewer’s reputation and exposure. Hu’s research also showed that the longer an item is on the market, the smaller the impact of online reviews on sales.
Supply Chain Excellence Is All About Providing, Knowledge@Smu
Supply Chain Excellence Is All About Providing, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
In a globalised economy, businesses are employing innovative methods to create value in the supply chain process. Operations, information and technology professor Hau L. Lee of Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business recently delivered a keynote address on “Creating Value with Supply Chain Excellence” at the Singapore Management University. Lee talked to Knowledge@SMU about how supply chain innovations could be developed and realised, using a framework he designed on Value-Creation Evolutions.
Singapore’S Cpf Retirement Scheme: Delivering More Bang For The Buck, Knowledge@Smu
Singapore’S Cpf Retirement Scheme: Delivering More Bang For The Buck, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Singapore’s Central Provident Fund (CPF) is one of Asia’s oldest and best known defined contribution retirement schemes. As the country rapidly ages, government policymakers are paying close attention to whether its citizens and residents are saving enough for retirement. Benedict Koh, Olivia Mitchell and associates recently prepared two working papers which examine the CPF Investment Scheme (CPFIS) as well as its potential to adequately support members in retirement.
Mapping Better Business Strategies With Gis (Geographic Information Systems), Knowledge@Smu
Mapping Better Business Strategies With Gis (Geographic Information Systems), Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
McDonald’s in Japan uses GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to help identify promising new store sites by overlaying demographic information on maps. The value of location as a business measure is fast becoming an important consideration for organisations, and GIS is emerging as a powerful location intelligence tool. Singapore Management University information systems professor Kam Tin Seong is a strong advocate and promoter of GIS for doing better business. Knowledge@SMU talked to Kam about GIS in general, and about his research project using GIS as a tool to better understand Singapore’s sizzling property market.
Mitch Joel On Social Media: 'A Tectonic Shift In How We Communicate', Knowledge@Smu
Mitch Joel On Social Media: 'A Tectonic Shift In How We Communicate', Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Mitch Joel is president of Twist Image, a Montreal-based multimarketing agency, vice-chairman (Quebec) for IAB Canada (Interactive Advertising Bureau), and an executive on the eMarketing Council of the CMA (Canadian Marketing Association). Joel was in Singapore to attend the country’s first ever PodCamp from 30-31 July, hosted by the Singapore Management University (SMU). SMU corporate communication professor Michael Netzley talked to Joel about emerging social media channels and networks, and the business opportunities for building and marketing brands to these new consumer communities.
Customer Versus Supplier Expectations: Bringing In Value Beyond Just The Widgets, Knowledge@Smu
Customer Versus Supplier Expectations: Bringing In Value Beyond Just The Widgets, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
In a highly competitive world where the customer expects to be king, why are so many firms unhappy with the products they purchase, sales staff who over-promise and don’t deliver, and less than optimal after-sales service? In a recent paper published in the Journal of Marketing, Singapore Management University marketing professor Kapil R. Tuli and Emory University professors Ajay K.Kohli and Sundar G. Bhardwaj shed light on what appears to be a fundamental mismatch between customer expectations and what suppliers think their customers want.
Big Picture Thinking Bridges Business-It Gap, Knowledge@Smu
Big Picture Thinking Bridges Business-It Gap, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
What lesson does John Godfrey Saxe’s poem, “The Blind Men and the Elephant”, offer information technology students at the Singapore Management University? The need for big picture thinking, says SMU information systems professor Venky Shakararaman, key architect of a business modelling and solution blueprinting course and co-author of a customised course text developed in partnership with Indian IT company, Infosys Technologies Ltd.
How Asian Companies Have Successfully Leveraged It To Go Global, Knowledge@Smu
How Asian Companies Have Successfully Leveraged It To Go Global, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Asian companies are successfully leveraging IT to make a mark in the region and beyond. Jae Kyu Lee, Benjamin Gan Kok Siew and Vijay Sethi recently co-edited a book, Premier e-Business Cases from Asia: Problem-Solution-Challenge-Impact Approach, which provides an overview of innovative IT strategies and models adopted by 18 Asian companies in Korea and Singapore.
The Search For Global Talent: Recent Trends In Asia, Knowledge@Smu
The Search For Global Talent: Recent Trends In Asia, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Globally, the cross-border flow of workers has gained significant momentum over the past few decades as many countries actively seek foreign talent or encourage their own nationals to return home, state co-editors Christiane Kuptsch and Pang Eng Fong in a 2006 publication, Competing for Global Talent, which was cited in the Economist’s “Special Report, A Survey of Talent” (5 October 2006). Pang, who is Singapore Management University business school dean and professor of management, talks to Knowledge@SMU about recent trends in Asia with specific reference to Singapore’s experience in sourcing global talent.
Games People Play: Can Singapore Power-Up Fast Enough To Claim A Share Of The Bounty?, Knowledge@Smu
Games People Play: Can Singapore Power-Up Fast Enough To Claim A Share Of The Bounty?, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
According to PricewaterhouseCooper’s latest "Global Entertainment and Media Outlook" , the Asia Pacific region is projected to top overall global spending on video games over the next five years. In Singapore, the government invested half a billion Singapore dollars (US$325 million) in 2006 in the interactive digital media (IDM) services sector. Singapore Management University professor of management Ted Tschang has been paying especial attention to the gaming and related industries, sub-sectors of IDM. In an interview with Knowledge@SMU, Tschang discusses the role of global culture as a critical success factor, and Singapore’s efforts to get into the game.