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Full-Text Articles in Business
Big Blue’S Next Big Act: Smarter Technology For A Smarter Planet, Knowledge@Smu
Big Blue’S Next Big Act: Smarter Technology For A Smarter Planet, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Everything seems to be going digital – our television sets, phones, the ways in which we communicate with each other, perform transactions or apply for permits – all in the name of pristine pictures, crystal clear sounds, paperless administration and fast, unencumbered access to data – all important features of the good life, for sure. But are we necessarily better off? We could be, given that "digitalisation" allows us to see and do things differently; to be more intelligent than we have ever been before, says IT giant IBM. And it is this belief that underscores the company's worldwide "Smarter …
In Support Of A Cashless Future, Researchers Recreate A Cash-Like Experience, Knowledge@Smu
In Support Of A Cashless Future, Researchers Recreate A Cash-Like Experience, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The mobile phone is piece of technology so loved, that some have referred to it as a “phantom limb”. To personalise and get the most out of this “limb”, people have been known to spend lots of time and money, decorating their precious phones with screen protectors, fancy ringtones, wallpapers, themes and ‘apps’. Many have even been caught fiddling with this device while driving! With a national mobile penetration rate of close to 140 percent (which suggests some people may have more “limbs” than others), it seems only natural to fantasise about incorporating the mobile phone into other favourite pastimes, …
Entering The Lion’S Den: Technology Entrepreneurs Need A Global View And Action Plan, Knowledge@Smu
Entering The Lion’S Den: Technology Entrepreneurs Need A Global View And Action Plan, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
How many technology companies are confident enough to venture outside the sheltered environment of their home country to compete against the market leaders in their own turf? Not many, especially for the new or young business ventures. Many avoid entering "the lion’s den", so to speak, for fear that they will be eaten alive. Yet, not many realise that if they cannot survive the “lion’s den”, they may not last very long within their own nest, shares seasoned venture capitalist Gideon Tolkowsky.
Soaps, Creams And Strips: Procter & Gamble’S Approach To Innovation, Knowledge@Smu
Soaps, Creams And Strips: Procter & Gamble’S Approach To Innovation, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Innovate to give the customers what they desire -- it may sound like a simple and straightforward mantra for success in business, but many companies find themselves struggling to be gainfully innovative! Throw in ‘fickle-minded consumers’ and ‘a myriad of competitor offerings’ into the mix and the challenge magnifies glaringly. Yet, Procter and Gamble (P&G), a 172-year-old company, has somehow managed to get it right – and with more than 300 brands across 80 countries. Dr Shekhar Mitra, P&G’s Senior Vice-President of Research and Development, offers Singapore Management University an insider look into the innovation principles that guide one of …
Changing The World, One Laptop At A Time, Knowledge@Smu
Changing The World, One Laptop At A Time, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
When Nicholas Negroponte mooted the idea of a US$100 laptop four years ago, he was met with scepticism. Undaunted, he and his team signed up partners and sponsors. Today, the end product, once described as “impossible”, is said to be inspiration behind netbooks. However, technological advancement was not the driving force behind the XO, as this laptop is called. Negroponte was motivated, instead, by the educational needs of developing nations, seeing that a large number of children in these countries receive little or no education. But just how far can inexpensive laptops go to address the needs of poverty-stricken communities?
The Importance Of Being Earnest… In Cyberspace, Knowledge@Smu
The Importance Of Being Earnest… In Cyberspace, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Community websites are increasingly viewed as treasure troves of opinions, from restaurant service to hotel accommodations, from mobile phone reviews to reliability ratings of an online auctioneer. An underlying factor behind the success of such websites is the implicit trust between users – to offer unbiased, accurate views. Consequently, a trustworthy online community puts users at ease to make decisions and perform transactions confidently. So web administrators would do well to maintain a trusting online community, if only to keep the cash tills a-ringing. But is it possible to measure or monitor something as unquantifiable as inter-user trust?
Think Outside Your Box: Enhancing Creativity Through Multicultural Interactions, Knowledge@Smu
Think Outside Your Box: Enhancing Creativity Through Multicultural Interactions, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Creative ideas are often the result of two or more seemingly non-overlapping concepts. The more we expose ourselves to diverse experiences, the more likely we might be to sample from a richer pool of ideas, thereby facilitating our creativity, and by extension for some, organisational innovation. This is because experience lowers our resistance and increases our readiness to sample foreign concepts. Angela Leung, an assistant professor of psychology at Singapore Management University, notes that while ideas from differing cultural experiences can be recruited as intellectual resources, several factors inhibit our ability to draw on these experiences, thus impeding our creative …
Microfinance In Asia: Not So Risky, Not So Micro, Knowledge@Smu
Microfinance In Asia: Not So Risky, Not So Micro, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Microfinance is proving to be a successful way to help the rural poor and disadvantaged improve their economic conditions by running their own businesses. However, the current economic crisis has reduced funding available for this pool. But with a proven strong credit history and improvements in technology, microfinancing is now seen as more than just as a nice social obligation. In the words of Nhan Phan Cu, a speaker at a recent seminar on this issue, microfinance in Asia is less risky than investment banking. However, the economic outlook poses some challenges.
Cultural Analytics: A New Field That Combines Arts, Media And It, Knowledge@Smu
Cultural Analytics: A New Field That Combines Arts, Media And It, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
The volume of digital data is exploding, driven largely by visuals, text, video and other cultural content. Just about everyone can be a “culture professional”. Thus, there is a need to find ways to track and make sense of the growing cultural data volume. Cultural analytics, as this new field is called, is a combination and extension of arts, media and IT. The study of this field will have applications far and wide-ranging, says Lev Manovich, a professor of visual arts at University of California.
Me-Business Model: Building Value From Consumer Created Content, Knowledge@Smu
Me-Business Model: Building Value From Consumer Created Content, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
As more businesses move from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and Web 3.0, they can benefit immensely from the insights gained through consumer generated intelligence. The newest customer-centric technologies shaping the Internet, and how they create opportunities for new business models, formed the theme of a talk by Andreas Weigend, former Chief Scientist at Amazon.com, at the Singapore Management University recently.
Globality Is What Happens After Globalisation, Knowledge@Smu
Globality Is What Happens After Globalisation, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Globality is what happens after globalisation, say authors Hal Sirkin, Jim Hemerling and Arindam Bhattacharya of Boston Consulting Group in their book, Globality -- Competing with Everyone from Everywhere for Everything, published last year. Incumbents, companies from developed economies, must face the challengers from emerging economies who are quickly shifting the balance.
Collaboration With Mit Gaming Lab Fosters Industry Development In Singapore, Knowledge@Smu
Collaboration With Mit Gaming Lab Fosters Industry Development In Singapore, Knowledge@Smu
Knowledge@SMU
Singapore aims to be a seedbed for the computing gaming industry. One educational initiative to develop in-country capacity is an ongoing gaming laboratory known as GAMBIT (Gamers, Asethetics, Mechanics, Business, Innovation, Technology), run jointly by MIT and Singapore’s Media Development Authority.