Business Commons^™

Building Success In The Philippine Retail Sector, Jimmy Thai

Asian Management Insights

Jimmy Thai tells us about how the Primer Group has expanded to become the retail giant it is now.

Achieving Success In Silicon Valley, Desmond Lim

Asian Management Insights

Desmond Lim tried, failed, and finally succeeded with Workstream, an app that helps businesses hire and manage hourly workers.

Don't Try To Be A Superman, N. Edwin Widjornako

Asian Management Insights

N. Edwin Widjonarko, co-founder and Director of Technology of Xurya, speaks about his entrepreneurial journey in Indonesia’s solar power generation space.

Agility And Focus Save The Day, Eddy Kusnadi Sariaatmadja, Chin Tiong Tan

Asian Management Insights

Eddy Kusnadi Sariaatmadja, Founder and President Commissioner of Indonesia’s PT Elang Mahkota Teknologi (Emtek), tells Tan Chin Tiong how the company not only survived, but thrived during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apple And Foxconn: Addressing Power Imbalances In Global Supply Chains, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Global suppliers such as Foxconn can form strong business networks to put pressure on dominant clients such as Apple to address power imbalances in global supply chains

Investing For The Future, Saker Nusseibeh

Perspectives@SMU

Even if you don’t believe in climate change, shifting consumer and governmental attitudes make businesses that prioritise sustainability more profitable

How Has Covid Changed The Way We Need To Collaborate And Innovate?, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Organisations need to adopt a specific approach to hybrid working in order to improve collaboration, communication, productivity and innovation

Communicating Business, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Communications heads should have a seat in boardrooms to facilitate strategic communication. But they need to demonstrate how communications drive business

Angling For Effective Innovation Governance In Asia: Lessons Learnt From Singapore’S Qian Hu Fish Farm, Thomas Menkhoff, Geok Chwee Ong

Asian Management Insights

Would you feed herbal medication to help fishes heal? This proposition may seem like a wild idea, but it was a calculated act of innovation by Qian Hu Corp Ltd, a Singapore-based Chinese family ornamental fish business.

Brand Singapore, Buck Song Koh

Asian Management Insights

As the world gets a better grip on the Covid-19 pandemic, one outcome is becoming clear: Place branding— in particular, nation branding—is becoming more important than ever before.

Trust And The ‘Hive Effect’ In Family Firms, Rameshwari Ramachandra

Asian Management Insights

Boosting creativity and innovation in family firms.

Covid-19 And The Future Of Chinese Manufacturing, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

China is expected to maintain a prominent role in global supply chains despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which has renewed discussions about whether countries around the world have become too reliant on Chinese manufacturing, according to one of The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) leading researchers on global economic networks

Subcontracting And Sweatshops During Coronavirus – The Wake-Up Call Businesses Need?, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Coronavirus continues to impact the already struggling retail sector. Wesfarmers, one of Australia's largest listed companies and the owner of bargain retailers Kmart and Target, recently announced the closure of some 75 Target stores, with another 90 to be converted to the more profitable Kmart outlets. Fears remain for some 1000 Target workers whose jobs are at risk.

Iuiga: Defining An Omni-Channel Strategy, Kapil R. Tuli, Sandeep R. Chandukala, Sheetal Mittal

Asian Management Insights

Iuiga, a lifestyle retailer, has a curated range of high quality products at transparent, affordable prices, effectively leveraging the original design manufacturers’ model and an online retail platform.

Practising Empathy, Kate Low

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

Kate Low of Perk by Kate talks about how prioritising customer relationships has kept her at the forefront of Singapore’s lingerie scene.

Scaling For The Masses, Junting Ang

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

Ang Junting of Hai Sia Seafood traces the journey of updating a traditional business in a demanding trade to attract and retain talent.

Navigating Conversational Flows, Abhilash Murthy

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

Abhilash Murthy of Bus Uncle explains the importance in developing a delightful user experience in the realm of chatbot design.

Unpacking A Sustainable Concept, Florence Tay

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

Florence Tay, Co-Founder of UnPackt, breaks down how community building and education can lead to a more enduring zero-waste journey.

Creating Conversations, Sharon Tan

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence

Sharon Tan of The Projector speaks about the privilege of amplifying community voices through diverse programming.

Motives Of Corporate Political Donations: Industry Regulation, Subjective Judgement And The Origins Of Pragmatic And Ideological Corporations, Nicholas M. Harrigan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

What motivates corporate political action? Are corporations motivated by their own narrow economic self-interest; are they committed to pursuing larger class interests; or are corporations instruments for status groups to pursue their own agendas? Sociologists have been divided over this question for much of the last century. This paper introduces a novel case - that of Australia - and an extensive dataset of over 1,500 corporations and 7,500 directors. The paper attempts to understand the motives of corporate political action by examining patterns of corporate political donations. Using statistical modelling, supported by qualitative evidence, the paper argues that, in the …

Smu Enhances Curriculum And Expands Offering To Prepare Undergraduates For The Digital Age, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases

Demand for infocomm professionals in Singapore is outpacing supply with 30,000 new infocomm jobs expected by 2020. The Infocomm Media 2025 masterplan has identified salient trends that are significant for the next decade, these include Big Data & Analytics, Internet of Things and Cybersecurity. The masterplan also highlighted future key infocomm job areas: Software Development, Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, and Network Infrastructure. In response to these industry trends and demand, SMU has strengthened its undergraduate curriculum in three schools to contribute to the 'future-proofing' of Singapore. The School of Information Systems (SIS) has revised its undergraduate curriculum in response to changes …

Smu Bags Two Global Award Wins In Efmd Case Writing Competition, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases

Singapore Management University (SMU) has won first place in two categories of the 2014 EFMD Case Writing Competition, organised by the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD). It is one of the first and biggest wins ever by a Singaporean educational institution in this worldwide case writing competition. SMU winning cases are: Jungle Beer: An Entrepreneur's Journey and Gillette’s "Shave India Movement": Razor Sharp against the Stubble.

Mochtar Riady [Indonesia, Banker], Mochtar Riady

Digital Narratives of Asia

Founder and Chairman of Lippo Group, Mochtar Riady gained the moniker "Magic Man of Banking" because of his ability to turn around and grow several of Indonesia's private banks, the most notable being Bank Central Asia (BCA). But his 15 years in BCA wasn't all smooth sailing. He speaks to DNA about his challenges in BCA, which saw him dealing with sensitive relationships with the Suharto government, as well as the firing of his own son for Forex speculation.

Michael Wong Pakshong [Singapore, Managing Director Of Mas], Michael Wong Pakshong

Digital Narratives of Asia

Michael Wong Pakshong was the first Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. He shares with DNA the challenges of building up a new institution in a newly independent country, as well as the obstacles he faced when the government's vision for MAS changed.

Ciputra Tjipoetra [Indonesia, Chairman Of Ciputra Business Group], Ciputra Tjipoetra

Digital Narratives of Asia

Ciputra is the Founder and Chairman of Ciputra Business Group, an Indonesian property conglomerate. He tells DNA how he worked and navigated his way through Indonesia's political and business scene to build his business empire and shares his thoughts on entrepreneurship and leadership.

Timothy Ong [Brunei, Chairman Of Asia Inc Forum], Timothy Ong

Digital Narratives of Asia

Timothy Ong is Chairman of Asia Inc Forum, a regional platform for policy and business dialogue which he set up after the failure of his magazine Asia Inc. Mr Ong talks openly to DNA about the Asia Inc episode and how he learned from those mistakes to build a stronger, better company. He also shares his impressions of leaders he has met through his work at Asia Inc Forum.

New Dean To Helm Smu Lee Kong Chian School Of Business: Smu Appoints Professor Gerard George As New Business School Dean From 2015, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases

The Singapore Management University (SMU) has appointed Professor Gerard George from the Imperial College London as Dean of the SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business from 1 January 2015 for a five-year term.

A Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Professor Gerard George is currently Deputy Dean of Imperial College Business School and the Director of the Rajiv Gandhi Centre. The Centre facilitates Imperial College London's strategic commitments in India for joint research initiatives and educational programmes in innovation and entrepreneurship. He also serves as the International Dean of BML Munjal University, an innovative new university mentored by Imperial and …

Surviving Beyond A Third Generation, Andreas Raharso

Asian Management Insights

Family-owned businesses’ continued survival is unsure. Research indicates the most likely cause is their pursuit of professionalisation.

The New Capitalism: Asia And The Future Of Business, Government, And Society, Ann Florini, Bindu Sharma

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

To have a conversation, the appropriate language is needed. The language is just starting to emerge in both Asia and the West for one of the most important conversations the world is now having—the discussion about the future of business and capitalism. Thailand’s King Bhumibol refers to the sufficiency economy. Harvard’s Michael Porter speaks of shared value. Ellen MacArthur’s eponymous foundation supports the transition to the circular economy. John Elkington proposes breakthrough capitalism. Bhutan’s call to measure progress by gross national happiness (GNH), rather than the narrow metric of gross domestic product (GDP), is now attracting attention around the globe. …

Sutd And Smu Jointly Launch Inaugural Undergraduate Dual Degree Programme In Technology, Design And Management, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases

This May, the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and the Singapore Management University (SMU) will admit the first batch of dual degree undergraduate students. Up to 45 top achievers will have the unprecedented opportunity to pursue an engineering degree from SUTD and a business management degree from SMU concurrently. The four-year programme, aimed at producing graduates who will be highly effective in an increasingly complex globalised world, will prepare students to be technology and management-grounded leaders, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Students will spend time at both campuses, and will take SUTD and SMU courses from the first academic year, …