Asian Studies Commons^™

A Network Analysis Of The Singapore Court Of Appeal's Citations To Precedent, Jerrold Tsin Howe Soh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article presents findings from an empirical network analysis of citation practices in Singapore’s highest court. A network of all 987 reported Court of Appeal judgments handed down from 2000 to 2017 is constructed. Network centrality algorithms are used to rank judgments by centrality. Judgments on contract law, particularly on contractual interpretation and terms, emerge as the most central. Based on this, this article argues that more attention can be paid to interpretation per se as a legal skill. More generally, this article establishes a framework for applying network analysis to Singapore jurisprudence on a larger scale.

The ‘Seven S’ Approach To Subject-Based Banding In Schools, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In an invited commentary, SMU Behavioural Sciences Institute Director Professor David Chan discussed the issues surrounding the replacement of streaming at secondary school with the subject-based banding system. He explained how we can approach issues by reflecting on what he called the "Seven S" elements of education.

How To Be Singaporean: Becoming Global National Citizens And The National Dimension In Cosmopolitan Openness, Wen Li Thian

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper looks at how cosmopolitanism is practised amongst Singaporeans who have experienced Singapore’s education reform in the 1990s. Cosmopolitanism in Singapore is tied to state-intervention with a national orientation. To complement Singapore’s push towards cosmopolitanism, the education reform in the 1990s promoted the idea of a national citizen with a global orientation. I looked at 40 Singaporeans born after the year 1990 to investigate cosmopolitan attitudes that have emerged from the tensions between cosmopolitanism and nationalism. To meet the state’s ideals of cosmopolitanism, these Singaporeans employed strategies to practice a particular form of cosmopolitan openness which prioritise national interests. …

Academia-Industry Alliance Can Boost Accountancy In Laos, Clarence Goh, Sanva Saephan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Surrounded by Myanmar, Cambodia, China, Thailand, and Vietnam, the landlocked nation of Laos has often struggled to escape from the shadows of its larger neighbours. However, Laos has steadily opened its doors to the world over the past few decades and has developed ambitious plans to grow its economy. ... It was in the spirit of deepening collaboration that we embarked on a recent study trip to the Laotian cities of Vientiane and Luang Prabang with 29 undergraduate students from Singapore Management University (SMU).

Agility In Responding To Disruptive Digital Innovation: Case Study Of An Sme, Calvin M. L. Chan, Say Yen Teoh, Adrian Yeow, Gary Pan

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Disruptive digital innovation (DDI) often creates hypercompetitive market environment that forces firms to be agile to survive and remain competitive. Whereas most studies have focused on larger firms' effort to be agile, few have looked at how small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) respond to DDI. The study attempts to answer the research question of how SMEs achieve agility to respond to DDI. Drawing on a case study of an innovative SME, our study develops a framework on agility based on the processes of mitigating organizational rigidity, developing innovative capabilities, and balancing the tension of organizational ambidexterity. Specifically, our findings show …

Corporate Governance: Avoid The Groupthink Pitfall, Themin Suwardy

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Consensus due to similar personal backgrounds, lack of diversity in views and failure to see things from others’ perspective can lead to bad decisions.

Implementation Of A Multi-Agent Environmental Regulation Strategy Under Chinese Fiscal Decentralization: An Evolutionary Game Theoretical Approach, Ke Jiang, Daming You, Ryan Knowles Merrill, Zhendong Li

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Evolutionary game theory (EGT) provides a powerful tool with which to unpack the interactive strategies of polluting enterprises (PEs), local government regulators (LG), and central government planners (CG) in China. Here, the prevailing institutional system of fiscal decentralization sees regulatory mandates set by the CG and enforced at the LG level. This delegation shapes managers' incentives when deciding the degree to which firms will incur costs to reduce pollution and comply with state directives. Manager's choice sets draw shape from decisions at the LG level, where regulators balance the pursuit of environmental quality with the economic payoffs of tacit collusion …

Given Today's New Wave Of Protectionsim, Is Antitrust Law The Last Hope For Preserving A Free Global Economy Or Another Nail In Free Trade's Coffin?, Allison Murray

Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

Brain Drain, Brain Waste And Exporting Talent, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Developing countries should remember the purpose of higher education instead of viewing a degree as a tool for career opportunities overseas

The Making Of A New Superpower: An Examination Of China's Journey To Superpower Status, Sabrina Abigail Focht

Senior Theses

This thesis aims to determine China’s current role within the international system and whether or not it has achieved the status of a superpower nation and thus, the ability to shift global polarity. Due to China’s recent economic success, scholars have been debating if China has already become a superpower, will become one in the future, or if it will never attain this status. This thesis will suggest that by observing the United States’ journey to becoming a sole superpower after the end of the Cold War, and its consequential shifting of global polarity, it is possible to determine where …

A One-Size-Fits-All Approach To Corporate Governance Codes And Compliance By Smaller Listed Firms: An Examination Of Companies Listed In Hong Kong And Singapore, Christopher C. H. Chen

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article examines the impact of a one-size-fits-all corporate governance code on smaller listed firms, which should have fewer resources to hire more qualified independent directors for their boards and board committees. After examining data from a sample of companies listed in Hong Kong and Singapore, we find some limited support for these resources-based arguments. While smaller firms do not necessarily have a lower proportion of board members who are independent directors, some evidence suggests that smaller firms do pay less to independent directors and that these directors have to serve on multiple board committees. Although many larger firms also …

Social Policy Reform And Rigidity In Singapore's Authoritarian Developmental State, Lily Zubaidah Rahim, Lam Keong Yeoh

Research Collection School Of Economics

Singapore’s economic achievements have been widely applauded as a model worthy of emulation, particularly by authoritarian and rapidly industrialising economies. Yet, the city-state retains the dubious distinction of being one of the most inequitable countries in the world—in income inequality terms. Singapore is the only developed economy where workers are not entitled to a minimum wage or compulsory retrenchment benefits. However, following the 2011 electoral backlash against the long-serving People’s Action Party (PAP) government, numerous social policy reforms were introduced. But have these social policy reforms been effective in qualitatively addressing income and socio-economic inequality? To address this question, the …

Bicentennial Commemoration Has To Be More Than Just An Anniversary, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan examined the significance of the bicentennial commemoration to mark the 200th anniversary of the arrival of Sir Stamford Raffles on January 29, 1819. He cautioned that such commemorations cannot be just about sentimentality, novelty or the feel-good factor of how far Singapore has come along but should instead encourage us to think and remember as well as to learn the invaluable lessons of our past.

How To Take Feedback Seriously, David Chan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Publicresponses to incidents are a valuable source of feedback. While negativefeedback may cause discomfort, it is important for policymakers to learn toprocess and respond better to such views.

Sanctions For Nuclear Inhibition: Comparing Sanctions Conditions Between Iran And North Korea, Inwook Kim, Jung-Chul Lee

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Whendo sanctions succeed in nuclear inhibition? Is there a generalizable frameworkto estimate sanction effectiveness against nuclear aspirants? Instead ofrelying on partial equilibrium analysis, we conceptualize sanctions as threesequential phases—imposition of economic pain, conversation to politicalpressure, and creation (or failure thereof) of zone of possible agreement(ZOPA). The effectiveness of each phase is subject to phase-specific contextualvariables, an aggregation of which helps measure individual sanction’s effectiveness,conduct cross-case comparison, and estimate one’s replicability in other cases.To illustrate its analytical utility, we analyze the divergent sanctionoutcomes between Iran in 2012-2015 and North Korea 2013-2017. Iran waseconomically more vulnerable, politically less resilient, and its bargainingposition …

Bodies Of Work: Skilling At The Bottom Of The Global Nursing Care Chain, Yasmin Y. Ortiga, Jenica Ana Rivero

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In the midst of a growing global market for migrant care work, there is a need to investigate not only how such labour is consumed but how ‘ideal’ care workers are also produced. This paper investigates how schools within migrant-sending countries produce nurse labour through body work or the testing and honing of hospital procedures on patients’ bodies. Focusing on the case of the Philippines, this paper shows how the education of nurses for export creates a paradoxical impact on care work within local healthcare institutions. Aspiring nurse migrants provide much-needed manpower to understaffed public hospitals yet, treat poor patients …

Jawing Through Crises: Chinese And Vietnamese Media Strategies In The South China Sea, Frances Yaping Wang, Brantly Womack

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Winston Churchill once said, ‘it is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war.’ However, negotiations are particularly difficult when they are enmeshed in public opinion precommitments. The sharpest crisis between China and Vietnam in the last 30 years concerned the placement of a Chinese oil rig into contested waters in 2014. This study analyses the Chinese and Vietnamese propaganda efforts surrounding the crisis as examples of the instrumental use of propaganda in managing domestic public opinion on diplomatic crises. The article argues that despite very different approaches to public diplomacy during the crisis, both states were primarily concerned with avoiding escalation …

Communicating In The Post‐Truth Era: Analyses Of Crisis Response Strategies Of Presidents Donald Trump And Rodrigo Duterte, Natasha Binte Mohamed Ismail, Marie Angeline Pagulayan, Carlo Miguel Alfonso Francia, Augustine Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The rhetoric of then U.S. President‐elect Donald Trump and Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte had triggered a shift in global political discourse (Greene, 2016). This study examines their responses on three similar crises: disrespectful remarks towards women, associations with controversial political figures, and remarks threatening geopolitical relations. Data from prestige publications, Washington Post (U.S.) and the Philippine Daily Inquirer, were analyzed during the acute stage of each crisis. Findings showed that both men employed confusing strategy combinations in their crisis responses. Despite incoherent application and contradictory strategies, they survived threats to their image as evidenced by poll results. New strategies (diversion …

Dominion Road In Auckland, New Zealand And Chinese Community, Wendy W. Tan

Publications and Research

Dominion Road, located at Auckland, New Zealand, runs north-south across most of the central areas of the town. It has been known as having a colorful mix of shops and being described as "United Nations of restaurants". However, around the Balmoral town center, Chinese-owned businesses have topped all other ethnic groups, so a proposal to designate this Road as the first Chinatown of Auckland City has been heard. The author did a literature search in this respect and also made a visit to this area. This article (in Chinese) is her understanding of the status quo after this site visit.

Forced Labor In Hong Kong, Kylan Rutherford

Marriott Student Review

Domestic workers are among the most exploited groups, composing 24% of the estimated 45.8 million forced laborers worldwide. The market for domestic workers has expanded especially rapidly in the Asia-Pacific region; in Hong Kong alone, there are currently 360,000 domestic workers—about 10% of Hong Kong’s workforce—mostly originating from the Philippines and Indonesia (Hincks, 2017). 94% of these workers show signs of exploitation or forced labor (Kang, 2017). The nature of their work in a foreign country limits their access to government protection, forces them to comply with illegally high recruitment fees, and can push them to submit to abuse in …

Perception Of Corrupt Acts: East Vs. West, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Corruption is a major threat faced by China and anyone who wants to do business in the country. In recent years, the Chinese government’s crackdowns in corruption has led to some success. In the Berlin-based non-profit Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2017, China ranked 77th with a score of 41 out of 100, a slight improvement from the score of 36 in 2014. The index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople with a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

Lee Kong Chian School Of Business Year In Review 2017-2018, Singapore Management University

SMU Corporate Reports

I am happy to report that our faculty and staff have eagerly stepped up for this challenge to become Asia's best business school ! Let me take the opportunity to highlight a few initiatives: Delivering innovative, transformative learning experiences; creating opportunities for research with impact; and cultivating and deepening our Asian partnerships.

Smu Libraries Annual Report 2018, Singapore Management University

SMU Corporate Reports

SMU Libraries has retained its status as the ‘Most Preferred Place’ by SMU students for many years running, according to the 2018 annual SMUSA (SMU Students Association) survey. I am sure you would agree with me that what makes a great space is a combination of many aspects, facilities, services, light, sounds, people, ambience, one’s feelings or perception of the Library, the values that the Library and the library staff represent to the users and so on.

Singapore Management University Report To Stakeholders 2018 - 2019, Singapore Management University

Report to Stakeholders

This academic year has been one of transition, with several key changes in SMU’s Leadership.

Now You Seaweed, Now You Don't: Photographing Rongcheng's Disappearing Seaweed Houses, Yanjing Liu

Social Space

This county-level city is known not only for its picturesque beauty, but also for being the site of seaweed houses— traditional homes built from natural seaweed and stones. Inhabited mainly by local fishermen, these structures are a reflection of northern Chinese marine culture and fishery customs.

Short-Run Health Consequences Of Retirement And Pension Benefits: Evidence From China, Plamen Nikolov, Alan Adelman

Justice & Well-Being Studies Faculty Scholarship

This paper examines the impact of the New Rural Pension Scheme (NRPS) in China. Exploiting the staggered implementation of an NRPS policy expansion that began in 2009, we used a difference-in-difference approach to study the effects of the introduction of pension benefits on the health status, health behaviors, and healthcare utilization of rural Chinese adults age 60 and above. The results point to three main conclusions. First, in addition to improvements in self-reported health, older adults with access to the pension program experienced significant improvements in several important measures of health, including mobility, self-care, usual activities, and vision. Second, regarding …

The Effects Of Fundamentals, Speculation, Government Policies, And International Capital Flows On China's Stock Market, Yanshen Qi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper, based on the relationship between the economy, policy and the financial market seeks to explore the leading force in China's stock market and identify how the government policies affect the stock market, through an analysis of the performance of the Shanghai Stock Exchange Index over the past 10 years. Comparing the stocks' intrinsic value to their market price can present an aerial view of China's stock market. When the market prices deviated from fundamentals, we can find what government did to respond to the market and lead market opinions.

Through our estimation, comparing the sample fundamental prices with …

Self-Determination Theory As A Framework For Understanding Needs Of Youth At-Risk: Perspectives Of Social Service Professionals And The Youth Themselves, Tania Nagpaul, Jinwen Chen

Lien Centre for Social Innovation: Research

While there is evidence from the self-determination perspective for the positive impact of self-determination interventions on at-risk youth's transition outcomes, no research to date, has attempted to understand youth needs from both social service provider and youth client perspectives in the same study. The present study sought to generate a nuanced understanding of youth needs. For this purpose, the study was conducted in two phases. In phase1, twenty-one social service professionals (case workers, social workers, counsellors, program supervisors) were interviewed to get an understanding of their perception of youth needs and how they are being met. In phase 2, 45 …

Ua35/11/1 Chinese Flagship & Confucius Institute, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the Chinese Flagship program and Confucius Institute.

China's Intellectual Property Rights Provocation: A Political Economy View, Shaomin Li

Management Faculty Publications

It is well recognized that intellectual property rights (IPR) violations are at the heart of the economic conflict with China. Little agreement, however, exists about the origin and solutions for this provocation. Broadly speaking, two prescriptions have been proposed: the natural evolutionary and the rule of law views. While both have merits and add to our understanding, they do not go far enough to address the more fundamental IPR policy issue: China has benefited from a rule of law overseas and a rule through law at home, manufacturing unfair advantage to its firms, many of which are owned and/or influenced …