Asian Studies Commons^™

The Disappearance Of Nyoman And Ketut, Laura Michelle Garvie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

No abstract provided.

Grooming The Future Disruptive Accounting Professionals, Gary Pan, Gan Hup Tan, Poh Sun Seow

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

In this chapter, we will discuss how SMU brought about innovation changes in the university’s learning environment. In 2011, a steering committee was set up by SMU President, Professor Arnoud De Meyer to develop strategies that focused on innovation in learning pedagogy at the university. Subsequent brainstorming sessions led to the evolution of the SMU-X programme, which aimed to broaden the scope of university education by encompassing real life problems and problem-solving skills in the curriculum. The concept encompassed three key elements: mindset, pedagogy, and physical space. The challenge was to offer more applied learning with close coordination between classroom …

Human Migration And Health: A Case Study Of The Chinese Rural-To-Urban Migrant Population, Leah C. Pinckney

Student Publications

Human migration is a complex, ancient process driven by a variety of social, political, and economic factors. Modern migrants and their families are often compelled to migrate voluntarily in pursuit of new opportunities for study or work and, in extreme circumstances, involuntarily for safety and survival. Chinese domestic migrant populations were mobilized with China’s early 1980s economic reform, which enabled rapid economic development largely dependent on urban factories. While this massive influx of young people predominantly from rural locales to urban locales seeking opportunity enabled China’s rise as a world power, their move not only marked changing internal labor patterns …

Enhancing Singapore’S Pension Scheme: A Blueprint For Further Flexibility, Koon Shing Kwong, Yiu Kuen Tse, Wai Sum Chan

Research Collection School of Economics

Building a social security system to ensure Singapore residents have peace of mind in funding for retirement has been at the top of Singapore government’s policy agenda over the last decade. Implementation of the Lifelong Income For the Elderly (LIFE) scheme in 2009 clearly shows that the government spares no effort in improving its pension scheme to boost its residents’ income after retirement. Despite the recent modifications to the LIFE scheme, Singapore residents must still choose between two plans: the Standard and Basic plans. To enhance the flexibility of the LIFE scheme with further streamlining of its fund management, we …

Sac Outreach Bulletin 2017, South Asia Center

Newsletters from the South Asia Center

No abstract provided.

Una Aproximación Al Proceso De Construcción De La Identidad Cultural Coreano-Argentina En La Ciudad De Buenos Aires / An Approach To The Korean-Argentine Ethnic And Cultural Identity In The City Of Buenos Aires, Hyeree Ellis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Korean migration to Argentina is still fairly new, with the first migrants having arrived in the 1960s. However, the population of Koreans in Argentina has created a collective society large enough to be named its own Barrio. The purpose of this research is to investigate the construction of ethnic identity among Korean-Argentines living in the city of Buenos Aires in Argentina. In this process, the investigation considers the relationship between discrimination and ethnic-identity formation, as well as the importance of the knowledge and practice of heritage language, customs, and rituals in the familiar world in order to maintain ethnic-identity. Furthermore, …

Can Wto Law Keep Up With The Internet?, Henry Gao

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The regulation of Internet activities presents special challenges to the World Trade Organization (WTO), as its rules were mostly formulated in the pre-Internet era. The first difficulty lies in determining whether Internet activities should be classified as goods or services, as they are subject to different regulatory frameworks. Traditionally, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) only applies to goods. It was not until the establishment of the WTO in 1995 that services trade was finally brought within the scope of the multilateral trading system. While some activities, such as the online delivery of books and audiovisual products could …

Our Future Together Industry Perspectives: Future Of Professional Learning And Entrepreneurship, Poh Sun Seow, Pan, Gary, Clarence Goh, Kwong Sin Leong

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

This report 2017 marks the second collaboration between ISCA and ICAEW after the successful launch of “Our Future Together” report in 2016 to inspire professional accountants to critically think about what the future holds for Singapore and the accountancy profession. How should accountants embrace transformation in the digital age? How should learning be redefined for the accountancy profession? How can organisational culture encourage innovation and an enterprising spirit in accountants? This report aims to shape the discussion on how education, training and professional learning should be redefined to develop professional accountants who are future-ready, so that they can continue to …

Do Politically Connected Directors Affect Accounting Quality? Evidence From China's Anti-Corruption Campaign (Rule 18), Ole-Kristian Hope, Heng Yue, Qinlin Zhong

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

We examine the impact of politically connected directors on accounting quality using a quasi experiment in China. In October 2013, “Rule 18” was issued to prohibit government and party officials, who were concurrently holding public offices or had recently retired from such positions within the last three years, from serving as directors for publicly listed firms. The regulation is part of China’s anti-corruption campaign, and it has led to a large number of politically connected directors resigning from their roles as directors involuntarily. As such, Rule 18 has effectively weakened, if not fully discontinued, the political connections of the firms …

Ethnic Social Network In Public Housing Market In Singapore, Sumit Agarwal, Hyunsoo Choi, Jia He, Tien Foo Sing

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This paper investigates the ethnic social network in Singapore's resale public housing market using a unique dataset containing the Cash-Over-Valuation (COV) information for a sample of 73,107 resale public housing transactions from 2007 to 2012. We find that the COV per square meter (psm), which represents a premium above the "objective" housing value, significantly increases with the concentration of buyers' own ethnic group at a housing block level. The results imply that buyers value housing blocks with higher concentration of the same ethnicity group of households. However, the convexity in COV premium suggests that the premium is too large to …

Time To Hold Last Rites For Martial-Rape Immunity, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

When Minister for Social and Family Development Tan Chuan-Jin said earlier this month in Parliament that the Government was “actively reviewing” a husband’s limited immunity from marital rape, he asserted that a married woman should have equal protection against sexual violence as an unmarried woman.

Rent Appropriation Of Knowledge-Based Assets And Firm Performance When Institutions Are Weak: A Study Of Chinese Publicly Listed Firms, Cuili Qian, Heli Wang, Xuesong Geng, Yangxin Yu

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

A firm's strategic investments in knowledge-based assets through research and development (R&D) can generate economic rents for the firm, and thus are expected to affect positively a firm's financial performance. However, weak protection of minority shareholders, weak property rights, and ineffective law enforcement can allow those rents to be appropriated disproportionately by a firm's powerful insiders such as large owners and top managers. Recent data on Chinese publicly listed firms during 2007-2012 were used to demonstrate that the expected positive relationship between knowledge assets and performance is weaker in transition economies when a firm's ownership is highly concentrated and its …

How Smu Became An Agent Of Change For Universities, Arnoud De Meyer, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Its partnership with Wharton has helped enrich the landscape of higher education in Singapore, two SMU leaders write in response to Han Fook Kwang's column last Sunday.

World War Ii, Race, And The Southeast Asian Origins Of The Domino Theory, Wen-Qing (Wei Wenqing) Ngoei

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This essay examines how the history of World War II in Southeast Asia, and US and British attitudes toward the Asian races, underpinned the emergence of the domino theory.

Late-Life Widowhood In Developing Southeast Asia: Comparative Perspectives From Myanmar, Thailand, And Vietnam, Bussarawan Puk Teerawichitchainan, John Knodel

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

We analyze recent aging surveys to examine the prevalence and correlates of widowhood among elderly in Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam and investigate how widowhood is associated with intergenerational support and old-age wellbeing. Widowhood is often associated with depressive symptoms, elevated mortality risk, and social-relationship changes. How one fares after spousal loss is nevertheless contingent on individual-level attributes, dyadic characteristics, and macro-social conditions. Thus, consequences likely vary across contexts. Most studies are conducted in western developed countries. Few existing Asia-focused research is primarily based on developed East Asia or China. Little is empirically known about the situation in non-western developing countries. …

Long-Term Care Needs In The Context Of Poverty And Population Aging: The Case Of Older Persons In Myanmar, Bussarawan Puk Teerawichitchainan, John Knodel

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Myanmar is one of the poorest and least healthy Asian countries. Policy makers have only begun to discuss the implications of population aging for health system. There is no policy in place to provide long-term care (LTC). Family has been the mainstay of support for elderly with LTC needs. Myanmar’s demographic transitions will soon challenge the current form of family-caregiving for frail elderly. We analyze Myanmar’s first national aging survey to understand LTC needs and the roles that families play in LTC. We examine prevalence in older-aged disability. Subsequently, we assess the likelihood of receiving care and the composition of …

Dreaming As A Critical Discourse Of National Belonging: China Dream, American Dream And World Dream, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This article explores the normative politics of national belonging through an analysis of the ‘China Dream’ and the ‘American Dream’. It traces how politicians and public intellectuals employ such slogans to highlight how national dreams emerge in times of crisis and involve a combination of aspirations and anxieties. It compares parallel rhetorical strategies – ‘patriotic worrying’ in China and the American Jeremiad in the US – to examine how belonging to these two nations involves a nostalgic longing for the past as a model for the future. Debates about the meaning of these national dreams highlight the tension between freedom …

The Giving Trees: The (Un)Sustainability Of Palm Oil In Indonesia, Amber Rosche

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Palm oil is the main source of cooking oil for much of Africa, Asia and Brazil. Due to the increasingly high demand for palm oil, countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia have cleared millions of acres of tropical rainforests to create space for oil palm plantations. This deforestation has led to extreme environmental and social concerns such as the burning of peatlands, the endangerment of a number of species, including the Sumatran Tiger, rhinos and orangutans, and the displacement of native populations. Indonesia is the world’s largest consumer and producer of palm oil, producing almost half of the world’s supply …

What, Why, Who, When, Where?, Gulcin Cribb

Research Collection Library

No abstract provided.

Towards An Understanding Of Societal Leadership In Southeast Asia: Position Paper, Institute For Societal Leadership

Institute of Societal Leadership Research Collection

In this position paper, we delineate the reasons for examining leadership in the social impact sector and for tackling social issues and wicked problems that we face in Southeast Asia region. We begin by discussing the roles of societal leaders and societal leadership, drawing upon notable examples of efforts and strategies that are employed by leaders to create social impact in the region. The paper concludes with a proposed research agenda for studying societal leadership.

Customer Satisfaction Index Of Singapore 2016: Full Year Overview, Institute Of Service Excellence, Smu

Research Collection Institute of Service Excellence (2007-2024)

The Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) computes customer satisfaction scores at the national, sector, sub-sector, and company levels. The CSISG serves as a quantitative benchmark of the quality of goods and services produced by the Singapore economy over time and across countries. The fourth quarter results mark the end of measurement for CSISG 2016. Singapore’s 2016 national score was computed using the data collected during these four quarters.

The Process Of Integrating The Sdgs In Udaipur And Reflections On Alfa Educational Society, Celestina Dankwa Agyekum

Sustainability and Social Justice

ABSTRACT

THE PROCESS OF INTEGRATING THE SDGS IN UDAIPUR

AND REFLECTIONS ON ALFA EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY

WRITTEN BY

CELESTINA DANKWA AGYEKUM

This paper practitioner’s report examines in three parts: the product, the professional and the personal chapters of my internship with ALFA Educational Society in Udaipur, India. ALFA Educational Society expresses its vision of youth led development by being a youth founded organization, youth run and by remaining at the grassroots level, while declining growth of the organization to keep true to its priorities of volunteerism. It is attentive about focusing on a moderate amount of villages it serves to remain …

Asian Multiculturalism In Communication: Impact Of Culture In The Practice Of Public Relations In Singapore, Su Lin Yeo, Augustine Pang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School of Business

This study aims to understand the role of cultural values in influencing public relations practice in Singapore. Given that Singapore exhibits a hybrid of cultures, it purposes to comprehend how multiculturalism is operationalized and to uncover if the values that have a greater influence on organizational communication resemble those in individualistic or collectivistic societies. Using Gudykunst's (1998) seven dimensions that influence individualism-collectivism on communication as a guide, this study interviewed 20 public relations practitioners in Singapore. Our findings showed that although the patterns expressed is slightly more consistent with those found in collectivistic cultures, it does not resemble collectivism in …

Have The Singapore Courts Faltered In The Enforcement Of Arbitration Agreements?, Darius Chan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

Weak Law V Strong Ties: An Empirical Study Of Business Investment, Law And Political Connections In China, Wei Zhang, Ji Li

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Based on a large-scale survey of Chinese entrepreneurs, our study explores how institutions (formal and informal) influence investment decisions made by private companies. The study finds that, consistent with the conventional view, a more effective legal system is correlated with short-term general investment, and that the judiciary is important mainly because of its restraint over the state. The role of effective courts, however, diminishes when private entrepreneurs consider making long-term investment. We find a positive association between the entrepreneurs’ political backgrounds and their R&D investment, suggesting that Chinese courts, in spite of decades of reform, are not yet viewed as …

Child's Gender, Parental Monetary Investments And Care Of Elderly Parents In China, Christine Ho

Research Collection School Of Economics

Son biased investments are common in many Asian countries where sons are customarily responsible for providing old age support to parents. Using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, I find that parents invested nearly twice more in sons than in daughters in terms of college education spending and marriage gifts value. Conversely, parents received relatively higher marginal returns to investment from daughters than from sons in terms of living proximity, monetary and in-kind transfers, and help with instrumental activities of daily living. Family fixed effects models as well as an instrumental variable strategy are employed to control …

Ns’ Role In Defining The Vision Of A New Society, Tan K. B. Eugene

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the introduction of National Service (NS), a cornerstone of our defence strategy and a hallmark of the Singaporean way of life. In a short span of 50 years, NS has come a long way and continues to mould generations of Singaporean men.

Pm Lee Hsien Loong's Speech At The Official Opening Of Singapore Management University Law School Building And The Kwa Geok Choo Law Library On 15 March 2017, Hsien Loong Lee

SMU Press Releases and News

Full text of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong speech to open the new SMU law school building and the Kwa Geok Choo Law Library. He reminised about his mother Mdm Kwa Geok Choo, and his thoughts about the future of the legal profession and how the government can support them.

Institutional Regime Shift In Intellectual Property Rights And Innovation Strategies Of Firms In China, Kenneth G. L. Huang, Xuesong Geng, Heli Wang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study develops a novel conceptual framework to understand the differential impact of formal institutional regime shift in intellectual property rights on the innovation and patenting strategies of Chinese and Western firms operating in China. We argue that to the extent that Chinese firms have been deeply embedded in China’s informal institutions,they are less responsive to formal institutional changes than Western firms operating in China. Using the major China patent law reform of 2001 as an exogenous event, we find results consistent with our key arguments: With the strengthening of the previously weak (utility model) patent protection, Chinese firms are …

A Coming Of Age For Mediation In Singapore? Mediation Act 2016, Dorcas Quek Anderson

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The Mediation Act 2016 was recently passed by the Singapore Parliament and is soon to come into operation. This legislative comment compares the Act’s key provisions to the common law principles concerning confidentiality and admissibility, enforcement of mediated settlement agreements and stay of proceedings pending mediation. It argues that the Act has refined the common law in certain areas, but has brought about greater uncertainty in other aspects. It also discusses how the major provisions are likely to be applied by the court in light of similar developments in other jurisdictions.