Commentary

Creating a good brand in Singapore

Singapore’s rapid marketplace growth is seen as a global success story, but there’s one key to continued success that may be unknown and under-utilized: the connection between your company’s brand and the individual personal brands of your employees.

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Creating a good brand in Singapore

Commentary

Challenges IT professionals face today

Today’s job market is all the more challenging in Singapore, with employers keen to keep operational costs lean in a generally conservative climate. With this increased emphasis on cost-cutting, employers have allotted lower budgets for hiring, resulting in a more subdued job market. With fewer new projects being developed in the market today, many companies are therefore looking at up-skilling their workforce and training existing staff to take on different portfolios in a bird to maximise productivity.

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Singapore is amongst the top 30 nation brands globally. So What?

The “brand” of a country has a direct impact on the wealth of the nation and its ability to compete and grow in the global economy.

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Setting sensible policies to cope with consumerisation

What began as a trickle of smartphones, tablets and other mobile consumer devices into the workplace has surged to a flood, with no crest in sight. These devices seem to seep through every crack in IT protocols and controls.

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Can Singapore lead the search for a sustainable biofuel?

Compared to some other choices in clean energy like solar and wind, biofuels as an alternate energy source has been struggling to find a foothold globally despite strong demand from industry, regulatory “push” for sustainable energy sources and pressure from environmental activists. One of the hurdles holding biofuels back from going mainstream is the food versus fuel controversy, where there are concerns about diverting food crops like corn, soy for biofuel production and the planting of fuel crops such as oil palm on land that could otherwise be used for food cultivation and animal grazing.

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Writing is the most underrated skill in marketing communications

As an employer and external consultant to editorial and marketing communications teams, I've had many firsthand opportunities to witness how writing standards have plummeted over the years.

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How to manage your diverse team

Greater productivity is one of the major corporate goals of the 21st century. More companies than ever before are using a range of measures to boost it, from bonuses to flexible working.

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The “Johari Window” of branding

How many people know about your brand and actually uses your brand? Yes, there are many definitions and gurus out there explaining what is branding all about and how it can help businesses grow. There are many seminars to attend and books to read for any business owner to understand about branding but still, there are many business owners out there who have little clue on how it can actually translate to business success.

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Kids say the darnest things

Leaders need to be creative and seek inspiration from particularly any source. Even from children.

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Use LinkedIn to help victims of sex trafficking

To raise awareness of sex trafficking in Singapore, a group of us from the BBH Asia Pacific Barn program created a profile on a LinkedIn account based on true stories of victims’ experiences. The profile tells the story of the way many women and children are tricked in to the sex trade every year.

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Why smiling is important in customer service

“I am a service-provider.”

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Unleash the child in you

However grown up, there is child in us ever alive!

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Why Empire Avenue is bull run for marketers

Started in February 2010, Empire Avenue (EA) is fast becoming a popular new tool for brands and social media marketers. For readers who have yet to caught up with this Canadian-based social stock market-like game phenomenon and have absolutely no clue on what it does and how it works. Here's a quick introduction.

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Singapore's 'FT' conundrum

Almost everywhere in the world FT means "Financial Times", but in Singapore these days, it means "foreign talent", currently a "sensitive" issue, to the extent that most of the time FT is used in an ironical way. (BTW, I am a foreigner myself, arriving in 1983 to work for NUS till retiring in 2007.)

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What’s hot in the in-house legal market today

In the legal industry here in Singapore, employers all around are feeling the effects of a talent scarcity. Whether it is junior lawyers or middle to senior level lawyers, the market is facing a tightening pool of talent. In light of the talent crunch present in the legal industry, how can one capitalise upon this to further his/her career What roles and skills are most in demand today’s market? Read on to find what type of experience will help you take your career to the next level.

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3 mindsets Singaporean employers must change

According to a recent news article by Channels News Asia, employee loyalty to their company fell to a five-year low in every major region. And about 52 per cent of employees in Singapore intend to leave their current employers within the next five years. Research also found that about one in three plan to do so within two years!

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Words to make you sound smarter

Chances are if you work with an MNC, a local public listed company, an SME or even a non-profit organisation in Singapore, you will be bombarded with financial and accounting jargon whether you like it or not.

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