Commentary

"Brands with local businesses: Learn the key methods of driving sales through Facebook and understand how fans really work to increase your revenue."

Yacht chartering in Singapore has seen an upsurge in demand in the last 4 years. This can be seen by the number of companies in the yacht charter business and the number of yachts they operate. Prior to 2008 there were only a handful of companies offering charter yachts, with as few as half a dozen yachts.

In this series of 10 short essays, I will provide ten easy rules for you to adopt to instill innovation at the core of your company in Singapore or the rest of Asia. These rules are bold and will surely contravene inherited teachings and convictions. 1. Don’t listen to customers; observe them Unlike what we are taught in Marketing 101 MBA classes, customers rarely know what they want. The gap between needs and beliefs is the trap that separates "good" from "great".

According to our latest Hays Quarterly Report, experienced Chemical Engineers, Marketing and Business Development Managers and supply chain professionals are just some of the skills in demand in Singapore. However, finding good people with the right skills remains a challenge for employers.

In a recent conversation with a Singaporean acquaintance of mine he explained that there are two types of Singaporeans, the cosmopolitans and the Heartlanders.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) released the flash estimates for prices of private residential properties in 1Q 2012 in early April. Based on the flash estimates, private residential property prices showed the first quarterly decline in 1Q 2012 since 2Q 2009.

As Singaporean professionals compete with one another for jobs, recognition and overall markers of success, there is an interesting body of research that suggests if you want to lead the pack, you better speed up or risk getting run over.

At Google, we believe that the future of marketing is simpler than you might think. Marketers are familiar with all sorts of specialized terms: branding, creatives, assets, CPC, multi-channel, etc.

Why should more digital and social media entrepreneurs come to Singapore to create and launch new tools and applications? Is it the ease of doing business factor? Or this nice oasis feeling, with palm trees, beaches and sunshine all year long?

With the advent of B2B events in Asia, companies are seeking higher return-on-investment by hosting events themselves. In essence, internal event let the host dictate what to sell, who to sell to and how to sell. Primarily, audiences stem from existing clientèle and potential ones for various good reasons, emphasizing on the last 3Ps in the science of Marketing (Process, Physical environment and People) and the quest to let their users advocate the host's thought leadership instead. Investment on unique infrastructure as demanded by the hosts, ability to tweak details and the logistical environment can and are usually answered at least by the last P.

With the world’s largest smartphone user base per capita – a 90 per cent penetration rate – Singapore is out in front as an important global leader in the mobile revolution. This strong embrace of advanced mobile technologies says a lot about the dynamic consumer market in Singapore. Yet, it also poses unique challenges for the companies serving or selling into this highly mobile consumer market.

It is possible for HR leaders to get to the top of the C-Suite if they begin transforming the role of HR from a purely operational function to that of a strategic business partner instead, says Ronald Lee, Managing Director of PrimeStaff Management Services.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) ushered in a new era for the Asian capital markets in February by issuing a consultation paper on the proposed regulation of over the counter (OTC) derivatives.

A common misconception from the outside looking into the Singapore corporate world is that leadership is applicable only to the most senior or higher ranks. In any successful organisation in Singapore, this is furthest from the truth.

'It's not what you know, it's who you know.' So goes the old adage, and it's true that in business, personal relationships usually count for more than specialist knowledge. But good networking hinges on more than simply knowing the 'people who matter'. Just think of all the former high fliers who have fallen from grace in recent years. They had the right connections – or so they thought. Their trouble was that they had become isolated from the rest of us.

Bridge have recently conducted a global research programme with their multi-national clients into the changing nature of 21st century leadership, looking at what are the underpinning capacities, skills, competences and mind-sets of the leaders that succeed in situations of significant complexity.