Commentary

Just like a woman: The gender issue in Singapore

Getting women back to work is an issue that has preoccupied Singapore for over a decade. As far back as 1997, the Government set up a Back to Work Advisory Committee to consider incentives that could allow employers to employ more women. At that time, proposals included; flexible working, part time working, job sharing and teleworking.

Commentary

Just like a woman: The gender issue in Singapore

Commentary

Why do local niche agencies fare better when managing social media marketing?

There’s a refreshing, obvious & strong pattern in Singapore, where many brands are turning to niche, local agencies to oversee their social media marketing campaigns as compared to the big boys out there.

Commentary

What can Singapore get from a border less

In 2005, award winning columnist Thomas Friedman introduced an outstanding metaphor for a border less economic world, The World is flat. Since then the world has become conscious of economies flattening stimulating lateral growth and enhancing global accessibility.

Commentary

Are deal-of-the-day sites too good to be true?

Deal-of-the-day sites (think Groupon.sg, Deal.com.sg, Bigdeal.sg) have proliferated quite recently, and I thought I would give one of them a go since my hair needed a good fix early last year.

Commentary

How to market a start-up in Singapore

Singapore’s entrepreneurial stage has been set as a promising hub with enough buzz to re-launch a nineties boyband back to stardom. However, with only 778 km of highly urbanized land mass and five million consumers at best, you had better be selling the next best thing since the iPhone.

Commentary

Getting the right talents

Many HR resourcing managers carry the traditional idea that the job-seeker with the “most impressive” résumé (from big companies) and the necessary skill-sets will fit the role, but how many times do you come across a situation where the newcomer resigns after just a few months with the organisation?

Commentary

Will the dragon year be dismal or delightful?

Since last Monday, people all over the world are celebrating the coming of the dragon year. A dragon year would typically promise ferocious successes but analysts' outlook is one of caution as Europe attempts to sort out its debt crisis and the US approaches another Presidential Election. How would Asia, Singapore in particular, fare this dragon year?

Commentary

Next gen NBN will transform video content consumption in Singapore

News recently of Singapore's ultra-high speed Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network (Next Gen NBN) achieving 83 per cent nationwide deployment was an exciting development in this countries evolution. Having the correct infrastructure in place provides people with greater access to the internet and ultimately a much broader range of video content.

Commentary

There’s really nothing new about sustainability

In recent years, I’ve noticed an entirely new vocabulary being used to describe the modern business approach to sustainability. A number of them cropped up during our panel discussion at Singapore’s Media Leader’s Forum in December – resilience, adaptation, positive social change, CSR, behavioural change, going green.

Commentary

Looking for a job? Try your luck in these hiring hotspots

This quarter is usually one of the most active for hiring, as senior talent comes back in demand and bonuses are paid out over the next few months, and this year should be no different. Chris Mead, General Manager of Hays in Singapore, discusses trends and current opportunities across Asia from the latest Hays Quarterly Report.

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The perks of watching TV online

“When was the last time you finished watching an episode of any TV on free-to-air?” asked Razmig, and in the same breath he asked me to pronounce his first name, “Mr. Hovaghimian” which if I did, he would probably buy me ice cream.

Commentary

Diligent homebuyers win the race

With the current headwinds from the western part of the world and the latest set of cooling measures implemented in December 2011, the Singapore residential property market is likely to moderate in the short term, with some procrastination in homebuyers’ decision and possibly an evident downward re-pricing of residential properties.

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What's up with business analytics and business intelligence?

As the Dragon year commences, Singapore has awakened to the roar of Business Analytics. Identified as a focus sector development by iDA, to catalyse greater adoption, business analytics is an area of untold promise.

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Why Singapore is best placed to be Asia’s lifestyle and luxury center

When I arrived in Singapore in the first week of the 21st century to live and work, little did I know that the island city would be still my home 12 years later.

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Confronting the marketer’s fear in 2012

Surveying the world as a marketer from Singapore and thinking about the prospects for 2012, it’s difficult to be optimistic.

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How to motivate your employees?

In Singapore, if we flip through any newspapers or attend any business seminar, it is almost certain that we have come across this statement; “Our people are our greatest resource.” In many ways, this is very true. If we think about it, strategies can be replicated, technology can be reverse-engineered and processes copied.

Commentary