Commentary News | Singapore Business Review

To avoid queues, Singaporean events should go cashless

The loud roar of engines revs up the final quarter of 2016 – as Singapore turns up its glitz and glamour, in conjunction with the 9th Formula One Singapore Grand Prix season. Yet, after almost a decade of mega-events of this scale, attendees are still facing the same massive queues as before.

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Singapore's 4th telco: Is there room for differentiation?

The bids are in, with MyRepublic, TPG Telecom, and airYotta contending for the position of Singapore's fourth telco. TPG Telecom's market positioning, should they win the bid, is unknown, while the other two have indicated that they will take a data-first approach, with MyRepublic offering unlimited data and airYotta the benefits of Singapore's first 4.5G LTE Advanced Pro network.

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To rise as a Smart Nation, Singapore must disrupt the workplace

Singapore is well underway in its quest to be a Smart Nation, through the deployment of technology and innovative solutions to old problems. Since Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong outlined his vision to turn the young country into a Smart Nation in 2014, Singapore has been making impressive progress, both in terms of hardware and software.

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Private education's role in engineering tomorrow's Singapore

In 2015, the Ministry of Manpower reported that four of the top ten professions with the biggest number of vacancies in Singapore were engineering-related. While it seems engineering jobs may have lost their shine over the years, we must not forget that they have played an essential part to nation-building, and will continue to contribute to the growth and success of Singapore.

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Forex: Best business ever?

There are many factors to consider when looking to invest-in or start-up a business, particularly in the Singapore financial markets. Perhaps some of the most important are stability, long-term growth potential, ROI (return on investment – especially your time-to-return investment), OPM (other people’s money), start-up costs (initial capital), and overall opportunity.

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Asia's hunger for alternative finance

After the global downturn that followed 2008, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) emerged as one of the pillars of the economy, withstanding turbulent times whilst banking titans collapsed around them.

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Why Singapore investors should pay attention to how consumers feel

Singapore consumers are feeling pretty low. This means the Singapore stock market could soon be moving up.

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National Day Rally 2016 – breaking it down for businesses

I think if there is one thing business owners need to take away from this year’s national day rally, it is to take care of your health.

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What changed in the automotive sector with Brexit?

The referendum results of Britain leaving the European Union (EU) came as a surprise to everyone. It was unprecedented since no country has ever left the EU. There are questions on what will change given this development. And how will countries like Singapore and the rest of the world be affected?

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Training a SkillsFuture generation: Are workers workplace-ready?

Training is an inherently expensive endeavour, and current efforts to train workers to meet the demands of employers are no exception. Thankfully, the SkillsFuture Credit, Earn and Learn, and Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy schemes introduced by the Singapore government have taken the bite out of training fees for the individual.

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How do you account for your headcount?

In today's uncertain economic times, many companies are re-looking into their priorities, one of which is to retrench staff as a way to save on overhead expenses. However, removing jobs does not necessarily mean that a company saves on costs.

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3 business strategies to survive the tightening credit environment in Singapore

DP Information Group had recently conducted a credit survey on Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Singapore and found that SMEs are tightening their credit terms. Their most eye-catching result was captured in the chart below which shows that SMEs are getting paid a full 19 days to cash (DTC) earlier than just two years ago.

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Future-ready education: Honing the right skills

Singapore is often praised for its high standards of education, so it might be surprising to some that the nation state suffers from a huge knowledge-skills gap. According to the Hays Global Skills Index, despite Singapore having one of the highest education standards in the world, local talent often do not have the skills wanted by employers, leading to both higher rates of vacancies and unemployment.

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The untapped Gold of Saigon: Property investment opportunities for Singapore investors

Amid the uncertainty of Brexit and the slowing real estate sector here in Singapore, emerging markets like Vietnam are a promising investment destination for Singapore’s property investors. The country is also becoming more popular among Singaporeans. In June 2015, Singaporean visitors to Vietnam rose 43.6 percent year-on-year, according to Vietnam’s National Administration of Tourism.

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BreadTalk: Continuous innovation to keep the brand fresh

It was December 2012, and Joyce Koh, Senior Vice President of Brand Development at BreadTalk, was examining the company’s preliminary growth statistics for 2012 with a view to developing its future brand strategy.

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