Commentary

Even as architects all over the world conceptualised with new materials and innovative design solutions as media of creative expression , timber has long been a classic favourite. But how is timber used in homes and buildings today? Do we see it as an eco-friendly material or one that damages the environment because thousands of trees in forests have to be felled to make furniture, furnishings or building materials?

Forget the enduring stereotypical image of the grey suited company man with his Mitsubishi car, Mitsubishi wife and Mitsubishi job for life.

There has been rising interest of late for professionals in Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) methods and operational excellence, making them some of the most sought-after this year.

Promotions, no matter how fantastic they sound, can pose a serious challenge. Just ask leadership transition expert Michael D. Watkins. This former Harvard Business School professor, who now chairs Genesis Advisers, previously wrote the renowned transition guide The First 90 Days. In his newest book, he chronicles the obstacles that fresh-off-the-promotion leaders face.

Significant Land for Residential Development Released

You finally decide to take up that new job offer and leave your current one. Handing in your resignation to your boss, you felt relieved. The hardest part is over and the excitement of starting a new job is creeping in.

With a growth rate of over 80% in 2011, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube are now the new world’s marketing giants. Singapore is one of the most “evolved” social media markets around the world, according to market research firm Firefly Milward Brown.

Do you currently have a website? Or do you plan to design and develop a new website soon? No matter which side of the fence you’re on, it’s important that you know the importance of search traffic you can get from search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing.

Even with some caution in the region driven by continued global economic instability, Singapore’s labour market continues to be characterised by critical skills-shortages, particularly in industries such as oil & gas, engineering, financial services and infrastructure.

As a small city state Singapore has managed to build an excellent reputation, it is perceived by the entire world as clean, safe and efficient, most cities can only dream of such an image. Some may say this conveys a boring persona for the city yet Singapore has overcome this and is obviously perceived as must see tourist destination with over 12 million tourists visiting the city last year.

Although Pinterest is taking the rest of the world by storm today, we have a take a modest stance when it comes to Singapore.

New economy thinking dictates that almost anything that is manufactured or offered as a service can now be replicated. So rather than focusing upon the core product or service, businesses have to focus upon the peripheral features.

All Hail the New World! The concept of telework, telecommuting or virtual work (different names for the same phenomenon) has been around for some time. In fact, ‘telework’ was nominated in the 2010 Word of the Year list published by the American Dialect Society. According to a recent study by MRI China Group, 47.7% Singapore based professionals stated flexible work hours as the highest priority over other factors such as benefits, personal development, etc. in their choice of employer. Several changes, both in the physical and in the digital world, are accelerating the adoption of this concept by organisations. The demand side changes include organisations’ need for multi-cultural experiences, war for talent and rising urban real-estate prices. On the digital side, ubiquitous connectivity, proliferation of connected, ‘smart’ portable devices and emergence of new collaborative tools under the Web 2.0 moniker are enabling employees and organisations to seriously consider virtual work environments.

If you are thinking of starting a business in Singapore, you must first decide on a legal structure for it. Usually you'll choose either a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a limited liability company (“company”).

Let me set the record straight.

While many remain focused on technology, and new ways to deliver mobile content to consumers, it is important to consider the consumers themselves as a key part of the equation. The mobile consumer has changed so drastically in the last couple of years that it may be worthwhile to consider this new behaviour, and how it should affect marketing efforts.