Commentary

Why Singapore SMEs must mull over succession planning

Succession planning is something that all businesses should be thinking about. However, it’s the SME sector which is failing to prepare for the future as other priorities always seem to jostle to the front. Lining up the next generation of leaders to run an organisation can ensure that a company continues to thrive but many SMEs are failing to focus on this business critical issue.

Why Singapore SMEs must mull over succession planning

Succession planning is something that all businesses should be thinking about. However, it’s the SME sector which is failing to prepare for the future as other priorities always seem to jostle to the front. Lining up the next generation of leaders to run an organisation can ensure that a company continues to thrive but many SMEs are failing to focus on this business critical issue.

Will free travel really force Singaporeans to leave the bed early?

Singapore will soon launch a revolutionary new travel scheme to ease congestion and reward commuters for getting up early. Completely free travel if you finish your journey to a city centre MRT station by 7.45am. As usual in Singapore this imaginative but very simple initiative divides opinion.

How to create effective and productive meetings in Singapore

Companies around the world agree. If their key systems were as ineffective as their meetings they would be out of business!

How Singaporeans can impressively develop soft skills

With the exception of a small minority there is simply no mistaking the momentum that the development of soft skills is having in the business environment. In case this phrase is new to you let me quickly explain.

Eight local food you should never miss out in Singapore

Find yourself in Singapore on business with a few days to spare? Bored with room service and hotel buffets? Be like a true local and try these quintessentially Singaporean delights.

7 tips for success every Singaporean must know right now

In Singapore, it's safe to say that everyone aspires to create a successful career or business. But what many do not realise is what it takes to be successful-- starts from “within”--yourself.

Why Singaporeans are still paying premiums for top brands today

This is an age old question that has been raised umpteen times, and it shouldn’t surprise many the answers expected.

Penchant for property drives buoyant market

The catch phrase “location, location, location” is often cited by the real estate industry as crucial to closing a deal. In the case of land-scarce Singapore, its citizens’ penchant for property is giving Mr Patrick Liew, CEO of real estate company HSR Property Group, much cause for optimism.

Find out where Singaporeans desire to live the most

With the property market becoming somewhat Arctic in Singapore (and Hong Kong for that matter), Singaporeans are looking elsewhere to find that most desirable places to live.

Here is a totally different angle on Singapore property investment

Have you ever considered capitalising on the wealth in Singapore but have shied away due to the high price of property, then we have an idea: invest in property where Singaporeans take their holidays.

The role of corporate governance in a developing world

As they shift towards more market-based economies, Arab companies can no longer afford to neglect demands for greater accountability and transparency in the boardroom.

8 types of annoying colleagues in Singapore (Part 2)

In continuation from Part 1, here are the rest of the annoying colleagues you may find in your office.

8 ways to get a salary raise in Singapore

This holds true for most companies in Singapore, where I’m based, but the hard truth is that companies do have stereotypes or bias based on family ties or even race, that limits how far you can progress.

How Singapore firms can stay ahead in the game through embracing change

I once worked as a consultant with a company which constantly “re-invented” itself. Every few months, management would change the work processes and procedures—the ways how things should be done. Things would settle down for a while, but before long, there would be another round of re-invention again.

How Singapore firms should select intellectual-based professional service partners

In Singapore and in the world, companies that possess a sustainable competitive advantage win. Whether companies are operating in B2B orB2C settings, few are able to rely on their own to deliver value to their customers. Most are hindered by a limitation of their own expertise and capabilities. As a consequence, theyneed to forge relationships with partners and suppliers who can help them improve their value proposition.

What Singaporean firms can learn from the durian seller

Being a local, there are always few key months when durians are in season. That's when the best durians cost as low as a dollar! However, it's not in season now, and I was surprised by the sight of a pop-up durian stall near my house. Immediately, I stopped. I shouldn't have stopped. The durian-seller started his pitch, more aggresively than the typical durian seller during peak season...