Commentary

3 easy tips on measuring your way to online success

You’ve joined the wave of businesses going online and started a website. Now you need to figure out whether it’s attracting the kind of attention you’d like it to. And is that ‘shop’ link really working, or are viewers breezing right past your catalogue to hit the information section, or worse, leaving the site altogether? A key factor in the success of any business is measuring what’s working and what’s not. The same is true for your website.

3 easy tips on measuring your way to online success

You’ve joined the wave of businesses going online and started a website. Now you need to figure out whether it’s attracting the kind of attention you’d like it to. And is that ‘shop’ link really working, or are viewers breezing right past your catalogue to hit the information section, or worse, leaving the site altogether? A key factor in the success of any business is measuring what’s working and what’s not. The same is true for your website.

This is what your next executive assistant should be like

Looking for an Executive or Personal Assistant is essentially like looking for a new right hand. Gone are the old clichés of secretaries only doing clerical work and answering the phone. EAs and PAs can support anyone from a manager to a number of senior executives or a management team. This means they not only need the right technical skills but must possess the appropriate soft skills to meet the role’s requirements. They need to be confident communicators, dedicated, focused and able to multi-task.

How can a Singaporean compete with a foreign talent?

“Anyone Can Win the Game So Long the Rules are Fair".

Is HR doing enough for the future of your business?

A new report suggests some HR departments are not doing enough to safeguard the future of their business. Pinpointing some gaps in key HR capabilities, it also stresses the need to eliminate the silo mentality in companies’ approach to HR, IT and real estate. Businesses that do so will be better equipped to thrive in the future.

Food fight: Our cuisine is our culture

It has been said that a hungry man is an angry man; now imagine a hungry nation and the types of emotions that stir in their bellies upon hearing their others are laying claim on their favourite dishes.

Six low-cost ways to keep existing customers happy

Maybe you’ve heard the saying, “Make new friends, but keep the old… one is silver and the other gold?” Well, when you’re running a small to medium sized business in Singapore, these “old friends” are your existing customers. Just how golden are they? Studies show that it costs six to nine times as much to attract a new customer as it costs to keep an existing customer happy.

Workplace lemons (and how NOT to be one)

On September 1 in Singapore, the Amendments to Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act, Hire Purchase Act and Road Traffic Act took effect. Also known as the "lemon law", these new regulations offer consumers more protection and remedies for the repair and replacement for defective goods.

Health check right at your fingertips

The Asia Pacific region is set to become the world’s largest mobile market by 2020, with mobile health services representing the largest growth potential across the region. Monitoring services show a possible 55 per cent market share in 2017 with diagnostic services reflecting a 24 per cent market share, according to a GSMA PwC report.

Putting a premium on market research and business intelligence

Making critical decisions without sufficient information is a typical problem companies face. While information is unlimited, time and budgets are not. Everyday executives are subjected to making difficult decisions based on imperfect information.

Tips for a first time manager

Becoming a manager can be a challenging experience as you settle into a new role and take on responsibilities you most likely didn’t have in any of your previous positions. To be successful in a management role, it is essential to be prepared and have a willingness to learn new skills.

Making the most out of 3G mobile subscription

These days, people are busier that is why they rely upon their mobile phones for internet accessibility especially for checking of emails. Statistics early this year showed that there are 8.1 million mobile subscribers and 6.2 million of it are 3G users or 77% of the entire population. (Reference: Click Here) On April 2012, 3G mobile subscription increased to 7.8 million (Reference: Click Here).

Here is why your attrition is high!

Have you felt the tremors from the latest seismic rush? No, it is not a mad rush for seats in perpetually overpopulated MRT carriages along Raffles Place and City Hall stations but rather a frenzied dash by hiring managers for suitable local candidates.

Juggling your business' risks and gains

The Singaporean financial press is littered with stories about the downfall of companies that have resulted from expanding too rapidly or venturing too far from their core business.

Here's what IT&T and industrial sectors must hurdle

Numerous industries in Singapore have undergone changes in their hiring processes, notably the industrial and IT&T sectors. Companies are still keen on hiring, but the hiring process has been slowed down slightly by wary employers and job seekers. Even larger corporations that possess strong expansion abilities remain cautious, and have either slowed or brought their growth plans to a standstill.

Is your iPhone giving out your info?

The use of mobile devices is on the rise in Singapore, both amongst end users as well as enterprises. In a recent Google study, Singapore has the highest smartphone penetration rate in the world at 62 per cent– ahead of the US, UK and Japan. Known for being early adopters, Singaporeans consistently show an appetite for the latest advances in smart-mobile technology, with Apple’s iOS leading the pack at about 75 per cent share across mobile-device users in Singapore.

Why the design scene in Singapore will get worse before getting better

Singapore has always been on the radar for many business setups, be it financial services, shipping, education; name it and it is there. Being the most well connected port in the world, a relatively stable economy, pro-entrepreneur regulations and a rich diaspora, Singapore has managed to to excel in its ventures.

Singapore property market's unprofitable deals

These days, everyone in Singapore seems to want to invest in properties. It is not surprising, as anyone who had bought a property several years ago would likely be sitting on good returns right now.