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What you need to know about Singapore's annuity scheme

An annuity scheme is a type of mutual help programme: a group of people pay a lump sum into a common fund and are then entitled to receive a monthly payment for life; those who die early would receive less total payment than they put in, thus subsidizing those who live long. In other words, it is the reverse of life insurance, in which those who live long subsidize those who die early, just as in health insurance those who stay healthy subsidize those who incur greater medical expenses and need to claim more than they pay into the plan.

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What you need to know about Singapore's annuity scheme

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Red alert: Singapore to suffer from more cybercriminal attacks

Earlier this year, National University of Singapore (NUS) confirmed that hackers had infiltrated the university’s backend systems and stolen a trove of information – including staff usernames, domain information and hashed passwords. Even though the affected data was not deemed confidential by NUS, the university had to work carefully to inform the public and reset the passwords of all the affected accounts.

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Meeting today's managerial challenges in a globalised workplace

The new realities

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Don’t call it Xenophobia

Singapore has experienced a surge of anti-foreigner resentment over the past decade leading some media outlets to claim a trend in rising xenophobia. However, citing xenophobia glosses over some very real social and economic anxieties and misses an opportunity to address the concerns of Singapore’s long-term residents.

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How Singapore’s casino gamble is paying off

Singapore’s two new casino resorts are no strangers to controversy. But with tourist numbers and GDP having seen significant increases since they opened for business, it’s also clear they’ve had a positive economic impact on Singapore. And with Asia’s casino sector currently standing up well in the face of growing economic uncertainty, things are looking positive for the future, too.

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How will social media 'trinity' affect you?

In my conversations with the Marketing Directors of many Singapore businesses, I am often told that Social Media Marketing is either ineffective or too costly and hence not worth the investment.

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Creating a good brand in Singapore

Singapore’s rapid marketplace growth is seen as a global success story, but there’s one key to continued success that may be unknown and under-utilized: the connection between your company’s brand and the individual personal brands of your employees.

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Challenges IT professionals face today

Today’s job market is all the more challenging in Singapore, with employers keen to keep operational costs lean in a generally conservative climate. With this increased emphasis on cost-cutting, employers have allotted lower budgets for hiring, resulting in a more subdued job market. With fewer new projects being developed in the market today, many companies are therefore looking at up-skilling their workforce and training existing staff to take on different portfolios in a bird to maximise productivity.

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Singapore is amongst the top 30 nation brands globally. So What?

The “brand” of a country has a direct impact on the wealth of the nation and its ability to compete and grow in the global economy.

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Setting sensible policies to cope with consumerisation

What began as a trickle of smartphones, tablets and other mobile consumer devices into the workplace has surged to a flood, with no crest in sight. These devices seem to seep through every crack in IT protocols and controls.

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Can Singapore lead the search for a sustainable biofuel?

Compared to some other choices in clean energy like solar and wind, biofuels as an alternate energy source has been struggling to find a foothold globally despite strong demand from industry, regulatory “push” for sustainable energy sources and pressure from environmental activists. One of the hurdles holding biofuels back from going mainstream is the food versus fuel controversy, where there are concerns about diverting food crops like corn, soy for biofuel production and the planting of fuel crops such as oil palm on land that could otherwise be used for food cultivation and animal grazing.

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Writing is the most underrated skill in marketing communications

As an employer and external consultant to editorial and marketing communications teams, I've had many firsthand opportunities to witness how writing standards have plummeted over the years.

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How to manage your diverse team

Greater productivity is one of the major corporate goals of the 21st century. More companies than ever before are using a range of measures to boost it, from bonuses to flexible working.

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The “Johari Window” of branding

How many people know about your brand and actually uses your brand? Yes, there are many definitions and gurus out there explaining what is branding all about and how it can help businesses grow. There are many seminars to attend and books to read for any business owner to understand about branding but still, there are many business owners out there who have little clue on how it can actually translate to business success.

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Kids say the darnest things

Leaders need to be creative and seek inspiration from particularly any source. Even from children.

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Use LinkedIn to help victims of sex trafficking

To raise awareness of sex trafficking in Singapore, a group of us from the BBH Asia Pacific Barn program created a profile on a LinkedIn account based on true stories of victims’ experiences. The profile tells the story of the way many women and children are tricked in to the sex trade every year.

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