Commentary

What Singapore businesses need to know about turning data into insights

Singaporeans are one of the most active populations on social media, using on average four platforms daily. Mobile penetration rate is at 148%, whilst the country is now the world's fastest broadband nation, in addition to having top 4G speeds.

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What Singapore businesses need to know about turning data into insights

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The aura of luxury: A perspective for Singaporeans

Increasing migration and wealth have been major trends in Singaporean economy over the last decade. With 9-10% millionaires per capita, Singapore is one of the wealthiest countries globally.

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After Switzerland, is Singapore next?

Anyone with even a cursory interest in the world of banking has noticed what has been happening in Switzerland for the better part of the last decade. The mighty US government has managed to get Switzerland to do what no one else could ever do. The US managed to get Switzerland to circumvent their own rules on banking secrecy to turn over client details to the US authorities.

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Risks of being first in the technology industry in Singapore

As we journey in this information age, it seems that more and more people want to be first. From something as simple as being first to comment on an article, to having the newest technology gadget, to supporting a new technology platform, being first sounds like the best thing that could happen to anyone. Or is it?

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What sales leaders can learn from Singapore's 2015 General Election

Campaigning for the 2015 General Election kicked off early this month, with candidates from the incumbent party to opposition parties, seasoned and newly formed, thronging their respective GRCs (Group Representation Constituencies) for political support.

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When will Singaporean banks help entrepreneurs?

Six years as a businessman in Singapore and I'm loving it. But if there is one thing I can change, this is it: Corporate Banking.

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Why it's crucial to survive the loss of key people in SMEs

As the number of start-ups rises in Singapore, getting an insurance plan to protect against the loss of a key person -- the owner, main revenue generator, or chief product developer of the business -- has never been more important.

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Nurturing Singapore's SMEs with the 'right' capital

Small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) are the engine of our economy. Today, SMEs represent 99 percent of Singaporean companies, contribute more than 50 percent of the nation’s annual GDP, and employ about 70 percent of our workforce.

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Declining productivity in Singapore: Are you too busy being busy?

Sounds like an odd statement, doesn't it? Surely we're all busy and that's a good thing, isn't it? Well, maybe not. Despite the considerable efforts of the government, labour productivity in Singapore is declining rather than improving. Official figures show a contraction of 0.8% in 2014 and a further 0.6% in Q1 2015.

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The ultimate white-collar boxing match: Singapore versus Hong Kong

The debate around whether Singapore or Hong Kong is the best city in Asia to work is long-running, with proponents for each city standing toe-to-toe in the ring. In one corner, we have those in favour of Singapore, waxing lyrical about the food, cleanliness, and safety of the Republic while berating Hong Kong's pollution, grumpy taxi drivers, and lack of personal space.

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The changing face of recruitment in Singapore

Recruitment in Singapore has evolved to a different level in the last five years. If you have searched for a job in the recent past, the difference is quite stark.

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Bringing traffic back to Singapore's retailers

Singapore's retail sector has been slowing down in the past two years, and retail rents are starting to be affected in line with the steady decline in occupancy rates. The strong Sing Dollar and weak consumer sentiment in China is expected to further dampen growth in the coming months.

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3 things you need to know about employee health insurance in Singapore

In Singapore, many employee remuneration and benefits packages have a heavy emphasis on access to health insurance. And little wonder this is the case when local health-cost inflation is taken into consideration. Private treatment options are a highly sought after benefit because of the potential costs involved and, for companies of all sizes, this coverage is increasingly seen as a 'must have' by existing and potential staff.

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Predicting Singapore's dying consumer industries in 2018

Singapore economy has undergone tremendous change over the past few decades. From one that is highly focussed on manufacturing in the 1970s, we have evolved into R&D in the 1980s, biomedical in the 1990s and is still emphasising very much on R&D albeit at a much broader scale than before.

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Boosting productivity in Singapore: The use of learning strategies

Question: How do you get new waiters to memorise the food and drinks menu in a short span of time? For the matter, how do you get new staff to learn about voluminous and complex Standard Operating Procedures in your company?

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Foreign talent in Singapore: A win-win

The recent celebration of Singapore's 50th anniversary, or SG50, provides us with a timely opportunity to reflect on the decades of success that the Lion City has experienced and remind ourselves why it's such a popular destination for foreign talent.

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The implications of evolving modern retail in Singapore

In July, British retail giant Tesco announced it would delist all fruit drinks with added sugars from their shelves, and sell only 'no added sugar' variants. Why? It's part of their role as champions of the fight against the new evil: sugar. Given Tesco holds around 30% of the grocery market in the UK, the move is seriously bad news for some very big brands.

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