In an interview, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan said the latest petrol price cut is a respite, but it's not so meaningful, and motorists are still nowhere close to pre-conflict fuel prices because there is a bit of a lag in how crude oil price declines translate to retail fuel prices. He stressed that until the Strait of Hormuz actually opens up meaningfully, we're probably not going to go anywhere near where things were before.
In an interview, SMU Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Michael Schaerer said that today's work requires a lot of deep concentration while there are more distractions than ever, making headphones more of a productivity tool and the modern office door. However, he noticed that people often judge the story they tell themselves about why you're wearing the headphones, and if they think someone is tuning out from work, they may offer less support and collaborate less.
Commenting on Chinese EV makers reshaping the auto industry, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan said that the Chinese brands that have expanded into markets like Singapore did not do so by accident. He elaborated that the Chinese brands that have come to Singapore are the survivors, noting that many Chinese companies have failed domestically.
Commenting on the rising food prices in night markets, SMU Assistant Professor of Finance (Education) Aurobindo Ghosh said that inflation is occurring globally, and in recent years, it has been exacerbated by geopolitical issues and supply chain disruptions. He said that rising rents, wages, raw material and logistics costs have contributed to the increases, but night markets remain attractive as a unique cultural experience.
In a commentary, SMU Senior Lecturer of Strategic Management Whitney Zhang argues that Singapore’s narrative on ageing remains rooted in a deficit model that focuses on the fiscal burden of a super-aged society, causing young people to view ageing through a singular lens of vulnerability and internalise it as a constraint on their own success.
Commenting on Singapore banks’ indirect exposure to captive coal in financing policies, SMU Professor of Finance Liang Hao said, “This is no longer a niche issue, and goes to the heart of transition-finance credibility.
Commenting on the reinvention of Orchard Road, SMU Associate Professor of Marketing (Education) Seshan Ramaswami said Orchard Road shopping used to be a “must do” for tourists from China, Indonesia and India, but they now have access to a much better shopping assortment at home, with better prices and service. Assoc Prof Ramaswami added that when tourists visit Singapore, it is to enjoy the attractions and to eat a variety of cuisines at every price level, underscoring the point that shopping is no longer the main draw.
Commenting on the expansion of Chinese beauty brands to the Southeast Asian market, SMU Associate Professor of Marketing (Education) Seshan Ramaswami said that one big difference between the Chinese expansion and previous efforts from Japanese and Korean brands is that they are backed by a government eager to increase its soft, cultural power across the world, especially starting with its Asian neighbourhood.
In a commentary, SMU Professor Emeritus of Finance (Practice) Annie Koh and Daniel Soh, Client Partner of Asian conglomerates at Korn Ferry, argue that the challenge for many Asian family conglomerates is how the people who own the enterprise, the people who govern it, and the people who run it day-to-day operate as one coherent system. They opined that owner alignment, board alignment, and management alignment are not the same thing, making role clarity, explicit decision rights, and clearer boundaries increasingly important as complexity grows.
In a commentary, SMU Senior Lecturer of Communication Management Dr Tracy Loh, Member of National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA), and Tan Chong Huat, NCADA Chairman and senior partner of RHTLaw Asia, opined that personal, one-to-one conversations on drugs can be much more effective than broadcast messaging. Dr Loh and Mr Tan noted that one-to-one personal conversations carry a weight that broadcast messaging alone cannot replicate because they are specific, personal, and come from someone the listener trusts.
