Commenting on people putting their money in a savings account, SMU Assistant Professor of Finance (Education) and Director of the Citi Foundation-SMU Financial Literacy Programme for Young Adults Aurobindo Ghosh said, “Saving early is a very good habit but saving and putting everything in a savings account might not be a very good habit. He reckons people should set aside three to six months of income as emergency savings.
In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Kenneth Goh, who is Secretary-General of Singapore Aquatics and a former national record holder in swimming, discussed how training for the Olympics exacts a steep price from young athletes. He noted that while financial and public support for athletes to see through their training may have increased since Joseph Schooling’s early years, there is room to do more.
Sharing his views on the possible reasons for the disruption of Singapore Airlines flights to three Chinese cities, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan said that scheduled air passenger traffic in and out of China comes with more constraints compared to that of many other countries. He said that airlines in the United States have not been able to reinstate their pre-pandemic capacities as they had wished and have had to adjust to new restrictions.
Commenting on bank lenders making aggressive increases to the interest rates on their savings accounts and fixed deposits but now lowering them, SMU Director of the Citi-SMU Financial Literacy Program for Young Adults and Assistant Professor of Finance (Education) Aurobindo Ghosh explained how high interest rates, while good for savers, typically slow down economic activities as borrowing for these business and industrial activities also becomes more costly.
SMU participated in Economist Impact’s 3rd Sustainability Week Asia conference in Bangkok held from 11 to 13 March. It attracted leaders from the business sector, government, scientific and environmental experts, as well as representatives from international organisations and NGOs worldwide, with over 1000 participants. The University contributed experts who spoke on several plenary sessions.
Commenting on the disappearance of MH370 that happened 10 years ago, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan discussed the possible theories which could explain the plane’s disappearance as well as the search operations which have now been called off.
In the second part of a two-part interview, SMU Senior Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Paul Lim shared his insights on organisational resilience in times of hardship. Stressing the pivotal role of leadership during tough times, he emphasised the need for proactive strategies to “buffer the organisation”. He suggested a possible approach is to enhance collaborative communication to foster a positive and supportive workplace.
Commenting on visa-free travel and China's travel recovery, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan acknowledged that visa-free deals are an important factor for Chinese travellers. He however noted another key consideration is the flight time and frequency, as longer flight times and lower flight frequencies would mean less time on the ground. Asst Prof Fan also commented on the theoretical and real benefits of the recent mutual visa-free agreement between China and Singapore for both countries.
SMU Associate Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) and Academic Director of SMU’s Business Families Institute Kenneth Goh said UOB’s milestones under UOB's Chief Executive Wee Ee Cheong’s leadership reflect the chief executive’s entrepreneurial instincts. “UOB’s smooth transition from Mr Wee Cho Yaw to Mr Wee Ee Cheong is a testament to the bank’s forward-thinking approach to succession planning,” said Assoc Prof Goh.
Comparing Singapore's public transport to other cities such as London, Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo, experts said there has been a global shift towards account-based ticketing systems in recent years, and this can be seen in the widespread use of account-based wallets such as digital payment apps as well as direct debit. According to SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan, Singapore is relatively advanced in this aspect.
