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 the public transport ridership hitting 93.5 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in 2023, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan said public transport ridership is still “somewhat below” what is expected, based on commuting patterns in 2019.
Workforces have largely returned to pre-pandemic levels and inflation has cooled. Yet, tech companies and startups in the US continue to slash their workforce in the first weeks of 2024 after massive layoffs last year. In the first of a two-part interview, SMU Senior Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Paul Lim, shares helpful tips and advice on how to bounce back from a layoff.
Sharing his views on the factors for the growth of car-sharing in Singapore, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan explained how this could be due to a notable shift in people’s commuting patterns after Covid-19. He also said that the demand for car-sharing services may have experienced an uptick as individuals seek more efficient means for their cross-town journeys.
In an interview, SMU Assistant Professor of Finance Aurobindo Ghosh discussed about the Singapore Index of Inflation Expectations (SInDEx) Survey published jointly by SMU’s Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) and DBS, which found that half of Singaporeans expect inflation to decline this year. Asst Prof Ghosh opined that this was due to a declining trend and that it did not come as a surprise that people expected prices to be falling in the medium term.
The one-year ahead headline inflation expectations dipped to 4.2% in December 2023, from 4.5% in September 2023, according to the Singapore Index of Inflation Expectations (SInDEx) Survey published jointly by SMU’s Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics (SKBI) and DBS.
Commenting on Gen Zers leading the way in Singapore’s online shopping space, SMU Senior Lecturer of Communication Management Tracy Loh said that unlike the static shopping experience of e-commerce websites such as Lazada or China’s Taobao, TikTok’s livestreamers chat to their audience for three or four hours at a time. It’s like getting a recommendation from a friend, she said, helping the buyer gain more user trust than a brand would.
Commenting on all passengers surviving a plane crash with a coast guard plane at Haneda Airport, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan said, “Passengers seemed to have followed instructions in a textbook manner. This is exactly what evacuation policies are designed for — the airframe itself is not designed to survive a blaze.”
Commenting on a Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft grounded in the United States over mid-flight fuselage blowout, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan said that the door plug that flew off the Boeing 737 Max 9 is "not ordinarily offered" in the 737 Max 8. He explained how this incident highlights some potential concerns about Boeing 737 MAX 10s, which feature a longer fuselage than both the Boeing 737 MAX 9 and MAX 8.
Commenting on the Earn and Save Bonus, SMU Professor of Finance (Education) Benedict Koh said, “If we assume that the youngest qualifying senior receives $1,000 per year for 15 years until the CPF Life draw-down age of 65, the cumulative sum of this stream earning 4 per cent per annum in either the Special Account or Retirement Account would be $20,024.”
