Sharing his insights as to why some department stores thrive while others struggle, SMU Associate Professor of Marketing (Education) Seshan Ramaswami said that stores must still attract footfall and repeat purchases, even if they have favourable business structures. Assoc Prof Ramaswami also noted the importance of a specific location and how layout, merchandise, ambience, service quality, and a clearly defined brand all influence a store’s performance.
Sharing insights on artificial intelligence (AI) in education, SMU Associate Provost (Teaching and Learning Innovation) and Associate Professor of Communication Management (Education) Tamas Makany and Ivy Seow, Senior Manager for Learning Design and Communications at the Centre for Teaching Excellence (CTE) at SMU, said that what really matters is the creation of learning environments that are welcoming to learning opportunities. They explained, “classrooms once served as backstage rehearsals where mistakes and questions were welcome.
In an interview with CNA938, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan said the new rule of allowing door-to-door cross-border taxi trips between Singapore and Malaysia represents a significant convenience for passengers. He noted that the quota for licensed cross-border taxis will rise from 200 to 500, although no implementation date has been set. Asst Prof Fan also addressed concerns about comfort, distance, and cost, and said the change could help ease traffic and reduce inconvenience.
The International Conference for Graduate Education 2025 (ICGE 2025) was held on 8 December 2025 under the theme "Enhancing Collaboration for Inclusive and Sustainable Futures: From Business to Policy Perspectives.” SMU Dean of College of Graduate Research Studies and Janice Bellace Professor of Strategic Management Heli Wang delivered a keynote on Firm Responses to China’s Digital and Environmental Pilot Policy. Prof Wang outlined how China’s dual-goal pilot policies have prompted varied responses from domestic and foreign firms.
On the topic of social media being a primary resource for many people, SMU Assistant Professor of Marketing Shilpa Madan said that influencer and user-generated content is a powerful driver of discovery and purchase, drawing on the consumer psychology cues of social proof and parasocial relationships.
SMU Associate Professor of Marketing Hannah Chang noted that the production of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) at scale gives businesses predictable margins, making such products more prominent in the marketplace. She emphasised that consumer demand and industry actions do not operate as independent forces. Instead, she said they are constantly reacting and responding to each other, with retailers responding to consumer preferences that are shaped by advertising, promotions and prices.
Commenting on the viral image that stirred a beauty debate, SMU Professor of Psychology Norman Li said that individuals might have a warped perception of those from other countries due to the media. Prof Li added that Singaporean women might be more critical in perceiving physical attractiveness due to their financial independence, which leads them to hyperfocus on looks.
SMU Assistant Professor of Finance Sun Jian noted that the topic of retail investor welfare influences his research projects, including a recent paper examining the new proposal by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to resolve US retail trades by auction, rather than the current broker routing structure. A study he co-authored, Would Order-by-Order Auctions Be Competitive?, highlighted key trade-offs in the order-by-order auction mechanism and challenged the intuition behind it.
A new study published in the Strategic Management Journal, co-authored by several authors including SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship Daniel Mack and SMU Lee Kong Chian Professor of Strategic Management Gokhan Ertug, found evidence that high-narcissism chief executive officers (CEOs) respond to above-aspiration performance with more acquisitions, while low-narcissism CEOs avoid acquisitions.
In a commentary, SMU Professor Emeritus of Operations Management Arnoud De Meyer observed the scepticism surrounding artificial intelligence’s (AI) real impact, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Prof De Meyer opined that SMEs should focus on automation, augmentation and addition. He added that SMEs needed to begin with strong data discipline and adopt a Darwinian approach by building a culture of openness, making AI use transparent, and adopting a “learn fast, scale fast” mindset.
