Commenting on the recent five-hour East-West MRT disruption, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan said reliability improvements take time, as some lines are older. He noted that greater reliability comes with higher costs and manpower needs and urged commuters to allow more travel time. He highlighted the trade-off between reliability and longer operating hours and stressed that the Land Transport Authority and operators must work closely to serve commuters effectively.
In an interview with CNA938, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan said cross-border on-demand transport could be feasible with strong regulatory oversight, though this remains a big assumption. He proposed expanding permitted pick-up and drop-off points and allowing more flexibility. While flexible transport may ease congestion, he stressed the need to control vehicle numbers.
On 1 August 2025, The Projector announced its departure from its Golden Village (GV) collaboration at Cineleisure, resuming its screenings at Golden Mile Tower. While The Projector has touted the move as a return to its roots, observers argued that its niche focus may also be an obstacle to its success. SMU Lee Kong Chian Professor of Operation Management Shantanu Bhattacharya inferred that The Projector sees lower customer volumes and has a higher fixed cost per offering as an arthouse cinema.
According to a recent survey by Blackbox Research, more young Singapore consumers are choosing Chinese brands over US counterparts, seeing them as affordable, reliable, and attractive. Regarding whether geopolitics affects consumer sentiment, SMU Associate Professor of Marketing (Education) Seshan Ramaswami said Chinese brands gained short-term advantage from US tariffs but must focus on innovation and quality for long-term success.
SMU Assistant Professor of Finance (Education) Aurobindo Ghosh warned about the risks of investing in meme stocks like GoPro and Krispy Kreme, nothing that these stocks are popular on social media and attract mainly retail investors. He compared this trend to risky behaviour seen with cryptocurrencies and suggested that purchases are sometimes driven by boredom or fear during uncertain times, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Professor Emeritus of Finance (Practice) Annie Koh highlighted key factors for sustainable family enterprises and emphasised empowering the "rising generation" by understanding their passions and involving them meaningfully in leadership roles. She shared three case studeis where the successors helped their companies innovate and expand internationally.
In an interview of Certificate of Entitlement (COE) premiums, SMU Assistant Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship (Education) Terence Fan noted that Singapore's limited land also constraints road space - an issue the Government can do little to change. However, he highlighted that the government heavily subsidies a world-class public transport system that meets most commuters' needs. Asst Prof Fan explained that high COE premiums are part of Singapore's trade-offs, where people either pay car ownership or face other costs like expensive parking.
Due to weak fiscal revenue and front-loaded spending efforts, China's fiscal deficit surged to 45% in H1 2025. Experts interviewed noted that although the Chinese authorities have ramped up spending, they have still left room to avoid indiscriminate, large-scale stimulus measures often referred to as "flood-like irrigation". SMU Associate Professor of Finance Fu Fangjian pointed out that the widening increase in China's deficit was not surprising.
The article noted a growing group of younger homeowners in Singapore who are buying most of their furniture from online platforms for their lower prices, greater convenience and wider selection. For homegrown brands, this signifies a challenge along with high rental costs, which could put immense pressure on Singapore companies. SMU Associate Professor of Marketing (Education) Seshan Ramaswami said retailers need to be "extremely service-oriented" and offer customers a one-stop solution for all their furnishing needs.
SMU Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources Ko Yea Hee said that workplace design plays a huge role in shaping employees' experiences and their performance outcomes. Asst. Prof Ko added that open-concept offices not only fall short in promoting collaborations but could also be disruptive to focused work. Activity-based workspaces, in contrast, are more ideal as employees could choose their spot depending on what they are working on.
