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in t h E n E w s
A Singapore of hope, heart and home
In his 130-minute National Day Rally on the evening of 26
August 2012, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stressed
the importance of constant improvement, adaptation to
changes and leveraging on new opportunities to grow
and thrive in a rapidly-changing world. Speaking in Malay,
Mandarin and English, PM Lee addressed pertinent issues
such as Singapore’s declining birth rate and the relations
between Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans. On the
latter, PM Lee voiced concern on the seemingly doublestandards
faced by foreigners in the country: when a
foreigner does or says something wrong, the response
is usually immense and poignant both online and offline.
He added that such one-sided responses are a negative
reflection on Singaporeans as a society, and that “we
cannot be small-minded” even if the nation is but a small
island. For the education sector, the Prime Minister also
announced that 3000 more full-time university places a
year will be added by 2020, increasing the graduation rate
of each cohort from the current 27 per cent to 40 per
cent.
Enhanced iSPRINT for SMEs
At the 15th Infocomm Commerce Conference (ICC)
held on 24 August 2012, Dr Yaccob Ibrahim, Minister
for Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA)
announced that the Infocomm Development Authority’s
(IDA) iSPRINT funding support be increased from the
current 50 per cent to 70 per cent of qualifying costs
for SMEs. The grant cap for Business Improvement and
Packaged Solutions has also been raised from $10,000 to
$20,000. Additionally, IDA has established two Infocomm
Resource Centres (SIRCs) to provide low-cost, efficient
advisory and consultancy services to SMEs, as well as
equip them with the technical knowledge for IT projects
with solution providers.
u.K Investment Bankers Favour Singapore
In recruitment firm Astbury Marsden’s annual “Preferred
Location Survey”, Singapore was chosen by investment
bankers in the United Kingdom as their most desired
location to work in, ahead of nations like New York,
London, Hong Kong and Dubai. A fast-growing, low-tax
and bank-friendly environment in Singapore is preferred
over the high-tax and anti-banker sentiments that pervade
New York and London. The survey, which polled 462
people in late July 2012, also found that 60 per cent of
bankers are of the opinion that the Asia Pacific Region is
expected to be the largest financial centre in 10 years.
graduates Expect higher Salary and
Fast Promotions
The recent JobsCentral Employer of Choice Survey found
that 64 per cent of recent graduates expect a monthly
salary of at least $3000 for their first job, as compared
to the 55 per cent statistic from the same survey
conducted in 2011. In addition, 75.5 per cent of those
surveyed expect their first promotion to happen within
the first two years of their career, the lowest percentage
within the sampled respondents since 2007 following a
decline for the past two years. Further to that, 51 per cent
of respondents in the annual survey indicated that they
expect to be a manager within the first three years of their
career. Google also displaced Apple as the top Employer
of Choice amongst fresh graduates, clinching 38.1 per
cent of the votes, with Singapore Airlines and then Apple
ranked second and third respectively.
Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of print
BRANDINg
– YouR BEST
STRATEgY
An SPBA Branding Seminar provides valuable
insight into the dynamic realm of branding
on 5 July 2012, more than 200
brand practitioners, small and
medium enterprise (SME) owners
and key decision makers attended a full
day Branding Seminar held at the Ministry
of National Development
Auditorium. Organised by
the Association of Small and
Medium Enterprises and Lianhe
Zaobao, the Seminar is part of
the annual Singapore Prestige
Brand Award, where excellent
branding initiatives and practices
are recognised and honoured.
A stellar list of speakers
graced the event, bestowing
enlightening and practical
branding knowledge carried
through with concrete examples
and practical case studies.
Kicking off the Seminar was Mr
Alfred Wong, managing director
of premier gifts company Noel
Gifts International, who shared
with eager participants on
how the firm managed to stay
relevant while moving with the
times. Examples from Noel’s
past and present were used to illustrate the
importance of constantly managing one’s
brand to stay ahead of the game.
Mr Geoff Tan, senior vice president and
head of strategic marketing at Singapore
Press Holdings, next shared with
participants the utility of an integrated media
strategy. Drawing references from modern
instances and well-known personalities,
Mr Tan enlivened the atmosphere with his
anecdotes and sense of humour, instilling
much interaction within the crowd.
After a brief tea break, Ms Ng Beng Eng,
Director of Strategy & Branding for Surbana
International Consultants presented to the
Seminar participants why the branding
practitioner must enjoy building the brand,
or others will be more than happy to build
the brand for you. Following Ms Ng’s
presentation, Mr Viktor Cheng, deputy Chief
Executive from the Intellectual Property
Office of Singapore (IPOS) discussed with
participants the importance of securing
intellectual property assets in order to fully
unlock a brand’s true value.
The presentations after lunch were more
focused around businesses that have
successfully made lucrative forays into the
sE p | Oc t 2012
sE p | Oc t 2012
4 En t r E p r E n E u r s’ Di g E s t
En t r E p r E n E u r s’ Di g E s t
Ev E n t s
domestic, regional and even international
markets through excellent branding
initiatives. Mr Low Cheong Kee, Managing
Director of local hardware solutions
chain Home-Fix D.I.Y., gave a warm and
comprehensive overview of the forms
of internal branding implemented
by the company to give its own
employees a reason to smile.
Associate Professor Hooi Den Huan
from the Nanyang Technopreneurship
Center next gave an intriguing insight
into brand breakthroughs for SMEs,
what such smaller companies ought
to do in order to cut through the
clutter and achieve excellence.
Lastly, to round up an already-fulfilling
day, Mr Adrin Loi, the Executive
Chairman of Ya Kun International
illustrated the branding journey of
the household brand name from its
inception all the way to its popularity
today, providing some nostalgic
remembrance to the participants
with photos of early Singapore.
With the wealth of vital information
garnered throughout the day, the Seminar
participants went home with fresh
perspectives and new ideas for their
brands, perhaps fortifying their branding
initiatives for the Singapore Prestige Brand
Award.
The Seminar was proudly sponsored by
CIMB Bank and supported by IE Singapore,
SPRING Singapore and IPOS.
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