“With an online business, there are three key success factors to get more buyers and sustain them: a powerful online presence, good customer service rapport and an efficient delivery arrangement.” — Ms Amanda Aida Atan, VIBES Mastery Success Academy The double-digit growth of the digital, social and mobile usage in Southeast Asia has transformed the modus operandi
People often think that men take precedence over women in the business world. However, some say the future of startup belongs to women. What is your opinion? Undeniably, women still have a long way to go to surpass men in the startup scene, particularly in the tech arena. However, founder of Startup Asia Women (SAW),
In 2015, the World Bank ranked China as seventy-eighth in the world for overall “ease of doing business”. I believe this poor ranking is due to three regulatory obstacles in China: bureaucratic red tape, the inconsistent interpretation and enforcement of rules and regulations— which appear to be completely discretionary—and the fickle lawmaking environment. Before
In early March 2017, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang announced his target of a 6.5% economic growth this year. The Chinese government also aims to create 11 million new urban jobs in 2017. Plans are in place to keep cash within the country as Chinese companies spend close to 130 billion pounds in 2016 (S$226 billion,
“I believe that everyone has to experience entrepreneurship at least once in their lifetime.” – Dr Patrick Khor, founder and CEO of iBosses Starting and growing a business is challenging, but is there a system to increase one’s success? Yes, says Dr Patrick Khor, founder and CEO of entrepreneur coaching company iBosses. With over 15 years of
“A typical Koufu customer is the man-in-the-street, therefore Koufu has the obligation and responsibility to do good things for the general public.” – Mr Pang Lim, founder and managing director of Koufu Koufu’s logo consists of four brisk calligraphy brush strokes that represent the Chinese character ‘mouth’. Since its inception in 2002, Koufu believes that
“Giving begins with a small step to pay it forward, but when organised and thought through properly, can be powerful and purposeful.” – Melissa Kwee, Chief Executive Officer of NVPC Melissa Kwee, the oldest child of hotel and property tycoon, Kwee Liong Tek, recognised her life calling during childhood. The director of Pontiac Land and civic
“CSR is quite different from charity. You are not just giving away, but you are actually helping to create an environment upon which you thrive in. It is to the benefit of corporations to do CSR, to help the surroundings around them, which is actually their marketplace.” – Gerard Ee, Chairman of the Charity Council and
Patrick Tan is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Fortis Law Corporation, a young and promising law firm. It was the first in Singapore to be awarded the prestigious PrimeLaw certification, which stands for Practice Management Excellence Standard awarded by the Law Society of Singapore. Patrick is an entrepreneur by nature, spontaneous and bold
In my previous article (China’s Neo-Colonizing Bag of Tricks), I explained how China’s “build now, pay later” investment strategies have entrapped many smaller countries as China’s neo-colonies of the 21st century. The case previously highlighted was that of Sri Lanka. The country owes China billions of dollars, and as part of Sri Lanka’s debt reduction
In my previous two articles (China’s Neo-Colonizing Bag of Tricks and China’s Neo-Colonising Bag of Tricks: Malaysia), I explained how China’s “build now, pay later” investment strategies have entrapped many smaller countries as China’s neo-colonies of the 21st century. The case previously highlighted was that of Sri Lanka. The country owes China billions of dollars,
“China’s non-state-owned firms are facing their most difficult situation in the past 40 years,” says Chen Shouhong, an economist in Hong Kong and China. With recent reports of the Chinese regime increasing state interference in the private sector—from state officials to widely circulated essays hinting at more central planning—Chinese leader Xi Jinping sought to reassure private businesses
In this time and age, how does a more affluent country seek control of another less-developed but sovereign country, without so much as a squeak from the latter? Well, the affluent country can offer loans to the less-developed country to build lots of infrastructure, which the latter cannot afford or does not need. However, this
Imagine you have been planning a trip for months or even years, be it to London, Paris or Tokyo. You are filled with excitement after your flight touched down, and can’t wait to check into your hotel. Upon entering your hotel room, you are satisfied that it is clean and tidy, but wait a minute
Buoyed by successful investments in China’s flagship retail firm Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC has expressed growing appetite for investment in China. According to GIC’s top management, investment opportunities are so impressive in China that the company is giving it as much attention as US tech
Singapore will soon enforce laws on cryptocurrencies – similar to that of fiat currencies – as it toughens its stance on Bitcoins and other virtual currencies, now banned in neighbouring Thailand, Vietnam and India. The enforcement, however, will not be as tough compared to China, where cryptocurrency exchanges were shut and access to service websites
Hailing from Kenya, farmer Paul Berthelsen started Perk Coffee in 2015 after finding a gap in the coffee industry – the lack of fresh, roasted on demand coffee. Perk Coffee offers coffee as a subscription service, sending freshly roasted beans (or ground coffee) to each customer’s doorstep. In search of the finest coffee, Paul moved
