John Robinson Lim Gokongwei Jr. was born in 1926 to a Filipino-Chinese father who had ancestral ties to China’s Fujian province. His great-grandfather was Pedro Gotiaoco, a young peddler from China who found success after establishing trading company Gotiaoco Hermanos with his brother. John was born into this wealthy family that lived in Cebu. John’s
As one of the top 10 countries most interested in Bitcoin (BTC), February 5 must have been a tumultuous day for many Singaporeans. Plummeting over 60% from its peak in less than 2 months, the Bitcoin craze sent chills down the spine of its investors. Perhaps it is time to revisit the nature of Bitcoin
By G. Kalyan Kumar Singapore’s proposed hike of the goods and services tax (GST) from 7 to 9 percent after a surplus budget has baffled many. For the 2017 financial year, Singapore posted a net surplus of S$9.6 billion that was above the estimated S$1.9 billion. It was the biggest surplus in recent times. In
If I can make a difference to others and help them, I would love to be part of it. – Sofia Subri, owner of CAZ Villa in Bali Many Singaporeans work to put food on the table and to achieve their goals in life, be it material well-being, wealth, fame, self-fulfilment or ideology. Sofia Subri
For most people, a visit to the dental clinic in school invokes memories of bleeding gums, horrifying drills and pliers, and psychological if not physical pain. Many would grimace at the sheer sight of the fierce and intimidating dental nurse. Dr Wong Keng Mun, Managing Director of T32 Dental Centre Pte Ltd, felt the same
Young, meticulous, passionate – these are the qualities that represent Looi Qin En, co-founder of Glints, a Singapore-based job portal targeting millennials. Glints aims to help millennials explore jobs, internships, courses and other opportunities, and do what they love. In 2014, Oswald Yeo, Looi Qin En and Seah Ying Cong chose to drop out of
Once considered a threat to brick-and-mortar stores, e-commerce is now becoming a necessary complement. Retail businesses are trending toward setting up both physical and online stores, allowing customers the choice of shopping online at their convenience, or visiting brick-and-mortar outlets to try out products. This burgeoning concept of providing a seamless, cross-channel shopping experience is
Stores are popping up for a few weeks to a few months and creating a buzz in cities such as New York and London. These pop-up stores are a cheaper alternative for retailers and marketers to showcase their products during a product launch or seasonal sale, doing away with the hefty one- or two-year rental
“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
