Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Mars

Best Display of Mars From Earth in 6 Years on Wednesday

27th Jan 2010

28th Jan 2010

29th Jan 2010

- wong chee tat :)

Number of retrenchments last year likely significantly lower than 1998

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Mr Gan Kim Yong

SINGAPORE: Manpower Minister Gan Kim Yong said the number of retrenched workers in Singapore for the whole of last year is likely to be significantly lower than the record level of 29,000 in 1998.

Mr Gan told a manpower conference that the unemployment rate of 3.4 per cent as of last September was low compared to many developed countries, and lower than the record 5.2 per cent in 2003.

The key was tripartism, which he described as "Singapore's secret weapon to tackle the downturn".

The positive outcome, he said, would not have been possible without the trust, commitment and joint efforts among employers, workers and the unions that represent them.

Mr Gan cautioned that while the worst is over, it might take quite a while to see recovery spread evenly across the board.

To develop a "future-ready" workforce, Mr Gan urged companies to rethink their business strategies and restructure their operations.

He added that the labour movement must also evolve to keep up with the changing landscape.

- CNA/sc

- wong chee tat :)

Nanyang Business School's MBA programme ranked 27th globally

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Nanyang Technological University

SINGAPORE : Singapore's Nanyang Business School's flagship full-time Master of Business Administration (MBA) programme has again been ranked among the top 30 globally in the latest report by London-based Financial Times.

Although it dropped three notches from last year's ranking, the 27th placing this year still makes it the only Singapore MBA course in the top 100 full-time global MBA programmes.

In the Asia-Pacific, the MBA programme was ranked among the top 4.

The programme scored well on several fronts, including salary increases, career progression, international mobility and ideas generation through research.

The Financial Times survey showed that the Nanyang MBA students who graduated three years ago currently enjoy on average a salary of US$110,567, up from US$104,294 reported last year by the previous batch.

The most significant improvement was in career progress rank, which has jumped to 15th position from 71st position last year. The school said this demonstrates the programme's value to improve one's career over the long term.

Professor Gillian Yeo, interim dean, Nanyang Business School, said: "Our strategy has always been to emphasise both academic rigour and relevance to businesses and industry, to enable our graduates to successfully and responsibly lead organisations globally.

"As we continue to attract some of the most talented students from around the world and hire more world-class faculty, we intend to work towards creating knowledge with an Asian focus. We will be doing research on the new Asian economic giants China and India, and developing case studies."

The Nanyang Business School has over 4,000 students.

The Financial Times' ranking is based on two sets of surveys - one completed by alumni who graduated three years ago and the other by the top business schools.

- CNA/ms

- wong chee tat :)

S'pore-based workers aged 30-47 lead drive for more global exposure

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An office worker at the financial district in Singapore

SINGAPORE : Singapore-based workers between the ages of 30 and 47 are leading the drive for more exposure in the globalised workforce.

That is according to the latest survey by global solutions provider Kelly Services.

The survey polled over 3,000 respondents in Singapore.

Nine out of 10 workers agreed that being more globally oriented in the way they work is important for their career prospects.

A third of respondents felt it was extremely important to work in a global environment with colleagues from varied nationalities and cultures.

However, there is a disparity in the level of preparedness among the three main age groups.

The survey found that Gen Y workers, those aged 18 to 29, had the least opportunity to work closely with colleagues from a different nationality or culture.

Due to longer working experiences and exposure, more Gen X and Baby Boomers had this opportunity.

Gen X workers are aged between 30 and 47 years old while Baby Boomers refer to those over 48 years of age.

The survey also found that Gen Y workers felt that they were ill-equipped with the skills needed to work in a more globally-oriented work environment.

In terms of receiving the training required to work in the global environment, only 38 per cent of respondents felt that their employers encouraged or offered courses to help them deal with other cultures.

- CNA/ms

- wong chee tat :)