" The prospects for Franchising in a changing global landscape"
Opinion of: Dr. T. Chandroo Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Modern Montessori International
[June, 2010]
The word franchise, originating from the French language, means privilege or freedom. In this sense, franchising offers people the freedom to own, manage and direct their own business. It means "being in business for yourself but not by yourself".
It is often referred to as the "Best ambassador of free enterprise in the world". No wonder, franchising has become a global phenomenon. It has driven home the message and value of entrepreneurship. Also, franchising has underlined the importance of the small and medium enterprises (SME) in the economic development of countries, stimulated job creation and encouraged skills development. Franchising has, in its own special way, has invented "universal" products and services and made the world a global village.
Is Shareholder Education and Activism the Key to Good Corporate Governance?
[April 1, 2010]
For investors, it seems that the catch phrase nowadays is caveat emptor - or buyers beware.
Retail investors bore the brunt of losses when CEOs of listed companies breached listing rules and absconded with the funds - these are recent headlines that frightened investors in S-chips.
Now, apart from S-chips, even award-winning small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are also being questioned on corporate governance issues.
Towards Better Education - taking the right steps at the right time
Opinion of: Dr. T. Chandroo Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Modern Montessori International
Education has always been the key driving force in the growth and development of Singapore society. This is all the more so in the 21st century where knowledge -based industries play an increasingly crucial role in shaping the country's future.
For us at Modern Montessori International (MMI), education starts at the preschool stage when a child's excitement for learning is ignited and not stifled by academic assessment, which should rightly be left when the child enters formal school.
In this regard, we are very happy with Education Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen's statement that the Ministry of Education has no plans to nationalise preschool education.
Between the year 2010 and 2011, there is no " new" Spring. Such a Lunar year is trading called a BLIND YEAR. In the Cantonese and Hakka dialects, Spring is a homophone of Testicles, they sound alike or it may just be a coincidence. Regardless of this, a year without any Spring is considered inauspicious for getting married, for it implies a lack testicles (fertility); and hence the union may bear no offspring. This is how the trdaitional belief that a blind year is not auspicious for marriage came to be.
Spring: 4th February 2010
: 4th February 2011
Chinese New Year: 14th February 2010
Chinese New Year: 03rd February 2011
The year of Tiger is normally considered inauspicious for weddings and this Tiger year being the Blind Year, it is doubly bad.
The Tiger year brings abundant rain; ,low lying farms beware for water- damaged crops can be a pain. High-land crops will yield the best, but vegetables and soya beans will be vulnerable to pests. So too, with rice and cotton; while young children will be sickly cereals will good yield good results only if harvested early.
Cereals harvested later will have problems aplenty. May every family take precaution and thank the haven for a good bounty.
Business leaders and CEOs will rub shoulders with country presidents and prime ministers at the Singapore APEC meeting in November 2009
A few weeks from now, top business leaders and CEOs visiting Singapore will rub shoulders and share insights with country presidents, prime ministers in the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) economic leaders meeting on November 14 and 15 this year.
These political and business leaders, along with the international media, will make up the 10,000 delegates converging in Singapore for the APEC leaders meeting and its affiliate meetings, stretching from November 9 to 15.
This will be first time Singapore is staging the APEC economic leaders meeting which is holding its 17th annual session in the island republic. The meeting- to be hosted by Singapore with a budget of slightly over $100 million - will be opened by Singapore's prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.
It is a fascinating device enabling people to have instant contact and communication with family, friends, colleagues and business associates. Furthermore it facilitates clinching of business deals and comes pretty handy in emergency situations.
However, it also invades privacy and infuriates people by interrupting conversations and causing noisy chatter and ring tones in trains, libraries, restaurants, cinemas and places of worship.
Welcome to the high-tech world of mobile phones, commonly known as hand phones in Singapore and cell phones in North America!
I'm at a party, hanging out with my friends, when all of a sudden, we hear brawling and shouting from the front of the house. We rush out, wondering what was going on, when we see two guys in the middle of a crowd, fighting. You would have thought the crowd around them would try to separate them, after all, isn't that what most people try to do when a fight's going on? Try to stop it?
Whenever I receive a phone call, my ring-tone blares. People always stare at me then, sizing me up for my ring-tone.
You see, my ring tone is Michael Jackson's hit tune: ‘Don't Stop Till You Get Enough'.
Now, don't lie, you've judged me too. But before you judge me too harshly, let me just say that my ring tone has always been a Michael Jackson song long before the great star and pop icon passed away.
As the world reels from the passing of such a huge icon, I cannot help but question all the people who now claim to be so greatly affected by his death. ‘Where were you when the media hated him? Where were you in all those little pockets of time when he had no new songs? Did you love him then? Did you? Did you? ,' I scream at them (silently of course, in the confines of my mind).
By Gita