Singapore's IDA creates snapshot of home computer usage in Singapore for 2014

The Infocomm Development Authority's (IDA’s)  Annual Survey on Infocomm Usage in Households 2014 states that more seniors in Singapore are using smartphones, computers and the Internet. The survey showed that in 2014, about 74% of Singapore residents had used the computer in the three months before the survey, with the biggest jump for senior citizens aged 50 years and above.

Between 2012 and 2014, there was a significant increase of 14 and 11 percentage-points in computer usage by senior citizens aged 50 to 59 and above 60 respectively. This brought the total percentage of computer usage among senior citizens to 63% for those aged 50 to 59 years and 27% for those aged older.

In addition, the survey showed that Internet usage rate by senior citizens rose to 75% for those in their fifties, and 31% for those 60 and older, a gain of 24% and 15% compared to 2012 respectively. In fact, in 2014, more than three-quarters of the younger and one-third of the older senior citizen segments said they had used a smartphone to access the Internet in the past three months. This represented an increase of 30% and 19% percentage-points respectively against 2012.

Household Internet and broadband access also continued to increase in 2014, and households are increasingly using Internet-enabled mobile phones for Internet access. Home Internet and broadband access rates rose to 88% and 87.5% respectively in 2014. For households with school-going children, Internet and broadband access rates were 98% and 97% respectively in 2014. Fibre and wireless broadband (3G, 4G) continued to replace ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) and cable as the Internet connection of choice at home, with 62% of resident households using fibre broadband in 2014 (up from 25% in 2012), and 56% using wireless broadband in 2014 (38% in 2012).

Another trend is the rise of online shopping among Singapore residents. Online shoppers were mainly aged from 15 to 49 years, with credit card payment being the most common among those aged 25 and above. The majority of online shoppers spent at least S$100 on their online purchases. The three most popular items purchased online were apparel, travel products and tickets for entertainment events.

On the cyber security front, the survey found that more than eight in 10 installed antivirus software and security updates on computer used to access the Internet at home while adoption rates of antivirus software installation on smartphones were comparatively lower, at about three in 10.

The top three primary Internet activities among Singapore residents were related to communication, leisure activities and getting information, with the topmost online activity on mobile equipment being the use of social networks.

Steve Leonard, IDA’s Executive Deputy Chairman, commented, “We are encouraged to see residents becoming more tech-savvy and connected, particularly the silver generation. This is useful to help the industry explore new opportunities to serve our citizens better and help build Singapore into a Smart Nation.”

It should be noted that the different surveys are not precisely apples-to-apples as more Singapore residents born in recent years enter their fifties and are classed as seniors in each subsequent survey. Those born in 1963 and 1964 would not have been classed as senior citizens in 2012. Likewise, those born in 1961 and 1962 were not considered senior citizens until after 2010. It is possible that the results for the 50 to 59 year-old segment reflect technology-savviness in 50- and 51 year-olds, rather than seniors in general deciding to learn about smartphones and the Internet. The results for those aged 60 and above however remain significant.

Interested?

Download the survey (PDF)
Download the complete infographic

Note: All images from the IDA infographic.

*The annual survey has been conducted for more than 20 years, and its objective is to assess the extent of infocomm adoption in Singapore resident households and residents. This latest survey’s data was collected from about 3,500 households and about 3,500 residents via face-to-face interviews.

1 A smartphone has more sophisticated functions than a feature phone. Examples of such functions are: i) able to open and read documents (e.g. PDFs, Office documents) and ii) able to add or install applications on the phone. These two categories are mutually exclusive, i.e. a mobile phone can only be categorised as a feature phone or a smartphone but not both.

2 Households with access to the Internet via both broadband and narrowband had been categorised as those with broadband Internet access. Some households had more than one type of broadband connection at home.

3 Mobile equipment is defined as portable equipment excluding laptops or notebooks.

Labuan IBFC reports 12.3% rise in new company registrations in 2014

Labuan International Business and Financial Centre (Labuan IBFC), Asia Pacific’s midshore international business and financial centre, reported strong performance across all financial sectors in 2014, including banking, insurance, leasing, wealth management and Islamic finance, with 12.3% increase in new company registrations compared to the previous year.

The organisation notes that 70% of companies registered in Labuan IBFC originate from Asia, with 57% from Southeast Asia, mainly Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

“Labuan IBFC has its strengths in terms of its proximity to strategic Asian markets and sound regulatory framework, with simple as well as competitive tax system. With our balanced supervisory and regulatory framework coupled with our strategic location in the heart of Asia Pacific, we believe Labuan IBFC stands out as the ideal ‘midshore’ jurisdiction from which to base regional business operations for both trading and investment purposes,” said Danial Mah Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer at Labuan IBFC.

At a roadshow in Hong Kong marking Labuan IBFC's 25th anniversary, Danial added that Labuan IBFC can tap on and complement Hong Kong’s position as the gateway to China by providing business solutions including business process outsourcing and effective legal structures through which entrepreneurs can effectively structure their businesses operations.

In the wealth management sector, Labuan IBFC foundations are increasingly used as wealth preservation solutions. There was an almost 40% increase in the number of Labuan IBFC foundations established in 2014 compared to the previous year, with 73% of them originating from Asia.

“As ASEAN grows in economic might, the increase in wealth in the region is outpacing the rest of the world. Companies and private investors looking to expand in ASEAN are in search of effective and legitimate ways of capitalising on this growth, keeping in mind the importance of adhering to international standards and best practices. Labuan IBFC has been fulfilling these needs, with its proximity to strategic Asian markets, sound regulatory oversight and simple and efficient tax framework,” added Danial during the Singapore leg of the roadshow, which was held earlier in the month.

While wealth management is one of the core offerings of Labuan IBFC, the business and financial centre also carries out all aspects of business and financial activity ranging from banking and insurance to Islamic financial services.

Positive hiring outlook for India Inc. in 2015

Hiring activity grew by 2% year-on-year in 2014, with retail and banking, finance, securities & insurance (BFSI) leading the charge according to TimesJobs' RecruiteX report. 

"As India's leading career and recruitment portal's data shows, 2015 seems to be a good time to be active in the job market. With a stable government and strong economic cues, the inevitable growth of Indian industry will fuel considerable job growth in the country as well. Companies in core sectors of IT, engineering, manufacturing, BFSI, hospitality, logistics, e-commerce and retail will emerge as leading employers," said Vivek Madhukar, COO, TimesJobs.com.

Key highlights from RecruiteX include:

• Jobs in the HR function posted double digit growth month-on-month (12%).
• Hiring of inexperienced candidates picked up by 8%.
• Metropolitan cities (metros) led demand, including the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR), Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai registering an average growth of 8%. Jaipur registered a 12% rise in demand.

The retail sector emerged as the top employment generator in December 2014 with a 6% rise in demand while the BFSI sector reported a 4% rise. Hiring was up by 5% in the automobile sector. The IT/telecom sector reported a 3% per cent increase in hiring, and the business process outsourcing (BPO)/IT enabled services (ITES) industry registered a 4% increase.

The demand for HR professionals has registered a 12% rise after two months of slowdown. It was the only profession to witness a double-digit rise during December 2014. Front office/administration professionals reported 8% growth; customer service/tele calling and professionals for entertainment/media/journalism saw 7% increases in demand, while IT/telecom professionals witnessed 6% growth. Rounding out the picture, demand for marketing & advertising profiles witnessed an increase of 5%.

Experience is in demand as corporate India plans expansion in 2015. The demand for the category registered steady growth from September to November 2014, but registered an average 3% drop in December. Candidates with under two years of experience witnessed 8% rise. Demand for the two to five-year experience segment increased by 7% in December 2014. Candidates with five to 10 years of experience witnessed stable hiring. Demand for candidates with 10 to 20 years of experience reported a 1% rise in hiring. Jobs for entry-level candidates had been witnessing sluggish hiring trends during the last three months but made a comeback in December. 

Metros have witnessed sluggish hiring in the last quarter of 2014, but the market revived in December with positive hopes for 2015. Metros registered an average growth of 8% in December 2014. Bengaluru and Chennai emerged as the top job hubs with a 12% rise in demand. Delhi NCR was at the other end of the spectrum with a 3% rise in demand for talent.
Among tier II cities, Jaipur registered 12% increase in hiring.

TimesJobs' RecruiteX provides detailed insights into the recruitment trends in India to employers, recruiters and jobseekers. RecruiteX tracks both the demand and supply aspects of the recruitment market. Demand for talent is computed by factoring activities of recruiters on TimesJobs.com. The supply of talent is representative of activities conducted by job seekers on TimesJobs.com. This demand and supply data is integrated with numbers collected by offline teams and is further refined according to top industry verticals, functional areas and locations.

Click here to download the report. 

LinkedIn shares top 10 buzzwords for Singapore profiles in 2014

LinkedIn has announced its annual list of the most underwhelming words and phrases in LinkedIn profiles for 2014 in Singapore.

Being "motivated", "passionate" and "creative" are now so overused that they have become meaningless, the company said.

The top 10 words to avoid in Singapore are: 

Source: LinkedIn infographic. View the global infographic here.

Other tips LinkedIn provided to get people discovered include:

• Profiles with photographs get viewed 14 times more often.
• Summaries of 40 words or more turn up more often in searches.
• Focus on accomplishments.
• Ask others to vouch for you.

For tips on how to refresh your LinkedIn profile for a 'brand you year', read the LinkedIn Blog post here.

Robert Walters woos Singaporeans overseas to alleviate talent crunch In 2015

The newly launched Robert Walters Balik Kampung campaign is aimed at widening the existing Singapore talent pool and creating a more dynamic workforce.

The professional recruitment firm is currently engaging with 2,000 white collar Singaporeans overseas, and has even helped some of them secure jobs in Singapore even before they return. Overseas Singaporeans have the advantage of international exposure coupled with knowledge of the local business culture, which companies in Singapore are increasingly seeing as an advantage, Toby Fowlston, Managing Director of Robert Walters Singapore, said. 

Tim Klimcke, Associate Director, Sales, Marketing, Procurement and Supply Chain, Robert Walters, added that Robert Walters' focus on overseas Singaporeans has been in place for about 12 months. It is a win-win situation, he said, as Singaporeans overseas are given access to up-to-date information on the job situation in Singapore while employers are given access to candidates whom they haven't had access to before.

"It's about creating a community and giving people access to knowledge and employment opportunities. What they think and what the reality is could be two different things," he said of overseas Singaporeans. 

The competition for Singaporean talent has intensified over the past few years and will continue to increase in the year ahead, according to the annual Global Salary Survey* from Robert Walters.

Fowlston noted that the government and employers in Singapore are increasingly seeking to hire Singaporean talent as supported by the Fair Consideration Framework, which
requires hiring managers to consider Singaporean talent
first for job vacancies before looking elsewhere. In 2014, Fowlston said, job opportunities remained vacant for a longer time as companies gave priority to Singaporean talent. As the Singaporean talent pool is still limited, competition for their skills remained strong, he said.

Where supply is particularly scarce, candidates can see hefty salary increases, he said. Figures from the survey suggest that in-demand candidates who switched jobs in 2014 could command an average 10 - 20% salary increment. A strong compliance candidate could receive an average increment of 20 to 30% on their current base salary, the survey reports.

“The employment landscape of 2015 will likely see the competition for Singaporean professionals accelerate. To fulfil the market’s demands, organisations are looking outside of the tight candidate pool and recognising the importance of attracting overseas Singaporeans back home. This creates opportunities for a more dynamic workforce and offers potential employers varied professional experiences to draw from,” Fowlston said.

Other highlights for 2015:

• Due to tightened regulatory measures from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), employers continue to experience skills shortages in the areas of governance such as compliance, internal audit, legal and risk
• As businesses continue to invest in digital strategies, IT and marketing professionals skilled in online content, project delivery, mobile and application development as well as user experience will be in demand
• HR professionals are expected to be more involved in the wider business activities and experienced practitioners with business partnering skills are likely to be sought-after. Employee attraction, retention and talent development remain a key priority 
• Candidates within accounting and finance skilled in audit, tax and pricing will see opportunities in both permanent and contract positions as demand outstrips supply 
• Contracting recruitment will continue to grow in 2015, particularly where companies are apprehensive around permanent headcount and look towards alternative sources for potential talent 

In 2015, Robert Walters says employers will need to offer competitive packages in order to encourage candidates to change roles, and estimates that an increment of 15% may help to influence the outcome. However, it adds that the market for junior to mid-level professionals remains fluid, with candidates much more willing to consider a career move. 

Professionals with business partnering, pricing, tax, treasury and internal audit experience will be high demand, it said.

*Compiled by Robert Walters' dedicated research division, the Salary Survey is based on an analysis of placements made across the company's network of offices and specialist disciplines during the course of 2014. Now in its sixteenth year, the Survey is used by employers, HR managers and employees for benchmarking salary levels within their industry.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific receives China HR Staff Award for leadership development

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific has received the “Best Practice in Leadership Development” accolade for Starwood Careers at the prestigious 17th China HR Staff Awards 2014 held in Suzhou, China.

Inaugurated in 1998, the China Staff Awards by CCH, a Wolters Kluwer company, is known as one of the most reputable human resources (HR) awards in Greater China. They are also known as the 'Oscars' of the HR community. The Best Practice in Leadership Development award is bestowed on the organisation that has displayed clear and well-executed strategies in talent selection, motivation and development at all associate levels. The award also recognises outstanding programmes such as formal coaching and mentoring programmes that help develop and nurture potential successors to ensure business continuity.

Dylan Choong, Director, Human Resources, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific said, “The award is truly an encouragement and a testament that our talent management and development programme, Starwood Careers, is nurturing the future leaders of the hospitality industry. This award also goes out to our dedicated mentors and associates who have worked hard over the years to implement and execute the initiatives within the programme.”

Starwood Careers was conceptualised specifically in the Asia Pacific to fit the region’s unique needs. It seeks to proactively build Starwood’s talent bench strength through strategic integrated approaches for talent management and development. Since 2003, Starwood Careers has nurtured more than 10,000 Associates; and in 2014 alone, more than 3,000 Associates across Asia Pacific are expected to benefit from Starwood Careers.

Participating for the first time, Starwood Asia Pacific is one of 13 organisations honored in the annual awards that confer recognition on organisations with the best practices in key areas of human capital management and development. Starwood was also a finalist for the “Best Practice in Engagement and Retention” award for Starwood Cares, Starwood’s commitment towards creating a more caring and supportive workplace. This award seeks to recognise companies that successfully and meaningfully keep their most valued employees engaged.

Starwood continues to be one of the fastest growing hotel companies in Asia Pacific. It currently has over 280 hotels in operation and over 220 hotels in the pipeline; and since January 2014, Starwood has opened more than 18 hotels across its nine lifestyle brands in Asia Pacific. To date, the company has received over 20 awards and accolades in the areas of employee engagement, talent development, training and employer of choice. 

Yahoo Singapore unveils how 2014 panned out in top search terms

Qi Yu Wu and Joanne Peh at
their first appearance as a
married couple, at the
opening of the Ferrero
Rocher Pasticceria Ferrero along Orchard Road
in late November.

Yahoo Singapore has announced its 2014 Year in Review (YIR), an annual recap of the top search trends, happenings and events which grabbed the attention of Yahoo users in Singapore. YIR is based on what users searched for through the year, and an editorial selection of what was most read, recommended and shared on Yahoo in 2014.

An animated film, a sporting event, and a smartphone all piqued the interest of Yahoo Singapore users during 2014, featuring among the top searches of the year. But a single news event – the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines' flight MH 370 came in at number 1. The iPhone 6, high Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) levels in Singapore and the animated movie Frozen also made it to the list of top searches on Yahoo Singapore in 2014.

Source: Apple. The iPhone
6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

Top 10 Searches of the Year:

1.       MH370

2.       iPhone 6

3.       Jennifer Lawrence

4.       PSI Reading

5.       MH17

6.       World Cup

7.       Fann Wong

8.       CHC Trial

9.       Frozen Movie

10.     Hong Kong Protests

Yahoo YIR also offers insights into what captured users’ imagination across categories like Singapore’s Top 10 Newsmakers, Most Popular News, Top Sports Searches, Most Popular Celebrities, as well as Most Searched Destinations, among others. The most popular news events for Singapore included the aviation tragedies of MH370 and MH17, the haze, the City Harvest trial, protests in Hong Kong, Ebola and the South Korea ferry disaster.

Most Popular News Events:

1.       MH370

2.       Singapore Haze

3.       MH17

4.       CHC Trial

5.       Hong Kong Protests

6.       Ebola

7.       Korea Ferry Disaster

8.       ISIS

9.       CPF Protests

10.     Mobile Air Saga

As one of the most gadget-savvy nations in the world, it comes as no surprise that the highly anticipated iPhone 6 was the most searched tech device this year. Three other Apple products appear in the top 10 gadget searches, including iPhone 5C, iPad Air 2 and iPhone 6 plus. Samsung clocked in with two Galaxy devices.

Top Tech Searches:

1.       iPhone 6

2.       Samsung S5

3.       iPhone 6 Plus

4.       Samsung Note 4

5.       iPhone 5c

6.       iPad Air 2

7.       Xiaomi Mi4

8.       Ps4

9.       HTC One

10.     Xbox 360

Always in the news, Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence made it straight to the top of our most popular female celebrity list. Other local and international women celebrities who made it to the list included first-time moms Fann Wong, Kate Middleton and Kim Kardashian, and newlyweds Amal Alamuddin and Joanne Peh.

Most Popular Female Celebrities:

11.   Jennifer Lawrence

12.   Fann Wong

13.   Vivian Hsu

14.   Amal Alamuddin

15.   Miranda Kerr

16.   Kate Upton

17.   Kate Middleton

18.   Kim Kardashian

19.   Shu Qi

20.   Joanne Peh

In K-pop crazy Singapore, Hallyu stars Lee Min Ho and Kim Soo Hyun topped our list of most popular male celebrities, followed by the  baby Prince George, Justin Bieber and local actor Qi Yuwu, whose engagement and subsequent wedding to Joanne Peh caught everyone’s attention and caused quite the stir.

Most Popular Male Celebrities:

11.   Lee Min Ho

12.   Kim Soo Hyun

13.   Justin Bieber

14.   Baby Prince George

15.   Qi Yuwu

16.   Robin Williams

17.   Brooklyn Beckham

18.   Jaycee Chan

19.   Chris Evans

20.   Pierre Png

2014 was a year of major sporting events. Undoubtedly the FIFA World Cup, topped our list of sports searches. The buzz generated by the World Cup was inflated by the inadvertent humour created by the National Council on Problem Gambling’s anti-gambling advertisement. The advertisement showed a troubled boy, "Andy", whose savings were used by his father to bet on Germany, and admittedly unlikely contender which ended up as the ultimate winner of the Cup in real life. The Asian Games and WTA Finals made it to other top searches in sports.

Top Sports Searches:

1.       FIFA World Cup

2.       Asian Games

3.       EPL

4.       NBA

5.       Manchester United

6.       Commonwealth Games

7.       Lions XII

8.       WTA Finals

9.       AFF Suzuki Cup

10.     Australian Open

Maria Sharapova was the top searched athlete in 2014 and the only tennis star to make it to a list dominated by football stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Neymar and Singapore's Fandi Ahmad.

Top Athletes:

1.       Maria Sharapova

2.       Michael Schumacher

3.       Vanessa Mae

4.       Cristiano Ronaldo

5.       David Beckham

6.       Neymar

7.       Lee Chong Wei

8.       Oscar Pistorius

9.       Manny Pacquiao

10.     Fandi Ahmad

Singaporeans still love the sun, sand and sea. The most searched destinations on Yahoo Singapore this year are popular beach destinations - Maldives, Boracay and Langkawi.

Most Searched Destinations:

1.   Maldives

2.   Boracay

3.   Langkawi

4.   Genting Highlands

5.   Krabi

6.   Bali

7.   Santorini

8.   Phuket

9.   Bandung

10. Penang

The Yahoo Singapore editorial team also identified 10 of the year’s biggest newsmakers who dominated the headlines in 2014. Before this year, few would have heard of Roy Ngerng, the former healthcare programme coordinator behind the socio-political blog The Heart Truths or teen blogger Han Hui Hui. Today, Ngerng has become a household name for taking an active role in the #ReturnOurCPF movement and Han, for her infamous black Wanna Sue Me? shirt and her involvement in the movement.

Jover Chew, owner of Mobile Air, Anton Casey and Quek Zhen Hao have also taken turns making headlines this year for numerous controversies, earning their place in our list of newsmakers. Other newsmakers of the year include Singapore’s swimmer Joseph Schooling, Chinese tour guide Yang Yin, documentary filmmaker Tan Pin Pin, pastor Lawrence Khong, and local celebrity couple Joanne Peh & Qi Yuwu.

Top Singapore newsmakers

1.       Roy Ngerng

2.       Jover Chew

3.       Anton Casey

4.       Han Hui Hui

5.       Joseph Schooling

6.       Yang Yin

7.       Tan Pin Pin

8.       Lawrence Khong

9.       Quek Zhen Hao

10.     Joanne Peh & Qi Yuwu

For more of Yahoo Singapore’s 2014 Top 10s, please visit https://sg.news.yahoo.com/year-in-review 

*To develop the Yahoo Year in Review, our editors analyse user’s interest patterns on what they searched for, read, recommended and shared. It takes into account a number of factors including absolute volume and growth from previous periods to see which themes and trends bubble to the surface. Individuals and their preferences always remain anonymous. Yahoo stresses that the results are not a representation of a popularity contest or voting; it is done by Yahoo editorial team experts.

ICSC's Asia Pacific Shopping Center Awards shower golds on D-Cube City, Jem and Siam Center

The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) Asia Pacific Shopping Center Awards recently recognised excellence in the region's shopping centre industry. Awards were given for outstanding achievement in marketing as well as the design and development of retail properties and retail store design.

The Design & Development category recognises retail properties for their overall design qualities and creativity in development, through renovation or expansion of an existing property or in innovative design of a new retail project. The category covers new Developments as well as Renovations & Expansions.

Source: D-Cube City website. D-Cube City.

The gold award winner in the category of Design & Development at the 2014 Asia Pacific Shopping Center Awards is Daesung Industrial Co.'s D-Cube City in Seoul, Korea. The 75,000 sq m space hosts 171 stores. Formerly a large coal processing plant, D-Cube City sets a new standard in mixed-use transit-oriented development, the ICSC said.

Source: Jem website. Jem.

Jem Singapore won a gold/sustainable award in this category. The 76,000 sq m mall with 235 stores is owned by Lend Lease Retail Investments 3 and Lend Lease Commercial Investments. Jem’s design by SAA Architects used more than 100% green replacement in the building’s construction, as well as an array of energy-saving measures woven into the architecture and infrastructure.

The 108,470 sq m iapm Mall in Shanghai, China won the silver award in the same category. Owned by Sun Hung Kai Properties, the 200-store mall is designed by Benoy. Iapm offers 'shoppertainment', housing luxury fashion brands, a lifestyle store, an IMAX cinema and global delicacies.

SM Aura Premier was the second silver award winner. The 199,616 sq m mall is in Taguig, Philippines, and owned by SM Prime Holdings. The mall is a fashion, dining and entertainment destination, and features a six-level retail area with 206 stores, three levels of underground parking, and a 30-storey office tower with a 360-degree view of the city.

Other mentions included the 87,000 sq m INDIGO integrated mixed-use development in Beijing, China, with 170 stores. Owned by Swire Properties and Sino-Ocean Land Holdings and designed by Benoy, the INDIGO development is an which includes a shopping centre, a hotel, office space, and more than 1,200 car parking spaces, all with direct access to Beijing Metro Line 14.

Malaysia’s green-rated Setia City Mall has a retail and food & beverage mix to provide families with fun and affordable centre experiences. The 734,752 sq m mall in Shah Alam has 220 stores, and is owned by Greenhill Resources.

Source: Siam Center Company. Siam Center.

Under the Renovations & Expansions category, The Siam Center, The Ideaopolis renovation project in Bangkok, Thailand, took home a gold award. Owned by Siam Piwat Company, Siam Center carries exclusive product lines and services, hosts year-round art exhibitions, and has a total retail space of 21,210 sq m over 145 stores. 

Mrs. Chadatip Chutrakul, Chief Executive Officer, Siam Piwat Company, shared that the renovation project Siam Center, the Ideaopolis has won Asia Pacific Shopping Center Awards for two consecutive years, and is Thailand's only shopping centre to win a 2014 award. "This year, we have won the Gold Award in Design and Development, which serves as a testimony of Siam Piwat's success in introducing innovation and novelty to people's lives and bolsters Siam Piwat's strength in its path toward becoming a global leader of innovative retail," she said.

The project also marks a first in that a shopping centre and all of its retail stores have joined forces to create unique displays and décor exclusively for Siam Center, creating an identity that contributes to the uniqueness of the mall.

The Highpoint Shopping Centre redevelopment in Maribyrnong, Australia was presented with a silver award in the Renovation & Expansion category. Highpoint Shopping Centre’s US$300 million renovation included the addition of 100 new stores across premium fashion and lifestyle brands, providing Melbourne residents an enhanced shopping experience.The mall has retail space of 145,600 sq m across 491 stores, and is owned by Highpoint Property Group, the GPT Wholesale Shopping Centre Fund, and The GPT Group.

Another silver went to Plaza Singapura Singapore from the CapitaMall Trust stable, for a new extension that was completed in February 2013. The mall has total retail space of 57,541 sq m and 324 stores. Designed by Benoy, Plaza Singapura’s signature flowing ribbon façade houses a one-stop shopping experience with some 330 fashion, dining, entertainment and lifestyle offerings. A new extension seamlessly links the office building and shopping mall with transport links and the surroundings, according to Singapore's RSP Architects, Planners & Engineers' website. RSP oversaw the renovation. 

Finalists included Choi Yuen Plaza in Hong Kong with 132,281 sq m of retail space spanning 107 stores. Owned by The Link Management, Choi Yuen Plaza’s renovation features a footbridge with a timber roof, streamlined decking and benches amidst greenery. Retail offerings were expanded.

The 133-store Leung King Plaza in Hong Kong, which has total retail space of 165,068 sq m, is owned by The Link Management. Leung King Plaza’s two-year asset enhancement project updated its infrastructure and interior design, as well as its exterior façades and courtyards.

Owned by the Fashion TV Building Owners Association, the 148 stores in Lotte FITIN in Seoul’s Dongdaemun Market area provides young trendsetters with an organised and secure shopping environment, housing designer shops and restaurants from Seoul’s fashionable districts. The mall spreads out over 18,513 sq m.

The New Glorietta in Makati City, the Philippines, encompasses five hotels, two office towers, two residential high-rises, and extensive retail zones. Owned by Ayala Land, there are 219 stores spanning 233,696 sq m.

Australia's Roxburgh Park Shopping Centre’s expansion, resulting in total retail space of 24,730 sq m—a doubling in size, has delivered a main street environment to the community, providing cafes and restaurants, fresh food and daily shopping needs. Owned and developed by the CFS Retail Property Trust Group, shoppers can visit 53 stores at this mall. 

The full set of winners can be viewed here.

Read the blog post about the winners of emerging technology here.

CHKLC announces 2014 winners of HK Corporate Governance Excellence Awards

The winners of the Hong Kong Corporate Governance Excellence Awards 2014 were recently announced by the Chamber of Hong Kong Listed Companies (CHKLC), the organisers of the annual awards programme. According to the CHKLC, corporate governance represents respect of shareholder rights and values, board and management integrity and degree of transparency and accountability. 

Dr Eddy Fong, Chairman of the Judging Panel, said that the winners have tailored their governance polices and principles to tackle the risks and challenges facing their organisations or industries rather than just following the standard code of practice.

"In addition, winning companies recognise (that) sustainability is an integral part of sound corporate governance and is closely linked to the long term development and prosperity of a company; they have therefore made much efforts in that area," he said.

The winners of the 2014 Awards are Hang Lung Properties and Lenovo Group in the Category for Hang Seng Index Constituents; plus AAC Technologies Holdings and China Pacific Insurance (Group) Company in the Category for Hang Seng Composite Index Constituents. The Lenovo Group won again in the Sustainability category, with VTech Holdings being the other winner.

Patrick Sun, Chairman of CHKLC noted that more companies have been willing to step up to share their experience. "The winners come from very different industry backgrounds and differ in size which shows good corporate governance is not exclusive to large companies with huge resources," he said.

"We are much encouraged to see sustainability measures are receiving wholehearted attention from companies. They are fully integrated into the business operations and treated as part of the risk management process, and are closely linked to the long term prosperity of the companies themselves."

Spotify names most popular music for 2014

Source: Spotify.

Spotify has released its Year in Music, which sifts through 50 million Spotify users listening to over 7 billion hours of music to identify the most popular soundtracks of the year.

UK's Ed Sheeran is the most streamed artist of 2014. His work was listened to more than 860 million times on Spotify. Sheeran also holds the title for the most streamed album, which was released in June to rave reviews and received over 430 million streams by fans.

In Singapore, Jay Chou has topped the charts for the second year running as the country’s most streamed Asian artist. Meanwhile, Maroon 5 holds onto second position while Sheeran claims third place.

Chou also takes first place as the most streamed Asian artist, while Taiwanese group Mayday and Singapore’s JJ Lin take second and third spot in the Asian ranks, respectively.

The top track played by Singaporeans this year is Rude by Magic!, closely followed by John Legend’s hit All of Me and OneRepublic’s Counting Stars. Pharrell Williams’ pop anthem of the year, Happy, reached over 260 million plays worldwide in 2014.

“2014 has been a fantastic year for music fans with a vibrant mix of Asian and global artists topping the end-of-year Spotify charts," said Sunita Kaur, Managing Director (Asia), Spotify. “Spotify's Year in Music is a great way for music fans to look back on their favourite tunes of the year and discover new tracks and playlists."

Steve Savoca, Head of Content, Spotify added: “This has been a phenomenal year for a rich variety of amazing artists on Spotify. Over fifty million dedicated music fans listened to more than 7 billion listening hours in 2014 alone. We’re extremely proud that Spotify allows music fans to discover, enjoy and share a world of new music, while helping artists reach new audiences.”

Visitors to spotify.com/2014 can find out more about the biggest global and local music trends of 2014, while Spotify users will be able to create their own personal Year in Music 2014 card which can be shared on social media. Spotify.com/2014 will identify a user’s most-played songs, favourite artists and the playlist that soundtracked their year. They can also discover how many minutes of music they enjoyed in 2014, which genres they listened to most, favourite artists by season, and their most musical day of the week.

Music fans not yet on Spotify can take advantage of Spotify’s Christmas promotion and get three months of Spotify Premium for just S$9.90, giving users the chance to play any song, anytime without ads. Click here for more details.

Top Five Global Artists

1. Ed Sheeran
2. Eminem
3. Coldplay
4. Calvin Harris
5. Katy Perry

Top Five Global Males

1. Ed Sheeran
2. Eminem
3. Calvin Harris
4. Avicii
5. David Guetta

Top Five Global Females

1. Katy Perry
2. Ariana Grande
3. Lana Del Rey
4. Beyoncé
5. Lorde

Top Five Global Groups

1. Coldplay
2. Imagine Dragons
3. Maroon 5
4. OneRepublic
5. One Direction

Top Five Global Tracks

1. Happy - From Despicable Me 2 - Pharrell Williams
2. Rather Be (featuring Jess Glynne) - Clean Bandit
3. Summer - Calvin Harris
4. Dark Horse - Katy Perry
5. All of Me - John Legend

Top 10 most streamed artists in Singapore

1. Jay Chou
2. Maroon 5
3. Ed Sheeran
4. Coldplay
5. Ariana Grande
6. Katy Perry
7. Calvin Harris
8. OneRepublic
9. Imagine Dragons
10. Sam Smith

Top 10 most streamed Asian artists

1. Jay Chou
2. Mayday
3. JJ Lin
4. Lee Hom
5. Yiruma
6. Stephanie Sun
7. A Mei
8. Jacky Cheung
9. 2NE1
10. G.E.M

Top 10 most streamed tracks

1. Magic! - Rude
2. John Legend - All of Me
3. OneRepublic - Counting Stars
4. Pharrell Williams - Happy - From Despicable Me 2
5. Maroon 5 - Maps
6. Sia - Chandelier
7. Calvin Harris - Summer
8. Coldplay - A Sky Full of Stars
9. Demons – Imagine Dragons
10. Am I Wrong – Nico & Vinz

Top 10 most streamed albums

X – Ed Sheeran
In The Lonely Hour – Sam Smith
V – Maroon 5
My Everything – Ariana Grande
The New Classic – Iggy Azalea
5 Seconds of Summer – 5 Seconds of Summer
G I R L – Pharrell Williams
Native – OneRepublic
The Fault in Our Stars: Music from the Motion Picture – The Fault in Our Stars
Don’t Kill the Magic – Magic!
Oh, What a Life – American Authors

The Spotify Year in Music playlist:

DBS named one of the world's top 25 companies for leaders by Aon Hewitt

DBS Bank has been recognised as one of the world’s top 25 companies for leaders by Aon Hewitt. Ranked 18th in The 2014 Aon Hewitt Global Top Companies for Leaders, the bank is the top ranking Singapore-based organisation that was named to the list. DBS is also named a winner of The 2014 Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders in South East Asia.

Said Lee Yan Hong, Managing Director of DBS Group Human Resource: “As a bank born and bred in Asia, DBS believes in building a strong pipeline of leaders who will help shape the future of banking. We have a comprehensive programme in place that helps identify and groom the next few generations of leaders across the bank. We are pleased to be recognised as one of the top companies for leaders globally. To be the highest-ranked Singapore-based company on the list is a further testament of our talent development strategy.”

Winners of The 2014 Aon Hewitt Global Top Companies for Leaders were selected and ranked based on a number of criteria, including strength of leadership practices and culture, examples of leader development on a global scale, alignment of business and leadership strategy, company reputation, business and financial performance.

DBS’ talent development strategy is centred around grooming talents to meet current and future business needs, including succession planning for key leadership positions. The bank has a programme in place to identify and engage talents at different levels across the bank. Its talent pool comprises young talents to senior professionals who are offered a differentiated development experience and training roadmaps based on needs and career aspirations at each stage.

Through the bank’s internal mobility programme, talents are mobilised to work on key projects or rotated into roles in DBS’ six key markets, enabling them to gain greater exposure, knowledge and experience. Every year, one third of talents leverage these mobility opportunities to gain a broader perspective and in-depth knowledge of the bank.

To ensure a holistic development experience, these future leaders also participate in talent conferences, external programmes, mentoring or coaching. Through these development opportunities, they are able to build a strong network with their peers.

In order to continually innovate and position itself as the Asian bank of choice, it is also important for the bank to achieve corporate diversity among its talent pool. In addition to hiring talents from non-banking background, the bank also hires more than 200 new graduates from a range of backgrounds and disciplines through its six talent programmes for recent graduates.

With technology rapidly changing the way people interact with banks, the diversity in its leadership talent pool helps DBS identify and act on opportunities to shape the future of banking. To help leaders make a mindset shift, the bank organises innovative learning experiences such as hackathons that encourage them to adopt an outside-in perspective. These mindset changes led to the development of banking services such as DBS PayLah!, an mobile wallet application for peer-to-peer payments in Singapore.

Lee added: “As the digital banking evolution continues to unfold, it is important to ensure that our leaders are well-equipped with the knowledge and skill sets to identify and act on opportunities and threats. By bringing talents with different expertise together, we are able to create even greater value to our customers.”

“In today’s complex and unpredictable business landscape, Top Companies for Leaders are passionate about cultivating resilient and engaging leaders who take the time to know and develop their talent and understand what experiences they need to rise above the rest,” said Pete Sanborn, Aon Hewitt Global Talent practice leader. 

Conducted six times since 2001, The Aon Hewitt Global Top Companies for Leaders study is a comprehensive analysis of talent management and leadership practices of organisations around the world. This year, nearly 180 companies from North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America participated in the study.

Q314 saw cyberattacks grow in volume and sophistication: Trend Micro

Source: Trend Micro website.

The third quarter saw a new critical vulnerability, Shellshock threaten more than half a billion servers and devices worldwide. This major development, as well as an uptick in volume and sophistication of cyberattacks, are detailed in Trend Micro's latest quarterly security roundup report, Vulnerabilities Under Attack: Shedding Light on the Growing Attack Surface. 

The report also reveals web platform and mobile app vulnerabilities that have broadened significantly, resulting in high-impact attacks on businesses and consumers alike.

“Our findings confirm that we are battling rapidly moving cybercriminals and evolving vulnerabilities simultaneously,” said Raimund Genes, CTO, Trend Micro. “With this fluidity, it’s time to embrace the fact that compromises will continue, and we shouldn’t be alarmed or surprised when they occur. Preparation is key and as an industry we must better educate organisations and consumers about heightened risks as attacks grow in volume and in sophistication. 

"Understanding that cybercriminals are finding vulnerabilities and potential loopholes in every device and platform possible will help us confront these challenges so technology can be used in a positive way.”

The report dissects vulnerabilities such as Shellshock, which affects popular operating systems, including Linux,UNIX and Mac OS X. The surprising discovery of the Shellshock vulnerability emerged after going unnoticed for more than 20 years, suggesting the likelihood of more long, undiscovered vulnerabilities lurking within with operating systems or applications.

Vulnerabilities in mobile platforms and apps are also proving to be a greater challenge. As in previous quarters, the report cites that significant and critical vulnerabilities were found in mobile platforms, such as Android. Exploit kits were highly utilised in Web platforms and provided cybercriminals with another resource to compromise victim’s systems.

In an effort to steal credit card information and money, the report also reveals that threat actors are targeting large retailers’ Point-of-Sale (PoS) systems to execute massive data breaches. This ongoing practice further indicates that PoS networks are highly accessible and vulnerable. Cyber thieves also utilised updated versions of older versions of popular malware and online banking malware to successfully target victims.

Click here for the complete report, and read the associated blog post here.