TrustYou lists the best hotels in SEA

TrustYou, the guest feedback platform, has published its research* on the best hotels in Southeast Asia. 

Leading the pack out of 11 properties in Singapore is Naumi Hotel Singapore, followed by Oasia Hotel Novena by Far East Hospitality, Hotel Jen Orchardgateway Singapore, The Ritz - Carlton Millenia Singapore and Conrad Centennial Singapore.

The March 2018 list of best-rated luxury hotels from TrustYou, covering Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines, lists The Westin Langkawi in Malaysia as the top hotel among the countries surveyed, followed in No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 place by Thai hotels: the JW Marriott Phuket, the Hansar Bangkok, and the Renaissance Phuket. The New World Manila, Philippines, is in No. 5 place, followed by sixth-ranked Grand Hyatt Jakarta. The Naumi Singapore, the InterContinental Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, the Sofitel Krabi Phokeethra Golf & Spa Resort in Thailand, and the Oasia Hotel Novena Singapore round out the top 10.

The three best-rated hotels in Vietnam are:

• Hotel de l'Opera Hanoi
• Paloma Cruise - this is a boat which offers overnight stays
• InterContinental Saigon

For Cambodia, they are:

• Anantara Angkor Resort
• Hotel Shinta Mani Siem Reap
• Heritage Suites Hotel

There is one entry for Laos, the Luang Say Residence. For the Philippines, Solaire Resort & Casino is ranked No. 2, and the Monaco Suites de Boracay is ranked 3rd. In Indonesia, the Mulia Villas in Bali is ranked No. 2, while the JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta is No. 3. In Malaysia, the JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur is in third place. 

These aggregated results are drawn from TrustYou’s keyword analysis of travel reviews associated with hotels, destinations and travel websites scattered across the vast and fragmented market. The company draws its data from over 230,000 travel reviews a month from various sources and transforms this content into actionable insights and visualisations for over half a million hotels.

*A hotel is defined as luxury hotel if it gets a certain amount of keywords such as "luxury" and "luxurious" in their reviews that TrustYou analyses. The company looks at reviews, popularity within the same city, and popularity globally.

Singapore in top five for 2016 WE Cities Index

· The Dell Women Entrepreneur Cities Index (WE Cities) is the only global gender-specific index that looks at a city’s ability to attract and foster growth of women-owned firms

· Singapore is one of the top five cities for high-potential women entrepreneurs

· Data and analysis says that when impediments to female entrepreneurship are removed, there is a dramatic uplift in a city’s economic prospects

· Dell’s index provides a diagnostic tool to advise leaders and policy-makers on how to improve conditions to enable businesses founded by women to thrive

· Dell has partnered with 1776 to launch Union, an international startup platform

Source: Dell infographic. The Dell Women Entrepreneur Cities Index breakdown.

Dell has revealed the top 25 global cities fostering high potential women entrepreneurs (HPWE) for 2016. The Women Entrepreneur Cities Index (WE Cities) is the only global gender-specific index that looks at a city’s ability to attract and foster growth in firms founded by women entrepreneurs. Cities, instead of countries, were identified in order to show the impact of local policies and programmes in addition to national laws and customs.

Findings from WE Cities will be used as a springboard for conversation and change at the seventh annual Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network Summit (DWEN) —a global gathering of 200 of the top female entrepreneurs, business leaders, media and Dell partners that is set to take place in South Africa, June 27 to 28, 2016.

“Innovation and job creation by women entrepreneurs is critical for a thriving global economy, yet our research shows some cities and countries are doing far more than others to encourage and support this important subset of the startup community,” said Karen Quintos, SVP and CMO at Dell. “Our index provides insights to move the conversation with policymakers and city leaders from awareness to action and, in turn, to empower women entrepreneurs to have the greatest economic impact on the world.”

Ranked 5th on the index, Singapore performs in the top third of the 25 cities ranked for talent, culture and technology. Sydney is also in the top 10.

“Singapore has established a robust ecosystem to support women entrepreneurs with a strong focus on cultivating home-grown entrepreneurship and promoting digitization across all verticals. As the only Asian city in the top 10 of the WE Cities Index and having emerged as the third most Future Ready Economy in a study conducted earlier this year, Singapore is well positioned on a global landscape for women-owned businesses to thrive and is an exceptional example to Asia of the great contribution women bring to the economic growth of a nation,” said Margaret Franco, VP, APJ CSES Marketing, Dell.

"Women entrepreneurs are our country's best bet for economic growth,” said Elizabeth Gore, Entrepreneur-in-residence for Dell. “It's time for women to be politically engaged to ensure the right ecosystems are in place for them to scale. If politicians and entrepreneurs partner, dynamic policies can be put in place to close the circle and enhance the process from idea to enterprise. WE Cities can be used as a diagnostic tool to help ensure lawmakers are listening to their needs.”

Top 25 WE Cities

Overall Ranking

1. NEW YORK

2. BAY AREA

3. LONDON

4. STOCKHOLM

5. SINGAPORE

6. TORONTO

7. WASHINGTON, DC

8. SYDNEY

9. PARIS

10. SEATTLE

11. MUNICH

12. AUSTIN

13. BEIJING

14. HONG KONG

15. TAIPEI

16. SHANGHAI

17. TOKYO

18. MEXICO CITY

19. SAO PAULO

20. SEOUL

21. MILAN

22. DELHI

23. JOHANNESBURG

24. JAKARTA

25. ISTANBUL

Dell partnered with IHS—a source of insight and analytics—to launch the global research that measures a city’s ability to attract and support high-potential women entrepreneurs. The 25 cities in the ranking were chosen from the list of 50 global cities in the Dell Future-Ready Economies (FRE) Model in order to make comparisons between the two indices, with geographic diversity utilised as key criteria in city selection.

Building on the past four years of Dell’s research on HPWE, five important categories of city characteristics were identified: capital, technology, talent, culture and markets. These pillars were organised into two groups – operating environment and enabling environment. The overall rating has 70 indicators, and, of these, 44 have a gender-based component. Individual indicators were weighted based on four criteria: relevance, quality of underlying data, uniqueness in the index and gender component.

Research for WE Cities began during the 2016 DWEN Future Ready Research Symposium chaired by Dr. David Ricketts from the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard. The research symposium brought together 40 global thought leaders, women entrepreneurs, academics and media to develop insights for the model. Takeaways from the conversations at the symposium included:

· Access to capital is still the No. 1 challenge that women entrepreneurs face, although the numbers are showing a slight improvement

· Creating robust ecosystems with incubators, accelerators and mentors makes a world of difference for entrepreneurs—it is all about the network

· Cultural norms and their policy implications put serious binds on female entrepreneurs

To help entrepreneurs in cities and economies that may not provide adequate resources for scaling businesses, Dell has partnered with 1776 to launch an international startup platform, Union, aimed at enabling the next billion entrepreneurs by supporting, connecting and removing barriers for entrepreneurs regardless of their location.

Accessible through the Startup Federation—a worldwide network of startup campuses and mega-hubs—or virtually for entrepreneurs in remote areas, Union will provide entrepreneurs anywhere in the world the ability to reach the people, resources and education they need to take their ideas from seed to scale. Designed by 1776’s team of engineers and aided by insights from incubators, accelerators, experts and hubs around the world, the platform enables entrepreneurs to:

· Find content and courses in business-building

· Tap elite mentors in their industries for advice

· Consult experts in skills like marketing, sales, engineering and human resources

· Connect with potential investors, customers and business partners

“Dell’s WE Cities research proves that millions of entrepreneurs are hampered by conditions in their local economies and policies,” said Donna Harris, co-founder and co-CEO of 1776. “Entrepreneurs should be free to live wherever they want and have access to the same incredible resources. Our Union platform brings that idea to reality.”

Interested?

Read the takeaways from the symposium (PDF)

View a detailed summary of the research findings and recommendations (PDF)

Hashtags: #WECities, #DWEN

posted from Bloggeroid

The top 10 companies Singaporeans want to work for

Source: JobStreet.com. From left: representatives from Changi Airport Group, ExxonMobil, and Procter & Gamble; Chook Yuh Yng,(Jobstreet’s Country Manager; Jake Andrews, Chief Product Officer of SEEKAsia, Madam Ho Geok Choo, CEO of Human Capital Singapore; representatives from Google, Keppel Corporation, Shell, and Singapore Airlines.

JobStreet.com, a major online employment marketplace, has announced the top 10 companies Singaporeans aspire to work for. Google, Apple and Singapore Airlines emerged tops in a survey* where the objective was to find out which companies Singaporeans dream of working for and the reasons behind it. The findings also serve to help other companies learn best practices on what attracts candidates to work with these top companies.

Google's Singapore office houses a cafeteria called the 'Goopitiam' (a pun on the local term 'kopitiam' or 咖啡店, literally ‘coffee shop’ in a Chinese dialect), and its extensive menu changes every day. The office space is designed to spur interactions between employees and even facilitate rest and playtime. Free meals, casual dress codes and extensive healthcare benefits are just some of the perks employees get to enjoy.

Next is Apple. New hires praise the extensive training they receive from management while long-time employees feel their careers constantly advance with the company.

National carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) is third on the list. The world’s most awarded airline, SIA is synonymous with outstanding service excellence. “Employees are nominated to attend various courses to improve themselves,” says a former security supervisor of 12 years.

Others in the list are, in ascending order from no. 4, Facebook; Shell; ExxonMobil; Microsoft; the Changi Airport Group; Procter & Gamble; and Keppel Corporation.

What makes companies attractive

According to JobStreet.com’s survey, which involved Singapore respondents across different sectors such as administration, accounting, engineering and media communications, salary is no longer the most important factor that employees consider when deciding to take up a job offer - it is now rated third, ranked important by 70% of respondents.

Seven in 10 (72.1%) of the interviewees voted work environment and culture, management and leadership as the key factor when reviewing a potential company. In senior management, they are looking for more than a boss — they want a leader, one who can push them beyond their limits and help them make personal breakthroughs. The work culture also has to be aligned with their personal goals and wants.

Benefits and incentives are rated the no. 2 in decision-making (rated as important by 71% of respondents), including performance-based bonuses, healthcare insurance as well as car and housing loans. According to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit, Singapore is the world’s most expensive city to live in. Hence, it stands to reason that Singaporeans value these incentives as they pursue a high standard of living.

Other factors include company reputation (69%); support and training (64%); promotion prospects (54%) as well as passion; flexible work hours; growing industry; work-life balance; and known standard work quality.

Championing human capital excellence

In producing this survey, JobStreet.com is aligning itself with the Ministry of Manpower’s vision to “develop a productive workforce and progressive workplaces for Singaporeans to have better jobs and secure retirement”. The company suggests that businesses can model themselves after Singapore’s top employers, learning from the best practices that make them so successful. Human resources (HR) professionals, in particular, can discover innovative, staff-centric HR strategies that boost morale and elevate workplace productivity. All these efforts will allow a company to achieve higher staff retention and groom happier, more fulfilled employees.

Helping job-seekers get insights into Singapore’s workplace reality

JobStreet.com also introduced the Company Reviews feature to facilitate the matching and communication of job opportunities between job-seekers and employees. Company Reviews allows current and former employees to comment on their workplaces, helping candidates make more informed career choices.

“Company Reviews addresses the top questions that today’s jobseekers are asking. ‘What is the management like?’ ‘What sort of leadership styles do the bosses adopt?’ For job-seekers, the focus has shifted from ‘what do they do’ to ‘how they do it’. Company Reviews is a repository of such employees’ reviews, which will help other job-seekers better understand the workplace culture,” says Jake Andrew, SEEK Asia Chief Product Officer. The SEEK Group owns employment, education and volunteer businesses, including JobStreet.com.

JobStreet.com envisions that employers will receive applications from more engaged candidates who have decided the organisations are a good fit for them. Employers can also respond to the reviews, providing context as well as communicating their value propositions.

Reviews, received after Company Reviews was soft-launched, include:

“...Work culture that is pro self-management; company promotes internally instead of sourcing leaders from outside the company; great advancement opportunities…”
Assistant manager with four years of service and counting
Procter & Gamble

“…Good in work/life balance, excellent work environment, good management team…”
Former Marine Lubes Coordinator with four years of service
Shell 

“...What drives me to stay put in this organisation for all these years is the benefits/perks that they offer to us as employees...”
Senior Refinery Technician with over 12 yrs of service and counting
ExxonMobil

“...Environment supporting dynamic teamwork. Leader with bold and great vision, lots of opportunities within...”
Former safety officer with four years of service
Keppel Corporation

JobStreet.com covers the employment markets in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, servicing over 230,000 corporate hirers and over 15 million job-seekers in its database.

Interested?

Check out existing company reviews

*JobStreet.com ran an online survey from on January 2016, and received 1,265 responses from Singapore-based candidates, 30% of whom were junior staff with up to four years of experience, and another 30% were supervisor-level or people with over four years of experience. A further 23% were managers, and 13% were fresh graduates. The remainder were more senior. Survey results were validated against reviews of the companies.

The Minute List is all about dining where chefs and baristas do

Hurrah! Productions, a TV and digital content agency in Asia, has launched The Minute List, Singapore’s first video-driven bar and restaurant guide.

The online platform shares one-minute videos of the city’s most popular restaurants, bars and cafes, and enables consumers to make reservations at the establishments. The places featured are nominated by people in the trade, including chefs, bartenders and baristas. Nominated venues receive a video interview with the head chef, bartender or barista, allowing a quick glimpse into the ambience and offerings of the outlet, as well as an insight into the inspiration and menus. Content on each venue will also include a catalogue of photos and social media support. 

Led by James Rotheram, CEO and founder of Hurrah! Productions - the agency that has produced commercials for clients including the BBC, Volvo and Singapore Airlines - the Minute list will first launch with a website, followed by a Minute List Application, which will include live geographic capabilities to find the the best venues nearby.

“Our objective with the Minute List is to complement existing dining guides by providing engaging video content, based on recommendations by the people in the industry. After all who better to sell a restaurant experience than its chef?” noted Rotheram.

Future expansion plans will include teaming up with partners to extend the offering beyond a booking system as well as opportunities for commercial sponsors and advertisers.

Interested?

At the time of writing there were 28 videos available.

View the video for 28 Hong Kong Street

View the video for Artichoke

Singapore, Philippines in Lonely Planet's top ten destinations for 2015

Lonely Planet's top ten countries to visit for 2015 includes two from Asia. The company recently released it's 'Best in Travel' list for next year.

Source: Lonely Planet e-newsletter.

Singapore is in no. 1 place because of her Golden Jubilee next year. Lonely Planet recommends visiting Marina Bay, a new entertainment precinct, and to consider "the new crop of swanky hotels" and new attractions like the National Art Gallery and the Singapore Sports Hub.

The Philippines is in 8th place, and Lonely Planet notes that the government has organised a number of events for 2015 to raise awareness about the 7,100+ islands in the country. "If there’s one thing Filipinos know how to do, it’s party – expect street parades, food festivals, sports tournaments and live music. Now that Philippine Airlines has gained approval for direct flights to Europe, America and Australia, why wait?" asks Lonely Planet.

View the full list here.

Top 25 Multinational Workplaces are all well-known brands

Great Place to Work, a US-headquartered research, consulting and training firm that helps organisations identify, create and sustain great workplaces through the development of high-trust workplace cultures, has unveiled its fourth annual 25 World's Best Multinational Workplaces* list. The list is the culmination of the world's largest annual study of workplace excellence, and recognises companies for their work culture.

To qualify for the global list, a company has to meet three criteria: being one of the top employers in at least five countries; having at least 5,000 employees; and counting at least 40% of its workforce outside the company's home country.

Google is the leader, and is listed in the National Best Workplaces lists for various countries including India and Japan.

At no. 2 for the second year in a row is SAS Institute, which is mentioned for in the National Best Workplaces lists for Australia and Korea. SAS has been on the list all four years, the company said, underscoring the company's continued focus on creating a global work environment that inspires and energises employees.

"Our employees are creating life-altering software solutions that have a global impact, and our culture motivates them to be more creative and productive. Because we eliminate unnecessary distractions and help relieve everyday stresses, our employees are happier, healthier and proud of the difference their work makes," said SAS CEO Jim Goodnight.

Ranked no. 3 and in the list for the fourth consecutive year is NetApp, recognised for being a great workplace in Australia, China, India and Japan. Tom Georgens, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, NetApp said: “NetApp has built a company where innovation and teamwork thrive. Our employees are passionate people who work as a team to make the biggest difference for our constituents—each other, our customers, communities, and shareholders. Not only are these hallmarks of a great place to work, but they are critical to our overall success. It’s an honour for our company to be recognised once again as a top workplace in the world.”

Added China Gorman, Great Place to Work CEO: “This recognition is a testament to NetApp’s transparency with employees and continued dedication to fostering trust and camaraderie. Their inclusion on this list demonstrates the company's passion to continually improve the lives of their employees and consistently adapt in a fast-moving industry.”

Source: WL Gore & Associates. Known 

for its non-hierarchical, team-based culture, 

WL Gore & Associates earned the No. 4

spot on the 2014 list of the World's Best 

Multinational Workplaces

In 4th place is textile firm WL Gore & Associates, well-known for its Gore-Tex waterproof fabric, and whose workplaces in China and Korea have received acclaim. "At Gore, we take great pride in our culture and recognise the very important role it plays in driving business success," said CEO Terri Kelly. "By fostering an environment where people feel motivated, engaged and passionate about the work they do, we are better able to tap into our potential and create innovative products that truly make a difference in the world."

No. 6 is Microsoft, listed in India, Japan, and the UAE.

Marriott is at no. 7, receiving mentions for Australia, India, and the UAE.

The China and India offices for Monsanto contribute to its 8th placing, up from no. 12 in 2013. Monsanto is the only agriculture company to be recognised again in 2014, the company noted. "This award recognises the collaborative efforts of all our employees around the world and their dedication to working in partnership with others to deliver innovative agricultural solutions,” said Steve Mizell, Monsanto Executive VP of human resources.

Cisco ranks no. 9 and is voted in for workplaces that include India and Saudi Arabia.

American Express rounds out the top 10, and is listed in India and Japan.

Other companies which are in the top 25 include Autodesk (no. 13), listed for its China offices; National Instruments (NI, no. 15), listed for China, Japan and Korea; Fedex (no. 16), listed for India and the UAE; EMC (no. 18), for China, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE; and Daimler Financial Services (no. 19) in China, Japan, Korea and Turkey.

“NI employees share a vision for changing the world through our customers, scientists and engineers who are building systems that solve the world’s grand challenges,” said Dr James Truchard, CEO, President, and Co-founder of NI. “By focusing on innovation to drive a common purpose of making scientists and engineers more productive, NI employees enjoy rewarding careers with the opportunity to see how their work is helping to make a difference for many important society needs. NI has been able to create long-term exciting, purposeful careers around the globe in over fifty countries.”

"Becoming a great place to work is a mindset," says Klaus Entenmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Financial Services. "Our corporate culture is based on a clear set of core values. Every employee has both the opportunity and responsibility to make our company a great place to work. And they do. Our highly motivated employees and our strong culture are reasons why we're able to deliver outstanding service and strong results year-over-year."

Other companies in the top 25 which are mentioned for Asia Pacific and Middle East offices include Hyatt, Mars, Accor, eBay and Coca-Cola.

“This incredible recognition reflects how our people-focused culture, and the care we show to everyone in the Hyatt family, extends to our colleagues around the world,” said Robb Webb, Chief HR Officer, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, of Hyatt's inaugural appearance in the list. “We encourage our colleagues to be innovative in every aspect of their work, and our culture is one where it is second nature for colleagues to treat one another with the same level of care and attention shown to our guests. This helps our colleagues’ personalities shine through and ultimately offers Hyatt guests a better experience.”

Mars noted that its internal training and development programmes as well as high percentage of women in management positions had been highlighted. The company said it has gradually increased the proportion of women in management roles each year, currently achieving 40% globally.

Gorman said in a blog post that the three Trust Index survey areas that have risen the most among the 25 World’s Best Multinational Workplaces since 2011 are fair promotions, transparency, and a work-life balance. "The world’s best workplaces are embracing the global wellbeing movement that has people in many countries seeking to reduce harmful stress levels. And top workplaces are showing themselves comfortable with the heightened transparency and information sharing that are hallmarks of the social technology and self-disclosure trends of the past decade or so," she said.

Enabling employees to give back to the community is also important, she added.

In conjunction with the new list, Great Place to Work is offering a free report titled The Dawn of the Great Workplace Era. Read the report here. View the associated video here, and view the lists of the best workplaces in Australia, China, India, Sri Lanka, Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE here.

*To be considered, a company must apply to – and be accepted on – a national Best Workplaces list. To be on a list, we assess the results of two studies: the Trust Index and the Culture Audit Management Questionnaire. Two-thirds of a company's workplace culture assessment is based on the employee survey; one-third is based on the company's policies and practices, as measured in the Culture Audit. More than 2,800 multinational corporations participated globally in the surveys. Of these, 429 appeared on one of Great Place to Work's national Best Workplaces lists. From that pool of companies, the 25 World's Best Multinational Workplaces have been selected.

Beware, Superman is toxic

Superman is a huge online threat. That's what McAfee says in a blog post. The ubiquity of superheroes outside of the comic books means that hackers and scammers can use them for cybercrime, the company said.

The company has released survey results for the Most Toxic Superheroes using McAfee SiteAdvisor site ratings, and the Man of Steel topped the list. The study determined that searching 'Superman', 'Superman and free torrent download', 'Superman and watch', 'Superman and free app', and 'Superman and online', yields a 16.5% chance of landing on a website that has tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.

Other superheroes also yield high chances of falling victim to malware, including Thor, WonderWoman, Azuaman, and Wolverine. 

McAfee recommends the following to stay safe: 

Be suspicious: If a search turns up a link to free content or too-good-to-be-true offers, be wary

Double-check the web address: Look for misspellings or other clues that the site you are going to may not be safe (for more on this, read the McAfee blog on typosquatting)

Search safely: Use a web safety advisor, such as McAfee SiteAdvisor that displays a red, yellow, or green ratings in search results, alerting you to potential risky sites before you click on them

Protect yourself: Use comprehensive security software on all your devices, like McAfee LiveSafe service, to protect yourself against the latest threats