Effects of Regionalisation

Effects of Regionalisation 1. Introduction Acknowledging the fact that future growth will depend on overcoming resource scarcity and a small domestic market, the Singapore government has been strongly encouraging local firms to regionalise their operations and invest abroad. This report discusses some of the social and economic downsides brought about by the regionalisation strategy. 2. Regionalisation Intent Of The Government Singapores scarceness in resources i.e. land labour as well as its undersized domestic market are the major drives for regionalisation. The rationales to propel Singapores economy beyond her shores are as follow. Boundless Boundaries Markets and workplaces are no longer limited by boundaries and distance. Capital is free to move to where it can generate the best returns. While our neighbouring countries gear up and build up, our competitiveness is eroded due to our high operational cost and unattractive domestic market. Many jobs are lost for good as business activities shift to these countries where operational costs are much lower e.g. for labour intensive industries. Also, the small consumer market here hinders the potential of local retailing industries unfavourably. On the other hand, the region offers far better returns for all. Economic Growth The United States and Europe have all along been our traditional markets. In view of this dependency, the slowdown of economic growth rates in these matured economies invariably puts a brake on Singapores economy. Consequently, we have to look towards the up and coming Asia-Pacific region where growth rates are in double digits, no doubt due to its low base. But it offers vast opportunities for Singapores produce to be a part of them and to grow with them. Mutual Benefits Regionalisation looks beyond the borders to tap and leverage on one anothers strengths. This constitutes a win-win situation. Wider exposure cultural diversity of people Expanded networks and contacts with international businesses, clients talents Larger job market where career is not confined to local employment opportunities Healthier relations with affiliated countries through mutual beneficial trade 3. The Family Pays For Regionalisation It is believed that while regionalisation brings us good, it will and is going to upset the family ties of Singaporeans in one way or another. The Children One major hurdle that deters Singaporeans who are married with children from taking up jobs overseas is their concern about their childrens education. Parents expressed concerns over the childs resistance and adaptability to foreign curriculum system, possibility of racial discrimination in foreign schools, denial of foreign education credentials in future and loss of emotional ties with Singapore. Nonetheless, measures are taken to resolve these concerns: Singapore International Schools: Simulating home-style schooling environment abroad with parallel curriculum including Mother Tongue Leave of Absence Scheme: Entitling previous students to rejoin their former schools upon returning home Flexibility in Admission Criteria: Recognising foreign examination scores and conducting in-house examinations and interviews for admittance decisions CAMP SINGAPORE: Assembling overseas Singaporeans children back home to live through Singapores all-embracing way of life in a good fun educating manner Abolishment of Monetary Bond Requirement: Encouraging males (> 11 years old) to follow their parents abroad to foster family cohesion promote regionalisation The Wife The regionalisation policy seems to have become one that helps men more than it does women. Findings of a study have shown that the careers of many women ended on the backburner because of the countrys regionalisation drive. Women get locked into the stereotypes of being only mothers and housewives. 100 out of 150 Man brings his wife children with him overseas 146 out of 150 Wife gives up a good career becomes a housewife 149 out of 150 Unable to secure a professional job she once held 001 out of 150 Only one man accompanies his wife overseas The Marriage Findings of the study have revealed that 148 out of 150 spouses felt neglected when the other heads overseas to work. More than 75% of them fear the problem of extramarital affair. Furthermore, research has shown that a disillusioned family returns in spite of all preparatory measures taken by the family e.g. pledging to call/visit one another often, to stay faithful etc. E.g. A top manager resigned, choosing his marriage over his career and another who did the exact opposite and as a result suffered a broken marriage. 4. The Country Pays For Regionalisation To begin with, let us understand that regionalisation implies the occurrence of a two-way flow of expertise between a sending country and a receiving country. When the inflow is greater than the outflow, we say there is â€Å"Brain Gain†. Conversely, when the outflow is greater than the inflow, we say there is â€Å"Brain Drain†. Some Reasons For The â€Å"Brain Drain† Phenomena Economical reasons e.g. better job development prospects, lower cost of living, higher disposable income Political Legal reasons e.g. less restrictive dominative grounds Social reasons e.g. stress-free work, education personal lifestyle, creative self-interest development space Physical Natural reasons e.g. ample cheap resources (land, labour, raw materials etc.), seasonal climate, picturesque landscapes The Undesirable Repercussion The phenomenon has weakened the countrys choice and pool of talents harshly. Given our diminutive population, we have no surplus of talents. This will in turn upset our competitiveness, economic potential as well as unbalance our mix of population e.g. Singaporeans versus PRs, aging population etc. In a way, we have flattened our own pyramid of talents with our own hands by encouraging the dispersal of Singaporeans. Many of our best now contribute to others economies permanently instead of returning to Singapore. They are only thinking, worrying and creating wealth for foreign lands. This is the facet of regionalisation that we need to reflect on and address (Goh Chok Tong, 1997). â€Å"Go Regional, Stay Local† Approach It is crucial that overseas Singaporeans are tied to Singapore strongly by helping them to stay in touch with us. The setting up of Singapore International Foundation, Singapore International Schools, Singaporeans Overseas Programmes, over 85 Singapore Clubs and the regular monthly SINGAPORE magazine are efforts paid out to preserve the Singaporean identity and the sense of national belonging of overseas Singaporeans (Lee Hsien Loong, 2003). Other efforts include giving overseas Singaporeans voting rights e.g. the recent GE 2006 in Shanghai, home-stand assistance in times of emergency e.g. evacuation from Cambodia Indonesia during those troubled times and welcoming them back by helping spouses to find jobs children to schools in the re-entry stage. 5. Foreign Talents Policy The policy aims to attract two groups of foreigners. It also covers transient low-skilled workers who will have to leave after a period of time. The first group refers to the crà ¨me de la crà ¨me of talent. Sought by countries all over the world, they include neurosurgeons, top-notch scientists, professors, sportsmen etc. Examples include table tennis player: Li Jia Wei from China, CEO of DBS Bank: John Olds from America etc. The other group refers to qualified young people who meet several objectives e.g. lab technicians, nurses, IT personnel, multi-skilled or experienced persons etc. Population Distress Statistics show that more than a quarter of the people in Singapore are foreigners (PRs and non-residents). In 1990, our population numbered 3.05 million. It has since jumped to 4.02 million with the gap mainly attributed to the increase of foreigners. As such, Singaporeans now make up approximately only 74% of the population size compared to 86.1% ten years ago. Importing Foreign Talents The rationale behind this is fairly apparent. Foreign talents are needed to boost the economy, create jobs and strengthen the countrys competitiveness (Goh Chok Tong, 2003). Singapores small population cannot produce enough talent; whats more when the â€Å"Brain Drain† phenomenon is mounting (Lee Kuan Yew, 2003). Foreigners are needed. America has been a top-notch marketplace for ideas owing to its readiness to welcome foreigners into all industries. The Singapore government wishes to emulate this example as well. Reasons for importing foreign talents include: Fill in jobs which Singaporeans lack the expertise in or that we do not want to do Promote healthy competition among foreigners and locals, motivating locals to work harder upgrade their skills to compete on fair grounds Encourage fruitful diversity in creative thinking and value-adding innovation For instance, out of the 32 Chairmen of Statutory Boards, 12 were born outside Singapore and in the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, 51 out of the 87 musicians were foreign born. Many ministers were also born overseas: Goh Keng Swee (Malacca), Rajaratnam (Ceylon), Toh Chin Chye (Taiping), Hon Sui Sen who joined later was from Penang. Without this inflow, Singapore could never have made it, let alone become what it is today. Nonetheless, many Singaporeans have raised questions over the following issues: Managerial positions and those of good pay benefits are taken up by expatriates Fear of â€Å"second-class citizen† treatment Nepotism over fellow foreigners, unfair gap in disposable income (foreign exchange difference) etc. 6. Regionalisation In Mandarin Our government has identified China, in addition to India and ASEAN nations, as the direction to our regionalisation strategy. In 20 years time, China will be the second most powerful nation in the world after the U.S. probably the worlds largest economy. Many non-Chinese will see the advantage of learning the Chinese language to do business in China. Therefore we must find ways to sustain a high level of proficiency in Mandarin in the Singapore. We have to reproduce a core group of Singaporeans who are steeped in and knowledgeable about the Chinese cultural heritage, history, literature, and the arts (Goh Chok Tong, 1991). More students are taking up the Higher Chinese subject More scholarships are offered to people learning and educating Chinese Language and Literature More bilingual local Chinese are able to speak Mandarin More promotional and educational support e.g. â€Å"Say It If You Dare† TV variety show, local pop idol Lin Jun Jie endorsing the Speak Chinese Campaign etc. are carried out actively 7. Conclusion We agree that regionalisation is today no longer a choice but very much a necessity. But as we encourage the dispersal of Singaporeans, there is a possibility that we are disposing them for good as our pyramid of talents gets flattened, family gets disillusioned and foreign talents gets within. If Singaporeans are not deeply rooted to Singapore through strong bonds of family, friends, community and nation, the core of our nation will be shattered. In a nutshell, regionalisation has a world of opportunities yields to offer to all of us as long as we fulfill our individual and collective rightful obligations with utmost virtuousness.

Management and Leadership Team Presentation Essay

Does a manager have to have quality leadership skills to motivate, establish trust, empower and communicate with employees to run a business properly? Different areas of leaderships include organizational leadership, organizational culture, managerial control and leveraging diversity. Planning is the most important basic leadership skill a manager can have. A business that wants to grow must have an effective plan with the correct leadership skills to motivate and lead employees in the right direction. A manager must be effective and consistent when they are leading a group of diverse employees. Although there are many differences in managing and leading, they are not necessarily two separate concepts. â€Å"People look to their managers, not just to assign them a task, but to define for them a purpose. And managers must organize workers, not just to maximize efficiency, but to nurture skills, develop talent and inspire results.† (Murray, 2010, para. 5). A manager’s job is to ensure that tasks are completed in a correct and timely fashion. A leader’s job is to inspire their followers to achieve a common goal that both the leader and his/her followers share. It is important, however, that a manager develop good leadership skills in order to benefit an organization as a whole. Leadership in management will help employees feel confident in the work that they do, and proud to be a part of the organization they are working for. It will establish trust in the manager, and a passion to want to conclude tasks competently. A manager with quality leadership skills will also motivate employees to follow the standards and guidelines set forth by the organization, creating a better organizational culture, and an efficient workforce. The manager along with leadership is the structure. â€Å"Excellent technical skills do not automatically transfer to excellent interpersonal skills.† (Resnick, 2005). Developing leadership skills in managers require a  different set of skills than the ones they likely already possess. Often, managers are more competitive than collaborative. An effective leader must demonstrate authority matched with collaboration. When identifying leadership potential, it is best to train multiple individuals in the skills that need development. This creates more flexibility. Substantial gateway for the top of an organization’s structure is to merge with the lower part of managers that apply quality leadership principles to them, have a better effect on how they want the culture of their company to become. Leading by example and effective communication are key tools that are needed to be an effective leader. Once a manager sets the pace for the culture he or she wants, then, they have to get others on board with their plans for the direction they want to go. A manager has the ability to hire the individuals that fit into the company culture. Being a manager does not always mean that they earned their position based on their leadership skills. However, a good manager has the ability to be more of a people person and actually listens to what their employees have to say while implementing the ideas of their employees, creating a culture for their organization. A culture change does not happen overnight and can be a lengthy process if not handled correctly. Culture change does come from within and requires the constant effort of everyone involved while having the same goals. The goals need to be clearly defined and acceptable by all who are involved with the manager leading from the front to be able to guide the change in the right direction. Creating cultural change and taking the time to groom their subordinates to become better leaders in the process is a great practice to start from the beginning. A good manager knows how to utilize control mechanisms that are necessary for a business to run properly. This allows for the goals of the business to be met and determine if the employees are on the right path to reach the goals the company has set for them. The three main managerial controls are bureaucratic, clan and market. Bureaucratic control is a type of authoritative control by creating regulations, standards, and a basic behavior for employees to follow. Companies can utilize Bureaucratic control in a way which could help save the company time when planning  strategies to reach their goals. Managers would plan the goals and how to reach them and then relay the strategy to their employees allowing for fewer people to be involved and lessen the time making the plans. Clan control is the opposite of the Bureaucratic control because it does not have a set of rules or guidelines for employees to follow. Rather than tell employees how to do their job, the company trusts the employees will do what they are supposed to do and will do it well. By utilizing clan control, employers may be able to gain additional goals or ideas on how to reach the goals that have been set because they have the input of their employees as well during the planning process. Market control is more along the lines of Bureaucratic control because there are regulations or standards placed upon the work the employees do. Analyzing the economic information received for the company does this. By using market control, managers would analyze data received to create strategies on goals the company has set. A diversified workforce is one of the most successful strategies in gaining and retaining a competitive advantage. Since the labor force has become diverse, recruitment of the differencing population also assists in attracting a wider consumer base, which in turn the company becomes more successful. Organizations must understand that diversity begins with valuing differences and believing that a difference does not mean better or worse -just different (Johnston, 2013). And differences can range from seen differences like race, color, gender, age, and physical ability to the unseen difference such as education, social status, religious beliefs, and work experience. Recruitment of a diverse labor force definitely takes a ‘welcoming’ approach. Establishing a universal work environment from consequences for behavior, to photos in a hallway that depict the organizations acceptance and inclusion of diversity; shows employees that even though they come from different backgrounds they’re part of a single team that is committed to goals of the company. Managers who are affective in managing diversity will have a work force that is more creative, innovative, and better able to solve problems. This is due to the fact that, since people come from different backgrounds they also hold different perspectives on issues. When organizations realize that differences should not just be merely tolerated but valued; then employees become more loyal, productive, and committed. More and more organizations are leveraging diversity; a study by the Work  Diversity Network, a national network of professionals and major companies working for diversity in the workplace, stated that women and ethnic minorities represented 70% of new entrants in 2004. In addition, 43% of the workforce was non-Caucasian in 2008 (Clark, 2013). A diversified organization relates to everyone, applies to most situations, and impacts the continued and future success of a business. In conclusion, businesses take action on the management team, so that their business’ can run smoothly. The four types of leaderships include organizational leadership, organizational culture, managerial control and leveraging diversity. Managers must be able to coordinate workers, and encourage workers to mature into the absolute best employees and present an outcome of a successful team. The businesses take control to put strategies into place; therefore business will have a flowing, well-trained management team. This will help command, control, and manage the behavior of team members and the management team. References Barnat, R. (2005). Strategic-Control. Retrieved from http://www.strategic-control.24xls.com/en112 Clark, D. (2013). Examiner.com. Retrieved from http://www.examiner.com/article/leading-a-diverse-workforce Encyclopeda of Business. (2013). management Control. Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Log-Mar/Management-Control.html Johnston, K. (2013). Leading a Divers Workforce. The Chron , (), . Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/leading-diverse-workforce-34292.html Kotter, John. (2012). The key to changing organizational culture. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkotter/2012/09/27/the-key-to-changing-organizational-culture/ Murray, A. (August 10, 2010). What is the difference between management and leadership? Retrieved from http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/what-is-the-difference-between-management-and-leadership/ Resnick, H. (February 28, 2005). Cultivate leaders from your existing talent crop. The Jacksonvil le Business Journal. Retrieved from: http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2005/02/28/smallb2.html What is the difference between management and leadership? (n.d.) The Wallstreet Journal Online. Accessed on Aug. 22, 2013. Retreived from: http://guides.wsj.com/management/developing-a-leadership-style/what-is-the-difference-between-management-and-leadership/

2.3.Fusion Of Traditional And Innovative Technologies.

2.3. Fusion of traditional and innovative technologies In order for innovation to take place, there is a need to examine how traditional approaches can be synthesized with new technologies, in order to attain the most efficient way possible of performing tasks. The overlapping can be minimal, in that only a small percentage of the new technologies are taken on board, to aid or make employing the traditional process more efficient; or it can be total, in that the whole approach to the process or system is overhauled to make way for the new technologies. The Merriam-Webster Online dictionary (2007) defined innovation as the introduction of something new or a new idea, method or device. [45] Innovation in construction, therefore, happens†¦show more content†¦Investigating areas where technology fusion is most likely to happen in construction can assist in identifying the areas where mechanization and automation in all probability will be most relevant. These technology areas may include phases of construction, such as adopting a gr eater percentage of innovative technologies during the design phase, as compared to the construction phase; or it can be in terms of the construction process itself. Some construction processes such as the installation of building components are easier to automate as opposed to, say, substructure or building foundation works. In this case, the drive to innovate is facilitated by the relatively straightforward technological process that is already in place within this area. [8] 2.4. Importance of using mechanization in construction works The importance of the use of mechanization and automation in construction works appears to be increasing on a daily basis. 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