Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Mira - Intermediary For Micro-Philanthropy, Lien Centre For Social Innovation

Social Space

Lack of access, or financial means, continue to be the most significant reason for why up to 18 million children in Southeast Asia are not enrolled in schools. Mira’s goal is to make education universally accessible by creating a personalised scholarship fund online that is self-managed and data-driven, enabling a collaborative sponsorship model that links funders to a particular student, with real-time updates from both parties.

Asia's First University Of The Millenium Celebrates 10 Years Of Education, Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases

No abstract provided.

Friendship's 3-Tier Healthcare System: An Innovative Approach To Delivering Healthcare To Geographically And Socially Remote Areas, Runa Khan

Social Space

The hardest communities to reach and treat often live in the most remote, harsh landscapes. On the nomadic islands of the Brahmaputra in Bangladesh, poor migratory communities are so cut off from urban centres that medical treatment is virtually unheard of. Runa Khan, Executive Director of Bangladeshi NGO Friendship, shares the difficult and inspired journey to build a mobile healthcare system using hospital ships, mobile clinics and community medics.

Research Guides At Smu Li Ka Shing Library: Built With Libguides, Pin Pin Yeo

Research Collection Library

The Li Ka Shing Library at the Singapore Management University (SMU) used a new platform, LibGuides to create their research guides. The research guides are traditionally subject pathfinders, but at the LKS Library, the guides are also used as a teaching tool and to support a course. The implementation process for LibGuides and the usage of the guides was explored. Statistics on usage of the guides on the LibGuides platform were provided. The course specific guides at the Library contribute 59% of the usage from the top 20 guides.

The Library Of The Icc, Elizabeth Barbara Naumczyk

Research Collection Library

No abstract provided.

Singapore Management University Report To Stakeholders 2010 - 2011, Singapore Management University

Report to Stakeholders

The past year has been one of transition for SMU. We celebrated the University’s first ten successful years and looked forward to our second. I bade farewell to Professor Howard Hunter our previous president and to Dr Richard Hu our previous chancellor, as I welcomed Professor Arnoud De Meyer and Mr Yong Pung How into these offices. More recently, we held our last Patron’s Day with Singapore’s former President S.R. Nathan as Patron, and I look forward to greeting President Tony Tan as our new Patron. It has also been a year in which we left behind the role of …

Transitions Within The Ecosystem Of Change, Willie Cheng

Social Space

The ecosystem paradigm provides a framework to understand and influence the forces of change facing the nonprofit sector. In this extract from the forthcoming book, “The World That Changes The World: How philanthropy, entrepreneurship and innovation are transforming the social ecosystem,” Willie Cheng describes the social ecosystem framework, its change enablers and macro-trends.

Business Solutions To Global Challenges, Richard Welford

Social Space

Despite the prevalence of CSR initiatives in companies, there is a need to leverage on current practices to make them more effective and meaningful. Richard Welford looks at the advantages to such an approach.

"Eco-Cities" And "Sustainable Cities" - Whither?, Kheng Lian Koh, Asanga Gunawansa, Lovleen Bhullar

Social Space

The concept of sustainable cities was first discussed by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2003, with the idea of eco-cities entering the picture in 2007. Are the two mutually exclusive, or do they overlap? The authors consider the implications of cities as engines of growth and examine case studies that reveal what lies ahead for sustainable cities and eco-cities.

Agency And Partnership Law [2009], Pearlie Koh, Stephen Bull

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The laws relating to the creation of an agency, implied authority, holding out and apparent authority, duties of the agent in relation to Agency law are discussed. The laws relating to partnership law and issues such as relationship of partners to third parties, relationships of partners between themselves and capacity to be a partner are highlighted.

A Necessity For Sex Difference Researchers: A Review Of David C. Geary, Male, Female: The Evolution Of Human Differences (2nd Ed.). American Psychological Association: Washington, D.C., 2009, Isbn 9781433806827, Norman P. Li, Oliver Sng

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Male, Female: The Evolution of Human Differences (2nd ed.), written by University of Missouri Curators' Professor and Thomas Jefferson Professor David C. Geary, is the long-awaited update to a classic treatise on sex differences originally published in 1998. The new edition has been largely expanded (by 171 pages) and summarizes much of the research relating to sex differences that has surfaced in the last 12 years. The book begins with a review of the broad processes of natural and sexual selection (Chapters 1–4) and then covers sexual selection in primates before moving on to humans (Chapter 5). The book then …

Microfinance For Migrant Workers: Asia's Next New Market Opportunity?, Patsian Low

Social Space

Employment in developed countries is often the main source of income for many people at the bottom of the pyramid in developing countries and has led to the growth of an industry based on remittances. Patsian Low studies the ramifications this has for developing microfinance in host countries and the potential for cross-border collaboration in Singapore and Asia.

Social Innovation & The City: What Is The Connection Between Social Innovation And Urban Innovation ... And Why Does It Matter?, Martin Stewart-Weeks

Social Space

How we build and live in cities will come to shape the discourse on sustainability and ecologically-sound thinking for the future. Martin Stewart-Weeks examines why urban innovation holds the key to this debate.

Habitat For Humanity - Interlocking Bricks, Lien Centre For Social Innovation

Social Space

Conscientious housing projects have to perpetually choose between expensive eco-friendly building materials and existing low-cost options that dominate the market. Habitat For Humanity Singapore’s team hopes to set up a research centre to contribute to low-cost, eco-friendly construction and to implement a financially self-sustaining model that provides employment to the local population.

Green Earth Concepts - Barrett Steam Pump, Lien Centre For Social Innovation

Social Space

Green Earth Concepts hopes to alleviate the perennial problems of farming in countries such as Cambodia by introducing the Barrett Steam Pump System, which will enable farmers to control irrigation and water supply at a low cost through the solar generation of hot water, in a cooperative setting that will encourage farmers to pay for services and products by supplying harvested crops instead of financial payment.

Goonj: Turning City Waste Into Useful Materials, Lien Centre For Social Innovation

Social Space

GOONJ hopes to advance an ownership model in which the masses are involved in development work, so that the villagers become more resourceful and practical solutions can pave the way for education.

Apopo: Building A Rats-Based Detection Technology With The Capacity To Detect Landmines, Lien Centre For Social Innovation

Social Space

Rats are traditionally viewed as pests in most societies. APOPO turns this stereotype on its head by training rats to detect mines in a wide-scale effort to push forward demining efforts in post-conflict countries. Mine Detection Rats (MDRs), also affectionately called HeroRATs, are a sustainable landmine detection technology, adapted to low resources settings. Rats have a highly developed sense of smell. They can detect the smallest traces of explosives emitted by the mines. Rats are intelligent creatures that also love to perform repetitive tasks for a small food reward. They live up to 8 years, giving a good return of …

Lien Centre For Social Innovation: Highlights Of The Start-Up Years, Lien Centre For Social Innovation

Social Space

This year, the Lien Centre for Social Innovation celebrates its fifth anniversary as an institution that’s dedicated to being a thought leader and catalyst for positive social change in Singapore and Asia. As we continue to refine and broaden our efforts to fulfil the Centre’s mandate, this article highlights some of the key activities and accomplishments in our start-up years, grouped in terms of our key areas of focus:

- Research

- Catalysing Social Innovation Initiatives

- Platforms

- Capacity Building

Don't Do Good, Fredrik Härén

Social Space

The idea of being unselfish may not be as catchy a sound bite as the idea of being good, but I think it is a better goal to strive for. One thing is certain: at a time when we have become efficient at using the earth’s resources in a completely unsustainable manner, the value of putting aside one’s personal wants and desires is far greater.

Storytellers As Philanthropic Champions: An Interview With Claire Chiang, Lien Centre For Social Innovation

Social Space

Singapore’s charity sector is undergoing significant changes to enhance management quality, accountability and transparency. But despite these positive changes, Ms Claire Chiang, entrepreneur and philanthropist, argues that Singapore also needs to cultivate a more visionary and global approach to philanthropy. She shares with Social Space her thoughts on storytelling and the need for mentors to champion the most urgent causes of the day.

Rethinking Community-Service Education In Singapore Schools, Cheng Chye Chua

Social Space

From Community Involvement Programmes to Service-Learning, Singapore has continued to grapple with how to encourage the spirit of service among students. Author Chua Cheng Chye, an educator, writes about what is still lacking in the overall picture and why ecological thinking can provide a rounded, holistic approach to service and community-building.

Contextualising Csr: Multi-Stakeholder Approaches To Development Initiatives In Southeast Asia, Christine Davis, Stephanie Soderborg

Social Space

As the focus on CSR expands throughout Asia, discussion prevails about the form it needs to take to be germane to the needs of each respective country. The authors discuss Kenan Institute Asia’s efforts in developing a responsible management education (or CSR curriculum and training) for future managers and business leaders in Vietnam.

Civil Society Sector And Political Change: An Interview With Catherine Lim, Lien Centre For Social Innovation

Social Space

Singapore is a society undergoing transitions. With a burgeoning migrant community, the advent of integrated resorts with casinos and an arguably increasingly effervescent non-profit, civil society sector, Singapore looks to be a society that is rapidly opening up. Yet, as writer and political commentator Catherine Lim controversially proposes, civil society and non-profit activists cannot create change without getting their voices heard and actively participating in the political process. She shares with Social Space, her thoughts on the indispensable ingredients for openness and political engagement in a society that wants to be truly global.

Discovering The Asian Form Of Corporate Social Responsibility, Bindu Sharma

Social Space

This article is part of an on-going research project that will look at the how corporate social responsibility (CSR) is being re-contextualised and re-defined in ten countries across Asia and how these perspectives contrast with the discourse of CSR in global (primarily Western) multinational corporations.

Media And The Non Profit World: A Case-Study On Wwf-Malaysia's Use Of Media Tools To Champion Advocacy, Anita Devasahayam

Social Space

As issues and campaigns for various causes in the non-profit space have begun to proliferate across Asia, the struggle to remain relevant and gain critical attention is growing. Author Anita Devasahayam discusses how the Malaysian chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature tackled the challenge by devising new media strategies and advocacy campaigns to remain relevant in an increasingly connected and cause-conscious world.

Simulated Maximum Likelihood Estimation Of Continuous Time Stochastic Volatility Models, Tore Selland Kleppe, Jun Yu, Hans J. Skaug

Research Collection School Of Economics

In this chapter we develop and implement a method for maximum simulated likelihood estimation of the continuous time stochastic volatility model with the constant elasticity of volatility. The approach does not require observations on option prices, nor volatility. To integrate out latent volatility from the joint density of return and volatility, a modified efficient importance sampling technique is used after the continuous time model is approximated using the Euler–Maruyama scheme. The Monte Carlo studies show that the method works well and the empirical applications illustrate usefulness of the method. Empirical results provide strong evidence against the Heston model.

Hong Kong’S New Creative Industries: The Example Of The Video Games Sector, F. Ted Tschang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Hong Kong has considerable creative and entrepreneurial resources, and the opportunity to build a vibrant set of creative industries, including in the new sectors such as video games, animation, and computer graphics. However, as it stands, some of these industries, especially that of the games industry, are fledgling in nature. Strong supporting institutions already exist, but it is essential to discover how industry can be better supported with existing and new resources — financial and otherwise. The opportunities are immense, but so is the competition. The new entertainment media sectors are growing at a faster pace than most economic sectors …

Trust Differences Across National-Societal Cultures: Much To Do, Or Much Ado About Nothing?, Don Ferrin, Nicole Gillespie

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Does trust and its development, functions and meaning, differ between people from different national–societal cultures? There is considerable anecdotal evidence and some theoretical argumentation to suggest it does, but are these supported by empirical research? This chapter reviews the available empirical evidence on the effects of national–societal culture on interpersonal trust. It focuses largely on quantitative empirical evidence to consider the extent to which, and the ways in which, interpersonal trust differs across national–societal cultures. In every category of our review we found evidence of cross-cultural differences, particularly on generalized trust, and also evidence of trust universals across cultures. In …

The Situated Production Of Stories, David Greatbatch, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

At a general level storytelling is a pervasive feature of everyday discourse both within and outside organisations. Existing research on organisational stories indicates that they are not simply frivolous diversions that seek to amaze and entertain the recipients. Rather they may serve a number of important functions for organisations, which include socialising new organisational members by articulating the culture of an organisation; assisting with the development and verbalisation of visions and strategies; helping develop points of similarity within disparate and dispersed organisational groups; sustaining and legitimating existing power relationships as well as providing opportunities for resistance against them; and acting …

Corporate Governance And Earnings Management Before Share Repurchase Announcements In Singapore, Jian Ming Chua

Dissertations and Theses Collection (Open Access)

Share repurchase in Singapore was legalized in 1998. It is well known that investors view share repurchase as good news. This study is based on share repurchase announcements from 2006 to 2009. The mean Cumulative Market-Adjusted Returns (CAR) for the period [0, +1] and [-1, +1] are significant at 1.25% and 1.33% respectively. In Singapore, there are positive abnormal returns following share repurchase announcements in support of the ―free cash flow‖ hypothesis. By using the Singapore Corporate Governance Index as a proxy, the weakly governed companies exhibit the strongest, positive and significant CAR of 2.62% for the period [0, +1]. …