Wednesday, November 09, 2005

Remaking Singapore

Germany has Mercedes Benz, Sweden has Volvo, Switzerland has Nestle, UK has Cadbury Schwepps, US has Microsoft, Japan has a whole pop culture they are exporting by the container load.

What does Singapore have?

Creative is in the doldrums and honestly, Enzer and Akira are not meant for First World Markets.

I work in a firm who helps SMEs who want to grow to become MNCs. We do this through raising funds, restructuring, M+As...

I think the need is imminent. Singapore has always been portrayed as a 'cheaper' location for quality manufacturing. But once the rising Asian tide of India and China catch up, all of us will be out of a job.

So, we can either create a globally recognised brand to export, or move into something we are already good at.

Like trading and brokering. Having said that, I've been meeting a lot of them in recent times. Brokering everything from petro-chemicals to ships to container space to commodities. We should capitalise on that because it is a service industry based on global needs and is hence eternal (until the next recession).

We really need to remake Singapore, or...

6 comments:

rench00 said...

we already are. our banks and financial services are pretty well known and on their way to being global names.

and we do have our RnD sector which, though not groundbreaking, is indeed growing and has much potential.

the problem with depending on that track of development is that the jobs created will by high-end jobs, i.e. the low income, low-education group will still remain jobless, the rich will get richer, poor poorer. society's fautlines will widen.

so the challenge is not just about economic growth but to have growth that does not threaten our social fabric.

Rambling Alcoholic said...

Actually, I believe that by creating more high-end jobs, the low end jobs will follow, especially in manufacturing.

Chris The Baker said...

or...just migrate.

rench00 said...

not true that having the low end jobs will follow high end jobs. look at America, Hong Kong, France, England. high end jobs are being created but the low end jobs get outsourced to India, China, Vietnam.

and even in our own Singapore, some low end jobs are gone for good. a good majority of the jobs being created (that was so greatly celebrated) are high end ones. at the end of the day, the poor, lowly educated still suffer. and we all know that the trickle down effect just doesn't trickle down.

and the poor are the ones who cannot migrate. they are the ones who will always be suffering. they are a problem that must be solved.

Rambling Alcoholic said...

Chris - thats what the line was supposed to end.

Or... leave the country.

rench00 said...

well... we don't have to be that big. just big enough.