The Knowledge to Decide

On 19 February, Spire and Yamada Consulting Group (YCG) jointly organized a breakfast seminar in Singapore, to share insights on “Changes in the Singapore Economy and opportunities in ASEAN”. The speakers were Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, Eleanor L. Roque, Tax Advisory & Compliance of Grant Thornton and Japnit Singh, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting. The speakers discussed the opportunities available for Singapore-based companies in the region, specifically in the Philippines, in light of the recently released Singapore Budget. 2018 ended on a strong note for the Philippines, with Q4 2018’s average Purchasing Manager’s Index posting the strongest quarterly result of the year. By 2020, only 5 per cent of the Philippines labor force would be over 65 years of age, making the Philippines’ population one of the youngest in Asia. With a 96 per cent literacy rate, the vast bulk of the population h

Madagascar’s BPO sector serving the Francophone world has flourished in the last 15 years, thanks to e-commerce and Artificial Intelligence. French language skills combined with high speed internet availability as well as good quality and low cost human resources has attracted investors. Madagascar’s BPO sector has help boost the rising middle class in a society where 75 per cent of the people still live on less than USD2 a day. Will Madagascar’s Francophone BPO industry help sustain economic growth? Get more insights:  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/the-francophone-bpo-sector-is-lifting-madagascars-economic-growth/

As the world adopts digitization in every sphere of life, is cyber-security the biggest risk frontier facing world economies? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in Business Times – Singapore. World economies are ready to adopt technological advancements but the downside is a possible cyberattack on IT systems across any country. These could cripple governmental, financial, healthcare and other systems. A cyberattack could come from state or non-state actors – terrorists, hostile foreign powers or criminal syndicates. A determined and massive cyber-attack could paralyze B2B and B2C online transactions. In such a scenario,  industries depending on online transactions for sales or supply chain activity could be severely hit. Read more : https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/what-is-the-biggest-risk-event-in-2019/

In the World University Rankings list, 21 out of the top 100 universities are based in Asia with Japan and China as the top contributors. Graduates from Asian universities have also risen in employability according to the QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019. 60% of the world’s population is in Asia but only 21% of the top 100 ranked universities are Asian. However, Asian universities are making investments and forging partnerships to keep up. Will Asian universities become the Oxfords of tomorrow? Read more : https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/do-asian-universities-have-room-to-rise-in-the-global-tertiary-education-ranks/

By 2035, India’s oil consumption will double from 7 Billion Barrels per day. Other nations are shifting towards alternative energy sources. India will contribute a third of the global growth in oil consumption in the next 15 years, and is set to replace China as the largest driver of oil demand growth. The country is becoming one of the largest oil consumers and is also home to some of the most polluted cities. Can disruptive renewable technologies break India’s dependence on oil? Read more :  https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/can-india-sustain-its-dependence-on-oil/

Spire was honoured to participate at the Navigating Japan-Indonesia Investment, Business and Market Culture meet. The interactive session was held on 11 December, 2018 in Jakarta at the National University of Singapore campus. Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Spire Research and Consulting group, shared insights on business opportunities in Indonesia for Japanese companies, focusing on successful case studies and challenges. Bahar discussed business opportunities and navigating challenges for doing business in Indonesia, from the standpoint of Japanese companies. Clients who achieved success in the Indonesian market include Yoshinoya Indonesia – a Japanese-style quick service restaurant franchise – with 89 stores as of October 2018. The mis-step was Rakuten Belanja Online (RBO) as the Rakuten Japanese business model failed to match the Indonesian market demand, which is more driven through Customer-to-Customer or Business-to-Customer interactions.

Germany and France have decreased or removed public transport fares. In Dunkirk, France, public transport was made free for all from September 2018 – even for tourists. Registered residents in Tallinn, Estonia can now access fare-free services on buses, trams, and trolley. To decrease the number of private cars on the road, Luxembourg’s new government has made public transport free for all. Will free public transport help to lower the number of cars on the road? Read more :   https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/will-more-countries-follow-the-growing-trend-of-free-public-transport/