The Knowledge to Decide

Does anyone own the moon? Or other planets for that matter? The prospect of mining on the moon and other celestial bodies is fast becoming a reality. In 2018, Moon Express, based in Florida, aims to be the first private entity to put a small robotic lander on the moon with an investment of approximately USD1.85 million to set up an operations room and an engineering laboratory with a firings test stand for spacecraft engines. Private space exploration is picking up. Due to ambiguities in the Outer Space Treaty, it is not clear who can profit from such business opportunities. Such ventures could exploit the fact that no international treaties apply laws to the moon. Will governments allow private space exploration and the mining of moons and planets? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/raking-in-the-moolah-through-moon-mining/

As an elderly person, living alone in Korea is difficult. What options do senior citizens have for nursing home facilities? Dr. Justin Lee, Managing Director of Spire Research and Consulting, South Korea shared his thoughts on Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo news portal. Korea now has 3,316 nursing homes and 1,500 specialized elderly hospitals nation-wide. The need for specialised elderly care in Korea is on a gradual rise, as those with health complications cannot live independently. At present, senior citizens with grade ratings of 1 or 2 for long term care under the Long-Term Care Insurance scheme are entitled to use these public nursing home facilities. Dr. Lee opined that paying more does not necessarily mean a better nursing home. Costs in public nursing homes are not consistently higher than those in private ones. Within the public nursing homes, the cost variation is minimal regardless of their management quality as public nursing homes need to abide by set government gui

Africa’s fashion industry is emerging as a serious global competitor and one that is known for its daring use of bright hues. Sub-Saharan Africa’s apparel and footwear market is now worth an estimated USD 31 billion. Singer Beyonce recently wore the Maki Oh label from Nigeria. African design houses are not limited to fashion but make luxurious accessories and jewelry. The rising fashion industry is good news for African economies. Textile factories are growing in number and capacity. However, the industry has been calling on African governments to invest more in training, finance and credit schemes as well as improved transportation infrastructure. This is necessary to help the industry attract the investment it needs to be competitive. Can Africa become a global fashion powerhouse? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/africa-the-rising-star-in-fashion/

With a USD450 million loan from World Bank, the Indonesian government’s efforts to provide more affordable housing for low-income families has received a big boost. Spire Research and Consulting supported the feasibility study for this World Bank program, working with Indonesia’s Ministry of Public Works and Housing (MENPUPERA). Spire helped execute a product concept test for the program to build affordable housing, working with Deloitte Indonesia. This was done via Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) across 4 cities. The findings revealed that Indonesia faces substantial demand for one million new housing units annually. Moreover, 29 million people (out of 250 million) of Indonesia’s urban population still live in slums. A portion of the World Bank’s loan will go to support the government’s housing assistance program (BSPS) and community-based housing development program (P2BPK) to target low-income homeowners. At the same time, Indonesia also offers the FLPP scheme – a

How can Singapore become more eco-friendly? Leon Perera, CEO of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in The Business Times – Views from the Top section on 24 April 2017. Perera commented that to increase the public collection of recyclables, there should be better education and more frequent collection from recycling bins in housing estates. Perera also opined that measures should be taken to tackle food waste in Singapore’s hawker centers. The government also needs to work together with business chambers and retailers to encourage the purchase of products which are produced in a sustainable manner. Moreover, businesses need to think whether the supplies they purchase are made in a sustainable manner and not focus solely on reducing expenditure for paper, electricity and other supplies. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/events/increase-collection-of-recyclables-for-a-greener-singapore/

The Indian Pharmaceutical industry – with a market size of INR1 lakh crore (as of 2016) – faces a loss of approximately INR10,000 crore due to the unforeseen ban of 344 Fixed Dose Combination (FDC) Drugs by the government. The ban discontinues the sale and manufacture of popular brands like Vicks Action 500 Extra – from Procter & Gamble (P&G) – a Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), among others. Pharma giants Abbott, Pfizer and Macleods Pharma have urged a stay or lifting of the ban. With 1,000 cases under scrutiny, the industry is bound to see more legal battles. FDC drugs are banned in UK and the US due to health risks they pose such as anti-microbial resistance and even organ failure. How will India’s Pharma market pick itself up from the FDC drugs ban? https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/spirethoughts/indian-pharma-industry-hit-by-ban-on-fdc-drugs/

Spire Research and Consulting was honored to participate at the Oman – Singapore Business Meet 2016 as one of the event organizers. The event was held in Singapore on 20 July, 2016. The international Business-to-Business (B2B) networking session was an initiative to introduce buyers from Singapore to meet a wide range of Omani suppliers offering competitive products unique to Oman. At this well-attended event, the Public Authority for Investment Promotion and Export Development (ITHRAA), in association with Singapore Business Federation (SBF), organized many meetings between exporters from the Sultanate of Oman and potential importers in Singapore. Over 33 exhibitors represented various sectors from Oman. Over 250 participants attended the networking sessions. Senior officials and delegates from the Sultanate of Oman as well as associated Government agencies in Singapore were also present. Major brands such as NTUC Fairprice, Hyflux and Mustafa (to name a few) also a

China emits about a third of global greenhouse gases. It is also home to 16 of the most polluted cities in the world. China’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth dropped from 7.7% in 2013 to 7.4% in 2014. Will China fulfill its quest for clean air and sustain its economy? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in China Daily – Asia Weekly. It is not hard to see why China is so keen to implement counter measures to deal with air pollution. Only 8 out of 74 major cities in 2014 met the prescribed health air quality criteria. Moreover, 20 million cars were sold in 2013 – making China the world’s largest car market and adding to its toxic emission woes. Perera noted that the causes of pollution include rapid urbanization and industrialization. Furthermore, the nation burns coal on a large scale – an average of 2 million tons is consumed yearly to meet growing energy demand. The government’s five-year action plan will monitor

The Korean robotics industry grew by 60% a year between 2005 and 2011. Korea has a strong position in industrial robots. Now, the government’s focus should now be on developing service robots to sustain growth. Spire Research and Consulting shared its insights, published on the Business Korea news portal. Korea’s industrial robot sector is larger than any country’s, except for Japan, China and the U.S. However, the service robot sector is emerging as a new growth hotbed, thanks to the accelerated use of artificial intelligence. However, Korea does not have any companies that specialize in the development of service robots. It will take time to further develop Korea’s service robotics technology which is where the government and Korean enterprises need to step in and focus so as to claim early global leadership. https://www.spireresearch.com/newsroom/media/korea-needs-to-focus-on-developing-service-robots/

Shanghai is set to become the next hub for quality healthcare services as new hospitals collaborate with established industry players. Will Chinese medical tourists check in at home for medical treatment? Leon Perera, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights in the Asian version of Japan’s Nikkei newspaper. Home to a population of 23 million – where 53% of the population is middle class and above – the city of Shanghai continues to lure more foreign investors in the healthcare segment for the affluent. Raffles Medical Group, Singapore’s premium private healthcare provider, has set foot in Shanghai with its first overseas hospital, part of a wider trend of premium healthcare service providers setting up shop in the city. Perera highlighted that the growth in healthcare services has been fuelled by the government’s policy shift to allow more foreign ownership of hospitals. The intent behind this is perhaps to retain some of the 60,000 me

With 100 days in power for Joko Widodo – the newly elected President of Indonesia – what does the business community have to say about his leadership? Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on Bloomberg Businessweek Indonesia. Indonesia – the world’s fourth most populous country – held its latest direct Presidential elections on 20th October 2014. Elected President Joko Widodo – popularly known as Jokowi – completed his first 100 days this January. Most in the business community have been all praises for the government’s performance so far. It is difficult to evaluate a government’s performance based on its first 100 days in power but Bahar opined that Jokowi’s government has taken initiatives to improve certain industries directly, especially fisheries and marine. The new government’s current focus lies on fixing transportation and revamping the climate for investment issues using one door licensing. It remains