Ohio voters make conservative choices in governor’s primary – picking DeWine, Cordray

Uncategorized

The Independent

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May 9, 2018

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It’s DeWine versus Cordray in the Ohio governor’s race. AP Photo/John Minchillo

Ohio politics is shifting to the right.

As a political scientist at Ohio State University, that’s my takeaway from seeing Mike DeWine and Richard Cordray win overwhelming victories to secure their parties’ nominations in the primary for governor on May 8.

It could be the sign of things to come in Ohio.

Red

Republican candidates spent most of the primary rejecting their party’s incumbent. Term-limited John Kasich is popular statewide, but his approval among Republicans is a fairly tepid 55 percent.

Kasich’s attempts to make the national Republican Party more moderate during a lackluster presidential run in 2016 may have endeared him to independent voters, but it’s clearly cost him support on the right in his home state. Republican candidates Attorney General DeWine and Lt. Gov. Mary Taylor spent most of the race fighting over who could be the most conservative. At one point, a DeWine allied SuperPAC targeted Taylor with a mailer suggesting Ohio “can’t afford a third Kasich term” – a stunning attack on a leader of his own party. Both candidates promised to rescind Kasich’s acceptance of the Medicaid expansion.

In spite of her attempts at repudiating him, Taylor’s association with Kasich, who endorsed her, led Republican primary voters to DeWine, who was perceived as a purer conservative. DeWine cruised to victory with a 19-point margin.

Blue

By selecting Richard Cordray, the former Ohio attorney general and former director of the embattled Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Democratic voters made a moderate choice. Cordray is a mainstream Democrat who has pushed moderately progressive proposals while emphasizing his ties to former President Barack Obama and the need to fight the state’s opioid crisis.

Cordray will likely have more appeal to moderate voters than second-place finisher Dennis Kucinich, whose more radical platform rested on creating a statewide single-payer healthcare system. Though the former mayor of Cleveland has been a player in Ohio politics for decades, Kucinich may simply be too liberal for a statewide election in 2018 Ohio. Cordray won over 60 percent of the vote.

Both parties made choices that may reflect the future of Ohio politics. While it has long been considered a swing state, Ohio’s demographics have been trending rightward. President Trump won the state by nine points in 2016. Democrats may hope that result is an aberration, but Ohio’s primary results suggest the state could see more centrist Democrats running against hard-line conservative Republicans.

Nathaniel Swigger does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Source: US-Politics

The 10 commandments of rockstar online branding

Jobs

The Independent

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May 9, 2018

0

Be creative, and use the available tools to your advantage

Being the hangout zone of over 2 billion people in the world, the internet is hard to ignore especially if you are a marketer. How do you win the hearts of netizens and random online freaks around the globe and meet your marketing objectives?

Here are the 10 commandments of online marketing to set you in the right direction:

1. Thou shalt know thyself

Seriously, for any campaign to be effective, you need to first know what you are selling and what your brand represents. Understanding the brand identity sets the tone for all your marketing communications both online and offline. Familiarity with who you are and what you want will help come up with campaigns, content, and ideas to market yourself on digital platforms including website, social media and mobile apps.

2. Thou shalt know thy audience

Just like you begin writing by keeping your readers in mind, you formulate your digital marketing strategy by keeping your target audience in mind. Understanding the buyer persona of your audience can get you valuable insights on their online behavior like the time they spend online, the websites they are most active on, their interests etc. This can help you tailor your campaign to attract them.

3. Thou shalt not make thy website crappy

A crappy website that is cluttered and confusing, and ridden with errors will make your leads go away even before their browser uploads your entire web page. Your website is the first impression your visitors get. Make it as attractive, sleek and user-friendly as possible starting with catchy, warm well-written web content with some non-pirated, original, attractive images. People love simple and non-complicated things. Make it easy for users to search, navigate and make purchases on your website. Make sure that your website is SEO friendly — optimizing it for your intended keywords. Ensure that all errors and broken links have been fixed.

4. Thou shalt not ignore smartphones and tablets

A huge percentage of internet users access the online world through their handheld devices. Most people including myself search for stuff on their smartphones. Make sure that your website is optimized for mobile and handheld devices. Ensure that it is easy to read and navigate on smaller screens.

5. Thou shalt seek the power of search marketing

Over 80% of online consumers rely on search engines to find information about products and services. Keywords are the basis for boosting your search marketing. With Google Adwords, you can identify and bid for keywords in the campaigns you select for marketing your products or services. Dig up a little bit and apply basic SEO techniques. The next step is to optimize your content to include those keywords.

6. Thou shalt not steal content or create shitty content

Engaging and useful content is the key to success of your search marketing efforts. And no, you can’t steal. There is a difference between sharing and stealing. The key is to create content that is useful, interesting and relevant regularly. Having a blog that is updated regularly with useful content can help you get ahead of your competitors. Sharing good content is caring. Sharing spam will make people hate your guts. A concoction of poorly written copy that is too lengthy or painfully boring and messy will have a reverse effect. Research, scout for information and use the creative wizard inside you to churn out good quality, adorable content that will get you likes and leads. The key is to be interesting and not annoying.

Also read: 5 personal branding mistakes startup founders should avoid

7. Thou shalt respect social media

A wise man once said, “What happens on social media stays on Google forever.” Social media is a great medium for creating a favorable impression for your brand and also for building rapport with online users. The strategy should be to be interesting, friendly and responsive.

Always be respectful, polite and careful with your interactions. Listen to their feedback, suggestions, and complaints. If someone is asking a question on social media, guide them. If someone praises your brand on social media, thank them. If someone is complaining about your service, listen and acknowledge.

If you are nice to them, they will be nice to you too. The key is to actively listen and communicate on social media. This will also encourage more people to engage with your brand and share feedback. There is nothing more effective in marketing that a satisfied customer and none worse than a bitter one.

8. Thou shalt set up conversion funnels

To understand the behaviors that lead to a successful conversion, it is imperative to set up a well-optimized conversion funnel to track the journey of your visitors from potential leads to end users or customers. Understanding your micro and macro conversions will help you in formulating better strategies.

9. Thou shalt monitor thy results

The key to successful campaign lies in continued efforts to improve your online presence. Monitoring your web traffic with Google analytics and tracking the progress of your online campaigns on a regular basis will help you in getting useful insights. Don’t drown your marketing budget blindly into unsuccessful marketing techniques. Use data and analysis to guide you in the right direction. Which channel is working the best? What is the best time to start campaigns on respective channels? You can use your findings to create better content, distribute it effectively and plug-in any loopholes that prevent conversion.

10. Thou shalt quit fooling around, and start planning, learning, and adapting

“Learn and grow” should be your motto. The online world is very dynamic and it is important to stay updated, learn new skills and adapt to the changing environment. Research often, experiment with strategies based on observation, see what works the best for you.

With these commandments, combined with thy creative ideas, awesome content and knowledge, ye shall be on the path of making thy brand an online rock star.

—-

e27 publishes relevant guest contributions from the community. Share your honest opinions and expert knowledge by submitting your content here.

Featured Image Copyright: kartos / 123RF Stock Photo

The post The 10 commandments of rockstar online branding appeared first on e27.

Source: e27

8 proven tips for successfully scaling an e-commerce business

Jobs

The Independent

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May 9, 2018

0

Nurture your customers and they will see you through explosive growth

E-commerce is one of the fastest growing industries.

As of 2017, there are roughly two to three million e-commerce stores in the world, excluding China, reports PipeCandy.

Global e-retail revenues are projected to grow to the US $4.88 trillion in 2021, reports Statista.

Along with this, the buying cycles are much shorter. The number of induced repeat sales is more. Despite these positives, plenty of online stores are struggling to make profits.

The reason is simple.

Even though the number of consumers who prefer online shopping is on the rise, the abundance of choice enables them to hop-n-shop from multiple online brands selling similar products instead of sticking to a single brand.

Scaling is an issue for any e-commerce store which is unable to foster customer acquisition and loyalty. Anyone who has been in this business for long will agree.

In this article, I share the eight tips and tricks I’ve learned from building e-commerce websites for some of the best tech companies, for the last four years. These tips will help you scale your e-commerce store to increase your bottom line, at almost zero cost.

1. Design a stellar landing page

A landing page if done right is a high converting platform. Almost 96% of your visitors are not willing to buy from you when they arrive at your e-commerce landing page, according to Marketo.

That’s true! The reasons are many. Some of them include non-persuasive content, low-quality images, and poor site navigation.

Therefore, invest in a good landing page design especially if you plan to run flash sales, time-bound referral programs or even launch a new product line.

To promote their new hair styling product, international beauty brand TYME set up a landing page featuring minimal content and a compelling CTA.

When KlientBoost added product images and a CTA of Buy Now to each image, Q-See’s conversions increased by 124%.

After designing a landing page, constantly A/B test elements such as headlines, colors, CTA’s and even the product images to measure their impact on conversions and bounce rates.

2. Optimize your search engine ranking

93% of all online activities begin with a search, reports Search Engine Journal.

If you are an online store that has a limited service area or depends on local traffic, SEO is key to your business growth. In fact, “Near me” searches on Google have doubled in the last two years, according to Search Engine Watch.

Moreover, a Monetate e-commerce Quarterly report reveals conversion rates of Q3 2016 to be around 2.50%. This means for every 100 customers visiting the website, two or three moved towards a purchase.

Therefore, incorporate both long-term and short-term online marketing methods such as PPC and SEO to improve your e-commerce traffic. Do a thorough keyword research of your homepage and product/services pages.

Use tools like SEMrush to study the keywords on which your competitors are ranking. Optimize your website content, distribute backlinks and ensure you list your business on relevant directories and forums using location or product/service as the main keyword.

Also read: How To Win at Google: A Crash Course on SEO

3. Recommend products on the website

According to Forrester, product recommendations contribute up to 30% of e-commerce revenues. Tech giant Amazon first pioneered the concept to nudge their customers to buy more.

So if you are a first-time visitor on Amazon’s website, you will immediately notice a section called “Deals recommended for you”.

Three seconds in and you are already hooked on to the discounts up on offer on the website. Don’t make your customers work towards finding a good deal on your site or search for other products that they may need. Today’s consumers despise interacting with online stores that make them work.

Online wine cellar Handpicked Wines understand that and has found a nifty way to make product recommendations.

Source

From clear-cut navigation and their value proposition to testimonials and other offerings – the online store has included every element on the product page that would help in convincing the consumers to buy from them.

4. Ensure your email marketing is on point

With email expected to reach 90.9% of internet users by 2019, it is nowhere close to dying, reports Statista.

70% of customers still choose emails as a way to communicate with businesses. No wonder, the average open rate of email campaigns across domains is as high as 23%!

There are three types of emails that you should ideally send to your customers.

A. Welcome series

Getting a welcome email from the e-commerce store once a customer subscribes to the newsletter or makes his first purchase has become a norm.

Source

B. Cart recovery emails

The average online shopping cart abandonment rate across the globe is 69.23% which means they lose more than half of the sales from right under their noses. Therefore, sending emails to alert the consumer about the items he has put in the shopping cart is an effective strategy.

Create a sense of urgency around the abandoned product. Run a flash sale or give one for one free. Such emails can nudge the customer to complete the transaction.

Also read: Your comprehensive guide to successful email newsletter marketing

C. Re-engagement reminders

Marketers lose one fourth of their email database due to attrition which means if you don’t keep your customers engaged, they will move on. Since customer loyalty is a big issue in the e-commerce landscape, it is necessary to send re-engagement messages from time-to-time.

Online beauty store Birch Box leverages the emotional quotient by offering premium, editor-handpicked sample boxes, as seen below:

Source

EmailMonks is one such production partner that designs and codes responsive email templates and newsletters for you.

5. Construct a friendly push strategy

Push notifications are ruling the digital landscape for three years. Since 70% of consumers find all types of push notifications to be valuable, it is no wonder push is considered an integral part of the marketing strategy across industries (Responsys).

Push notifications can help you to target right consumers at the right time as the technology used segments them on the basis of their demographics and website/mobile activity. It is also difficult to miss out on push notifications on mobile and desktop as compared to emails that easily get lost in the inbox.

Source

The different ways in which you can use the push strategy to boost customer engagement are:

To recover abandoned shopping carts;
To notify customers about an ongoing sale or back-in-stock products;
To share location-based deals;
To send time-sensitive price alerts;
To re-engage with inactive customers;
To keep the customer informed about shipping;
To recommend products based on browsing or purchase history.

Since a push message is considered to be a bit intrusive, cautiously time your message.

6. Build a PWA for your e-commerce store

Google first introduced the concept of a Progressive Web App (PWA) in 2015 with an intention of making the mobile user experience more pleasant. Today, an impressive 80% of e-commerce consumers use their smartphones to browse through the store, look up reviews, and find better deals. (OuterBox)

A PWA eliminates the hassle of downloading an app, offers a better loading experience, and sends push notifications on the device even when the web app is not running. Speaking from a ranking perspective, a PWA is also discoverable by search engines.

A few popular e-commerce brands that have PWA-enabled websites are Alibaba, Trivago, Uber and Sephora. The introduction of Flipkart Lite, the PWA of Indian online store Flipkart, increased the user’s time-on-site to 3.5 seconds and ensured 40% higher re-engagement rate.

Source

This led to a 70% greater conversion rate among those customers who arrived at the Flipkart web app through Add to Home screen option.

7. Use blogging as a nurturing tool

The top three content marketing tactics in 2018 are blogging (65%), social media (64%) and case studies (64%), reports LinkedIn Technology Marketing Community.

It isn’t surprising to see blogging has become a common practice for any business. In fact, it is an effective tool for e-commerce stores to inform, educate and nurture customers.

The blog of A Better Lemonade Stand, an online e-commerce incubator, empowers entrepreneurs with all the content they need to grow their business at different stages. The blog posts are categorized into three major filters – Build, Launch and Grow.

The blogs majorly follow themes such as product selection, sourcing, conversion optimization and shipping and delivery. Their Facebook page has an increasing number of followers and this further adds to their community building.

8. Chat live for effective ORM

Live chat is considered the leading choice for communication by consumers purely because of the intimacy it offers. A recent Forrester study revealed a 10% increase in the average order value after customers engaged with a brand on chat before making a purchase.

The average response time on chat is 2 minutes and 40 seconds. ModCloth, for example, is not only known for its friendly tone but also for being proactive and messaging the visitor as soon as he lands on the website.

Source

A live chat is a versatile platform for boosting customer satisfaction rates which means don’t just restrict the use of live chats to only helping customers. Ask for feedback as well. 45% of businesses using a live chat tool don’t ask for feedback. How would you know if your customers are happy or not?

Also read: 4 made-in-Singapore chatbots that can raise your company’s productivity

Closing thoughts

Start with these 8 easy tips to scale your e-commerce store smoothly. Is there any strategy that worked particularly well for you? Do share in the comments section.

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Mayank Pratap is the founder of Engineerbabu, which helps startups, enterprises and owners grow their business by building high-class IT solutions. 30+ of their projects are funded by VCs. Many of their clients are a part of Y Combinator.

e27 publishes relevant guest contributions from the community. Share your honest opinions and expert knowledge by submitting your content here.

Featured Image Copyright: vladstar / 123RF Stock Photo

The post 8 proven tips for successfully scaling an e-commerce business appeared first on e27.

Source: e27

Chinese Passenger Opened Emergency Door on Plane, Faces Stiff Fines

Featured News

Anna Maria Romero

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May 9, 2018

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Chinese Passenger Opened Emergency Door on Plane, Faces Stiff Fines

A Chinese national who has only been identified with the surname Chen now needs to pay thousands of dollars in fines for opening the emergency door of an airplane just to breathe in some fresh air.

When he opened the door, Mr. Chen ended up activating the plane’s evacuation slide. If the slide is found to have been damaged, the unfortunate passenger will be asked to pay even more.

Mr. Chen was flying from Sanya, Hainan Island, on Lucky Air, a budget airline. Fortunately the plane had already landed in Nanjiao Airport, in Mianyang City, southwest China, when Mr. Chen opened its exit door.

Mr. Chen, who was immediately arrested by the airport police and then questioned and detained by the Mianyang Public Security Bureau for fifteen days, said that he had waited in the aisle of the plane for ten minutes while other passengers exited, and since he felt “too stuffy and too hot,” he chose to open the emergency exit door to get some fresh air.

He told investigators, “I just pushed down on the window handle beside me. When the door fell out, I panicked.”

Authorities say that what Mr. Chen did caused significant delays to other flights, and fees for correcting his mistake could cost up to 100,000 Yuan (almost US $15,000). And if the evacuation slide is also damaged, these fees could even be significantly higher.

Mr. Chen has already been fined 70,000 Yuan (US $11,000) for costs to the airline. Luck Air has announced that it may charge the passenger for other fees.

In a statement, the company said that passengers had been warned against such actions, “Before each take off, flight attendants inform passengers about safety precautions.”

Four years ago, a similar incident occurred when another Chinese passenger opened an emergency door on a plane just before it was scheduled to take off. This man was flying for the first time and had concerns that he would feel nauseated on the plane. His actions caused the fight a delay of approximately an hour.

Reflecting on the ASEAN–Australian relationship

Jewel Stolarchuk

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May 8, 2018

2

Reflecting on the ASEAN–Australian relationship

By: John Blaxland, ANU/

The latest ASEAN Summit at Singapore follows a significant inflection point in Australia’s relationship with ASEAN associated with the mid-March 2018 ASEAN-Australia Special Summit held in Sydney. While Australia has not been seriously invited to become a member of ASEAN, it was extraordinary to hear Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad be more welcoming of Australia in ASEAN circles. Two decades ago, this would have been unimaginable.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull shakes hands with Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong during their media conference during the one-off summit of 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Sydney, Australia on 18 March 2018. (Photo: Reuters/ David Gray).

The change speaks to a shift in how Australia is perceived in the region. Australia should aspire to be designated an ASEAN Community Partner, says Graeme Dobell, in recognition of the unique and special relationship that Australia has with ASEAN. This is in large part because of their shared geography and also in recognition of Australia’s growing attentiveness and focus on the neighbourhood. Dobell’s idea has generated strong reactions, with some commentators for it and others against. This concept fundamentally draws attention to the intimate and growing ties between Australia and ASEAN as well as their shared future. Such a vision would have been unthinkable a generation earlier.

Just over fifty years since the end of the White Australia policy, Australia now has about one million people with strong links with Southeast Asia — a number closely matching the million or so each with links to South Asia and Northeast Asia. Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner and the son of refugees from Laos Dr Tim Soutphommasane is right to point to the still fractional representation of diversity at the senior echelons of the Australian business community. But a growing body of Australians with links to Southeast Asia and Asia more broadly (now about 12 per cent of the Australian population) are well placed to have a greater say and influence in how Australia becomes more closely integrated with its own neighbourhood.

Jokowi has described Indonesia as a ‘maritime fulcrum’. But perhaps this term applies more broadly to the space shared by Southeast Asia and Australasia. As maritime trade routes through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific and Indian Oceans grow in significance, the Indo-Pacific space shared by ASEAN and Australasia is increasingly busy, lucrative and contested.

Some have complained that Southeast Asian dictators should have been reprimanded rather than feted in Sydney. Critics rightly decried the inadequate human rights records and other political shortcomings of many of the ASEAN member states. But the summit was not the time to dwell on the differences and disagreements with public pronouncements. Rather it was a time to consider what is shared, what is held in common and what can be done collaboratively in the future.

In Southeast Asia form precedes function. Respect has to be shown for it to be reciprocated. And key to the showing of respect is in handling differences with discretion so as to avoid the public loss of face. Megaphone diplomacy might make some Australians feel smug and self-righteous, but it does little to open doors for engagement and substantive reform.

Indeed, despite the avoidance of public discussion on sensitive and embarrassing issues like the Rohingya crisis, the very gathering together at such forums and the one-on-one meetings on the sidelines have provided significant opportunities for Australia. Australian officials, academics and others have used these opportunities to engage respectfully but with conviction on a range of issues for which the alternative megaphone diplomacy is counterproductive.

The ASEAN–Australia Dialogue and the ASEAN–Australia Special Summit reflect a recent trend: the growing recognition that Australia has to find a way to get along better with its neighbours for a variety of reasons. Australia’s prosperity is intimately tied to the security, stability and prosperity of its neighbourhood. Non-traditional security threats to Southeast Asia and the South Pacific are increasingly understood as being linked to the security and prosperity of Australia itself.

While ASEAN has proven to be a useful forum for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief coordination and counterterrorism initiatives, the centrality of ASEAN may be challenged by great power contestation. Some critics decry ASEAN as a ‘broken reed’ that is divided over the South China Sea and ineffective as a collective security bloc in the face of apparently unrelenting Chinese pressure. But such critics misread ASEAN’s raison d’etre and underestimate the significance of the body’s economic, political, social and cultural achievements.

Despite extraordinary economic, demographic, historical, legal, linguistic, cultural, religious and ethnographic diversity, the motto ‘unity in diversity’ still rings loudly — as much as an aspirational statement as it is a motto. The world would be less secure and prosperous if ASEAN were to disappear.

After all, ASEAN includes US treaty allies and other security partners. It includes Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, Animists and others. It uses English as its common language. It is Australia’s front yard. Australians skip over it on our way elsewhere without recognising that, when aggregated, it is Australia’s third largest trading partner and one of Australia’s leading sources of migrants and students. Australians are slowly adjusting to the fact that they are not living in some kind of metaphorical mid-Atlantic.

Despite genuine concerns over the divergence of interests over issues like democratisation and human rights, today the interests of Australia and ASEAN overlap to an unprecedented degree. Shared geography is the key driver, but other factors feature prominently as well. Trade links, for instance, are more substantial than ever, with ASEAN being Australia’s third largest trading partner. Security links have been growing significantly as well, linked with the expanding Australian Defence Cooperation Program and Australia’s engagement with a range of security issues associated the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) Plus construct. These arrangements have witnessed growing ties over humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, piracy, terrorism, people smuggling, refugee flows, and illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, let alone concerns over great power contestation. Sure, considerable differences remain, particularly concerning democracy and human rights. But, like Australia, the ASEAN states struggle to reconcile competing geostrategic and economic priorities, valuing the burgeoning trade ties with China while still valuing the enduring US contribution to stability that has been the great facilitator of prosperity. Along the way, they are finding they have more interests and concerns in common than ever.

In the past, Australia sought security from Asia. That world has gone. Australia nowadays must increasingly find security, stability and prosperity in and through Asia. Australia’s links with Southeast Asia and ASEAN are therefore of fundamental importance for its future.

—

John Blaxland is Professor of International Security and Intelligence Studies at the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre and Director of the Southeast Asia Institute, The Australian National University.

This article first appeared on the East Asia Forum.

Pritam Singh’s advice to ITE students receives widespread praise from netizens who compare him to Chan Chun Sing

Jewel Stolarchuk

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May 8, 2018

24

Pritam Singh’s advice to ITE students receives widespread praise from netizens who compare him to Chan Chun Sing

Workers’ Party Secretary General Pritam Singh met with a number of Institute of Technical Education (ITE) students yesterday, at the opening of the second session of the 13th Parliament. Reflecting on the time he spent with the students on his Facebook page, Singh revealed the advice he gave the young generation. He shared:

“I had a good time speaking to a number of students at the opening of Parliament yesterday, including Nicole and Samantha from ITE College West. I found them no less engaged and determined than their peers from the polytechnics and junior colleges. And that to me is key in the long-run.

“The person with the better qualifications usually finds it easier to open the door to a good future. But once you are through the door, attitude and drive and determination count for a lot more than one thinks. Any employer or SME boss will tell you that.

“So it is important to work hard to get into a course you like and pursue excellence. Those who are determined and do not settle for mediocrity will inevitably do well. Luck, opportunity, a good mentor etc. all play their part as do strong moral values.

“But don’t let anyone tell you in your youth that you are a failure and cannot make it – regardless whether you are in a polytechnic, junior college or ITE. Attitude and resilience counts. And I saw it in abundance yesterday. Good luck and best wishes!”

Netizens responding to Singh’s post quickly showered him with praise and appreciated the valuable advice he imparted to the young students. Several netizens also drew comparisons between Singh’s advice to what Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing told students in 2016.

Speaking to about 300 Polytechnic students, the PM frontrunner had urged youths to go beyond relying on good grades for jobs and told students that the times are changing fast and that employers of the future would be less interested in paper qualifications and grades.

In another forum that year, Chan emphasised that grades are not everything. He said, “Don’t become a yardstick society in which we aimlessly, blindly chase goals regardless of what we’re good at. That’s the saddest thing we can do for ourselves,” before adding that while achieving a high GPA is important, it does not ensure employment:

“…there are more things in life. When you look for employment, and you don’t know what’s going on, you can’t anticipate or analyse, no employer will take you even if you have a GPA of 4.0.

“This is something I fear for our society – where everyone goes after the same thing, the same yardstick, and we end up in what sociologists call a ‘prisoner’s dilemma’. That’s what scares me.”

https://www.facebook.com/pritam.eunos/posts/1805505022805136

Bedok renovation company disappears and leaves 10 families who had made full payment in the lurch

Jewel Stolarchuk

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May 8, 2018

18

Bedok renovation company disappears and leaves 10 families who had made full payment in the lurch

A renovation company has allegedly scammed over ten families, accepting full payment for renovation works and disappearing without finishing the works it had committed to completing.

The company, Reka Bina Pte Ltd, allegedly circulated the following message to its clients in which it claimed that the company is shutting down with immediate effect due to financial issues and that it is unable to continue any renovation works it had committed to.

An individual believed to be the owner of Reka Bina Pte Ltd also added that he is in the hospital for “heart issues” and that the company had no intention to “create any unpleasant experiences for all customers involved”:

Facebook user Nor Firos first posted the screenshot of the message that was forwarded to him by his aunt, Busu. Taking to social media. Nor Firos wrote: “Senang je stakat msg eh. Bussiness failure ke ape ke not our problem. That is ur company problem. Now ok la having failure right so rekabina is seizing all operation ok fair. Return all of this guys money. Then can talk”

The unnamed administrator of Facebook page All Singapore stuff further alleged:

“My family and about ten other families have engaged this company for our home renovation and money has been fully paid.

“Delays has been going on. First, a worker met and accident, then worker mia, then worker run away with company fund, then not enough workers and etc etc.

“This morning, we received a very shocking and unexpected message from the owner, saying there’s “very serious financial complication”

“We would like to know if there is anymore victims by the same company so that we can atleast fight for this case together to get back our money.”

A quick search on Google shows that Reka Bina Pte Ltd used to operate from 349 Bedok Road:

A link that leads to their official Facebook page shows that the page has either been disabled or made private:

A search on the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority’s (ACRA) website on Reka Bina Pte Ltd shows that the company is still registered as a live company at this time:

According the bestrated.sg, which lists Reka Bina Pte Ltd as one of the top three renovation firms in Bedok, the company has done 1300 renovation projects so far.

It remains unclear what the affected customers are planning to do to seek compensation from Reka Bina Pte Ltd. Affected consumers with unresolved disputes against the company may approach CASE for help via their hotline at 6100 0315 or website.

Reka Bina Pte Ltd’s sudden closure that allegedly leaves several customers in the lurch comes after the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) announced today that it has received seven complaints since April on the closure of Milan Furnishings – a furniture shop located at Gambas Crescent that became registered last April.

CASE revealed that the delivery of furniture consumers had ordered had been delayed for several months. This after these consumers had paid in full or paid a deposit for furniture amounting to $14,000 in total. CASE added: “They recently found out that the shopfront had closed down and the business is now uncontactable.”

Rising rental prices for CBD could push office tenants to spaces in secondary areas

Property

The Independent

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May 8, 2018

0

The rising rental prices in the Central Business District (CBD) of Singapore (which have risen 1.3 per cent Quarter on Quarter (QoQ)), is causing tenants to resist the increase instead of accepting the higher asking prices.

The 1.3 per cent rising rental prices comes after the last two quarters also showed the average gross rent for Grade A office space in the CBD rising. The rent hike over three consecutive quarters has brought rents up to $9.06 per sq ft (psf) per month. Moderate rental growth was also seen in the Grade AAA and AA office sectors, with rates in the AAA grade rising by 6.1 per cent between Q2 2017 to Q4 2017. The rise in asking rental prices has crept in as the number of office rentals in Singapore for the first quarter this year has dipped by 0.6 per cent QoQ.

Savills Singapore, a leading real estate service provider, has noted that while the decline in the number of office rentals indicates a healthy market, the increasing rental prices are slowing down the market.

According to the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), Singapore’s GDP growth for the first quarter of 2018 hit 4.3 per cent year-on-year (YoY), higher than the 3.6 per cent growth in Q4 of last year. This was bolstered by the manufacturing sector, which grew 10.1 per cent YoY, and the services industry, led by finance & insurance and wholesale & retail trade, which registered 3.8 per cent YoY growth.

On the back of stronger than expected economic growth, the office leasing market remained healthy in Q1. Based on data from the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), a total of 1,2641 office leases commenced in the first quarter of 2018, inching down 0.6 per cent from a quarter ago.

However, leasing activity in the CBD has slowed slightly due to the hike in asking rents. While the strengthening economy has lifted business sentiment and encouraged business expansion, manpower and operating costs remain key concerns for most companies here.

In light of increasing rental prices, cost conscious tenants are deciding either to pull down their expansion plans or relocate their middle/back offices to city fringe or regional centres so as to release space for core business. On the other side, landlords, particularly those owning premium buildings with tight vacancy, continue to be in a strong position during rental negotiations.

This has caused a stalemate in the market, which is expected to continue in the coming quarters. As one of the major completions expected in 2018, Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ), located next to Paya Lebar MRT Station, has secured tenants for more than half of its nearly one million sq ft of office space, ahead of its scheduled opening in Q3 2018.

The SMRT Corporation has taken up three levels for about 100,000 sq ft of space in one of PLQ’s three office towers, and will move its headquarters from North Bridge Road to this new location next year. At the same time, up to 15% of available office space in PLQ will be used to house co-working facilities, which will allow smaller start-ups to network and partner with established companies on special projects.

Savills Singapore’s research senior director, Alan Cheong, pointed out that the market views that the downside risks in the office leasing market are decreasing, especially given the healthy precommitment shown by the market in two upcoming developments – Frasers Tower at Cecil Street and Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ) – and given the quick absorption of secondary stock.

Cheong added: “However, due to tenants increasing resistance to rent hikes and the widening rental gap between the CBD and outside the CBD, demand for CBD office space may divert to sites on the city fringe and in regional centres, and even in business parks if tenants can meet the qualifications for use.”

The hike in both prices and rents is no surprise to Cheong, due to the improved sentiment amongst buyers, landlords and tenants: “For rents, the healthy pre-commitment by tenants last year helped absorb a substantial amount of space in the new builds. On top of that, the secondary space found replacement tenants in the form of co-working spaces.”

Calling co-working space operators “the major lifeline for CBD office buildings” over the past two years, Cheong noted that the amount of floor space co-working space operators have occupied is about 390,000 sq ft, through the end of 2017. He said: “Although quite a few of the operators did not take up prime Grade A office space, they nevertheless soaked up the backfill or secondary space vacated by tenants moving to new builds.”

Cheong only expects the demand for CBD office space from co-working space operators to climb and predicted that demand from such space operators could reach 600,000 sq ft from this year onwards. Half of these spaces will be housed in secondary areas, Cheong forecast. He added: “Consequently, landlords expect the momentum from 2017’s strong take-up to spill over into 2018 and thus have been bold in asking for higher rents.”

Cheong also expects Grade A space rents to rise since all parties involved with office leasing are heading in positive directions, in terms of their respective businesses. Cheong shared, “Already, there is evidence of such optimism as $15 psf has been achieved for partial floor lettings in the Marina Bay area. This may rise to $16 psf by the latter part of 2018.”

The only thing the market seems to ignore, according to Cheong, is that a sizeable portion of rental demand will come from alternative or disruptive-model businesses, over the past few years and throughout the rest of this year. Noting that these businesses have quite a way to go before registering positive cash flow, Cheong concluded: “This is a major risk factor, but for now, barring any blowout in the disruptive business economy, we maintain our view that CBD Grade A office rents are expected to rise 10% YoY by Q4.”

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If you are real estate hunting for a office property (either to make it your own or for investment), our Panel of Property agents and the mortgage consultants at icompareloan.com can help you with affordability assessment and a promotional home loan. Just email our chief mortgage consultant, Paul Ho, with your name, email and phone number at [email protected].

Freehold property off Balestier Road up for en bloc sale at reserve price of $143.8m

Property

The Independent

-

May 8, 2018

0

Kemaman Point a freehold property off Balestier Road was launched for collective sale on Monday (7 May) with a reserve price of $143.8 million, said marketing agent Knight Frank Singapore. Kemaman Point is a a private residential estate comprising one residential block of 89 apartment units. With a site area of 4,071.5 sq m (approx. 43,825 sq ft), the land is regular and enjoys a wide frontage of 92 metres from Jalan Kemaman.

Under the 2014 Master Plan, the site is zoned “Residential” with a Gross Plot Ratio (GPR) of 2.8 and can yield about 122,710 sq ft of gross floor area upon redevelopment. Based on the potential GFA and assuming the average size of 70 sq m, there is a potential for 162 new residential units upon redevelopment.

In terms of accessibility, the location is well-served by major arterial roads as well as expressways such as the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), Central Expressway (CTE) and Balestier Road which provide seamless connectivity to other parts of Singapore. The site is 12 minutes’ drive to the Central Business District and 10 minutes’ drive away from the shopping and entertainment strip of Orchard Road. The site is also located along the Central Urban Loop (Whampoa Park Connector), an islandwide network which links up parks and nature sites.

The reserve price for the freehold property off Balestier Road is S$143.8 million and that translates to a land rate of $1,180 psf ppr, inclusive of a development charge of approximately S$958,000. The tender for Kemaman Point will close on 12 June 2018, Tuesday at 3.00 pm.

“Kemaman Point is off Balestier Road, which has been rejuvenated by the influx of renowned F&B outlets and cafes. The area has quickly become a food haven that attracts foodies across generations. The new development built on site will also be able to enjoy unblocked views towards Jalan Kemaman, over the low-rise landed houses,” said Mr Ian Loh, Executive Director & Head of Investment and Capital Markets for Knight Frank Singapore.

He added: “There also isn’t much impending supply in the Balestier area through land sales and collective sales. Hence new launches in the area are likely to be sought after due to the limited supply as well as the lifestyle that the area provides.”

Kemaman Point is just around the corner from Balestier Road, and right within the neighborhood of those famed Balestier eateries. It’s just a few minutes from the CBD, and even fewer minutes from several shopping centres, restaurants, medical facilities, schools, transportation stations, and other essentials.

The site is right in a very well-networked area of the Island, ensuring hassle-free connectivity. To begin with, it’s just a short walk from Novena Station or Toa Payoh Station, which are both on the North-South Line. One stop away from Novena is Newton, which links up with the Downtown Line. Three more stops down is Dhoby Ghaut, which is an interchange on the North-South, North-East and Circle Lines.

On those days you’d prefer to drive, you can take the PIE or the CTE. You can also drive via Balestier, Thomson, Moulmein, Bukit Timah or Dunearn Roads.

Dotting the area are a plethora of eateries, from swank restarants to cute cafes to local hawker places. Whatever you crave – fast food, rice meals, baked goods, street food – you’ll have a good chance of finding it just within a few minutes from home.

Balestier Plaza is just a comfortable walk away from Kemaman Point. Also nearby are United Square, Balestier Point, Novena Square, Square 2, and Balestier Hill. If you want even more choices, you can drive to City Square Mall, Mustafa Centre, Tekka Centre, or Orchard Road in about 10 minutes.

Among the numerous educational centres are CHIJ, Balestier Hill, Hong Wen, Anglo-Chinese School, St. Joseph’s Institution Junior, Bendemeer Secondary, Global Indian International School and Catholic Junior College.

Health City Novena will be just a skip away. Also within the area are Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Ren Ci, Thomson Medical Centre, KK Women and Children’s Hospital, and Mount Alvernia Hospital.

Also within the neighbourhood isToa Payoh Town Park, Toa Payoh Stadium, SAFRA Toa Payoh, Toa Payoh Golf Range, Singapore Polo Club, or the other sports or recreational facilities.

Most importantly, as Kemaman Point is a freehold property off Balestier Road, buyers will pay a premium for it because they can be pass it down to several generations. They can also rent out such a property and get good returns on their investment.

The collective sale attempt of the freehold property off Balestier Road rides on llast year’s en bloc revival which saw 28 residential sites and three commercial or industrial sites sold for a total of S$8.73 b. There are however several other collective sale sites launched since December that have not concluded after their tenders closed.

The Land Titles (Strata) Act requires buildings such as the freehold property off Balestier Road to obtain 80 per cent consent from owners before allowing the collective sale to go through.

There are, however, several other collective sale sites launched since December last year that have not concluded after their tenders closed. The owners of these sites may enter into a private treaty contract with a buyer within 10 weeks from the close of the public tender. Pearlbank Apartments, one such site launched late last year, was sold to Capitaland for S$728 million through a private treaty.

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If you are real estate hunting for a freehold property (either to make it your home or for investment), our Panel of Property agents and the mortgage consultants at icompareloan.com can help you with affordability assessment and a promotional home loan. Just email our chief mortgage consultant, Paul Ho, with your name, email and phone number at [email protected].

Another young person jumps on bonnet of car barely 2 days after similar incident at the same location

Singapore News

Jewel Stolarchuk

-

May 8, 2018

7

Another young person jumps on bonnet of car barely 2 days after similar incident at the same location

Another young person has been caught on camera jumping on a stranger’s car bonnet, just two days after a similar incident involving an elderly Grab driver. Curiously, this latest incident happened at the same location the last incident occurred – at St. James Powerstation.

In this latest incident that occurred around 2am yesterday, a group of young people who appear to be in their 20s exit a storefront. One of the girls in the group runs towards a car parked in front of them but stops short before she reaches the vehicle.

Another person in the group then runs and launches themselves onto the bonnet of the car and proceeds to lay on the bonnet. This person strikes a few poses while on the bonnet of the car as the others laugh before climbing off the vehicle shortly after.

Facebook user Stan Cheng, the owner of the car, shared the dashboard camera footage on social media:

Posted by Stan Cheng on Monday, 7 May 2018

Last Saturday, a young man was caught on camera jumping on a car that was approaching him and stomping on the vehicle’s windshield as he climbed off the car. It was later revealed that the driver of the car is a 72-year-old Grab driver.

The police have confirmed that the culprit in that case has been arrested and is waiting to be charged. A police spokesman told reporters: “On May 5 at about 3am, the police were alerted to a case of rash act at 3 Sentosa Gateway. A 26-year-old man has been arrested in relation to the case and he will be charged in court on May 7, 2018.”

https://theindependent.sg.sg/daughter-of-72-year-old-grab-driver-pleads-for-information-on-man-who-jumped-on-her-fathers-car-and-stomped-on-his-windshield-for-no-reason/

Red

Blue

Be creative, and use the available tools to your advantage

1. Thou shalt know thyself

2. Thou shalt know thy audience

3. Thou shalt not make thy website crappy

4. Thou shalt not ignore smartphones and tablets

5. Thou shalt seek the power of search marketing

6. Thou shalt not steal content or create shitty content

7. Thou shalt respect social media

8. Thou shalt set up conversion funnels

9. Thou shalt monitor thy results

10. Thou shalt quit fooling around, and start planning, learning, and adapting

Nurture your customers and they will see you through explosive growth

1. Design a stellar landing page

2. Optimize your search engine ranking

3. Recommend products on the website

4. Ensure your email marketing is on point

A. Welcome series

B. Cart recovery emails

C. Re-engagement reminders

5. Construct a friendly push strategy

6. Build a PWA for your e-commerce store

7. Use blogging as a nurturing tool

8. Chat live for effective ORM

Closing thoughts

“I had a good time speaking to a number of students at the opening of Parliament yesterday, including Nicole and Samantha from ITE College West. I found them no less engaged and determined than their peers from the polytechnics and junior colleges. And that to me is key in the long-run.

“The person with the better qualifications usually finds it easier to open the door to a good future. But once you are through the door, attitude and drive and determination count for a lot more than one thinks. Any employer or SME boss will tell you that.

“So it is important to work hard to get into a course you like and pursue excellence. Those who are determined and do not settle for mediocrity will inevitably do well. Luck, opportunity, a good mentor etc. all play their part as do strong moral values.

“But don’t let anyone tell you in your youth that you are a failure and cannot make it – regardless whether you are in a polytechnic, junior college or ITE. Attitude and resilience counts. And I saw it in abundance yesterday. Good luck and best wishes!”

“…there are more things in life. When you look for employment, and you don’t know what’s going on, you can’t anticipate or analyse, no employer will take you even if you have a GPA of 4.0.

“This is something I fear for our society – where everyone goes after the same thing, the same yardstick, and we end up in what sociologists call a ‘prisoner’s dilemma’. That’s what scares me.”

“My family and about ten other families have engaged this company for our home renovation and money has been fully paid.

“Delays has been going on. First, a worker met and accident, then worker mia, then worker run away with company fund, then not enough workers and etc etc.

“This morning, we received a very shocking and unexpected message from the owner, saying there’s “very serious financial complication”

“We would like to know if there is anymore victims by the same company so that we can atleast fight for this case together to get back our money.”

Savills Singapore, a leading real estate service provider, has noted that while the decline in the number of office rentals indicates a healthy market, the increasing rental prices are slowing down the market.

The reserve price for the freehold property off Balestier Road is S$143.8 million and that translates to a land rate of $1,180 psf ppr, inclusive of a development charge of approximately S$958,000. The tender for Kemaman Point will close on 12 June 2018, Tuesday at 3.00 pm.

Most importantly, as Kemaman Point is a freehold property off Balestier Road, buyers will pay a premium for it because they can be pass it down to several generations. They can also rent out such a property and get good returns on their investment.

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Business

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