Shrimp at Japanese Burger place, MOS Burger
Teh Si at a traditional Singaporean breakfast cafe
Bread with kaya and butter at a traditional Singaporean breakfast place
Asian soft drinks at 7-eleven
Mee Goreng (fried noodles)
Various feast items! Fried rice, satay, kang kong, baby gai lan, sambal sting ray, cereal prawns, turnip cake omlette, sugar cane juice.

We’re having a great time so far. We’re starting our days by going to the gym followed by breakfast and then working until lunch. After lunch it’s back to work until dinner and then some exploring and debriefing.

We’ve been really using our networking skills to try to increase the response rate to our survey and to learn more about environmental CSR in Singapore. As such we’ve established contact already in-person with the Singapore Hotel’s Association, and are in e-mail contact with face-to-face meetings scheduled with Contact Singapore (our project supporter), the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Singapore Compact. All of our contacts have been invaluable thus far.

Some things I’ve learned so far in Singapore:

1. Use of Aunty/Uncle as a respectful term for persons who help you (ie. taxi drivers, hotel attendants etc) eg. Thank you Aunty

2. Cars have right of way as opposed to pedestrians when one is crossing the road

3. Durian (the fruit) is banned in many hotels due to the smell. There is actually a no durian sign in our hotel elevator

4. The MRT (subway system) is very civilized and may have some lessons for Vancouver. See the photo below for instructions as to where to stand while waiting for the train and what space to leave for passengers to exit. The full wall there is glass with doors that open when the train arrives.

Some photos:

MRT – guidelines as to where to wait versus disembarking

By the river – you can see the Marina Bay Sands in the background.

Eva, Peter and Kathleen with Eva’s high school friend Eugene

After our first night at the new hotel, Hotel Bencoolen, the three of us worked out at the hotel gym. The gym was a covered but outdoor gym, and so we were all sweating PROFUSELY! Luckily there was a small pool next to the gym so we were able to cool down afterwards.

After an energizing exercise session, we headed to a meeting with the Singapore Hotel Association. The meeting was incredibly helpful; two representatives gave us advice on our survey questions, answered questions about sustainability in Singapore and in the hospitality industry, as well as gave advice on how to increase our response rate. Overall, it was a very successful meeting, and we headed back to our hotel to work on some follow up emails and calls.

Soon we will be going out for dinner with one of my high school friends for some authentic Singaporean food!

After a fifteen hour flight, a run through Hong Kong airport, a suspected loss of the aforementioned guitar and a three hour flight we got here.

In the HK airport after a 15 hour plane ride

Last night we stayed at Klapsons The Boutique Hotel. The hotel is amazing, very design-y. The bathroom actually has a light colour changer for in the shower – so you can switch the colour to any colour of the rainbow.

We got up early this morning, about 6:30AM with the intention of re-setting our internal clocks (Singapore is 15 hours ahead of Vancouver) and combatting jet-lag. Today is a national holiday in Singapore, so many nationals are on vacation. As a result there is not too much work we can do today though we were successful in setting up a few meetings.

After a delicious breakfast at the hotel and some administrative work we headed out into the city – walking through Chinatown, along the river and through a park. It is 30 degrees here today and a bit grey though we’ve had some periods of sun. As a result our walk felt much longer than it would in Vancouver.

Today we’re moving to our home for the next twenty days – the Hotel Bencoolen. More later!

(Left to right) Kathleen Williams, Peter Konefal, Eva Tidlund and Connie Chang with the team’s faculty adviser, David Hannah

A team of four MBA students from Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business has developed a project plan that has not only garnered top billing in a prestigious international competition – it could leave a lasting environmental impact on the dynamic Asian economy of Singapore.

SFU graduate business students Kathleen Williams, Peter Konefal, Eva Tidlund and Connie Chang were selected from a global field in the Graduate School Projects@Singapore competition. The team’s faculty adviser is David Hannah, Academic Director of the MBA program.

Their project proposal, which has now been accepted by Contact Singapore, an alliance of the Singapore Economic Development Board and Ministry of Manpower, is focused on integrating corporate social responsibility (CSR) and environmental standards in Singapore’s booming hotel industry. This is the first time a Canada-based team has been selected in the program.

“Connie, Eva, Kathleen, and Peter took the initiative to enter this competition, and they wrote a winning proposal while carrying a full course load in our full-time MBA program,” said Hannah. “We want our graduates to be great thinkers and communicators, and to be motivated to solve challenging problems. Needless to say, these students exemplify these qualities, and we’re very proud of them.”

The students will travel to Singapore this September to meet with stakeholder groups from government and industry, and to conduct field interviews and research. Stephanie Bertels, Assistant Professor at the Beedie School of Business, will provide guidance for their research. The team’s findings will be presented to Singapore government officials later that month.

They note that the Singaporean hotel industry was selected as a focus in their project because of its economic prominence, making up a significant four percent of the nation’s annual gross domestic product. “Hotels have the potential to be influential corporate hosts to international business and leisure travelers,” they argued. “Positive environmental practices… are noticed by hotel guests, and in turn have the potential for wide-reaching effects such as setting new industry expectations.”

The Graduate School Projects@Singapore program offers graduate students from all disciplines globally the opportunity to create a project that could impact the Singapore economy.

Using the vibrant Southeast Asia city-state as a focal point for study, participants demonstrate their knowledge of industry sectors and businesses in Singapore, by translating them into insightful research findings, creative ideas or products. Projects may cover any of the key growth industry sectors in Singapore, such as biotechnology, clean energy, tourism, finance, oil and gas, and electronics.

The San Antonio Terminal International Port

After an amazing two weeks in South America, followed by a week of intense dodgeball competition, it’s time for a quick recap of our trip.

The final few days in Santiago were spent doing some site visits at local businesses including one of the major ports – the San Antonio Terminal International. Because of Chile’s geography, most goods are shipped in to the country and then transported by train or truck to other areas, making the ports a crucial piece of the economy. The San Antonio port is privately run, with a public port adjacent to it and a competing port in Valparaiso to the north. Interestingly, the company has implemented a system whereby trucks waiting for cargo are guaranteed turnaround times of 60 minutes or less otherwise the port will compensate them financially. Once a truck has been on site for 30 minutes, they are placed in the red zone and are closely monitored so that the 1 hour deadline can be met. This provides San Antonio with a competitive advantage over other ports where trucks may be waiting for hours to have their cargo loaded, without compensation.

Another business we visited on site was Colgate. We heard from their General Manager about the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Chile, particularly within the confines of a company who prides itself on product consistency across many different markets. As with other businesses, supply-chain sentiments were echoed here since the company does not have production facilities in the region.  Nonetheless, Colgate has a strong presence in Chile and in recent years has moved to become the market leader in oral health care.

Our final day in Chile was spent at an eco lodge at the foothills of the Andes where we had the option of horseback riding, rafting or trekking. We then reconvened for a last group dinner before heading our separate ways the following morning. Eleven of us chose to stay in South America for an additional week and had a fantastic time seeing the sights in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Overall, the trip was a great learning experience for us and provided insights to doing business in an emerging market that we could not have duplicated in the classroom.