50 Years of Singapore-Europe Relations: Celebrating Singapore's Connections with Europe
Lay Hwee Yeo & Barnard Turner (eds.)
Singapore: World Scientific, 2015
ISBN: 9789814675567

As Singapore enters its 50th year of independence, it is a good time to reflect on its past as well as look to the future. 50 Years of Singapore-Europe Relations: Celebrating Singapore's Connections with Europe is one such contribution to the wide collection of books commemorating Singapore's 50th birthday. The essays and articles in this edited volume capture historical moments, reveal the heartfelt wishes and thoughtful comments of Europeans who have made Singapore their home, chronicle some of the long-standing partnerships and ponder the future challenges of Singapore.

This unique book contains a wide range of essays and articles reflecting on the strong connections that Singapore enjoys with Europe, not only at the official level, but also through the contributions that Europeans and European companies have made -- and continue to make -- which enrich Singaporean society. These essays provide a kaleidoscope of views on Singapore -- they explore how close ties and partnerships are forged between nations, how businesses see Singapore as a trustworthy partner and place to invest and establish roots, and, at a more personal level, the articles also present different perspectives on the strengths, and at times, the weaknesses of Singapore as viewed through the eyes of Europeans who live and work in Singapore and consider it as their home.

In commemorating Singapore's 50th birthday, this book will add to the understanding of the richness and diversity of Singapore society, and help readers appreciate and reflect on how openness and connectivity have contributed to the success of Singapore in its first 50 years.

Intraco: Blazing a Trail Overseas for Singapore?
Faizal Bin Yahya
Singapore: World Scientific, 2014
ISBN: 9789814623865

Through the lens of the now-defunct Singapore government-linked company (GLC) called International Trading Company (INTRACO), this book offers a historical analysis of the country's economic development strategy. Since its Independence in 1965, GLCs like INTRACO were introduced by the former Deputy Prime Minister, the late Dr Goh Keng Swee, a pioneer of Singapore's remarkable transformation from Third World to First, to fulfil strategic economic objectives. As the country's "lifeblood" has been entreport trade, INTRACO was created to "blaze a trail overseas" by facilitating commercial ties behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. The eventual divestment of INTRACO highlights the same way in which the Singaporean state is acutely responsive to changing global economic and geopolitical trends. This book is useful to academics, students, and the interested lay reader for its insights into the role of the state in economic development in post-colonial countries.

Mr SIA: Fly Past
Ken Hickson
Singapore: World Scientific, 2014
ISBN: 9789814596442

Introducing the life and times of a legend in international aviation -- Lim Chin Beng -- the man they called Mr SIA.

Absorbing the life and work of Lim Chin Beng is like watching a fly past of airlines and aircraft old and new. In this book, his past comes to meet you in many forms -- designs, shapes, figures, photographs, episodes, places, people and you discover the connections with business, society and international aviation today and into the future. Here's a man who was instrumental in taking the very basic components of a business -- like a potter taking the clay -- and creating what has become one of the world's leading brands, Singapore Airlines. But this airline "specialist", trained as an economist, had more jobs to do. His broad range of interests -- arts and sports, property and tourism -- led to him being called on to do his "national service" for Singapore. He was Ambassador to Japan for two terms and trade negotiator, chairman of the Singapore Tourism Board, Changi Airport International, Singapore Airshow, Singapore Press Holdings, Ascott Group, and ST Aerospace. Described as a quiet achiever and a visionary, this modest gentleman was not afraid to make bold decisions and take risks, even to the extent of setting up a budget airline, Valuair. Here was one man, who in his time, played many parts, on the world's stage and at home

One More Chance: The Story of Benny Se Teo From Heroin Addict to Restaurant Boss
Colin Cheong
Singapore: Armour Press, 2014
ISBN: 9789814597425

By the time he was in Primary 5, Benny Se Teo was packing opium and running the packets to his father’s opium den in Chinatown. At 15, Benny had his first puff of pot, then one night, he bought a straw of heroin and his troubles truly began.

In jail after his umpteenth arrest, he began to bleed in his stomach and had to be rushed to hospital. In those hours, he remembered the Saviour he had accepted in 1980 at the first halfway house he had been sent to. And he remembered the pain he had caused his family - especially his mother. He decided to get clean and stay clean.

This is Benny’s story - of how his faith and the faith his friends placed in him, turned him from a hard-core heroin addict into a restaurant boss. But it is more than a story of a wasted youth - it is also a primer for young people who have the idealism and drive to start businesses that can help society and make the world a kinder place.

Tan Siak Kew: Going Against the Grain
Fiona Tan
Singapore: World Scientific, 2014
ISBN: 9789814603072

"A scholar by inclination, a businessman by necessity, a diplomat by duty" - — those were the words chosen by a reporter in 1966 to describe Mr Tan Siak Kew. This description still remains relevant today, encompassing the multi-varied nature of Mr Tan's public life, who was a fervent supporter of education, President of the Chinese Chambers of Commerce for multiple terms, Singapore's first ambassador to Thailand, nominated member of the Legislative Assembly, community leader of the Teochew community and notable philanthropist of his time.

Despite his many contributions to Singapore, it is surprising that there has been so little secondary literature written of this trader who defies attempts at stereotyping.

Effectively bilingual, but still conscious of his responsibility to his community and the new nation which was about to be born, Tan was able to bridge between the Chinese-speaking and English-speaking community with his tact and non-partisan political stance.

Tan Siak Kew: Going Against The Grain is a timely biographical sketch which fill this historical lacuna, and tells the story of his public life through historical records, contemporaneous literature, and discussions with his contemporaries.

Singapore National Wages Council: An Insider's View
Lim Chong Yah
Singapore: World Scientific, 2014
ISBN: 9789814525749

Written by Emeritus Professor Lim Chong-Yah, founding chairman of the tripartite National Wages Council (NWC), this unique volume offers readers an insider's view of the genesis and the evolution of the wage determination mechanism and system in Singapore under the aegis of the NWC. As a tripartite body dealing with wages, wage policies and wage-related matters and promoting Growth with Equity, the NWC played a critical role in transforming industrial relations in Singapore from the then confrontational approach to that of mutual understanding, esprit de corps and social co-partnership. Drawing from his 30-year experience as NWC Chairman (1972–2001), Singapore's eminent economics professor shares with readers the important process and problems of seeking equitable wage increases through tripartite consensus based on a yearly national wage guideline system. The book also chronicles the role of the NWC in crisis management in 1974, 1985 and 1998, and in economic restructuring, 1979–1981. The structure and operation of this unique Singapore institution and the interesting problems of securing unanimity of support from the three tripartite partners are revealed in the book. Some important NWC personalities and their concerns and unique contributions are interestingly covered, anecdotally.

The Leader, the Teacher and You: Leadership Through the Third Generation
Lim Siong Guan & Joanne H. Lim
London: Imperial College Press, 2013
ISBN: 9781783263776

Former Head of the Singapore Civil Service Mr Lim Siong Guan now shares his diverse experiences and fresh insights on leadership in his exclusive new book, The Leader, The Teacher & You. As a former Permanent Secretary in ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of Finance, and former chairman of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore and the Singapore Economic Development Board, the indefatigable public servant has contributed greatly to Singapore's success, introducing innovative policies and practices at each turn, which have greatly enhanced drive and performance across the board. Most notably, he is known for his pursuit of excellence, especially in spearheading the Public Service for the 21st Century (PS21) movement, to develop organizational excellence. From Singapore's early years of government to its emergence as a prosperous metropolis, Lim has served the nation tirelessly through the years.

In The Leader, The Teacher & You, Lim puts forth a fresh take on the notion of leadership as other-centered, with the focus on enabling others to be the best they can be. This noble vision of leadership is elaborated and built upon through the sharing of his experiences, in particular the memorable lessons and deep-seated convictions he has had while serving under Mr Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's first Prime Minister, and Dr Goh Keng Swee, Singapore's First Deputy Prime Minister. Different types of leadership, such as personal and position leadership are touched upon as the author encourages leaders to take an active role in empowering those they lead and spurring them on to excellence. Coming from a man who has helmed many distinguished organizations, Mr Lim's insights on core values essential for organizational excellence are also not to be missed. The book offers practical and down-to-earth advice for leaders in all walks of life. For leaders who genuinely care for the people they lead and hope to make a difference in their lives, this book will be a crucial guide.

Government in Business: Friend or Foe?: Finding Entry & Exit Points
Lim Hwee Hua
Singapore: Straits Times Press, 2013
ISBN: 9789814342414

Government in Business: Friend or Foe? sets out the arguments for and against government involvement in business, a topic for debate that arises whenever there is an economic storm.

Former Member of Singapore’s Parliament and top civil servant Lim Hwee Hua has used her active role in this perennial issue to show just how complex the arguments can be.

She answers a list of recurring questions, dealing with the why, when, what and wherefore which public officials, managers of state-owned enterprises and businessmen will find useful when formulating policies, or in their dealings with one another.

The numerous examples she cites from all over the world, of governments’ dreams and nightmares, illustrate factors peculiar to particular situations, but all raise degees of risk best resolved with honesty, particularly with regard to who benefits the most from a decision to get in or out. As Lim explains, the answer can sometimes come as a shock.

Not for Sale: Singapore's Remaining Street Food Vendors
Sinma DaShow
Singapore: Good Food Syndicate, 2013
ISBN: 9789810765699

Not For Sale: Singapore's Remaining Heritage Street Food Vendors is a landmark project to preserve our longest-serving food heritage – hawker street food culture.

Sinma DaShow and his documentary team began documenting Singapore's remaining street food vendor hawker centre by hawker centre in 2010. 900 days, over a hundred hawker centres and thousands of hours of interviews, recording and transcription later, Not For Sale is the most complete and ambitious documentation of Singapore's street food vendors ever archived.

The first chapter opens with a dark tone, looking at the hawkers who would be retiring without an heir apparent and the threats of extinction that faces the trade. And as always in the midst of such changing times and challenges, there are also reasons for hope in the guardian angels who willingly chose to watch over their family trade and craft.

The pictorial documentation of black and white photos closes with the most inspiring ending by unveiling the unsung superheroes of the trade, those who are among the most elderly yet still actively involved in their craft. Most have faced war and lack, often in hunger but with a heart full of love, when surrounded by hopelessness they find a reason to give hope to others, and in the face of fear how they stood fearless to life's challenges.

This book is a tribute to all our dear uncles and aunties who have tirelessly served multiple generations of food-loving Singaporeans.

Knowledge Management Initiatives in Singapore
Margaret Tan & Madanmohan Rao
Singapore: World Scientific, 2013
ISBN: 9789814467803

Knowledge Management Initiatives in Singapore is the first book that provides descriptive analyses of the award-winning knowledge management initiatives undertaken by the public sector organisations in Singapore. It features 12 organisations honoured for their outstanding efforts to understand and implement knowledge management, not only to enhance tactical efficiency and effectiveness but also to plan for strategic opportunities in the dynamic environment.

Based on these successful case studies, the book provides a comprehensive overview and approach for organisations to understand how to plan and execute their knowledge management journeys. This includes analysing the rationale, thereby calibrating specific knowledge management plans and roles; identifying resources for knowledge management implementation (such as people, process and technology); and evaluating the outcomes and future paths.

This book will be invaluable to managers, knowledge management practitioners and graduate students in the field, offering deep actionable insights on the implementation of knowledge management projects and providing a balanced perspective of organisational knowledge management encompassing both theory and pragmatism.

Building People: Sunday Emails From a CEO (Volume 3)
Liew Mun Leong
Singapore: John Wiley, 2013
ISBN: 9781118469422

This title offers valuable insights into the life and philosophy of one of Asia's keenest and most effective business minds. Tagged by CNN as one of the twenty-five most powerful businesspeople in Asia, Liew Mun Leong, President and CEO of the Singapore-based real estate empire, CapitaLand, rose from very humble beginnings to become one of the world's wealthiest people.

Since joining the company Liew has been communicating regularly and frankly with his staff in various ways, including emails. Like the previous two volumes in his internationally acclaimed Building People: Sunday Emails from a CEO, this compilation offers fascinating and instructive insights into Liew Mun Leong's inimitable character and his management philosophy.

It delivers powerful lessons on leadership, communication, strategy, decision-making, application vs. theory, motivating people and much more. It offers fascinating glimpses into the life of a visionary leader, including his many interesting work experiences and challenges. For easy reference, the communiques are gathered under the four main categories of competition, people, corporate culture and strategy.

Sam Leong: Defining a Cultural Icon
Sam Leong & Stephen Lee
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2013
ISBN: 9789814398220

Sam Leong is one of the most forward-thinking, talked about, celebrated and controversial chefs of his generation. This entertaining and often amusing account of Sam's life and career examines his rise from troubled childhood to Modern Chinese culinary maestro and famed celebrity chef. Sam's innovations and achievements are viewed through the lens of local and international gastronomy, in order to better understand his place in Singapore's haute cuisine landscape.

Filled with fascinating insights, this biography of one man's amazing journey through food and cooking will engage not only epicureans, but anyone interested in the extraordinary culinary revolution unfolding today.

Tan Kah-Kee: The Making of an Overseas Chinese Legend (revised ed.)
Ching Fatt Yong
Singapore: World Scientific, 2013
ISBN: 9789814447898

This is an in-depth study of one of the most important and prominent Hua-ch'iao (Overseas Chinese) of twentieth-century Southeast Asia and China - Tan Kah-Kee (1874-1961). For a Chinese immigrant in Southeast Asia to make good is not unique, but what is unique in Tan Kah-Kee's case is his enormous contribution to employment and economic development in Singapore and Malaya. He was the only Chinese in history to have single-handedly founded a private university in Amoy and financially maintained it for sixteen years. He was the only Hua-ch'iao of his generation to have led the Chinese in Southeast Asia to help China to resist the Japanese invasion in a concerted and coordinated manner. Moreover, he was the only Hua-ch'iao leader to have played both Singapore and China politics and affairs in close quarters, rubbing shoulders with British governors, Chinese officials and commanders. Finally, it is important to point out that Tan Kah-Kee was the only Hua-ch'iao in his time to have combined his community and political power and influences for the advancement of community, regional and national goals.

This revised edition sets the scene by providing a historical background of China where he was born and Singapore where he prospered under colonial rule. It then goes on to analyse his entrepreneurship, his community and power bases, his educational investment as a strategy for nation-building, his non-partisan leadership in China politics, his contribution to the defence of Singapore in 1941 and 1942, his support for Mao Tse-Tung in the Chinese Civil War (1946-49) and his personal participation in China's nation-building programs (1950-61). While the book closely covers his career in Singapore and his final exit to China in 1950, it highlights his roots in Singapore and his numerous contributions to his adopted land in the fields of business empire building, education, philanthropy, community services, and political leadership and power. He left behind worthy legacies, some of which, such as education and "the Spirit of Tan Kah-Kee" are still being felt in Singapore and in his home province, Fukien.

Changing Lanes, Changing Lives: How Leaders Made a Meaningful Career Switch From Corporates to Non-Profits
Richard Hartung
Singapore: Candid Creation, 2013
ISBN: 9789810742553

Are you a senior corporate executive who wants to make a leap to the non-profit world? What are the risks and rewards? This book spells it out by recounting the journeys of a baker's dozen of corporate high-fliers who have made this transition and more than thrived. Their stories tell what non-profit leaders actually do, what they had to consider in making the decision about whether to change jobs, what they learnt after shifting from a corporate to a non-profit, and their advice for anyone considering a similar move.

Changing Lanes, Changing Lives is the first-ever collection of stories about corporate leaders who have transitioned to become successful non-profit champions. The book tells the inspiring stories of the following non-profit leaders:

• Alfred Tan (Singapore Children’s Society) 
• Colin Goh (The Old Parliament House) 
• Corinna Lim (AWARE) 
• Tim Oei (AWWA) 
• Veronica Gamez (aidha) 
• Yap Su-Yin (Tan Chin Tuan Foundation) 
• Chan Wah Tiong (All Saints Home) 
• Junko Yoda (Community Linked) 
• Foo Pek Hong (Kidney Dialysis Foundation) 
• Debbie Seah (Make-A-Wish Foundation) 
• William Wan (Singapore Kindness Movement) 
• Jose Raymond (Singapore Environment Council) 
• Martina Wong (School Pocket Money Fund)

Inside Out: Conversations About Leadership and Innovation in a New Global Economy
So-Young Kang
Singapore: Awaken Group, 2012
ISBN: 9789810744823

Every leader is on a unique journey. Every person has their own story. Too often, people look at leaders and focus on their accomplishments and successes. Inside Out takes a look into what they were like before they became leaders. Who are they as a person? What was their journey like for them? What are their passions outside of work?

Inside Out is about what leaders really care about - including what drives them, what their fears are, and what they feel are required to succeed in the changing global landscape. The book takes a look at the more 'human' side of leadership, gaining a glimpse into each person's personal journey.

In the book, 12 business and government leaders, many of whom have made significant contributions to Singapore’s society and beyond, offer insights into the country's unique voice around global leadership and innovation.

Once Upon a Tang
Singapore: TANGS, 2012
ISBN: 9789810720742

Once Upon a Tang archives the milestones of C.K. TANG through the past 80 years. This journey started with two old trunks filled with quality linen and lace that Mr CK Tang himself carried from Swatow to Singapore to peddle. Decades on, TANGS has endured challenges that each era presented, continually evolving to new levels of retail consciousness.

The Last Great Strike: The Untold Story of the Strike That Closed The Straits Times
Clement Mesenas
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2012
ISBN: 9789814398312

Veteran journalist Clement Mesenas looks back on eight eventful days in 1971 when a group of young reporters staged a historic strike that shut down The Straits Times, a company that had the proud tradition of never being off the streets in its 120 years of existence, not even during the Japanese occupation of Singapore.

Singapore's Lost Son: How I Made It From Dropout to Millionaire Princeton PhD
Kaiwen Leong
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2012
ISBN: 9789814382687

This is the true story of a boy with a simple dream -- to become a man. But he fell and became a dropout of school, friends, life, himself. But with the helping hand of a teacher, he turned his life around, found friends and love, and fulfilled his dream. This is the story of how that boy went from dropout to millionaire Princeton PhD. Expelled from four junior colleges (he was labelled ‘subnormal’ and not academically inclined), Kaiwen Leong sat for the A level examinations as a private candidate while experimenting with Internet websites to try his hand at entrepreneurship. He studied hard and did well enough to be admitted to Boston University in the US where he graduated with two bachelors and two masters degrees in economics and mathematics in four years. And then he went on to obtain postgraduate degrees at Princeton University. He is a member of America’s most prestigious academic societies and has published research papers on economics, mathematics and physics. Today he lectures at Nanyang Techonological University and is an economist at Spring Singapore. Find out how Dr Leong picked up his life.

Why Not?: The Story of Courts
Terry O'Connor
Singapore: Marshall Cavendish, 2012
ISBN: 9789814328722

Why Not? tells the story of Terry O'Connor and how he brought a household name to Singapore. The book gives a fascinating insight into the history of Courts (a general goods store set up in Canterbury, England in 1850), its subsequent expansion into Southeast Asia, and its transformation from a furniture retailer to a purveyor of electronic goods. Along the way, the author relates his personal journey (from trainee buyer in an electronics store in the UK to CEO of Courts Asia) and gives thoughtful insights into doing business in Singapore.

Prime: Pride of Passage: The Story of Ocean Financial Centre
K.K. Seet
Singapore: Keppel Land Limited, 2011
ISBN: 9789812481894

Every building tells a story or two. Few, however, can do it from the vantage of a hundred and fifty years.

The Ocean Financial Centre is a history-making landmark. It has had three incarnations: the 1864, 1923 and 1974 Ocean Building, the latter two designed by Swan & Maclaren. Now, at the very same confluence of Raffles Place and the new business and financial district at Marina Bay, stands the 21st century development designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli.

The narrative begins at the present building, then retraces its steps to the previous three incarnations. Throughout, Dr KK Seet reinforces the notion that Ocean Building has remained prime with each incarnation. Highlighting the architectural features and the position of the building within the business, cultural and geographical landscape, he lets its tenants through the ages, from 1864 to 2011, relate how each edifice, in its own time, contributed to Singapore's skyline and commercial hub.