From online marketplace behemoths like Amazon, Taobao, Shopee and Lazada, to digitally native, direct-to-consumer brands, e-commerce is a thriving, rapidly burgeoning sector. The exponential growth of online retail has been further fuelled by the pandemic: According to findings from the IBM US Retail Index, Covid-19 has accelerated the move from physical stores to online platforms by about five years.

Sustainable, responsible, and impact (SRI) investing is on the rise. But with SRI investing called out as “marketing hype” by sceptics like Mr Tariq Fancy, the former chief investment officer for sustainable investing at BlackRock Inc, the importance of measuring and assessing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) impact on investment is more pertinent now than ever before. 

Covid-19 has touched multiple aspects of daily living and interactions. How can design research, design thinking, and user design help us navigate the many unprecedented challenges we’re faced with in this new normal? Co-organised by the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and the SMU Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, The Singapore Creator Awards 2021 webinar — Decoding User Designs in the New Normal, explored these issues, and more, earlier this year.

Wander through a housing estate in Singapore, even in the midst of pandemic restriction measures, and chances are you would find groups of elderly residents mingling at void decks, pavilions, gardens and playgrounds. Loneliness is a feeling experienced by millions across the globe during lockdowns and social distancing initiatives.

The stats on plastic waste is nothing short of staggering: In Singapore alone, about 900 million kilogrammes of plastic waste is discarded every year, with just four per cent of it recycled.

The Covid-19 pandemic has devastated countries and individuals around the world. Lives were lost, plans were put on hold, milestones were celebrated in isolation, and a shared sense of loneliness and despair has rippled across the globe. But, as much as we have taken to social media to lament our circumstances — and share our Circuit Breaker baking accomplishments, we have most certainly not suffered equally as a community.

Influencer marketing has been a leading marketing method of choice for consumer brands in recent years. But has the strategy reached its peak?

Blockchain technology has been, in recent years, hailed as a breakthrough disruptor, poised to drive innovation in virtually every industry ranging from legacy organisations to game-changing start-ups in the new digital economy. This revolutionary technology stems from the ability of blockchain to act as a decentralised distributed ledger. It promises more secure, real-time transactions and record-keeping, making it harder for important data to be manipulated or falsified.

From the closure of workplace premises during the Circuit Breaker and adoption of work-from-home and split teams arrangements in 2020, to 75 per cent of employees returning to the workplace in April 2021, before reverting to working from home as a default arrangement just over a month later, it’s been a rollercoaster ride for organisations and employees during the pandemic.

University campuses — with their sprawling lawns that serve as a heartbeat of a vibrant student body; award-winning architectural monoliths; and cosy seminar rooms that encourage lively debate — are traditionally thought of as physical epicentres for inspiring discovery and thought. Covid-19, however, has transformed higher education the world over, triggering a need to pivot existing institutions, and for educators to delve deep into newer, and sometimes better ways of delivering learning outcomes.