The robots are coming. Indeed, in many cases, they are already here — tech-enabled automation has taken over many manual, routine tasks across industries including accounting, and that will continue to happen at an accelerating rate.

Investing in real estate has long been viewed as a safe bet, particularly in the growth regions of Asia. However, the disruptions caused by Covid-19 have seriously scuffed the property sector’s once-bulletproof sheen. The decline of brick-and-mortar retail space seems to have accelerated, as stores struggle to stay afloat during global lockdowns. Many offices remain under-utilised as work-from-home protocols persist. All over the world, uncertainty prevails over the prospects for commercial real estate.

The effects of COVID-19 have rippled through the social fabric of communities the world over. Businesses and investments, in particular, have been shaken by the economic uncertainty that arose from the pandemic, with several industries transformed by the exceptional events of the past year.

With dine-in capacities slashed due to social distancing measures and national borders worldwide closed to control the spread of Covid-19, there is no doubt that the food & beverage and tourism sectors are two of the industries hardest hit by the pandemic.

Exposure to real-world problems, understanding different perspectives in decision-making, and learning how to communicate effectively through robust discussions — these are the key strengths of the case method, a longstanding staple of business education. SMU’s Centre for Management Practice (CMP) adds another value proposition to the mix — its cases offer an in-depth knowledge of organisations and business leaders operating in Asia.

Research Projects by SMU School of Social Sciences undergraduates clinch five awards SMU School of Social Sciences (SOSS) students were honoured with five titles at the Student Research Awards (SRA) 2020, which was held online during the pandemic. The awards were clinched by three undergraduates — Nadyanna Binte Mohamed Majeed; Ng Hok Shan, Matthew; and Verity Lua Yu Qing — who submitted their research in the field of Psychology.

SMU Vision 2025 was first unveiled in 2014 and now enters its second phase. In her second annual State of the University Address on 4 September 2020, SMU President Professor Lily Kong reiterated the vision for SMU — becoming a world-renowned global city university, tackling the world’s complexities, and impacting humanity positively.

SMU has set digital transformation, sustainable living, and growth in Asia as the three priority areas for the university’s next phase of growth. These priorities will guide the development of SMU’s strategies for realising SMU Vision 2025. Among these strategies are: a continued focus on transformative education and cutting-edge research.

The climate crisis grows more urgent by the second. By some expert accounts, we only have about a decade to halt the irreversible damage caused by climate change.

As some school and university campuses worldwide begin to re-open, now-familiar precautionary measures such as temperature-taking, hand-sanitising and social distancing have made their way into classrooms and lecture halls. There is also a range of technologies being deployed or proposed to help manage the COVID-19 threat in institutions of learning.