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Course Synopsis

Singapore, the Island Nation: An Overview

Speaker: Dr. Chan Soon Keng

 

1. Brief Introduction: history and geography

2. The Peoples of Singapore

3. Culture and Subcultures

4. Educational System

5. Housing

6. Transportation

7. Economy

8. Summary

 

Climate Change and its impact on Sustainability

Speaker: Dr Adam D. Switzer

 

This session will discuss natural hazards and their impact on sustainability and development of the coasts in Asia, and will answer the question “Why is Asia particularly vulnerable to climate change?”

 

Sustainable Environmental Management

Speaker: Dr Wang Jing Yuan

 

The speaker will share with the participants Singapore's enviromental management including the natural environment and environmental management, e.g., water and wastewater treatment, air emission control, and solid waste management. The speaker will also share with the participants various environmental management case studies.

 

Sustainability Leadership

Speaker: Ms Quek, Eliza

 

This session will explore the rationale, need, values and competencies needed for leaders to demonstrate sustainability.

 

At the end of the session, participants will be able to :

 

·           Define Sustainable Leadership, differentiate it from other Leadership models

·           Map the values, competencies, need and rationale for Sustainable Leadership

·           Be inspired through reviewing examples of current issues and challenges facing the world population to demonstrate Sustainable Leadership mind-set

·           Develop strategies to advocate and role model Sustainable Leadership

Outline

·           Experiential exercise: What are the challenges and issues facing the world and us in the 21st century?

·           Why Sustainable Leadership matters, what it is?

·           How is SL differentiated from other Leadership models?

·           Exploring values and competencies

·           Sustainability Leadership begins with ME - what I can do differently to advocate and demonstrate Sustainability leadership.

·           Action planning to overcome obstacles to change.

 

Economic Sustainability

Speaker: Dr Sng Hui Ying

 

The five basic needs of all citizens are: employment (E), housing (H), healthcare (H), education for their children (E) and adequate retirement financing (R). However, the provision of these five basic needs (EHHER) by governments has led to persistent budget deficits, mounting public debts and worsening international competitiveness in many developed and developing countries. Greece is one such example. This is clearly economically unsustainable.

 

In the case of Singapore, our unique institutional arrangements and constitutional fiscal handcuffs has help to ensure that the five basic needs can be met without government running a budget deficit. The purpose of this session is thus to explore and understand the Singapore’s brand of fiscal sustainability.

 

 

Creativity and Innovation

Speaker: Associate Professor Stephen Lee

 

In today’s fast-paced, constantly evolving world, the three Rs of education – Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic – are inadequate to prepare youngsters for the future. They need to be educated in cReativity as well.

 

This short session introduces participants to the notion of creativity and its characteristics, what fosters and what hinders creativity, the difference between, “invention and “innovation; examples of innovators and innovations that have changed the lives of many.

 

Entrepreneurship and Innovation:

When East meets West

Speaker: Mr Francis Tay

 

Entrepreneurship and innovation goes hand in hand like a horse and carriage. However, the road to being an entrepreneur is not an easy one. Besides having the right characteristics, the necessary environment must also be there to encourage individuals to become entrepreneurs. Innovation, just like entrepreneurship, is not something that can be simply turned on when called upon. Innovation begins with a process that calls for individuals to be creative. Creativity however, is not necessarily something innate in all individuals. Research in the area of entrepreneurship indicates that entrepreneurs are not

born and can be made. Entrepreneurs essentially start businesses to take advantage of opportunities and innovate in order to continue being successful. Thus, the potential for anyone to be an entrepreneur is there, however, only a few will take this route as a career. Why is this so? Can we train someone to be innovative? Can we turn the man on the street into an entrepreneur?

 

This session will look at the characteristics of an entrepreneur and the reasons why one would choose to be an entrepreneur. This session will also look at innovation from an “East vs West” perspective, e.g. how could would be entrepreneurs find innovative ideas from trends observed in the West and vice-versa in the East? For example, how can we see opportunities from demographic, technological and economic changes? How can a small country like Singapore potentially be the centre for innovation?

Photo provided by Singapore Tourism Board