Productivity in Singapore’s Retail and Food Services Sectors: Contemporary Issues

Length: 268 pages
Edition: 1
Language: English
Publisher: WSPC
Publication Date: 2016-12-02
ISBN-10: 9813142405
ISBN-13: 9789813142404
Sales Rank: #0 (See Top 100 Books)

The Retail and Food Services sectors play an important role in Singapore. They add to the vibrancy of the economy and contribute to the social well-being of Singaporeans. At the same time, they are often highlighted and scrutinised for their low productivity performance and high reliance on manpower. There is to date a lack of local literature that addresses the issues faced by the two sectors at the enterprise and worker levels.

This timely book includes major topics in services productivity in the Singapore context, with emphasis on Retail and Food Services. Topics covered include the key productivity levers of the services sectors: holistic productivity measurement framework, effective entrepreneurship, manpower management, promotion by social media, marketing, costing process and accounting sophistication. These areas are explored through literature reviews and in-depth interviews with companies and consumers. The chapters also include recommendations for policy makers and industry stakeholders. Written in a simple and accessible manner, this book will serve as an insightful guide to researchers, policy-makers, industry practitioners and enterprises and those who are keen to learn from the Singapore experience.

Cover
Half Title
Series Information
Title Page
Copyright Page
Contents
Figures
Tables
Authors
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction
    1.1 Project background
    1.2 Objective and aims
    1.3 Philosophy
    1.4 Route-map
    References
2 Economic growth and productivity in Singapore and South East Asia
    2.1 Economic trends in South East Asia
        2.1.1 Regional macroeconomic comparison
        2.1.2 Global competitiveness comparison
        2.1.3 Global innovation comparison
        2.1.4 Future-proof production comparison
    2.2 Singapore’s growth and development strategy
        2.2.1 Background to economic success
        2.2.2 Fiscal perspectives on Singapore’s growth strategy
        2.2.3 The problem of productivity
    2.3 Singapore’s reliance on foreign labour
        2.3.1 The historical context
        2.3.2 The modern labour context and its emergent social problems
        2.3.3 The productivity policy remedy
    2.4 Conclusion
    Notes
    References
3 Research method
    3.1 Chapter aim and research questions
    3.2 Research framework
    3.3 Data collection: Phase 1
        3.3.1 Extant literature
        3.3.2 SME interviews
            a) Labour market reforms
            b) Domestic employment and attrition
            c) Training opportunities
            d) Automated production
            e) Government schemes
            f) Leadership succession
        3.3.3 Delphi study
        3.3.4 Results of Phase 1
    3.4 Data collection: Phase 2
    3.5 Conclusion
    References
4 Research findings
    4.1 Descriptive statistics
    4.2 SME driver performance
        4.2.1 Technology and capital utilisation
        4.2.2 Pay and performance management
        4.2.3 Training, development and organisational learning 
        4.2.4 Innovation culture
        4.2.4 Government policy, markets and regulation
    4.3 Estimation of composite score
        4.3.1 Method
            a) Scoring questions
            b) TFP driver score
            c) Composite TFP driver score
        4.3.2 Industry position
        4.3.3 Caveat
    Note
    References
5 Recommendations for policy and practice
    5.1 Improving technology and capital utilisation
    5.2 Improving pay and performance management
    5.3 Improving training, development (T&D) and organisational learning
    5.4 Improving innovation culture
    5.5 Improving government policy and regulation
    5.6 Improving leadership and management quality
    5.7 Conclusions
    References
6 Conclusion
    6.1 Project summary
    6.2 Limitations of the research
    6.3 Productivity portal
    6.4 Workplace of the future
        6.4.1 Drivers of change
        6.4.2 Scenarios for the future of work in Singaporean SMEs
            Techhigh
            Techhybrid
            Techchallenge
            Scenario Outcome
    6.5 Caveat
    References
Index