Singapore Airlines’ branding of its low-cost carrier

March 26, 2014 4:17 pm

Singapore Airlines’ branding of its low-cost carrier

By Willem Smit and Christopher Dula

The story. Singapore Airlines has won a reputation over decades for providing passengers with high levels of service and hospitality. In the airline’s marketing, this is personified by the “Singapore Girl” cabin crew in their trademark elegant sarongs. Read more of this post

How the best of times is making way for the worst; Globalisation’s great prosperity sits beside the risks that accompany the passing of an old order

March 27, 2014 3:27 pm

How the best of times is making way for the worst

By Philip Stephens

Globalisation’s great prosperity sits beside the risks that accompany the passing of an old order Read more of this post

SEC Is Urged to Shorten Window for Investor Tip-Offs

SEC Is Urged to Shorten Window for Investor Tip-Offs

MICHAEL SICONOLFI and SUSAN PULLIAM

March 27, 2014 7:02 p.m. ET

Some lawmakers and others are calling on the Securities and Exchange Commission to cut the time that large investors can secretly amass shares in a company, following a Wall Street Journal investigation into leaks ahead of public filings. Read more of this post

Ample Wisdom on Rare Earths; China discovers rules-based trade works for resources, too.

Ample Wisdom on Rare Earths

China discovers rules-based trade works for resources, too.

Updated March 27, 2014 4:15 p.m. ET

Beijing’s mercantilist resource policies suffered another blow on Wednesday when the World Trade Organization struck down China’s limits on the export of rare-earth metals. The ruling is better news for China than it appears. Read more of this post

Australia Hopes Dairy Industry Can Benefit From Growing Asian Demand

Australia Hopes Dairy Industry Can Benefit From Growing Asian Demand

ISABELLA STEGER

Australia should welcome foreign investment into its dairy sector and aggressively pursue free trade pacts with Asian countries, seeking to boost agricultural exports to feed Asia’s growing middle class, the country’s trade minister said. Read more of this post

China’s ‘Bad Bank’ Conundrum

China’s ‘Bad Bank’ Conundrum

AARON BACK

Updated March 28, 2014 11:30 a.m. ET

China’s “bad bank” experiment is entering uncharted territory.

China Cinda Asset Management, 1359.HK +6.02% created as a bailout vehicle for China’s bad debts, is scooping up distressed loans at blistering pace. Assets rose by 51% last year to 384 billion yuan ($62 billion), much faster than earlier management guidance of 20% to 30%, according to a Morgan Stanley MS +1.00% note. It’s also levering up, with the ratio of assets to equity rising to 4.6 from 4.2 in 2012, according to the company’s first quarterly report as a public company. Read more of this post

Risks in Europe’s Ratings Merry-Go-Round; It’s Not Easy Being a Ratings Firm, Particularly When it Comes to European Sovereigns

Risks in Europe’s Ratings Merry-Go-Round

It’s Not Easy Being a Ratings Firm, Particularly When it Comes to European Sovereigns

RICHARD BARLEY

March 28, 2014 11:30 a.m. ET

Ratings firms are facing calls to upgrade euro-zone sovereigns again. Investors seem likely to be disappointed if they are hoping for swift actions. Read more of this post

China’s sprawling state-owned conglomerate Citic Group is accomplishing a massive public listing with limited investor scrutiny

China’s Citic Misses the Transfer

ABHEEK BHATTACHARYA

March 27, 2014 10:44 a.m. ET

China’s largest state-owned conglomerate is going public in Hong Kong, but in an opaque way. Heard on the Street columnists Alex Frangos, Abheek Bhattacharya and Aaron Back discuss whether this is genuine reform.

Making a sprawling Chinese government conglomerate go public should instill market discipline. Doing it through a process that limits public due diligence undermines the exercise. Read more of this post

Intuit: How Design Drove Its Turnaround

Intuit: How Design Drove Its Turnaround

Over the past six years, Intuit (INTU), maker of TurboTax and other accounting software, has placed design at the center of what it does—a shift it credits for its turnaround. Intuit Chief Executive Officer Brad Smith and Kaaren Hanson, vice president for design innovation, explain.

When did you know something was amiss?
Hanson: Back in 2007, 2008, we realized that we were no longer any better than our competitors. At the same time, mobile was really coming into play. So we knew we needed to change. When we look at any product at Intuit, we think about three factors. We expect to create a benefit that people care about. It needs to be easy. And it needs to evoke positive emotion. To do that, we went after three strategies. First of all, we made sure everybody in the company had a visceral experience of what great design was like. We started with our most senior leaders. Brad had his team at an off-site, and we had them each bring in something that delighted them. And we had them talk about what made that experience delightful to them—that’s when we locked in on how we want our customers to feel. Read more of this post

Japan buyers rush to snap up gold as tax rise looms

March 27, 2014 9:50 am

Japan buyers rush to snap up gold as tax rise looms

By Ben McLannahan in Tokyo

A landmark increase in Japan’s sales tax has led to a rush for small gold bars as retail investors pile into the precious metal to avoid next week’s rate rise. Read more of this post

Working To Death In China

Working To Death In China

Tyler Durden on 03/27/2014 22:02 -0400

Submitted by Charmika Monet via The Diplomat,

East Asian work culture is world renowned for its long hours and exhausted laborers. Japanese salary men hustling to catch the last train home, their sleeping bodies stretched out along the seats (sometimes in curiously uncomfortable positions), is an image familiar to many people across the world. Read more of this post