Attributes needed for leadership

advertisement advertisement advertisement 2020 was one of those years that will “live in infamy” as President Franklin D. Roosevelt put it. And, with the first weeks of 2021 giving its predecessor a run for its money, there has been little time to come up for air, pause, reflect, and respond to any of the events we have endured. advertisement advertisement But, for those of us who are committed to change, it is imperative that we do just that. One of the greatest inequities the last year brought to the surface in glaring detail, was the disproportionately negative impact of the economic downturn on Black-owned businesses. Because Yelp is in the business of helping businesses, this is where we felt we could be the most intentional and authentic in our response. From that starting point, our plan grew to encompass five strategies that we’ve observed have been put into practice by other companies to support Black-owned … [Read more...] about This is how companies can meaningfully support Black-owned businesses

SINGAPORE: For many Singaporean students, pursuing an overseas university education sounds like a dream come true. A few years spent in a foreign country, making friends from all over the world, studying the subject of your choice in a prestigious institute. Each year, thousands of Singaporeans pursue this dream. Between 2017 and 2018, 7,020 students from Singapore studied in the UK, according to data collected across universities there. However, COVID-19 has undermined that dream. Travel restrictions could mean getting to your preferred university may be challenging, if not impossible. Coming back to Singapore for vacations will probably involve a 15-day period of isolation. Classes may be conducted remotely. There are likely to be limits on social activities. With studying overseas much more expensive than attending a university in Singapore, some might consider whether the current circumstances make pursuing the dream worthwhile. But not everyone is thinking like that. … [Read more...] about IN FOCUS: Has COVID-19 killed the appeal of studying overseas?

SINGAPORE: At the South Carolina funeral of the racial segregationist and Republican senator Strom Thurmond in 2003, there was one name in the guest list that no one expected: Joseph R Biden Jr. Mr Biden, then the Democratic senator from the blue state of Delaware, had been handpicked by a dying Mr Thurmond to deliver an eulogy as the only Democrat in the grieving room. “I think this is his last laugh,” said Mr Biden at the church wake. “For what else would explain a Northeast liberal’s presence here as the only outsider speaking today?” Despite seemingly irreconcilable political views, the now president-elect of the United States and Thurmond were long-time friends whose Senate offices in Washington were once side by side. Thurmond was an icon of Southern white supremacy who advocated for discriminatory laws against African-Americans, while Mr Biden entered politics at age 29 because of the civil rights movement and ultimately served alongside America’s first black president … [Read more...] about The Big Read: A fractious America and a few urgent matters of global proportions await Joe Biden

ITHACA, New York: Within the space of the next month, as the autumn leaves here in the northeastern United States are swept away by the winds of approaching winter, the country will make a choice as consequential as any we have seen in recent history. The US election on Nov 3 will have global implications as dangerous as the looming climate crisis, or as promising as a major scientific breakthrough that enables shared prosperity. But this depends not on the wiles of nature or the mysteries of science. It depends on US voters. READ: Trump formally nominated by Republicans, warns of 'rigged election' The election will mark a turning point for the US and the world. The fact that President Donald Trump still has some chance of winning a second four-year term leaves me baffled. Why do Republican voters and leaders support him? When my wife and I moved from Delhi to small-town America in 1994, with two small children who would have to adjust to a new school and make new … [Read more...] about Commentary: If Trump wins again, the true values of the Republican Party will be abandoned

KOTA KINABALU: “We are here to build a nation, not a particular race or religion,” a slogan boldly emblazoned across billboards at many major traffic junctions in Kota Kinabalu declares. These bold words are seen next to Obamaesque portraits of Shafie Apdal, the caretaker Sabah chief minister leading his Warisan Plus coalition into another state election, barely two years after the historic 14th General Elections. And indeed, the outcome of the upcoming Sabah state polls will determine much, not only for the resource-rich and multicultural state – potentially reshaping the political landscape of the nation as a whole. The larger political game played out on the national stage has already made itself felt since the onset of this untimely election season in Sabah. READ: Parties play up ‘Sabah identity’, economic development to woo voters in state polls READ: Commentary: Malaysian politics is going through a midlife crisis A BIG SURPRISE – FOR MUSA After all, we … [Read more...] about Commentary: Sabah state election ignites fresh Game of Thrones jostling in Malaysian politics