Tuesday 7 February 2012

Ideation & I&E Lesson Summary - 6 Feb

Hello Sec 2-08,

Summary: Singapore relies on innovation to stay relevant.


A) Individual Assignment:
Q1. Read this article and comment how Singapore can maintain its edge / niche and remain competitive?
Q2. What will be Singapore's niche in 10 years (year 2022) - you will be 24 years old and perhaps just started work...?

Each student to answer the above questions. Each answer between 200 to 250 words.


B) Lesson Objectives: Ideation

1. What is the problem?
2. How big is the problem?
3. How will it impact the society if it is not solved?
4. Why does the problem exist?
5. What is the root cause?

Each group has 3 students.

Select the best problem to work on and clearly describe your problem using the above questions.

Questions to think about...

  • Does innovation need to be small or big at the beginning? Why?
  • If the innovation needs to be put to the market, how would you like the product to be …?

C) Submission: Each group to choose a representative, submit their replies to this post.

Date Due: Friday, 10 Feb, 10:00am.

Thank you.

Mr. Hiap

10 comments:

  1. A1) Singapore can maintain its edge/ niche by pumping in more money to help Singapore entrepreneurs to innovate better ideas and increase productivity in the workplace. The country needs to focus more on these aspects of bringing its own country to higher global rankings because we lack behind the ability for innovation. Though Singapore is still the second most competitive economy in the world, there are other points where Singapore are unable to achieve. It may be because Singapore is a small country, we do not have natural resources, etc, that may be at our disadvantage. But this may make us innovate on how we can go about and overcome this problem.

    A2) Personally, I think that Singapore's niche in 10 years time will be more on the creative and technological area. Most probably, Singapore will try to 'incubate' such companies and push and develop these companies to become one of the niches in Singapore in 10 years time. If not, I guess Singapore will remain competitive in terms of tourism. Now there are Casinos, Universal Studios Singapore and Sentosa Resorts World. This attracts a lot of tourists, foreigners to come to Singapore and either do business/ work or enjoy their holiday/ stay here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A1) As Singapore's niche is the lack of corruption as well as government efficiency, there are many ways to continue to maintain its edge/niche and one of the way is high salary for the officials. If the government are well paid, they would not resort corruption as well as will work with their best efforts because of their high salary. With high salary, they can also sponsor projects which shows much innovation. This would allow Singapore's innovation to increase greatly as the people with good projects will have enough funds to complete their project and help Singapore in the innovation area. As Singapore has a good and competitive economy, our country is wealthy but we do not have resources and thus, we have to depend on other countries for minerals as well as resources. Thus, we have to innovate to overcome our short of resources.

    A2) If Singapore government decides to invest more money on innovative projects as well as inventions, i think that Singapore may achieve one of the world's most innovative economy as our government is wealthy and if they invest their wealth for the country's innovation, i am sure that in 10 years time, Singapore would be one of the top few countries with innovation as its niche.

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  3. Q1. Singapore is the world leading country in stuff like lack of corruption as well as government efficiency, so we should maintain and uphold the positioning and edge in it. Other than that, campaigns internally in companies to encourage innovation is a good idea. Who knows? Maybe the lowest payed member of the company may have tiny ideas which may change the way the whole company affects Singapore? Other than listening to opinions, we need to achieve expertise in projects to promote idea making and innovation. Human resource is Singapore's biggest weapon, and we must use it to full potential. An example would be one of the Qin dynasty kings buying over a servant for 5 lambskins, and he turned out to be one of the most ingenious advisors in that time. Same thing in Singapore, we will need to use our human resource edge to power our future.

    Q2. Singapore's niche in 10 years as I see it would be more of a boom in the technological aspects, with breakthroughs in medicine and design of new structures and facilities. Singapore is already rapidly growing in the technological area, with more breakthroughs and great ideas coming from companies in our homeland. I would certainly like to see breakthroughs in innovation and its impact on communities, but I doubt that can be achieved in 10 years.

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  4. 1)Singapore can maintain its niche by continuing to have a lack of corruption, government efficiency, we should maintain that and also at the same time work on developing more innovators This can be achieve through that every secondary school/ Polytechnic so that youths can have a background of innovation when they are young. Also Singapore should also strive harder to get better technology as it is now currently rated 22 in the world. Through that, ideals that seem far fetch by innovators may become possible through the help of technology. Singapore is also now currently second most completive economy in the world after Swaziland since Singapore does not have any natural resources, we must rely on innovation to help us to maintain this position of second in the world or if not first.
    2)Singapore niche in ten years time may be in technology and design. As currently now in Singapore technology is improving at a good pace (not too fast or too slow), an improvement in technology may help us have a break through in medical studies. Also SIngapore innovators can develop things that can make or lives easier or improve it. Singapore already has very young innovators which have made good items that help us in our lives. The government is also encouraging youths and children's to think what can they invent and innovate to make our lives better through competitions. I am quite sure that within ten years time Singapore will become a different place one with innovators that impact their environment.

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  5. 1) Singapore is a country with lack of corruption as well as good government proficiency. in fact we are among the best in the world in this. However to become as niche as countries like Switzerland, we need to introduce newer technologies into the daily life of the people and the country. Newer technologies improve the efficacy of the country and how it runs. The government must be able to sponsor money into new projects as these projects may fix their ongoing problems such as MRT breakdowns and floorings. When these new technologies are introduced, we will have way lesser problems and our lives will be easier. However if we do not introduce new technologies, more problems will arise. Singapore may be a country with a lack of resources. But to maintain our niche, we have the manpower of every Singaporean.

    2) Singapore's niche in 10 years time may be on the technological and science aspects. Singapore by then will be among the top in the world in the science field and more younger Singaporeans are setting up companies that want to change for the better. The people will become more independent and will not need as much government help. The government will not have as much power as before with people now even stronger and smarter. Youths and children will be taught to become more creative and innovative. Singaporeans in 10 years will become one of the most innovative people in the Science field.

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  6. Q1. Singapore can be much more open to ideas suggested by its people. The government can implement ideas that were suggested by Singaporeans, perhaps with some implementation of the government’s ideas as well. This will allow Singapore’s ideas to vary in nature and will have different perspectives on them.

    Q2. I think that in 10 year’s time, Singapore would have advanced in an aspect that it has not improved as much presently, since the government might either change or they might find the need to change their views. So, the aspects of Singapore that the government might focus on may probably be different, and they would then improve those aspects over the time they choose to spend on it.

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  7. A1) Well SIngapore can maintain this by just doing what they have been doing for the past few years. Singapore has lack of corruption which is a good thing. So we should continue in this state so that other countries can't beat our rank. Singapore should be more all-rounded, so that we are good in everything. Singapore is a great place to start a business. We should maintain this. So that Singapore's economy will grow.

    A2) I think Singapore's Niche will be in Science & Technology. As technology can be found everywhere in the world, at least most of it. Especially the youngsters, including me, is always holding a smartphone or laptop everywhere they go. Lots of people are dependent on it. As for science, Singapore would want to increase the health of its country and help the other countries in the world to create a breakthrough for Science & technology. So Singapore would want to expand their networks to Science & technology so as to make more people be connected to.

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  8. 1) Singapore has been so competitive in it's economy because it lacks corruption and has very little scandals. However, we rank second behind Switzerland as we lack good use of sophisticate newer technology and very little innovation capacity. Although Singapore is a good place to start businesses, however, we are very bad at using technology to it's fullest and creating newer products. We need newer technology to keep up things that help make our lives better. We need more money from the government to be sponsored in to make it work and run better. Other than that, we still need to increase productivity for innovation.

    2) I think Singapore's niche is technology. Many students in Singapore are fighting to learn and study technology, and Singapore is good for technology to improve. Also, *ahem* we are Asians, and we tend to excel in aspects like technology. And by the way arh, Singapore is small and needs to grow bigger, things like a bigger population and thus, technology can make us living in Singapore better.

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  9. 1) Since Singapore is a country with good government efficiency as well as among the head in the most competitive economy in the world, we (Singapore) can maintain and raise our position by also focusing more on our capacity for innovation and also our adoption of latest technology. Improving our innovative skills by encouraging schools to take up subjects such as I&E to allow students to generate good and useful ideas for the future. Singapore can also sponsor companies to come up with ideas and encouraging firms to innovate by pumping in money to support entrepreneurs. If such plans work out perfectly, our innovation part might even increase to become better. Since Singapore's only natural resource are humans, we have to rely on other countries for raw materials so the best way is too increase our manpower.

    2) In the next 10 years, i think that Singapore's niche may most likely be on its infrastructure as well as its technology. Over the years, Singapore will slowly advance higher towards a greater and better niche and soon they will excel and there will be breakthroughs and greater and better facilities, technology and innovation that will probably improve Singaporeans' lives. This will then benefit Singapore to be at a greater niche than other countries and I am sure that this could possibly happen to Singapore.

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  10. 1) Singapore is a country with lack of corruption as well as good government proficiency. Actually, we are number one in the whole world. However, we need to adapt to newer technologies, and need to innovate. Our government has to invest in newer technologies, so that we are able to adapt to newer technologies and products, furthermore, we need the government to fund money to create more projects to create newer technologies by ourselves.

    2) In the next 10 years, I think that Singapore's niche will be in science and technology. This is because the government would have pointed out that our weakness is that we need to adapt to newer technologies, and we need to innovate more. This means that the government would carry out these both and thus our niche would be in science and technology.

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