Only 21% of SMEs are innovative: Survey

Only 21% of SMEs are innovative: Survey

05:55 AM Mar 18, 2010

SINGAPORE - A nationwide study by branding specialist StrategiCom highlighted that many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are still not applying tools and techniques that can promote innovation to boost their company's value.

Among the 100 SMEs interviewed, 91 per cent of SMEs said they understood innovation as the introduction of a new product or method which will boost value for both company and shareholders.

But only 21 per cent successfully apply innovation tools, which lead to improved efficiency and quality, product novelty and better market positioning, as well as a more unique business model for their products and services.

The objective of the survey is to explore the perception of innovation among Singapore SMEs.

It studies the extent of how innovation is managed and applied, what is perceived as innovation success and how branding affects the results of innovation.

According to the survey, the most popular technique used by SMEs to achieve successful innovation is hiring and training individuals in conceptualising innovative ideas.

Other key techniques include identifying fresh opportunities in the market through liaising with external parties, co-operating to share risks and costs of innovation and working in teams to synergise knowledge.

Chief executive officer of StrategiCom Dr Wilson Chew said it is vital for SMEs to manage innovation through three or four of these key techniques, as "innovation is a broad concept that involves people, process technology and research rather than one that is limited to technical issues".

However, SMEs face challenges in attracting the right talent for innovation. "In the interviews, SME leaders attributed this difficulty in hiring to the small pool of talent in Singapore, as well as the preference of potential employees to work in multi-national companies," he explained.

The full results of this survey will be released during the annual Singapore Brand Conference next week. Jo-ann Huang

Why Apple's Porn Purge is a Smart Move

Jeff Bertolucci, PC World

Feb 21, 2010 5:14 am

It appears Apple is embarking on a new anti-smut crusade to rid its iPhone App Store of "overtly sexual content." According to news reports, the targets of Apple's ire include relatively tame adult fare, many of which manage to incorporate the word "boob" into their titles.

Apple's actions are designed to appease customers who've complained in the company's support forums and elsewhere about adult content in the App Store. According to Information Week, Apple developers have also griped about the sex-themed apps, which they say are proliferating in some App Store categories and making other apps harder to find.

At first glance, Apple's move appears either prudish or hypocritical or both. Sexually-explicit content was already verboten in the App Store, and some of the newly banned apps were about as racy as the Sport Illustrated swimsuit issue.

And if Apple really wants to protect App Store users from sexually-themed content, why doesn't it removeSafari from the iPhone and iPod touch? After all, the Web browser is by far the most efficient porn-delivery app ever devised.

Why Apple Is Smart

Apple's true motivation, it seems, is to protect its booming iPod Touch and fledgling iPad operations.

Take the iPod Touch, for instance. Apple's portable media device is wildly popular with kids, who love the gaming, browsing, and audio/video tools.Parents like the fact that the Touch provides much of what makes the iPhone cool, only without the pricey monthly wireless bills.

Indeed, analysts have called the iPod touch an "iPhone on training wheels," and Apple realizes its device is a gateway drug to the iPhone. In other words, kids who are comfortable with the iPod touch are more likely to migrate to the iPhone when they're older.

Which leads us back to the App Store. Apple can't afford to allow its customers -- even a vocal minority -- to gripe about so-called smut in the App Store, even if the complaints are overblown. The impression that Apple condones adult-themed material finding its way into kids' hands would no doubt hurt iPod Touch sales, and ultimately impact its iPhone and App Store business too.

As for the iPad, it's clear that Apple will position its new tablet not only as a consumer device for the home, but also as an educational tool. Software developers are already designing interactive textbooks for the iPad, according to reports. Again, Apple must squash the impression that the App Store is a haven for smut to increase the odds of classroom sales. A few negative news stories about wobbly-boob apps could very well spur many school districts to think twice about adding the iPad as a study tool.

Bottom line: The porn purge is a smart business move on Apple's part, even if it appears prudish to outsiders.

New Way of Making Solar Cells Promises Cheaper Power

New Way of Making Solar Cells Promises Cheaper Power

New design produces flexible panels using only 1-2 percent as much silicon

Art Chimes | Washington, DC19 February 2010

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"You can use 100 times less silicon. And that's potentially very significant." – Harry Atwater

Schematic diagram of the light-trapping elements used to optimize absorption within a polymer-embedded silicon wire array

A new way of making solar cells promises a cheaper way to generate electricity from the sun and new ways to integrate solar power into other products.

Solar cells, or photovoltaics, are widely made using wafers of silicon that are stiff and brittle. California Institute of Technology physics professor Harry Atwater is making photovoltaics differently.

"Our technology uses 50-100 times less silicon," he said, "in the form of a sparse array of wires. And that sparse array of wires has exactly the same light absorption and electricity-collection properties as the conventional silicon wafer cell."

Caltech/Michael Kelzenberg

Photomicrograph of a silicon wire array embedded within a transparent, flexible polymer film

The tiny silicon wires stick up from the base, or substrate, looking something like a microscopic hair brush. And because the key component of solar cells is an expensive, highly purified form of silicon, there's a real economic benefit to this design.

"So what that means is, in terms of cost, is you can use 100 times less silicon. And that's potentially very significant."

But the silicon is what converts light into electricity, so you might think using so much less silicon would reduce the electrical output, but Atwater says that's not the case.

"The light comes in and is both directly absorbed by the wires, and some of the light bounces around in between the wires. And that bouncing around or multiple scattering in between the wires results in dramatically enhanced absorption," Atwater explained. "In fact, the absorption enhancement that we see is in the range of 20 to 50 times the single-pass absorbance."

Atwater and his colleagues have made prototypes of the design in the lab, and the product doesn't look like the typical solar panels you might see on top of a building.

"What we do with our wire arrays is grow them on a supporting substrate, and we peel them off inside a plastic sheet, so that the material has exactly the optical and electrical properties of a silicon wafer, but instead it basically has the mechanical properties of a flexible plastic sheet."

That flexibility opens the door to potential new applications, such as what Atwater calls "integrated photovoltaics." For example, the solar cell could be built into roofing material, saving money on installation. Other ideas for new uses come from the physical form of Atwater's novel design.

"Well, one of the things that's interesting about these flexible sheets is that they can be curved, so you could imagine putting them in unconventional forms, like on the surface of a vehicle or something like that, where you don't have a flat surface."

The Caltech professor says he's optimistic about commercializing his new solar cell design because the manufacturing process should not require development of any new technologies. And he stresses that it should reduce the cost of generating power from the sun.

"The wonderful thing about solar energy is that it's accessible and available everywhere in the world, from the cloudiest place in northern Europe to the sunniest place in north-central Africa to the Outback of Australia to South Asia. And in fact [the use of solar energy is] growing worldwide for that reason."

Harry Atwater's description of his new design for solar cells is published in the journal Nature Materials.

DropNet Fog Collector Harvests the Mist to Create Pure Drinking Water

DropNet Fog Collector Harvests the Mist to Create Pure Drinking Water
by Rebecca Paul, 02/19/10


Every year 2.5 million people die from thirst or from drinking polluted water, and The United Nations expects that by the year 2025 two-thirds of the world’s population will be suffering from water shortage. While studying Industrial Design at Germany’s Muthesius Academy of Fine Arts and Design, Imke Hoehler based her final thesis on finding a resolution to this important challenge. Her DropNet fog collector offers a versatile design that literally harvests drinking water from thin air and mist. This easy to assemble design could have a significant impact on the bleak and waterless future many climate scientists believe to be inevitable.

By utilizing natural and local resources, the DropNet could greatly improve the drinking water supply in many isolated areas that have limited infrastructure. This fog collector filters tiny water droplets from fog clouds and causes the droplets to coalesce. Each unit can collect 10-20 liters of water per day, and an array of several structures could easily supply a whole village with clean healthy drinking water. Due to its tent like construction the DropNet collectors can be assembled by non-skilled workers on both flat and uneven grounds.

+ Imke Hoehler

Source:

http://www.inhabitat.com/2010/02/19/dropnet-fog-collector-harvests-the-mist-to-create-pure-drinking-water/

A city under the sea?

A city under the sea?
by Claire Huang clairehuang@mediacorp.com.sg 05:55 AM Feb 18, 2010
SINGAPORE - The Singapore public has been prepped for the notion of underground cities - but what about underwater ones?Following the Economic Strategies Committee's recommendation that the Republic explore the use of more subterranean space, observers are expecting the government to introduce related changes to land zoning policies and measures in the upcoming Budget.

"At the moment we're only using the top shallow depths. In fact we can go deeper, as much as 100m, depending on the geological formation," said Associate Professor Chu Jian of the Nanyang Technological University's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

And his research shows the feasibility of underwater cities. "In fact, the idea is not new. An underwater city in Bulgaria has been created," he said.

"And underground cities are not expensive, if done on a large scale - the same as for land reclamation in the past."

Strong seawalls could be built to block the water, creating space behind - for shopping centres, factories or storage space.

"If you have larger-scale constructions and more international firms are willing to bring in more advanced machines and technologies because it's more cost effective, this will further reduce construction costs," said Assoc Prof Chu.

Currently, Singapore has three such underground networks: At Raffles Place, at CityLink Mall and linkways at Orchard Road. The government is also in the process of implementing the Jurong Rock Cavern for oil and gas storage at Jurong Island.

But such measures can get tricky, given the considerations of buildings above ground and geological formations. "For example, if you want to do deep excavation below (Raffles City), it may not be feasible."

The committee had also recommended transforming the existing Keppel and Pulau Brani area, once its lease expires in 2027, into a Tanjong Pagar Waterfront city.

Because of years of container work there, the ground - which was used for heavy-duty work - can be converted into foundations for high-rise buildings, said Assoc Prof Chu.

Source:
http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC100218-0000098/A-city-under-the-sea