SINGAPORE ROUNDUP

3,000 jobs at ION Orchard
Due to open in under four months, ION Orchard is launching a recruitment exercise for over 3,000 positions. Mall manager Orchard Turn Developments is interviewing candidates for various positions. What's available: Frontline customer service and technical jobs, and retail positions with the likes of Burberry, Club 21, Sephora, Starbucks Coffee, Zara and others.

The drive is in collaboration with the Workforce Development Agency and the NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i). Recruits will undergo training which could include etiquette training, grooming and interpersonal skills.

Chief executive of e2i Ang Hin Kee urged jobseekers "to adopt a positive attitude towards service, and be willing to work shifts and weekends". Visit www.e2i.com.sg or call 6474 3777. Registration closes April 24.


$287k for workers' welfare
Oil giant Shell has donated $287,000 to two welfare organisations for workers, the Lighthouse Club Singapore (LHC) and the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (Home).

Together with 24 of its contractors, Shell pooled $187,000 for LHC's programmes for construction workers who fall victim to workplace accidents, as well as to their families. Its $100,000 donation to Home will go to social integration services and humanitarian assistance, among others, for abused and neglected foreign workers.


438 HDB units up for sale
The Housing and Development Board has put 438 flats on the market for its half-yearly sale. The units comprise 10 three-room flats, 313 four-room flats, 80 five-room flats and 35 executive flats located in 23 towns and estates, mostly in Sengkang, Yishun, Jurong West and Punggol.

Interested buyers may submit their applications at www.hdb.gov.sg until April 20. Queue position of applicants will be released from May 13.

Those who apply after the application period will be given a queue position, on a first-come-first-served basis, after the earlier applications. Any flats unselected will remain open for booking on a walk-in basis.


From TODAY, News - Tuesday, 14-April-2009

Plans for more market-oriented media

BEIJING — China said yesterday that news outlets and publishers would be forced to stand on their two feet financially under a reform plan designed to create a more competitive media sector with a global reach.

The nation's industry regulator framed the reforms as a response to the financial crisis, but they come amid a media expansion strategy that experts say is aimed at increasing the global influence of China and its ruling Communist Party.

Noting that most of China's media outlets are government-affiliated, the guidelines posted on the website of the General Administration of Press and Publication say news organisations and publishers had between one and two years to transition to fully market-oriented entities.

"About six or seven press and publishing giants with annual revenues of more than 10 billion yuan ($2.2 billion) will be set up to compete globally in three to five years," the China Daily newspaper quoted agency official Fan Weiping as saying. AFP

 

From TODAY, World – Wednesday, 08-April-2009

Citizens versus Netizens

There is a nugget of wisdom, and for those who already know it, a reminder, on how the evolving technology, and its far-reaching impact, or limitation, should be handled, and managed accordingly.

The "online public community" is not the same as the "physical public community". While members of the latter can be members of the former, full representation is not assured, so therefore, it cannot be assumed.


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I SAY
Individual opinions expressed online may not represent the public

Joel Gn

I refer to “Young PAP v2.009” (April 3).

It is clear that the Government is serious about engaging the public through this progressive and highly dynamic medium. However, this idea of the “public” in an online environment also brings with it some issues that have not been adequately addressed to date.

On one hand, there seems to be no distinction between the use of new media and more traditional mediums (e.g. TV and radio). Where most political parties are concerned, reaching out to as many people as possible seems to be the main reason for setting up their own site, blog or Facebook profile.

In other words, new media is truly effective insofar as it permits the greatest and most accessible form of public exposure. One would thus assume Netizens are no different from a television audience. But underestimating the interaction that Netizens are capable of, this “advertising approach” to the use of new media becomes by and large a one-sided publicity stunt.

The second issue is the idea of new media users as a public-centred community. Although there appears to be a conflation between Netizens and citizens in a public forum or “focus group”, there are major differences between the two.

For one, the people who post on blogs and online forums do not come together to voice their opinions. These platforms do not facilitate any form of face-to-face discussion, but give users the space to express their own ideas and interests anonymously. Given this lack of physical credibility, new media is no substitute for the public forum, especially with regard to policy matters.

Therefore, if new media is capable of bringing about new forms of social activity, is it still all about the message and not the platform? While it is important to monitor the content of new media, it is equally important that we understand the nature of the audience that results from its technology. As much as the Internet gives one the freedom to express his or her views, we need to remember that more often than not, the opinions we see online only represents the interests of individuals and not the general “public” as we know it.

Email your views to voices@mediacorp.com.sg


From TODAY, Voices
Monday, 06-April-2009