The information structure of engineering proposals: suggesting a taxonomy of
information components for competitive proposals and a polential metric for information content
by Dr Hazel E. Sales, University College Plymouth St Mark and St John, UK

Date: 29 September 2009 (Tuesday)
Time: 10.30am - 12.00pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 27, South Spine (SS4-B2-31)

Abstract:
This lecture is about the information structure and content of engineering proposals, which are a major preoccupation for engineering companies in their quest to win new business, My aim is to provide a description of the information content of
proposals that engineers and bid writers would find useful when deciding what the main selling points, often called 'themes', of a proposal should be. My analysis would help to both determine and identify topic content, as weU as enabling bid writers to obtain an indication of the weighting given to various information components in any section of the document.

Handout 1 and Handout 2

FREE Professional Imaging Workshop for HSS Final-Year Students

Dear final-year students of HSS,

• Worried about the lack of job prospect in times of recession?
• Clueless about what to wear for job interviews?
• Unsure about what kind of body language to portray during a job interview?
• Having difficulty getting a seat for the popular career workshops open to all NTU students?
• Frustrated that your schoolmates couldn’t get a place and join you for the workshop?

Your worries will soon go away! The HSS Assistant Chair’s Office has organized a FREE Professional Imaging Workshop right at your doorstep solely for HSS final-year students on next Thursday - before you go for your one-week recess break.

In another few months, you will graduate from NTU and step into the working world. You will soon be sending out job applications, or you may have already done so. In times of recession where jobs are scarce, you need to give yourself an edge to ace your job interview. This professional imaging workshop will give you this competitive edge to secure your dream job.

Conducted by renowned image consultancy firm Stafford & Chan, you will learn to:

• Understand how dressing, grooming and body language play in projecting a professional image
• Choose clothes which flatter your body shape
• Mix and match colours including how to choose colours to reflect position
• Understand dress codes and to choose the appropriate clothing to dress for the occasion
• What to wear to ace any job interviews

What’s more, we are giving away three hot bonuses for you.

• Bonus #1: $250 worth of Wisma Atria shopping vouchers to be given away at a lucky draw. You can use them to purchase corporate wear or any other items that you fancy in more than 90 stores in Wisma Atria.
• Bonus #2: A free buffet dinner will be provided. Take the opportunity to mingle with your friends over dinner before you go on your one-week break.
• Bonus #3: Get to know benefits and perks that you will soon be enjoying as an NTU alumni Seats are limited, hurry and register for the workshop here

>>Click Here To Register

Here are the details of the event:
Event: Professional Imaging Workshop & Dinner for HSS Graduating Students
Date: 24th September 2009, Thursday
Time: 5.30pm (Registration & Dinner will commence at 5.30pm; Workshop will starts at 6.30pm)
Venue: HSS Auditorium

Seats are limited, hurry and register for the workshop here.

>>Click Here To Register

NTU Economics Subcommittee Night 2009 "Getting to know Economics"

Its NTU Economics Society annual Subcommittee Night again!

The details of this event is as follows.
Date : 17 September 2009 (Thursday)
Time : 1800hours to 1900hours (Registration will start at 1745)
Venue : Our new HSS building - HSS Seminar Room 6 (HSS-01-04)

Its time to ....
- Meet your main committee members ...
- Indicate your interest for the subcommittees or events committee you want to play a part in ...
- Bring more of your friends to join the NTU ES family!

The subcommittees we are opening for sign ups and registration for our current members are as follows:
1. Business Development
2. Corporate Communications
3. Publicity
4. Publications
5. Logistics and Operations

Registration for new members on that day will also be happening!

In addition, we are proud to have Professor Euston Quah, President of Economic Society of Singapore, Editor - Singapore Economic Review and Head of Economics Division, HSS to be the Guest of Honour for the event! He will also be sharing with us his love for Economics. =)

Please RSVP your attendance to Carrie at carriecheong@pmail.ntu.edu.sg with the email title, "NTU ES Subcommittee Night 09" with your name and Course/Year you are currently in.

Get to know Economics and bring your friends along!

See you there!

The Economic Growth Centre cordially invites you to a presentation on “Singapore Economy Forecast Update: Between V and W”

Date : Thursday, 17 September 2009
Time : 9:30 am - 11:30 am
Venue : HSS Conference Room
(HSS-05-57)
(HSS Building, Level 5, Room No. 57)

Nanyang Technological University
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
14 Nanyang Drive Singapore 637332

PROGRAMME:
9:15 am - 9:30 am : Reception
9:30 am - 9:45 am : Opening Remarks

Professor Euston Quah
Head, Division of Economics
Acting Chair, School of Humanities and Social Sciences

9:45 am - 10:15 am :
Macroeconomic Projections
Dr Choy Keen Meng

10:15 am - 10:45 am :
Labour Market Forecasts
Dr Randolph Tan

10:45 am - 11:15 am :
Asset Market Outlook
Assoc Prof Low Chan Kee

11:15 am - 11:30 am :
Questions and Answers
Committee Members

Prof Bengt Sandin from Linkoping University Visits HSS

Bengt Sandin is professor at the Department of Child Studies at the University of Linköping, Sweden. Sandin was together with Karin Aronsson the first professors at the Department in 1988/89. The Department has a fine record of publications as well as an excellent record of external funding. The graduate program has resulted in the publication of 44 dissertations and established a new multidisciplinary research arena. Prof Sandin has served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for nine years and participated in the construction of a number of multidisciplinary research environments in different areas.

He visited HSS to meet with the Chair and faculty to share his knowledge on thematic teaching programme.

Date: 11th September 2009 (Friday)
Time: 11.45am - 1.30pm
Venue: HSS Meeting Room (HSS-04-89)

Beyond the Pink I.C.

In an era of telecommunications and international migration, what is the meaning of being a "Singaporean" today?

NTU Sociological Society (NTUSS) presents a public forum, bringing together students, speakers from NUS and NTU as well as members of the public to investigate the issues of a "Singaporean identity" in this globalized world.

Seats are limited! RSVP via ntusocisociety@gmail.com with your NAME & CONTACT details.

BA (Hons) in English graduate, Stephen Fernandez, has won the SINDA Excellence Award 2009 (University Level)

Stephen Fernandez, who graduated in 2009 with First Class Honours from the Division of English, has won the SINDA Excellence Award (University Level) 2009. Each year, Academic Excellence Awards are given out to Indian students in recognition of their outstanding achievements at the PSLE, the GCE “O” and “A” Levels, ITEs, Polytechnics and Universities.

For the last three years, both Stephen and his mentor, Dr Daniel Keith Jernigan from the Division of English, have worked together on research projects that explore the role of digital technology in contemporary dramatic theatre. As a result of their research, they have recently co-authored an article, "Digitally Augmented Reality Characters in Live Theatre Performances", for the International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media.

Stephen and his mentor, Dr Daniel Keith Jernigan, will be recognised at the 18th SINDA Academic Excellence Award Ceremony, which will be held at the Nanyang Polytechnic Auditorium on October 3, 2009. Manpower Minister, Mr. Gan Kim Yong, will be the guest-of-honour for the event.

MA graduate, Lena Lim, graduated from Psychology Division wins an Award of Excellence for International Research from American Psychological Association

MA student, Miss Lena Lim who graduated from the Division of Psychology last year has received jointly with her mentor Associate Professor Weining C. Chang an Award of Excellence for their paper, "Role of Allocentrism on Male Adolescent Violence in a Collective Society, Singapore" from Division 52 of the American Psychological Association, International Psychology who considered their research to represent an outstanding contribution on an important international topic. The American Psychological Association is the largest and most prestigious professional association of psychology in the world.

This is the second APA award given to the pair. They have won their first award from APA in 2007 with their work on incarcerated youth offenders and collective self-esteem. These two papers form the core of Lena's MA thesis, which addresses the pattern of violence in the collective context. These papers on violence are part of a Singapore Prison Services funded national survey on youth at risk behaviors, violence, gambling and drug use. The Youth at Risk project surveyed over 4500 youth between the ages of 13 and 17. Their investigation breaks new grounds: With its emphasis on culturally appropriate psychological research, the project yielded findings that shed new light on the conceptualization and manifestations of these behaviors of youth in a modern collectivist community, provided culturally valid screening and diagnostic tools for at risk behaviors and tested a number of theoretical hypotheses on Singaporean youth violence, gambling and drug use.

Ms Lim and her mentor, Associate Professor Weining C. Chang were recognized at the Division 52 at the American Psychological Association Convention held in Toronto on August 7, 2009.

The Global Credit Crisis and China’s Exchange Rate

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences, NTU in partnership with the Centre for Public Economics, CSC cordially invites you to a lecture by the Toh Puan Mahani Idris Daim Chair Professor's Lecture on The Global Credit Crisis and China’s Exchange Rate by Professor Donald McKinnon, William D. Eberle Professor of International Economics at Stanford University.

Chairperson: Assoc Prof Chen Kang
                   Division of Economics
Date: Thursday, 13 August 2009
Time: 5.30 PM - 7.00 PM
Venue: Auditorium, Civil Service College

Abstract
The case for stabilizing China’s exchange rate against the dollar is strong. Before 2005 when the yuan/dollar rate was credibly fixed, it helped anchor China’s domestic price level. But gradual RMB appreciation from July 2005 to July 2008 created a “one-way-bet” that disordered China’s financial markets in two respects: (1) No private capital outflows to finance China’s huge trade surplus leading to an undue build-up of official exchange reserves and erosion of monetary control, and (2) A breakdown of the forward exchange market in 2007–08 so that exporters could no longer get trade credit—probably worsening the severe slump in Chinese exports. But after July 2008, the credit crunch induced an unexpected unwinding of the dollar carry trade leading to a sharp appreciation in the dollar’s effective exchange rate. The People’s Bank of China (PBC) then stopped RMB appreciation against the dollar. China’s forward exchange market was restored and monetary control regained. Now the PBC can better support the fiscal stimulus by promoting a parallel expansion of bank credit.

Bio
Professor McKinnon is currently the William D. Eberle Professor of International Economics Stanford University. An applied economist, his primary interests are in international economics and economic development-with strong secondary interests in transitional economies and fiscal federalism, he is particularly known for his work on exchange rates.

His current research focuses more on trade and financial policy in less developed and transitional economies, international finance and currency crises, the world dollar standard, international financial architecture, the economics of market-preserving federalism and Japan's liquidity trap. His books, numerous articles in professional journals, and op-eds in the financial press such as The Economist, The Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal reflect this range of interests.

In recent years, Prof McKinnon has focused his research more on East Asia. In particular, he studies the great currency crisis of 1997-98 (which may not be over) affecting Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand as well as the foreign exchange origins of Japan's liquidity trap and more prolonged economic slump. Prof McKinnon's other major area of interest has been the study of international money and finance. He has focused on how the use of national currencies, only some of which have the important property of being convertible, allows international trade to be effectively monetized and multilateral rather bartered and bilateral. Together with Kenichi Ohno, Prof McKinnon wrote Dollar and Yen: Resolving Economic Conflict between the United States and Japan (1997) and his latest book is on The East Asian Exchange Rate Dilemma and the World Dollar Standard. Prof McKinnon is also consultant to central banks and monetary authorities in Asia, Latin America, North America, and Europe, as well as with international agencies such as the IMF, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and U.S. AID.

Registration
Admission is free. To register, please click https://wis.ntu.edu.sg/pls/webexe/REGISTER
_NTU.REGISTER?EVENT_ID=OA090723
16391520 If you have any queries, please feel free to contact email kqkek@ntu.edu.sg.  

For Objective Causal Inference , Design Trumps Analysis
by Professor Donald Rubin, Harvard University

Chairperson: Prof Low Chan Kee,
                   Division of Economics, NTU
Date: 12th August 2009, Wednesday
Venue: NBS Seminar Room 1 (Block S3-B3B-36) [map]
Time: 5.00 pm - 6.30 pm (light refreshment provided at 4.30 pm)

Abstract
For obtaining causal inferences that are objective, and therefore have the best chance of revealing scientific truths, carefully designed and executed randomized experiments are generally considered to be the gold standard. Observational studies, in contrast, are generally fraught with problems that compromise any claim for objectivity of the resulting causal inferences. The thesis here is that observational studies have to be carefully designed to approximate randomized experiments, in particular, without examining any final outcome data. Often a candidate data set will have to be rejected as inadequate because of lack of data on key covariates, or because of lack of overlap in the distributions of key covariates between treatment and control groups, often revealed by careful propensity score analyses. Sometimes the template for the approximating randomized experiment will have to be altered, and the use of principal stratification can be helpful in doing this. These issues are discussed and illustrated using the framework of potential outcomes to define causal effects, which greatly clarifies critical issues.

Speaker’s biography
Professor Donald B. Rubin is John L. Loeb Professor of Statistics, Department of Statistics, Harvard University, where he has served as chairman for 13 of his over 25 years there. He has over 350 publications(including several books) on variety of topics, including computational methods, causal inference in experiments and observational studies, survey methods, techniques for handling missing data, Bayesian methods, multiple imputation, matched sampling, and applications in many areas of social and biomedical science. Professor Rubin is a fellow of American Statistical Association, the Institute for Mathematical Statistics, the International Statistical Institute, the Woodrow Wilson Society, the John Simon Guggenheim Society, the New York Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He is also the recipient of four of the most prestigious awards available to statisticians: the Samuel S Wilks Medal of the American Statistical Association, the Parzen Prize for Statistical Societies. The Fisher Lectureship, and George W. Snedecor Award for the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies. Professor Rubin has lectured extensively throughout The Americas, Europe and Asia. For many years, he has been one of the most highly cited writers in mathematics in the world, according to ISI Science Watch.

Registration
Admission is free. To register, please click https://wis.ntu.edu.sg/pls/webexe/REGISTER_NTU
.REGISTER?EVENT_ID=OA09072211373912. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at 65148382 or email d-class@ntu.edu.sg.

Exchange Rate Systems and Macroeconomic Policies in Asia: Lessons from Past Experiences and Outlooks amid the Global Economic Slowdown

11 August 2009 (Tuesday), 9.30am – 5.20pm Lecture Room 2, Nanyang Executive Centre (NEC), NTU
60, Nanyang View, Singapore(639673).

Synopsis
In this symposium, 11 eminent international macroeconomists will discuss the exchange rate systems and macroeconomic policies in major Asian economies over the past 2-3 decades. Economies included in the discussion are Japan, China, India, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore. There are 2 main themes for this Symposium. The first theme will be on:

• Impacts of the latest global recession on these economies;
• Policy responses by the governments of these economies;
• Lessons from their macroeconomic experiences; and
• Macroeconomic outlooks of these economies (e.g., depth and length of the recession, and risk of severe asset inflation during the recovery period)

The second theme will be on:

• Exchange rate systems and macroeconomic policies in these economies over the past 2-3 decades;
• The major asset inflation and general price inflation era, recession, crises and political shocks in these economies over the same period;
• How were these experiences related to the exchange rate system and policy, capital mobility, monetary policy and other macroeconomic policies in these economies; and
• What could Asia and other economies learn from their failures and achievements related to these experiences.

Policy makers, economists and finance professionals in the business sector, and academia in economics and other disciplines could find the discussion informative and useful.

Please refer to the attachment for the programme.

Registration
Admission is free. Limited seats are available and on a first come first serve basis. For registration please click https://wis.ntu.edu.sg/pls/webexe/REGISTER_NTU
.REGISTER?EVENT_ID=OA09070914314736

We look forward to seeing you at the event.

Singapore Economic Review Conference 2009

Following the success of the Singapore Economic Review Conferences in 2005 and 2007 (close to 350 economists from 40 countries attended), we are pleased to organize the third conference from August 6-8, 2009 in Singapore.

The Singapore Economic Review (SER) has been a leading journal in economics in Asia since it was founded in 1956. The SER is a general economics journal devoted to publishing papers of high academic standard. It covers a wide range of economic issues, especially those impinging on Southeast Asia and the broader Asia-Pacific region. SER is also indexed in major economics indices such as the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI); Google Scholar; EconLit; and RePec.

The Singapore Economic Review (SER) is pleased to announce the 2009 SER Conference (6-8 Aug at Swissotel, Singapore). More information can be assessed via http://www.serc2009.org/index.html.

Paper presentation at the Singapore Economic Review Conference 2009

3 PhD students presented papers at the Singapore Economic Review Conference 2009 (date of conference: 6th to 8th August 2009)

• Chen Yang Title of paper: Rethinking Tax Competition Based on Endogenous Equlibrium
• Li Yanfei Title of paper: Regional Business Pattern and ICT Investment of the US Economy
• Zheng Huanhuan. Title of paper: Emerging Asia Equity Funds: Does Size Matter?

HSS Freshmen Welcome Day 2009!

Dear HSS Freshmen,

A very warm welcome to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) family! You must be excited as you begin your university life at HSS.

To welcome you, our freshies, the HSS family has organized the HSS Welcome Day 2009! There, you will meet the Chair's Office Holders, the HSS club, and the divisional staff.

Please note that matriculation cards will be issued at the HSS Welcome Day.

Kindly RSVP through SD-HSS@ntu.edu.sg by 20th July (Mon) with the following information:

Full Name:
Division:
Contact number:

Some light refreshments will be provided. We look forward to seeing you there!

Best regards,
A/P Rosalind Chew
Assistant Chair

"A Panel Session on Prospects and Challenges After the Global Crisis"

The global economy has encountered more serious problems than originally envisaged after the global financial and economic crisis. Many are still wondering when will the world economy gain sufficient momentum to accelerate, how will the world economy change, and what are the potential challenges after the global financial crisis. The panel sessions proposed aims to address some of the issues concerned.

Initiator: Asst Prof Chia Wai Mun (NTU)
Chair of the Session: Prof Lim Chong Yah (NTU)

Speakers:

1. Prof Pranab Bardhan (Uni. of California, Berkeley)
2. Prof Wing-Thye Woo (Uni. of California, Davis)
3. Prof Steven Mark Sheffrin (Uni. of California, Davis)

Commentator:

4. Dr Jorgen Moeller (ISEAS)
5. Prof Tan Kong Yam (NTU)
6. Mr Manu Bhaskaran (Centennial Asia Advisors Pte Ltd)

Prospects and Challenges after the Global Crisis

Panel Session Details and Registration

Title: Panel Session on "Prospects and Challenges after the Global Crisis"
Date/Time: 5 August 2009 (Wednesday),  
3.45pm - 5.45pm (Registration begins at 3.15pm and light refreshments will be served)
Venue: Auditorium, Level 1, Civil Service College 31 North Buona Vista Road, S(275983)

This event is complimentary, subject to a “no-show” charge of $10.70 (inclusive of GST). Please register early as seats will be reserved on a first-come-first-served basis.
To register, please complete the registration fields below: Attention: Ms Linda Lim (Email: cscollege_cpe@cscollege.gov.sg; DID: 6874 1887)

Name and NRIC:
Designation and Organisation:
Contact Details (Email, Tel):

We would appreciate your responses by 24 July, Friday and will confirm your attendance by 28 July, Tuesday. Please note that the following withdrawal clauses apply: 

• We strongly encourage participants to find a replacement and inform us as early as possible as we may have others on the waiting list.
• Only withdrawals through emails or faxes will be acknowledged. We look forward to seeing you at this panel session.

Calling all HSS Graduating Students!

The NTU Alumni Affairs Office cordially invites you to the “Welcome Class 2009 Alumni Party” on Saturday, 1 August 2009 @ Zouk. It’ll be a night of drinks and partying to welcome the Class of 2009 graduates to the Nanyang Alumni Family.
(Programme Highlights: Special Performances, Lucky Draw, Door Gifts, Finger Food)

Our school has generously purchased 100 tickets to be given away FREE to our graduating students!
(Each ticket comes with 2 standard drinks; Usual Price: Alumni - S$6.00, Partner - S$8.00)

Please take note of the following: 1) Minimum age for entry is 18 years old; 2) Photo ID is required for entry; 3) Entry before 8.30pm.

Kindly reply to hssfamily@ntu.edu.sg with your name, division and contact number for the free tickets. While stocks last! Tickets would be issued on 1 August 2009 at 6.30pm outside Zouk. 

HSS Inaugural Dinner & Dance 2009

HSS will be organizing our very FIRST Dinner & Dance and it will be specially meaningful as it will coincide with the HSS Convocation Ball 2009 for our very first batch of graduating students. It will be a memorable night packed with a sumptuous 8 course dinner, dance floor with wonderful music, great lucky draw prizes and a time for faculty, staff and students to intermingle freely with one another.

Date: 25th July 2009, Saturday
Venue: Hotel Intercontinental
Time: 8pm
*Pre- dinner event starts promptly at 6pm, which includes casino games with no real monetary transactions involved and look out for our roving magician who will be hanging around during pre-dinner to keep you entertained with his powers.
Attire: Formal
Ticket cost: $30 nett (subsidized for staff)
                 $76 nett (non-HSS staff)
Contact: Lydia (lydia@ntu.edu.sg)
             Joey (kqkek@ntu.edu.sg)

Please register at https://wis.ntu.edu.sg/pls/webexe/REGISTER_NTU.
REGISTER?EVENT_ID=OA09052714430932 by 30 June 2009 and make your ticket payment to the Divisional Secretaries. For those in the Associate Chair’s office and non-Division administrative staff, please make your payment to Mandy at the HSS General office.

Come join us for our HSS Dinner & Dance 2009, we look forward to see you there!

Photo Gallery

HSS Convocation Ball 2009

To all graduating yr 4s:

We have good news for you!

For a limited time only!

Casino Royale convocation tickets will be going at $59.90 per ticket!
For those who haven’t gotten your tickets, get your tickets now!
For those who have already ordered tickets from us, you will be automatically entitled to this promotion.
To add on to this bargain, you could book a room at Hotel Intercontinental for a night at discounted rates.

Deluxe Room $200++ with breakfast
Premier Room $240++ with breakfast

For online booking of the tickets, please go to: http://su.ntu.edu.sg/hssconvo09/

Visit our webpage for more details: http://casinoroyale2009.blogspot.com

For enquiries and hotel room booking: convo09@gmail.com

HSS Convocation 2009

Dear HSS Graduands,

Congratulations on your convocation!

Our well wishes follow you as you leave HSS and begin your next phase of life.

The School would like to keep in touch with you. You can now register yourself as an HSS alumni to receive updates on exclusive job opportunities, networking and alumni events.

Upon registration, you will be entitled to a FREE customized HSS Graduation Bear. Please collect the Graduation Bear during your Convocation on 24th July 2009, at the reception (SBS foyer).

What are you waiting for? Click here to register and get your free Graduation Bear - a treasured memento that last a lifetime.

Best regards,
A/P Rosalind Chew
Assistant Chair