Ask the Expert

ESG WHAT YOU CAN DO Environmental issues are changing the world around us faster than anyone could have predicted, but there are many small things we can all do to make a difference. These include swapping to green electricity, reducing travel, and consideration of where your savings and retirement funds are invested. The latter is one of the most impactful and research has proven that making the right investment can be 27 times more effective at cutting your carbon footprint than the combination of eating less meat, using trains instead of cars, taking shorter showers and flying less.

We believe that investing has a huge role to play in building a sustainable future. A responsible investing strategy seeks to support companies that align with ESG principles and engage with others to improve their behaviour when it comes to protecting our planet. ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE Environmental criteria shows how companies interact key issues such as carbon emissions, recycling and plastic use. Social criteria looks at how they manage relationships with employees, suppliers, customers and communities–for example, when there are issues such as worker rights and inclusion.

Corporate governance concerns leadership issues, such as executive pay, internal controls and shareholder rights. Generally, a company could be considered a responsible business by, for example, having credible net-zero carbon-emissions plans, looking after its employees and supply chains, and having sound management practices.

As part of being a partner practice within St. James’s Place, at Select Investors we are committed to integrating responsible investment considerations into investment decision making. We measure and monitor the companies in which our fund managers invest, drawing on ESG criteria to ensure we are using money as a force for good.

As a member of the Net Zero Asset Owner Alliance, St. James’s Place has committed to all investment portfolios becoming net zero by 2050, if not sooner, and to being a proudly leading responsible business. HOW INVESTING RESPONSIBLY SUPPORTS LONG-TERM RETURNS There is now plenty of evidence that shows how a business approaches these issues and plays a significant role in long-term performance. First and foremost, this belief is shared by most fund managers. A survey of 104 fund managers by the investment consultancy

JAMIE BURGMANN, Private Wealth Manager at Select Investors, answers a reader’s question on how to responsibly invest.

How do I invest with Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles and does investing responsibly support long firm Redington revealed that 73% of managers believed ESG integration adds term returns? positively to financial performance. Likewise, data from MSCI found that, in the seven years leading up to 2020, the top third of companies ranked by ESG ratings outperformed the bottom third by 2.56% per year. To put this into context, if you were to invest $1 million for 10 years and generate 5% p.a. return by investing normally, or a return of 7.56% by investing in ESG funds, your portfolio would be $443,669 more at the end of the 10-year timeframe. The pandemic is also accelerating trends that were already well underway, such as the move towards green energy and electric vehicles. Developments such as these are part of the reason why studies also suggest that improved performance from ESG practices is more evident in the long run. Embedding ESG into the investment process is not a ‘quick win’. Instead, it requires extensive engagement between investors and company management. The value of an investment with St. James’s Place will be directly linked to the performance of the funds selected and may fall as well as rise. You may get back less than the amount invested. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. If you would like to learn more on responsible investing, please email Jamie on Jamie.Burgmann@sjpp.asia.

Select Investors is a Partner Practice of St. James's Place (Singapore) Private Limited.

Members of the St. James’s Place Partnership in Singapore represent St. James’s Place (Singapore) Private Limited, which is part of the St. James’s Place Wealth Management Group, and it is regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and is a member of the Investment Management Association of Singapore and Association of Financial Advisers (Singapore). Company Registration No. 200406398R. Capital Markets Services Licence No. CMS100851. The ‘St. James’s Place Partnership’ and the titles ‘Partner’ and ‘Partner Practice’ are marketing terms used to describe St. James’s Place representatives.

Stay chill no matter what the time of year with these gentle yoga moves that promote inner peace.

Ahhh, Christmas. It really is the most wonderful time of the year . . . except for when you’re juggling daily demands, trying to locate presents, dealing with high expectations, and the dog’s helped himself to tinsel for lunch again. According to statistics, 71% of Australians feel stressed over the holidays, which can lead to body aches, poor sleep, irritability, anxiety and more. Here, Camilla Knight, founder of Creative Yoga and a yoga teacher to private groups and clients in Singapore (@camillapway) reveals her favourite poses for keeping serene throughout the holiday season and beyond.

Festive feeling: Overwhelm

TRY: CHILD’S POSE HELPS WITH: OVERACTIVE MIND, ANXIETY AND DIGESTION

1Kneel on a folded blanket or towel and roll small towels under your ankles and feet if needed. Your knees can be together or apart.

2Forward fold and rest your forehead onto a yoga bolster, bed pillow, or onto your hands. Arms can be outstretched ahead of you or loosely placed alongside your feet.

3Close your eyes and focus on your spine and the back of your body as you direct your breath fully and deeply into the back of your ribs.

Festive feeling: Anger

TRY: CAMEL POSE HELPS WITH: REPRESSED ANGER, UNRELEASED EMOTIONS, HEART OPENING, DIGESTION, BACKACHE

1Kneel down (use a towel if necessary) with your knees a little wider than your hips and with your feet apart.

2Place the palms of your hands face down on your lower back, with your thumbs pressed on the outside towards your waist. 3Look directly ahead and gently push your hips forward until you feel a stretch in your thighs, keeping the hips pushing forward, and drawing your shoulder blades together. Look upwards to create a gentle backbend.

4If your lower back feels good, place your hands onto your heels to deepen the back bend. Keep pushing your thighs forward and gaze upwards or directly ahead. Stay here for three deep breaths.

5On your next inhale push your hips forward, slowly drop your gaze to look forward and sit back on your heels. Take a child’s pose and repeat if necessary.

Festive feeling: Bloating

TRY: MARICHYASANA C HELPS WITH: DIGESTION, TOXINS, MASSAGES INTERNAL ORGANS, ELONGATES LOWER BACK

1Sit on the floor with both legs extended. Bend your right knee so it’s flat on the floor close to your body.

Festive feeling: Anxiety

TRY: LEGS UP WALL HELPS WITH: CALMING THE NERVOUS SYSTEM, COOLING THE BODY DOWN

1Find an empty wall and place a mat parallel to it. Sit on the mat with one side of your body snug against the wall, then turn and lie back on the mat, shifting your bottom and hips so they’re as close to the wall as possible.

2Extend your legs up the wall, with your hands either on your chest or by your side. With your eyes closed, breathe fully and deeply. Stay here for up to four minutes.

3Gently take your legs down from the wall and roll onto your side in the foetal position. Remain here for a few breaths before coming back up to sitting.

2Sitting tall, place your right hand behind you to support you.

3As you exhale, twist to bring your left elbow across your body so it hooks onto the outside of your right knee.

4With your mouth closed, extend your spine as you breathe in through your nostrils. Then gently twist further as you breathe out through your mouth or nostrils. Keep both shoulders relaxed. Take as many breath rounds as you like.

5Repeat the same on the other side, bending your left knee and placing your foot over your right knee.

Successful business leaders not only require academic skills but also an understanding of human behaviour. The Singapore campus of James Cook University (JCU) is harnessing the scientific knowledge in psychology to educate the trailblazers of tomorrow.

The world of business moves at a rapid pace and can often be demanding. Many organisations are accustomed to high-pressure and sometimes ruthless work environments to drive their success, however, the workplace is experiencing a shift. Companies are embracing new ways of operating, and in turn the needs of staff and consumers has changed. To remain a key player, business leaders will have to adopt a more science-based approach to practices.

In response to the ever-evolving organisational culture, and to help professionals stay ahead of the curve, James Cook University (JCU) in Singapore has introduced the Master of Psychological Science (Majoring in Business Psychology). While similar to organisational psychology — where you study the structure of an organisation and the ways staff interact — the emphasis in business psychology is broader and more versatile in application.

The programme is still rooted in psychological science. It ultimately remains a scientific discipline where students explore scientific methods and psychological theories, and then use these concepts to help organisations and businesses perform better. In return, businesses can achieve improved results and attain greater outcomes for their employees, customers and stakeholders. In short, it’s a win-win.

The Master of Psychological Science (Majoring in Business Psychology) is presently the only dedicated business psychology programme offered in Singapore. It’s more well-rounded and adaptable compared to a Masters in Human Resource Management or other areas of psychology and it can be completed within one year in a full-time capacity.

Stronger communicators

While organisations must learn to adapt to new technologies, the human side of business similarly needs to adapt and develop. After all, psychological science encapsulates many different aspects of business, from negotiation to nailing that sale to understanding the expectations of the customer.

Through the use of scientific knowledge in psychology, students will learn techniques to help them understand people and the workings of the human mind. Fully-educated, aspiring business leaders can take their newly-acquired wisdom to enhance organisational culture, create efficient workflows, grow robust and happier teams, deliver effective outcomes, and more.

“The programme will prepare graduates to become stronger communicators, have a clearer appreciation of workflow and people dynamics, appreciate the range of perspectives of internal and external stakeholders and, importantly, they’ll have the skills to apply a science-based approach to achieving positive organisational outcomes,” says Professor Abhishek Bhati, Campus Dean and Head of Learning, Teaching and Student Engagement at JCU in Singapore. “Graduates will be able to use interdisciplinary knowledge from human psychology in any business setting, resulting in a motivated workforce and satisfied customers as well as partners.”

He adds, “In addition, this programme allows students to learn, try and apply, reflect, apply again, and master. The focus on active (and interactive) learning in a technology-enabled environment will set them up for a diverse range of career pathways and professional opportunities in the future.”

By providing students with the opportunity to learn essential foundational scientific theories, as well as enabling them to contextualise and understand how they can be applied to everyday scenarios, they’ll be prepared to readily adapt, solve problems and achieve desired results across a variety of organisational and professional settings.

Furthermore, the Major in Business Psychology integrates research practice to core business activities such as management, human capital, and marketing, allowing students to gain practical, real-world experience which can easily transition into their careers when they move into employment.

“Graduates will be able to use interdisciplinary knowledge from human psychology in any business setting, resulting in a motivated workforce and satisfied customers as well as partners.”

PROFESSOR ABHISHEK BHATI

Preparing for the future

Graduates of the Master of Psychological Science (Majoring in Business Psychology) programme will find themselves equipped with the prowess to take on a wide variety of roles and business functions. These can include operations, marketing, talent management, employee engagement, customer relations, leadership development, maintaining health and wellbeing at work, and coaching. Skills in these areas are especially crucial to current managers or people who aspire to move into a leadership or management position. Professor Bhati continues, “The design of the course respects the changing world we live in, and the dynamic nature of the research enables evidence-based practice.”

Ultimately, tomorrow’s business leaders will need to understand how to bring communities together, care for people, and to offer work that enriches people’s lives. A new approach towards humanity at work is coming of age. The very best managers can glean insights to the human mind while tapping into their own humanity and empathy, as well as leverage logical, scientific principles—after all, it’s widely believed that a business is only as good as its people. It’s critical for organisations to place greater emphasis on human connection, and for an effective leader to be able to understand workflow dynamics, colleague relationships, and to appreciate alternate perspectives offered by external collaborators, partners and customers. The future certainly starts here. To learn more and find further details about the Master of Psychological Science (Majoring in Business Psychology) offered at the Singapore campus of James Cook University go to jcu.edu.sg