SINGAPORE - They are the big brands and organisations that have helped build Singapore into what it is today, and propelled the nation onto the global stage.
Now, the stories behind familiar names such as DBS Bank, Keppel Corporation and Singapore Airlines have taken centre stage in a new book launched by the Singapore Management University (SMU).
Titled Singapore at 50: The Business of Nation-Building, the 300-page coffee table book chronicles the milestones of 17 major companies and industries during the country's first five decades of independence.
PSA's story takes readers back to the early days of Singapore as a free port to PSA's successful efforts in turning the country into a global shipping hub.
The book also traces Singtel's history back more than 130 years, when the first phone call was connected in 1879 to the household name it has become today.
Professor Philip Zerrillo, the executive director of SMU's Centre for Management Practice (CMP), that published the book, said the idea for the project first come up two years ago.
"My team at the CMP wanted to do something meaningful to contribute towards celebrating Singapore's golden jubilee and SMU's 15th anniversary, which falls on the same year," said Dr Zerrillo.
"We wanted to present something timeless and valuable that the future generations, and the rest of the world, could learn from the Singaporean story."
The book is available at Kinokuniya, SMU Shop, Booklink SMU, Select Books (e-store), and NUS Co-Operative bookstore, at S$69.
