Reshaping the luxury landscape

THESE could well be the best of times, and the worst of times, for the luxury goods business. Purveyors of the rare and very expensive are evidently reaping the gains of rising affluence (and a robust China market), while grappling with how luxury is becoming almost commonplace.

Designer wares are no longer the exclusive preserve of the rich and famous, especially when brands make the risky shift down to lower price points. Then there's that millennial tide sweeping consumption towards different channels. Brunch looks at how high-end brands - and their customers - are reshaping the luxury landscape, in The Business Times Weekend this Saturday.

The world's biggest listed tobacco company has a vision for the future, and it is, surprise, smoke-free. Jacek Olczak, Philip Morris' chief operating officer, shares the plan in The Raffles Conversation.

This Time Is Different examines what is happening when the market does not react the way you expect it to. Floored by volatility? CFA Singapore Insights shows we can learn from historical financial crises.

A boss has a duty to make sure that employees are duly rewarded or punished as the case may be. Management Unleashed explains how to make the carrot and stick work as they should.

If you are bemoaning your fate as an average Joe in the office, take heart - there could actually be an upside to working with superstars. Cubicle Files discovers that the shine of high-flyers can rub off on teammates in the long run when they collaborate.

In the workplace, depression is often swept aside as mental frailty. The startling lack of empathy with which one Singapore organisation dealt with a staff's depression and eventual suicide exposes the misunderstanding surrounding mental health issues, says Sass & The City.

Convertibles are generally heavy, wobbly and unrefined. So what lies behind the appeal of Mercedes' new C-Class Cabriolet? The Steering Column finds out.

To subscribe, visit bt.sg/subscribe

BT is now on Telegram!

For daily updates on weekdays and specially selected content for the weekend. Subscribe to t.me/BizTimes