Posts

Video | Making the Most Out of Your Internship

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  Making the Most Out of Your Internship Internships can be scary, not only for the students, but maybe even a bit for lecturers and employers too. But all said and done, and internship is a valued opportunity to get your foot in the door of industry, and see what a career in the field will be like. In this (rather long, sorry) video, Orchan Director, Craig talk about how to make the most of that opportunity - from applying for internships, being "on the job", and even how to turn your internship into your first full-time position. If you're up for an internship soon, do have a listen and gain some valuable insight into turning your internship into a really positive experience for you.

Slaves to Social Media (An Oldie, but Certainly a RELEVANT Goodie)

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Are Our Lives Taken Over by Social Media? A recent article we encountered revealed a shocking truth about how impacted we are by social media. A restaurant in New York, who has been around for a long time, noticed that the average amount of time spent by their customers at their establishment has increased over the last decade, which ultimately make more customers complain about slow service and the long waiting time to get a table. They were perplexed, as they didn’t suspect their properly trained staff, or their cut down menu to have been the causes. So they hired a firm to get to the bottom of things. As the place has been equipped with CCTV surveillance since its start, the firm decided to retrieve and study the footage of the establishment from past years. They analysed all of them, but only needed to study one video from a decade ago and compare it to a recent one in order to identify the cause. It turns out that back in 2004, the customers were seen s...

Innovate to Inspire

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Let’s face it: what feels revolutionary today can become irrelevant tomorrow. In a world where social media gives every customer a megaphone, your brand’s value isn’t just in what you sell - it’s in how people feel about you, and what they say when you’re not in the room. Here’s the uncomfortable truth: function and quality alone won’t set you apart anymore. They’re just the baseline. The real differentiator? Whether your brand inspires. Whether it captures imagination. Whether it proves, tangibly, that you’re making the world better, not just making noise. So ask yourself: Is your brand shaping conversations, or simply reacting to them? Are you creating change, or clinging to the status quo? When people talk about you, do they feel inspired - or indifferent? Because in the end, inspiration is currency. Without it, you’re just another brand, lost in the scroll. At Orchan, we push brands to think bigger, bolder, and braver: to find the spark that inspires, and to build the st...

Are You War-Room Ready? How Prepared is Your Brand for a Crisis?

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Most organisations think they’re ready for a crisis. The truth? Very few are. Having a plan in a binder doesn’t mean your people can execute it under real pressure. When the heat is on, theory falls apart fast. That’s why true preparedness isn’t about what’s written down - it’s about what your team can do in the moment. Until you’ve tested your response in a live simulation, you don’t know how your leaders, systems, and spokespeople will actually perform. A war-room exercise reveals all of this. It uncovers how your team communicates under stress, where bottlenecks emerge, and whether your response truly reflects your brand values. It’s as much about testing leadership and agility as it is about stress-testing systems. At Orchan, we design and host crisis simulation workshops (war-rooms)  - in person or virtually - built around scenarios tailored to your organisation. We identify your likely vulnerabilities, then immerse your team in a realistic unfolding crisis. As the situat...

Blast From the Past | ARA Asia Dragon Fund & ARA Asset Management Limited

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Shopaholic Heavens, by Design ARA Asset Management Ltd is a real estate colossus with decades of experience behind them in the broader Asian region; with a keen business interest in redeveloping retail malls. Their foray into Malaysia began with 1 Mont Kiara, expanding to include Citta Mall, AEON Melaka, Klang Parade and Ipoh Parade. Grace Chen from The Star looked at how mall redesigns and new malls are being crafted in a certain way to maximize benefits to the community   Malaysia was already replete with news of beautifully constructed, yet poorly managed shopping venues that do not meet the needs of the community they serve, thus explaining the lack of enthusiasm amongst prospective investors. ARA noticed this trend among lacklustre malls, where insufficient attention was given to context, with ARA subsequently making the wise choice in commissioning architects well known for their pragmatic approach. As part of Orchan’s strategy to highlight the credibili...