Sunday, May 16, 2010

Case study - think out of the box

Case Study.
My friend told me this case. Mr. X is a retiree widower (i.e his wife has passed away). He applied for a 2 room HDB flat with his daughter to form a family unit.

The daughter now wants to get married and apply for a larger flat. Mr. X wishes to live independently. The HDB wants to take back the flat as Mr. X is not able to form a family unit.

They asked him to sell his flat (which cost him $30,000 after grant) and apply for a studio apartment costing $80,000. Mr. X does not have the money to top up. He appealed many times to HDB to remain in his flat, but was declined. Mr. X is still fighting for permission to keep his flat.

What would you do to help Mr. X ,without changing the HDB rules on the family unit? Give your answer here. A prize will be given for an innovative answer.
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5 comments:

  1. Tan Kin LianMay 16, 2010 9:59 PM

    Wow. I got 4 innovative suggestions wihtin an hour. After I have 10, I will put them up for a vote - rather than judge on my own.

    Remember, the requirement is "no change of existing HDB rules" - for the purpose of this case study.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 17, 2010 11:44 AM

    Another poser to readers.

    "The good news is that women are living longer(than men)......"

    How 'good' is the above statement ?

    patriot

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tan Kin LianMay 17, 2010 10:23 PM

    I received 17 responses. Perhaps Signaporeans like this type of challenge, to find a creative solution. Maybe the unspecified prize was the attraction.

    I have intended to ask what you you (if you were the HDB CEO) do to help X, without changing the HDB rules.

    Unfortunately, I did not make this clear. Most of the suggestions are for what X can do to comply with the HDB rules, e.g. for singles, get married again, etc

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMay 18, 2010 9:41 AM

    Hi Mr. Tan,

    It is more practical for others to give ideas from the angle of what the ordinary man can do. Giving suggestions on what the HDB CEO can do would be too hypothetical.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Tan Kin LianMay 18, 2010 12:23 PM

    I received 19 suggestions. More than half suggested getting married again. But X is not keen to rush into this commitment. He only wanted to stay in the flat.

    I like to ask for suggestions, if you were CEO of HDB, what can you do to help X without changing HDB rules?

    ReplyDelete