In a commentary, SMU Associate Professor of Strategic Management Tan Wee Liang discussed how local food firms such as Bee Cheng Hiang (BCH), Tai Chong Kok and Lim Chee Guan  have been diversifying their product offerings, making inroads overseas and selling digitally. In 2007, a group of SMU students that he supervised were commissioned to find out whether the Vietnamese would take to BCH’s bak kwa since the Vietnamese have their version of jerky. The results from the study certainly came to good use as BCH has outlets all over Asia today. He and his SMU Masters class also visited BCH's their manufacturing plant near Seoul in Suwon city in 2019 and interacted with the Singaporean managers stationed there, learning how BCH is also going out of its way to promote its brand to hire talent.