Essay on Introduction to Singapore

On the 9th of February 1942, three divisions of Japanese soldiers landed in Singapore, which was at the time a major British military base and presence in the Pacific. Six days later, over 90 000 British, Australian and Indian troops were forced to surrender. It had been believed that Singapore guaranteed the security of Australia during the war, consequently, the fall of Singapore opened Australia to invasion. The fall of Singapore was significant in causing relations between Australia and the United States to increase as in lieu of Britain’s inability to provide economic and military assistance when it was required most, the United States’ capability to provide what Britain could not was instrumental in strengthening bonds.

From my travels, I also learned that there can be more than one solution to a problem. Indeed, having a variety of perspectives makes it easier to come up with approaches to different problems. My travel experience has strengthened my interpersonal skills, as well as my integrity and determination.

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” Henry David Thoreau stood behind the fact that all change is a miracle that happens in every instant. World travel has the potential to introduce an individual to the various miracles that life has to offer through aspects like culture, scenery, and language. In fact, there is a psychological concept that goes by the name of the “Big Five.” The number five refers to the five most dominant characteristics of personality: openness, extraversion, neuroticism, conscientiousness and agreeableness. Meeting new people and exposing oneself with new culture is one of is an activity that is one of the main contributors to the openness factor of personality which in turn has a domino effect on the remaining four characteristics (“5 Ways…”). That being said, by travelling the world an individual is able to become more adventurous and well rounded.

In this paper I will present my research results regarding Singapore, as well as draw the picture of its marketing environment. I will include the information about the location, climate, population, religion and culture, official spoken languages, state of economy and level of technologies, political and legal systems, level of competition and potential for economic growth. In the conclusion I will highlight advantages and disadvantages of the Singapore marketing environment.

Throwing oneself into an entirely different culture for a few weeks a year, is one of the most intellectually gratifying things I have come to experience. It exposed me to the fact that there is more to life than meets the eye. Accepting its complexity is almost as important as understanding what makes it complex. My visits to Poland have opened my one dimensional mindset, and allowed for more complicated reasoning. Traveling also forces an individual into strange situations they are unaccustomed to, and shows that not everything can be learned in a classroom. It teaches politics, economy, history, geography and less general things such as the ability to explore, grow, and make mistakes. They are left with the satisfaction of doing things they never knew they could

level of economic development : Singapore have highly attractive to investment climate because one of the factor is so important that is Singapore has stable political environment

Traveling can broaden ones mind and make them more creative. When traveling, the different culture can give a person new ideas and allow them think in a different way. One study by Galinksy, an American Social Physiologist, proved that traveling makes people more creative. Throughout the study, they examined directors in two hundred and seventy high-end fashion houses, and“ researchers found a clear correlation between time spent abroad and creative output: The brands who creative directors had lived and worked in other countries produced more consistently creative fashion lines than those whose directors had not (Galinksey).” Having a new insight to the world, and immersing yourself into a new culture and language can help open one’s eyes. I experienced this first hand when I had traveled to foreign countries. Traveling has

It is also easy for many other companies to set up headquarter in Singapore as their starting point in Asia to make it possible to reach to its market point. In addition, Singapore is unique in different lifestyles and culture. It is also known for its capability of attracting sizable foreign investment, pro-business environment and entrepreneurs. Singapore focuses more on a knowledge based economy which can be seen in its education sysem. Furthermore, Singapore is located in the heart of Asia and it plays an important role in international

After working for 3 years, I was burnt out at work and wanted to rediscover myself and I could only think of travelling. But I always had this feeling that something is wrong. Neither I’d the money nor intention of wanderlust. I was just lost or maybe I want freedom of expression without being ending up in jail. I don’t know it yet. But one thing was sure and that was: I want to experience the world through the eyes of others. Living the lives of others or living with them provides you a window to enter their lives. I have always believed that travel breaks you free. My mind was conditioned to travel. I had changed almost a dozen schools by the time I completed my graduation. Oh boy!

Singapore has a highly developed market which has historically revolved around extensive exports trade, in other words an export driven economy hugely dependant on export of goods to other countries.

With foreign manufacturing industry entering Singapore market the manufacturing sector and its share in GDP grew from 16.6% in 1965 to nearly 30 % in 1980 and in 1993 manufacturing contributed to about 28 % of the total GDP and accounted for nearly 28% of employment. Singapore’s GDP raise to 13 times between 1960 and 1999. The nation has shown greatly decrease of figure of poverty. (United Nations 2000)

This will boost the economy of Singapore as when more companies are willing to invest in Singapore, especially due to our strengths like competitive workforce and strategic location, it will result in greater influx of capital. It will also result in a creation of jobs for the people, boosting employment rate and generating revenue for both the country and the individual. Take for instance, the chip used in the latest PlayStation3 and Xbox. A French semiconductor company, Soitec, is investing $700 million to set up in Singapore its first offshore facility to make the wafer for this chip. The wafers involve alternating layers of silicon and insulator, unlike conventional wafers which use silicon throughout. Soitec is coming here because its technology has to be well-protected, and we are the only country in Asia that they trust well enough to set up their first manufacturing campus outside of France. Thus, positive development is a sure thing with globalization. Furthermore, since in the modern day context, money is a key indicator of happiness, thus, Singapore’s development can be mirrored by the happiness of the people with their monetary needs fulfilled.

Singapore has a capitalised mixed economy. Having strong international trade links, Singapore possesses one of the most open economies for international trade and investment. Singapore offers foreign investors a pro-business environment, excellent infrastructure, highly-skilled and cosmopolitan labour force, and a robust legal/judicial system. These competitive factors have set Singapore apart from other locations, winning several accolades including: §

The Republic of Singapore celebrated its 42 years of independence in year 2007. Situated at the southern tip of Malaysia, Singapore currently holds a population of 4.68 million as of June 2007. At 704.0km2, it is ranked 4th in the world for its population density. During the past four decades, the economy as measured by real Gross Domestic Product (GDP), multiplied by over 20 times (Ghesquiere, 2007, p.11). As a small and extremely open economy, Singapore long term survival is very much dependent on the ability to maintain its viable position and remain afloat in the sea of global competition (Mun Heng et al, 1998, p.14).

When dealing with intercultural business a person should be well aware of the characteristics of the culture he is to be in contact with. He should be well prepared to face attitudes not common in his home country.