Singapore MACRO environment

Singapore had fought for its independence from the colonial grip of Great Britain. It is also a very egalitarian and liberalized country. It has been one of the biggest trading posts in the world and has become very wealthy. The (PAP) or People’s Action Party was the first universal suffrage movement. It’s led the country for many years, provided many social welfare programs and the people are very supportive of it. The party has been known for imprisonment and harassment but no known disappearances.

Singapore is the nation of islands which is situated on the South of Malay Peninsula. Its area is only 704,0 square kilometers, and it is the smallest country in Southeast Asia. Its anthem is Majulah Singapura

Singapore is also known as Lion City. This Lion City was established as a British dependency in 1918 and it had been built up into one of the world’s busiest ports today. In 1819, Singapore was established by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles and Singapore has declared as a free port, with free duties charged. This policy had drawn traders from far and bend her into one of the Asia’s busiest ports. When World War II broke out, Singapore was attended as a formidable British base; with several naval defenses guarding against assault by sea. Still, to this surprise, the Japanese choose to cross Malaya by bicycle instead. Despite with all the efforts to hold the Japanese, only less than a week fighting, Singapore had surrendered in 1942. The Japan occupation lasted for three years and eight months with the return of the British in 1945. After the war, Singapore became a British colony. Singapore had joined Malaysia for a short period in 1963 when the British left, Singapore left Malaysia and became independent on 9 August 1965. Since that, Singapore’s economy successful in the subsequent forty years and become one of the four East Asian

Since Singapore’s establishment in 1965, the government of Singapore had adopted a genre of paternalistic leadership in many areas (Lee, 2008). Personally, I have so far taken the view that it was the most fundamental thing for this tiny oriental country.

Earth is bigger than what most people think; it consists of 7 continents, 7 seas, and 196 different countries. Taking that into consideration, our earth currently is supporting over 7 billion people worldwide. That is 7 billion people who are different and individuals who share different thoughts, ideas, backgrounds, and cultures. Cultures are very unique as they are different from country to country. Some adopt cultures that society accepts as the norm, while others adopt different types of cultures; cultures that not many people, especially those outside of the country, can see eye to eye and would sometimes find them rather ‘extreme’. When comparing Asian cultures and American cultures side by side, we can easily identify the many differences between the two. For one, Asian cultures are less open, more traditional and conservative in comparison to Americans. While Americans promote liberty, independence, and values individualism; Asian countries, on the other hand, are more fixated in keeping with the custom. Knowing this, it is not surprising to see Asian countries have a more rigid and structured form of society compared to the Western counterparts. The values, business structures and even priorities are different between the two and can easily be distinguished. Singapore is a good example of the contrasting differences and representation of the Asian cultures.

Singapore, authoritatively known as the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign city-state and island nation in Southeast Asia. It lies on the north of the equator, at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, with Indonesia's Riau Islands toward the south and Malaysia toward the north. Singapore's domain comprises of one fundamental island alongside 62 different islands. Since independence, broad land recovery has expanded its aggregate size by 23% (i.e. 130 square kilometres).

According to Singapore Population Census 2010, Singapore’s current population is recorded as 5.08 million at the end of June this year. Out of 5.08 million populations,

of unity, a year of constitutional revolution and political stability…”.12 All in all, the British took the path of least resistance when leaving Singapore, even though Singaporean authorities and people wanted their own independent nation at that point.13 The British economy was struggling and it was apparent that Singapore was too much of a financial burden.14 It was the nationalistic feeling inspired by Lee Kuan Yew and the PAP, which came about as a result of Japanese occupation during World War II, that caused the decolonisation of Singapore in 1959.

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)

2015 marks the 50th anniversary of Singaporean independence in 1965. Then, Singapore was just another colony to break away from the dying embers of the British Empire, many of its people destitute and impoverished. Today, in only half a century, Singapore has become one of safest nations in the world, an Asian Tiger with a booming economy. This is due to the hard work and genius of the nation’s father and first Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew. Under his reforms, the economy flourished and the people were content. Although Lee’s government refused to relinquish control and were often aggressive, their smart legislation and benevolent rule was responsible for the growth of the nation. The key to Singapore’s development lay in the combination of

Singapore sacrificed civil liberty for the sake of economic development. There is no doubt economic development is important to maintain the national strength and reputation of a country or a city, however Singapore is not worthy for being an authoritarian city. Everything was restricted, mainstream media under government supervision monopolized media industry; citizens would face harsh penalties if they accidentally done something wrong—even chewing gum were banned in Singapore. Living under such kind of society, I don’t think the Singaporeans will feel happy with their life—their access and freedom to obtain information and express views were deprived, even the Internet is free but lawsuits are waiting for the netizens once they posted materials regarded as ‘illegal” by the

Some interviewees put it down to the influence of the Singaporean government on the corporate sector – the former has inclined towards forward planning and orderly action in shaping the country’s success to date. This influence has also shaped the country’s education system, which undoubtedly influences the paradigm of many Singaporean business leaders.

However, the development of Singapore’s society cannot be predicated on pure economics alone. Even though globalization has enabled Singapore to fare well in economic development, however, termed the perils of success, globalization has brought about undesirable

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).