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Doing business & staying in touch

English is widely spoken in business circles. Appointments should be made and punctuality is important. Chinese people should be addressed with their surnames first, while Malays do not have surnames but use the initial of their father's name before their own. Business cards are essential, and should be both presented and accepted with both hands and a small bow of the head, although it is policy for government officials not to use them.

Singapore
English is the official language of business in Singapore and business is conducted very much on a Western model. However, Asian (and especially Chinese) business ethics often prevail. Business cards are exchanged on every social and business occasion and it is common courtesy to give or receive them with two hands (as with any piece of paper, including money). Corporate entertaining is high on the agenda and long lunches are often taken, with lavish buffets a popular option. Smoking is prohibited in many places and is not always socially acceptable, so visitors should check before lighting up.

Business dress is fairly formal, though a jacket is usually dispensed with apart from at official meetings. Women wear skirts or trouser suits. Some organisations have adopted casual Fridays, although only those departments with no client contact tend to take advantage of this.

There are 11 public holidays a year, the most significant being the Chinese New Year, usually in February. This is the only occasion when almost everything shuts down - locals spend time visiting their families and expats leave for a long weekend away. During other public holidays, like Christmas Day, banks and offices close but shops stay open. Locals and expats alike work long hours. The official working day is 0900-1800 but much longer hours are quite common.

Office hours: 

Mon-Fri 0900-1300 and 1400-1700, Sat 0900-1300.

Economy: 

Singapore's economy relies on entrepôt trade, shipbuilding and repairing, oil refining, electronics and information technology, banking and finance and, to a lesser extent, tourism. From the late 1970s, the government promoted export-oriented and service industries with the intention of making Singapore a regional economic hub.

The importance of trade to the economy cannot be overstated: the total value of Singapore's trade is almost three times its GDP (compared with 17% of GDP in the case of Japan). Vibrant economic activity more than compensates for Singapore's lack of natural resources. There is a little agriculture, with the cultivation of plants and vegetables, and some fishing; however, most foodstuffs and raw materials have to be imported.

Singapore's only significant natural resource is its natural harbour, which is the busiest in the world. This accounts in part for the high level of Singapore's re-export trade, which accounts for almost half of all trade.
Singapore is the top convention city in Asia and ranks among the top 10 meetings destinations in the world. There are many hotels with extensive conference facilities, including the latest audio-visual equipment, secretarial services, translation and simultaneous interpretation systems, whilst Raffles City, a self-contained convention city, can accommodate up to 6,000 delegates under one roof. Other popular venues for larger conventions and exhibitions include Suntec Singapore and Singapore Expo, the country's latest addition to conference venues.

Full information on Singapore as a conference destination can be obtained from the Exhibition & Convention Bureau within the Singapore Tourism Board (see Contact Addresses). The bureau is a non-profitmaking organisation with the dual objectives of marketing Singapore as an international exhibition and convention city and of assisting with the planning and staging of individual events.

GDP: 

US$134 billion (2007).

Main exports: 

Machinery and equipment, consumer goods, chemicals and mineral fuels.

Main imports: 

Machinery and equipment, mineral fuels, chemicals and food.

Main trading partners: 

China (PR), Hong Kong (SAR), Japan, Korea (Rep) and Malaysia.

Staying in touch in Singapore

Mobile phone: 

Roaming agreements exist with international mobile phone companies. Coverage is good.

Internet: 

Internet cafes throughout Singapore provide public access to Internet and e-mail services.

Post: 

Airmail to Europe takes up to one week. There are limited postal facilities at many hotels.

Post office hours: 

Mon-Fri 0830-1700, Sat 0830-1300. The airport and Orchard Point branches are open daily 0700-1900. The General Post Office on Fullerton Road (near the river) and the Comcentre near Orchard Road are open 24 hours.

Media: 

Singapore's media environment has the shadow of Singaporean government cast over it. Censorship is common; Internet access is regulated; and private ownership of satellite dishes is not allowed.

Press: 

• Singapore Press Holdings, with close links to the ruling party, has a virtual monopoly of the newspaper industry.
• The English-language dailies are The Business Times, The New Paper, The Straits Times and Today.

Television: 

• MediaCorp, owned by a state investment agency, operates TV and radio stations.
• It operates entertainment-based Channel 5 and Channel 8.
• It also operates Malay-language Channel Suria, Mandarin-language Channel U and Channel NewsAsia.

Radio: 

• MediaCorp operates more than 12 stations in Singapore.
• Unionworks operates WKRZ, an English language station, and Mandarin station UFM. • Radio Singapore International operates broadcasts in four languages, including English.

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