Singapur

Introduction
As part of the course International Business Communication (INBS 5000), the class was asked to get together in groups to make several projects. Our last assignment was to make a research project about a determined country, in which as a group we could express the cultural differences between the country chosen and ours.
As I group, we decided to choose Singapore because of theamazing advances that the country has made regarding its small size. In the other hand, we were amazed by the differences in culture that actually were living in Singapore, which made the negotiation process more difficult.
In this project, we will discuss from different aspects of communication to their culture and process of negotiation. We will discuss the cultural dimensions from Hoftstede andthe GLOBE Project in order to establish differences and similarities between our culture and the country’s being studied. Finally we will take a look at the most important aspect that a manager must know if he/she wants to negotiate in Singapore.
Follow us in this journey and we hope you have the same fun reading it, than we had making the research project.







Table of ContentsHistorical Background and Culture ……………………….. Page 3
Economy and Religion ……………………………………... Page 4-6
Cultural Dimensions………………………………………… Page 6-14
Etiquette and Customs in Singapore………………………… Page 14-18
Communication……………………………………………… Page 19
Business Etiquette and Protocol……………………………. . Page 20
Implementing Changes and Decision Making……………..... Page 21
Negotiation Styles……………………………………………Page 22
Negotiations Strategies………………………………………. Page 23








Background:
Singapore is an island, of 697 sq miles, located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. Originally controlled by the Sultan of Malay, it became a British colony in 1824. In 1959 the People Action Party (a Pro Independence Party) won the elections. In 1953 Singapore declared independence, unilaterally,from England. It then joined the Federation of Malaysia for two years, until it became completely sovereign in 1965.
Culture:
It is the second most densely populated country on earth, surpassed only by Monaco. Its population is composed of 4.99 million residents, of which 3.73 million are Singaporean citizens, as of 2009. The non-citizens, who are residing in Singapore, mostly study there or workon service industries. The native population is mainly composed of Chinese (74.2%), Malay (13.4%), Indian (9.2%), and Caucasian (3.2%). The languages spoken in Singapore are as diverse as its population. Mandarin is the most widely spoken language, makes up for 47.7%. Then it is followed by followed by English (32.6%), Malay (19.2%) and others (0.4%).
Because of the breadth of cultures mixed inSingapore, religions are diverse and equally entangled in its culture. Buddhism is the religion with most followers, mainly Chinese, followed by Islam, Hinduism, Christianity (of which Catholics make the larger portion) and free thinkers. Despite the separation between some of the groups, Singapore serves as an “umbrella” culture to which they all feel a sense of belonging.
Among the values andconcepts of the culture there is the “Kiasu”. It literally means “fear of losing” and is often used to describe the social attitude of Singaporean people. The concept refers to Singaporeans’ desire to always want to be the best, come first and never lose out. Kiasu reflects the value Singaporeans place on competitiveness and strong work ethics.
Another important concept is “Face”. Losing facehas negative consequences on a person’s family and other social groups as on individual reputation, credibility and authority. To avoid losing face, Singaporeans control their behavior and emotions in public, do not confront other people openly.
In the Quality of Life Index of The Economist, Singapore ranks as first in Asia and eleventh in the world. It is the most globalised country in world...