Research Paper on Singaporean Culture. ***25 pages*** of content (excluding the title page, abstract, and references)
Running head: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 1
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 4
GCBA Annotated Bibliography
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Institution
The Major Elements and Dimensions of Culture in Singapore.
Cheng, P. L. (2007). The cultural value of resilience: the Singapore case study. Cross Cultural Management: An International Journal, Vol. 14 Issue 2, 136-149. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/13527600710745741.
Cheng focuses on highlighting that Singaporeans are adopting the value of continuous effort and resilience. These values have contributed positively to the success of companies and businesses in the country. According to the author, Singaporeans are said to be resilient because they are hard workers. They value work and live by the principle of putting effort in everything that one does. The findings of this study revealed that Singaporeans and their companies are adopting continuous effort and being resilient. The adoption of these value has been influenced by the geography of the place, the history of the country, and the value of achievement among the individuals. Cheng concludes that being resilient is advantageous for a country because it can lead to boosting the economy. Resilience is an important value in business since it gives people the required fighting power. The article, however, also discusses the possibility of changing perceptions and values.
Goh, R. B. (2009). Christian identities in Singapore: religion, race and culture between state controls and transnational flows. Journal of Cultural Geography. Volume 26, Issue 1, 1- 23. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08873630802617135.
Singapore is a religious country. Hindu, Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism are some of the most popular religions in the country. Even so, Christianity in Singapore is recognized as a foreign religion that has a Western influence. In his article, Goh attempts to explain the tension that exists between religion and culture in Singapore. More specifically, the Christian religion. Christianity has been forced to adjust to the country’s policies. This is because the Christian standing differs largely with the culture of Singapore. As a result, Christianity has to come up with ideas that do not contradict the existing culture. These ideas have to go hand in hand with what Singaporeans stand for. Even so, the religion is practiced and accepted by individuals there. The journal article shed some light on the flexibility of Christianity in Singapore. The religion has attempted to take part in shaping the national values by promoting some of the practices that exist.
Milligan, A. (2006). Singapore - Culture Smart: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture. London: Kuperard. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Singapore-Culture-SmartEssential-Customs/dp/1857333187.
In her book, Milligan gives a detailed explanation of Singapore. The book is the ultimate guide for anyone who intends to visit the country or conduct business there. It contains thorough information on beliefs, attitudes, and behavior in Singapore it is a critical guide on how to behave while in Singapore. The books includes common courtesies, basic manners, and sensitive issues on the country. The information in the book will enable anyone to go to Singapore and avoid embarrassing and awkward moments during their dealings with the individuals. The knowledge will guarantee that a person enjoys their time in Singapore, makes friends and good business networks. The books offers enlightening information about the culture and society of Singapore and how people relate. The main contents in the book comprise of the taboos, food, social and cultural life, business practices, traditions, customs, and values, political background, religion, and how to communicate.
Palevikova, M. (2013). Business Environment in Singapore. Lappeenranta. Saimaa University of Applied Sciences. Retrieved from www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/57443/Polevikova_Maria.pdf.
This paper serves to explain the type of experience that Finnish companies have in Singapore. In addition, the author decided to shed light on the merits and demerits of conducting business in Singapore, as well as the describe some of the cultural challenges that Finnish companies run into. To support the theoretical part of the study, the researcher conducted in depth investigation so as to find out some of the advantages and disadvantages. The empirical part of the study was conducted by use of interviews whereby tow Finnish employees working in Finnish companies in Singapore were interviewed. Results revealed that there were two advantages and one disadvantage of doing business in Singapore. Palevikova concludes that the Finnish companies have to study some features of Singapore so as to survive. These include legislation system, business systems, public holidays, mindset of the local people, how power is used and perceived, cultural diversity, and different negotiation styles.
The Integration of Cultural Elements and Dimensions by Locals conducting the Business Environment.
Amaldas, M. (2009). The Management of Globalization in Singapore: Twentieth Century Lessons for the Early Decades of the New Century. Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences Vol 1, No 3, 982-1002. Retrieved from www.japss.org/upload/30.amaldas.pdf.
Amaldas conducted this research with the aim of examining the policies that were created in the 1990s to capture the benefits of globalization. In addition, the researcher also intended to check out the policies that were created and implemented between 2000 and 2008 because this is the period when Singapore felt the impact of the challenges of globalization. Globalization exposes countries to both challenges and opportunities. It is a wonderful initiative that allows countries to interact with each other while conducting business. Singapore experienced rapid economic growth which later on attracted a lot of people to it. The country’s economy grew significantly. Nevertheless, the citizens were suffering because of inequality in income and structural unemployment. As a result, the author recommends that Singapore puts their citizens first and cater for their needs. Globalization is a great initiative but it should not be responsible for the poor state of a country’s citizens.
Couger, J. D. (1986). Effect of Cultural Differences on Motivation of Analysts and Programmers: Singapore vs. the United States. MIS Quarterly. Vol. 10, No. 2, 189-196. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/249039.
One of the primary economic objectives of Singapore is to expand computer service. Even though the country is small and the expansion rate for capital intensive area is low, expansion of technology has to be encouraged. The author of this article wrote it to determine the effect of cultural differences on motivation of analysts and programmers. Moreover, the researcher made a comparison between the United States and Singapore. The result of the study revealed that the Singaporean motivating potential score (MPS) was lower for both programmers and analysts. Furthermore, the growth need strength (GNS) of the U.S analysts was higher than that of the U.S programmers. Besides, the writer found the GNS of Singaporean analysts and programmers to be equivalent to that of the U.S. That said, it is clear that Singapore need to embrace job enrichment and engagement. From the article, it is clear that when employees are motivated, they work harder and more effectively.
Ferrero, G. P. (2002). The cultural dimension of international business. New Jersey: Upper Saddle River. Retrieved from www.petronet.ir/documents/10180/.../the_cultural_dimension_of_international_busin...
This book authenticates how the theory and the understandings of cultural anthropology can be a positive influence on how international business is conducted. The writer gives details on a five-step approach that can be used in the study of cultural environment of the global business. The first step acknowledges that the general concepts of culture usual change. Secondly, it explores the nature of communication. This covers the linguistic and nonverbal communication. This is a very important part of culture. Thirdly, the book also explores a typology of values that can be applied anywhere in the world. These values can come in handy when a solution to a problem is required. The fourth step involves methods that can be used to collect relevant information on a specific culture. IT is vital to have knowledge on a country’s culture before conducting business. Lastly, the book outlines a set of skills that would ensure that one becomes a world class business person.
Lee, S. K., & Yu, K. (2006). Journal of Managerial Psychology. Vol. 19, Iss: 4, 340-359. Retrieved from http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/02683940410537927.
This study is quite unique because it is not being done by a lot of individuals. The main objective of this paper is to research the possible relationship between corporate culture and organizational performance among companies in Singapore. The writers of this article begin by investigating the validity of the culture construct. The main concern is whether culture can be constructed and operationalized along repeatable dimensions. The authors also assess how the culture affects the organization. The organizational culture profile was used as the research instrument. Culture is a very important part of the organization because it ensure that it defines the organization. It can be identified using its culture. The result showed that culture impacts on a number of organizational processes and performance. The authors recommend that more research need to be conducted in this area. However, they have already established that culture has an influence over the performance of an organization.
Sethi, V., Koh, C., Kim, C., & Sethi, V. (2000). A Cross Cultural Comparison of Problems in Business Process Reengineering Initiatives. Journal of Global Informational Technology Management. Volume 3, Issue 3. 52-73. Retrieved from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1097198X.2000.10856283.
Business process reengineering has taken root in the United States. Consequently, this concept is slowly spread to their parts of the world. For example, Singapore which is a newly industrialized country. As reengineering continues to spread, there are problems that are encountered along the way. The main objective of this research study is to compare where the same reengineering problems experienced in the US are still the same ones experienced in Singapore. Moreover, the writers also want to know the impact that these problems have on the reengineering success in Singapore. The results have revealed that the problems experienced in implementation of business process reengineering in U.S are similar to those experienced in Singapore. Even so, there are some dissimilarities among the two countries. The problems encountered in Singapore are project management and cultural issues. While in the U.S, change management and management support problems were the critical issues. Culture, however, does not affect the type of problems faced.
Suci, S. C., Asmara, A., & Mulatsih, S. (2015). The Impact of Globalization on Economic Growth in ASEAN. International Journal of Administrative Science & Organization. Volume 22, Number 2, 79-87. Retrieved from journal.ui.ac.id/index.php/jbb/article/view/5696/362.
ASEAN refers to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It is one the most highly-integrated regional organizations. The success of this organization can be attributed to globalization. The authors of this paper looked into the impact of globalization on the economic growth based on three dimensions namely social integration, political integration, and economic integration. One of the benefits of globalization is the increase in economic growth. Nonetheless, the economic growth is not proportionate among the ASEAN countries. The researchers observed that the rise in globalization does not result in increased economic growth among the ASEAN countries. The writers used data from six developing ASEAN countries ranging between the year 2006 and 2012. The findings revealed that globalization had a positive impact on economic growth in the region. More importantly, economic and political globalization had a positive impact on economic growth. While social globalization did not have any impact on growth. According to the article, other factors such as inflation, quality of education, government spending, infrastructure, and technological preparedness have a positive impact on economic growth.
The Comparison and Difference between the United States and Singapore Culture in Business Practices.
Ardichvili, A., Jondle, D., & Kowske, B. (n.d.). Dimensions of Ethical Business Cultures: Comparing Data from 13 countries of Europe, Asia, and the Americas. University of Minnesota. Retrieved from www.ufhrd.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/7-1-refereed-paper.pdf.
The authors of this report wrote it with the aim to find out the perceptions of ethical business practices in 13 countries of Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The report contains information that is used to compare ethical practices of businesses from a sample of countries that are culturally and economically diverse. Data to be used for findings was collected using surveys that were carried out on 23,000 managers and employees. The data was also analyzed so as to prove the hypothesis. Despite the differences in culture and economics, most of the countries have similar ethical business practices. The researchers split the countries into various groups which they shared similar characteristics. The results were based on a set of questions and Japan and Italy were ranked low. The UK, U.S, India, Australia, and Canada were in the high category while Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, and China were classified in the middle.
Dalpino, C. (2012). US-Southeast Asia Relations: Conflict in the East; Opportunity in the West. Comparative Connections. Volume 14, Issue 1, 57-67. Retrieved from: https://www.ciaonet.org/catalog/25301.
This article talks about some of the challenges that the United States has faced in the war against terrorism and the desire to expand to the west. The Unites States gave attention to both the east and the west. In the east, there were tensions in the South China Sea between the Philippines and Chinese. In the west there was impact on the April by-elections in Burma. According to the article, the situation in Burma paved way for the United States to engage with the country. In addition, the U.S also formed an alliance with Philippines. Despite the beneficial new engagements that the U.S was enjoying, attacks in Thailand and Philippines were a constant reminder of terrorism. Policies were created that encouraged the US to increase the number of combat ships which were docked at Singapore. This action by the US prompted good relations between them and the rest of the Asia.
Fan, P., & Zigang, Z. (2004). Cross-cultural challenges when doing business in China. Singapore Management Review, 26(1), 81+. Retrieved from: http://ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA112585267&sid=summon&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=b9952fa45f04c070dbfd6be1c490baff
The authors of this journal examines the cultural difference between the United States and China. The two countries differ greatly because of their cultures which are worlds apart. The writers explain the impact of globalization on countries and insists on understanding the dissimilarities that exists when conducting business internationally. Each country has their culture and for them to relate well, they have to observe the basic traditions and etiquettes in each culture. In their research paper, the researchers used Hofstede four cultural dimensions and Bond five cultural dimensions to explain the difference between the two countries. More importantly, the writers examine the impact that cultural differences have on the five management practices, cooperative strategies, decision making, conflict management, motivation systems, and differences in work group characteristics. The use of these five aspects by the author led to the realization of how Asians and Americans respond to each other during business.
Service, C. R. (2006). China-Southeast Asia Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications for the United States. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved from: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL32688.pdf.
This report seeks to explain how the relationship that is blossoming between China and Southeast Asia could be beneficial to the United States. Southeast Asia used to be an area of low priority in the United States foreign and security policy. However, it is slowly becoming an area of interest because of the trade relations that China is establishing. The U.S has only been attracted to this region because of the war on terror. According to the report, Southeast Asia has become a part of China’s economic dynamism. Chinese people have formed an economic relationship with persons from this region. The country has focused on trade relations by expanding their posture. This is irrespective of the poor relations and conflicts that China once had with individuals from Southeast Asia. The expansion of China into this reason will not cause the United States any problems. The country’s interest in the region will remain intact.
Implications for United States businesses considering operations located in Singapore.
SWOT Analysis
Abdi, A., Ashouri, M., Jamalpour, G., & Sandoosi, S. M. (2013). Overview of SWOT Analysis method and its applications in Organizations. Singaporean Journal of Business Economics and Management Studies. Vol. 1, No. 12, 69-74. Retrieved from: singaporeanjbem.com/pdfs/SG_VOL_1.(12)/6.pdf.
SWOT analysis is a technique that was first used to create to study an organization’s strategies and increase its productivity. SWOT is an acronym for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. According to the article, AWOT analysis is a managerial tool that is used to tell the direction that the company should take by confirming all its key strengths and weaknesses. The main objective of this paper is to discuss SWOT analysis in depth and show its applications in organizations. SWOT analysis works and it is important for organizations to conduct the study once in a while. The rules of SWOT are simple. An organization should take advantage of the opportunities, minimize the weak points, exploit the strengths, and eliminate the threats. SWOT analysis includes analyzing factors both inside and outside the organization. They are all outlined and the strategies are formulated afterwards. In their studies, the researchers also used other strategic tools such as BSC and QFD.
Ha, H., & Coghill, K. (n.d.). E-Government in Singapore - A SWOT and Pest Analysis. Asia Pacific Social Science Review, 103-130. Retrieved from: www.dlsu.edu.ph/research/journals/apssr/pdf/.../science_4.pdf.
The main objective of this journal article is to review and evaluate the vision, goals, and strategic framework of e-Government in Singapore. The key guidelines for the provision of quality services to users by the e-government includes reliability, accessibility, efficiency, customer-orientation, and cost-effectiveness. According to the authors, the e-government involves three major relationships namely: Government to Citizen (G2C), Government to Business (G2B), and Government to Employees (G2E). The writers use the SWOT analysis and PEST to evaluate the current state of the e-government platform in the country. The findings after analysis reveal that Singapore has developed a strong foundation for e-government. For this reason, the country will be in a position to provide the necessary services to the users more conveniently. Some of the factors that fuel the development of e-government include political willingness, sound economic policies, and robust educational system that will one day generate tech savvy employees and low cost of calls.
Sun, L. (2011). The Core Competences and Strategic Management of Raffles — A Case Study of Singapore Hotel Industry. International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, Vol. 2, No. 4, 270-273. Retrieved from:
www.ijimt.org/papers/143- M549.pdf.
The main goal of this study is to improve the efficiency of Singapore Hotel Industry. In addition, the writer aims at addressing the Hotel Industry sustainability in facing a new challenge. According to the author, the hotel industry in Singapore is driven by the tourism industry. As a result, hotels are forced to upgrade their standards because they are competing globally. In order to attract customers, a hotel has to have exemplary services that guarantee customer satisfaction. The author picked on one luxurious hotel, Raffles Hotel, in Singapore to use as a case study. The hotel has been a leading in the upscale hotel industry. A SWOT analysis is conducted during research so as to confirm the hypothesis. The entire team at Raffles Hotel has the ability to compete fairly and to make the hotel a success. Raffles Hotel has some great strategies that it implement, as well as strategic directions.
FDI Analysis
Department of Statistics, M. (2014). Foreign Direct Investment in Singapore, 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.singstat.gov.sg/publications/publicationsandpapers/investment/foreign-direct-investment-in-singapore: Ministry of Trade and Industry.
This report on Foreign Direct Investments in 2014 in Singapore is the most recent. The Department of Statistics which is under the Ministry of Trade and Industry in the country conducted a survey and wrote this report. This publication can is beneficial to any person who is interested in the data on Singapore’s investments overseas. It discusses the composition, growth, and level of foreign direct investment. The report if well detailed to incorporate source, scope, and coverage of data. According to the report, Singapore’s stock of foreign direct investment increased by 18% from 2013 to 2014. Moreover, the United States is the largest foreign investor in Singapore. The foreign investors have invested in the various industries in Singapore with manufacturing taking the lead. Singapore continues to attract foreign capital over the years. The report projects that foreign direct investments will continue to increase in future. Lastly, the report contains details of the investment according to the investors and sector.
Jayawickrama, A., & Thangavelu, S. M. (2010). FDI Activities, Exports and Manufacturing Growth in a Small Open Economy: An Industry-wise Panel Data Analysis. Retrieved from: A Jayawickrama, SM Thangavelu - National University of …, 2010 - acrobatplanet.com: National University of Singapore Manuscript.
The authors of this journal examine the influence of foreign direct investment on manufacturing growth in Singapore. The two researchers utilize data of 14 manufacturing industries over a period of 30 years, that is, 1975 to 2004. The results of the study reveal that there is a positive correlation between FDI and manufacturing. Foreign direct investment helped in the growth of the manufacturing sector in Singapore. The findings show that for every one percent increase in FDI, there is an increase in the manufacturing output growth of 0.4%. It has been observed that FDI in Singapore has increased over the years. The article also explains that the manufacturing sector gets the largest share of the FDI. Most foreign companies have helped expand the manufacturing sector because that is where they invest most. The researchers also make a similar observation when they use the Arellano-Bond GMM estimator. The state of Singapore has shifted because the country has accepted foreign inflows.
MTI. (2015). Economic Survey of Singapore 2015. Retrieved from: https://www.mti.gov.sg/ResearchRoom/SiteAssets/Pages/Economic-Survey-ofSingapore-2015/FullReport_AES2015.pdf: Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) Singapore.
The Ministry of Trade and Industry in Singapore have authored this report. The report contains detailed information about the economic performance of the aforementioned country. It covers the analysis on the performance of the overall economy and all the sectors that make up the economy. Moreover, MTI also included the sources of growth for the country’s economy, the state of the labor market and the productivity levels and trends. The most interesting thing about the report is that it contains boxes and features that give the reader deep insights into the economic developments and trends. These figures and boxes give perfect illustrations and also serve to ensure that the reader does not get bored. From the report, it is clear that Singapore’s economy is growing. The GDP has increased between the year 2013 and 2014. The overall state of the economy is great and the future projections show that economic growth is imminent.
Ratiphokhin, R. (2011). Empirical Analysis of the Determinants of FDI in Thailand: A Case Study of FDI from Singapore. Retrieved from: www.divaportal.se/smash/get/diva2:425866/FULLTEXT01.pdf: Södertörn University.
In her report, Ratiphokhin, analyzes the determinants of Singaporean foreign direct investment in Thailand between 1981 and 2009. Singapore is one of the largest investor in Thailand. This relationship is facilitated by the factors that are both countries. The amount of Singaporean FDI has rapidly increased in Thailand. The rapid change in comparative advantages of Singapore and the limitation of Singapore’s domestic market in Thailand go a long way in determining Singapore’s foreign direct investment in the country. The author used two regression models to analyze the time series data that was available. The first regression model treated Singaporean FDI in Thailand as an independent variable while the second regression model used a combination of relative price and exchange rate. The results reveal that growth rate of Thai domestic market, relative price of Thailand and Singapore, and real relative exchange rate have an influence on the Singaporean FDI in Thailand. The researcher also uses a series of tests to confirm the results.
Roy, S., & Mandal, K. (2012). Foreign Direct Investment and Economic Growth: An Analysis for Selected Asian Countries. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly. Vol. 4, No. 1, 15-24. Retrieved from: jbsq.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/JBSQ_Sept2012-2.pdf.
The writers of this journal article attempt to explain the causal relationship that exits between foreign direct investment and economic growth for selected Asian countries. The countries comprise of China, Pakistan, Singapore, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Philippines, and Indonesia. The study covers the period between 1981 and 2008. The authors chose to use data from this period because it is available for all countries, hence, results will be sufficient. If the direction of the causality runs from FDI to growth, it shows that a country should try to maximize the inflow of FDI. The results reveal that the direction of causality runs from FDI to growth for China, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. This means that FDI has a significant influence on the growth of these countries. As a result, they should strive to increase FDI inflow by making sure that they are attractive to investors.
Accommodations and Adaptations
Gesteland, R. R. (2012). Cross-Cultural Business Behavior: A Guide for Global Management (Fifth Edition) 5. Copenhagen Business School Press: Copenhagen. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Cultural-Business-Behavior-GlobalManagement/dp/8763002388.
The main theme of this book by Gesteland is change. Over the years, culture has changed. Additionally, business behavior is evolving and so are the markets surrounding us. The changes can be attributed to generational shifts, increased exposure to the world market place, and improvements in education. According to Gesteland, these changes are the reason why some books are being updates. Things are no longer being done the way they were. More importantly, the international managers’ challenges have also changed. This means that there is need for new information and new experiences in the global business. The author has outline some practical pointers that can be used on the global market place today.
Gudykunst, W. B. (2003). Cross-Cultural and Intercultural Communication. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications. Retried from: https://www.amazon.com/Cross-Cultural-Intercultural-Communication-William-Gudykunst/dp/0761929002.
This book is derived from a previous book that Gudykunst has written. However, this one stands out because it is more specific. The books talks about the cross-cultural and intercultural communication. It provides an extensive overview of cross-cultural variations in communication. The author gives this book a special touch by talking about intercultural communication which is done in terms of intergroup communication. This is a relatively new area of research in the communication industry that has proved to be quite important to facilitate global communication. The first part of the book emphasizes comparing communication across different cultures. The second part examines the communication between people of different cultures. This is the most crucial part. Individuals have to learn about basic etiquette and culture of another country if they intend to visitor conduct business. This way, the individual will have a smooth stay, will make friends, and valuable business networks.