Singapore

'A great commercial emporium' was how Sir Stamford Raffles described Singapore in the early years of its founding. Today, some 180 years later, those words still epitomise modern Singapore, and for the modern entrepreneur it offers opportunities in all major business sectors. Its 3 million citizens, of which 78% are Chinese, 14% Malay and 7% Indian, plus a further 1 million foreign citizens and expatriates, create a truly multicultural society.

In Singapore, as in the rest of Asia, establishing relationships is the key to starting and maintaining all business ventures. Singaporeans are well used to dealing with foreigners and are familiar with other cultural styles. However, you will still be expected to show an understanding of their culture, and tolerance and self-control are an important asset in achieving this.

The Singapore business scene is very professional and courteous, and you will be expected to be well briefed and knowledgeable on the market and your potential business partners, and you will find that your Singaporean colleagues are equally well informed. Meetings tend to be more structured and less confrontational, and conducting oneself in a calm and orderly manner will help to establish credibility. Negotiating styles differ from those in Europe and avoiding direct disagreement and being polite and courteous at all times is essential. The question of 'face' is never easy for Westerners to fully understand, but its importance throughout Asia must never be underestimated.

Singapore has 4 official languages - Chinese (Mandarin), Malay, Tamil and English, but English is the language of administration, and you will find 95% of Singaporeans you are likely to meet will speak and understand English well. However, the entrepreneur who can converse in a local language will always be at an advantage, and a knowledge of Mandarin, Cantonese or Malay will always set you above the competition and will help to cement personal relationships.

The authoritarian stance of government makes for a well disciplined people and foreigners need to portray a similar attitude when doing business. This is facilitated by clear cut and well regulated controls on external trade which make it a pleasure doing business with this modern, industrial nation at the forefront of 21st century technology.

Nick Curtis has spent 20 years as an expatriate living and working in Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. He has lived for four years in Indonesia and l0 years in Singapore working in multi-national companies in sales and marketing. Whilst based in Asia he also had extensive business travel in Hong Kong, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Australia. His wife, Lindi, is Chinese Singaporean.