Westerners habit of responding quickly to a question, to Singaporeans, often indicates thoughtlessness and rude behavior. Their demeanor is typically calm, and Westerners more aggressive style is often seen as off putting ("Singapore: Language," 2009). Authority is to be respected for both employees of an organization, in Singapore, and when dealing with other organizations (Tse, 2008), and communication content and tone should represent this respect. Business etiquette is also different in Singapore than in many Western countries.
Cultural Business Etiquette in Singapore:
Business is more formal in Singapore than non-Asian organizations are often used to. There are strict rules of protocol, with a clear chain of command, which is expected to be kept on both sides of the relationship. Personal relationships are key to all business relationships in Singapore and take time to build. Networking is extremely important and is built on long-standing personal relationships of others and the proper introductions to introduce new people into the network. As Singapore is a group-oriented culture, these links are often forged based on ethnicity, education, or place of employment. Once recognized as a member of a certain group, individuals are expected to obey the unwritten rules of the group. Tse (2008) surmises that Singaporeans often have trouble initially trusting someone they perceive to not be part of their in-group. Respect and courtesy in all dealings are expected, with meetings being made at least 2 weeks in advance ("Singapore: Language," 2009). Again, a non-Asian MNE employee may be used to being able to fit in an appointment with only a few days notice, if they have a flexible schedule, and may not plan accordingly when doing business in Singapore.
An appointment not must be made significantly in advance, but Singaporeans often schedule their meetings in writing. This echoes the formality found in many other aspects of their business dealings. Although most will schedule a meeting via e-mail, telephone or fax, most will not schedule a meeting during Chinese New Year, as businesses are often closed for that entire week. When scheduling a meeting for negotiations, a list of people who will be attending, and their titles, should be sent well in advance. Seating at the meeting is established by organizational hierarchy. As Singaporeans are non-confrontational, most will not simply say "no" and a "yes" does not necessarily mean an agreement has been made. When signing a contract with ethnic Chinese, the signing date may be decided upon by an astrologer or feng shui man (geomancer) ("Singapore: Language," 2009). Although these cultural nuances will obviously affect a non-Asian organization setting up a base in Singapore, even small things, like business cards have an effect as well.
After the initial introductions are made, business cards are exchanged. This exchange takes place using both hands. If an organization is dealing with ethnic Chinese, in Singapore, it is considered polite to have the reverse side of the card translated into Mandarin. It is also polite to examine the business card you've been handed carefully, before putting them in a business card case. The premise of this is that Singaporeans believe that how you treat their business card is indicative of how you will treat their relationship ("Singapore: Language," 2009). The practice of quickly tucking them away found in Western culture is considered rude in Singapore.
Discussion:
These cultural and diversity issues that will affect a non-Asian MNE from establishing a base in Singapore all reiterate a singular point. A nation's culture affects how the individual's within the culture operate and how the businesses, built by these individuals, operate. As Javidan, Dorfman, de Luque, and House (2006) note, culture colors how people perceive the world around them and affects every aspect of their behavior. Organizations wanting to do business in Singapore must not only understand the cultural differences, as outlined earlier, but also must be able to adapt to these unique cultural requirements, if they want to be successful.
Low and Chapman (2003) note that culture is learned from other societal members who are on the same level as the individual. Given the diversity of the Singaporean people, with their four different primary ethnic groups and the array of religions, there is both a common ground for understanding the culture of Singapore and also a cultural diversity, within the Singaporean culture itself. Those who are ethnically Chinese, Indian, Malay, or European...
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