Doing Business With Singapore (Global Business Series)

Rating:
Summary: Good Outline, Works Well With Other Books
Review: I found this a useful overview, but covering many topics a bit too thinly - politics, history, economics, several useful addresses. Several other titles helped me as a businessman and visitor to Singapore.

Stan Sesser's The Lands of Charm and Cruelty has a fscinating essay on Singapore and, as he puts it, "the fear that even the best educated Singaporeans feel towards their government." I started to notice very quickly that in Singapore - a clean, well-run city in marked contrast the inept dictatorships that mostly surround it - there was indeed an unpleasant climate of fear that business travellers must take account of. Don't press locals to discuss anything substantive outside of business. Don't be surprised if the Malayan and Indian minorities seem to be treated as second class citizens. Sesser's book has a lot of information.

Ian Buruma's The Missionary and the Libertine has a famous essay on Singapore, "The Nanny State of Asia" which any visitor should read about the police state climate of S'pore. Again this book helped me understand patterns and attitudes I began to experience while there. There is a lot about the Senior Minister, Harry Lee Kuan Yew, and his silencing of free speech. Buruma's other book, God's Dust, has another informative essay on Singapore.

Christopher Lingle's books, especially Singapore's Authoritarian Capitalism is a real eye-opener as to how S'pore works away from the tourist bureau explanations. You will understand the need for Western business's to "genuflect" to Singapore's leaders through their company's marketing departments in order to continue doing business there.

Chinese writer Bo Yang's The Ugly Chinaman and the Crisis in Chinese Culture gives an in-depth account of the underbelly of Chinese culture, very useful guide for families going to live in the Lion City. The book traces the sad story of repression in Chinese history by China's own leaders, the tale of worshipping the past to the exclusion almost of critical thinking, and how this has led to certain unpleasant aspects of modern Chinese society - rude crowds, obsession with not losing "face", greediness. Bo laments all this, but he is anxious to help Westerners understand why Chinese crowds and shopkeepers (and leaders!) are rude and pushy, blow their noses in public, are xenophobic. A helpful book that leads to clarity, and a more postive appreciation of things Chinese.

Lastly, Paul Theroux's Saint Jack, though a novel, capture's well many attitudes of locals and long-term expats in the city. I found it a remarkably accurate take on the place, though fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Good Outline, Works Well With Other Books
Review: I'm planning a trip to Singapore this summer for an internship and was required to purchase this book as part of course material. I must say that I think this is an excellent book. It doesn't get too in depth (which is good for my purpose) and touches on many aspects of Singapore. It gives some history of the country; it tells about the people who live there and the do's and don't(s) of each of their cultures (chinese, malaysian, indian) in terms of business and family life; it tells about aspects of doing business and even serves as a mini guidebook in the last chapter. It gives info on finding living quarters, maids, and what to expect if you were to live there. Also, it has lists of useful addresses, to include: Accounting & tax services, banks (American), medical services, hotels, housing agents, language schools, restaurants (broken down into ethnic categories), government agencies (to include US as well), and many others. I usually don't go on and on about how good a book is, but this book really helped me, plus, it's short and an easy read. If your thinking about it, it's worth the money.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent overview of Singapore business, history, customs..
Review: I'm planning a trip to Singapore this summer for an internship and was required to purchase this book as part of course material. I must say that I think this is an excellent book. It doesn't get too in depth (which is good for my purpose) and touches on many aspects of Singapore. It gives some history of the country; it tells about the people who live there and the do's and don't(s) of each of their cultures (chinese, malaysian, indian) in terms of business and family life; it tells about aspects of doing business and even serves as a mini guidebook in the last chapter. It gives info on finding living quarters, maids, and what to expect if you were to live there. Also, it has lists of useful addresses, to include: Accounting & tax services, banks (American), medical services, hotels, housing agents, language schools, restaurants (broken down into ethnic categories), government agencies (to include US as well), and many others. I usually don't go on and on about how good a book is, but this book really helped me, plus, it's short and an easy read. If your thinking about it, it's worth the money.