Language

Singapore has four official languages: Malay, Tamil, Chinese and English. The English language has unified the three fractious ethnic groups. Most Singaporean Chinese speak Cantonese. English is the language of all business and government correspondence.

Value System and Relationships

Singapore scores high on the power distance index and very low on the uncertainty avoidance index. The strong Malay and Indian subcultures have different value systems from the Chinese. singapore is a typical collectivist culture with a strong family being the focus of social organization. Trust is high among those in the same ethnic group. Men still dominate in most public situations although this is gradually changing.

Business Climate

Business is more competitive and ethnocentric than, for example, in the U.S. With Singapore being a meritocracy, the focus is on competence, merit and teamwork.  Thus, business executives and managers put in long work hours. Civility is the single most important attribute for successful relationships in Singapore.

The Pew Global Attitudes Project is an interactive database that allows users to explore public opinion trends in 55 countries on topics ranging from attitudes towards the U.S. to peoples assessments of their own lives to views about globalization, democratization and extremism and other important issues.

The country ranks as no. 4 (of 180 countries) on Transparency International’s 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index.