International and Area Studies Commons^™

Achieving Growth Through Corporate Partnerships And Joint Ventures: Will Singapore's Strategic Leap Into The Region Work?, Ravinder K. Zutshi, Wee Liang Tan

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

One of the characteristic features of the East Asian economic development strategy has been the interventionist role of the government in the economic sphere (Amsden 1989; Kwon 1994; Wade 1990; Zutshi and Gibbons 1998). Governments in East Asia have traditionally, worked closely with the private sector. As a result unique business systems embedded in networks and alliances have evolved in countries like Taiwan, Japan, Korea and Singapore (Hamilton and Biggard 1988). Singapore has attempted to extend this model of strategic cooperation beyond its borders into the region. Schein (1996) identifies a number of major development eras in the evolution of …

Enhancing Economic Cooperation: A Regional Arbitration Centre For Asean?, Pearlie Koh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Economic co-operation within ASEAN can be said to have seriously begun only at the beginning of the nineties. Prior to that, it was well known that, ASEAN as a co-operative grouping, had existed mainly with a political and strategic focus. It is with this focus that ASEAN managed to establish and maintain cohesiveness through the years despite the shaky beginnings of what has been described as a 'brittle alliance' borne of a common fear of communism. And it is with this focus that ASEAN, as a regional grouping, has generally been hailed as a success.

Downsizing, Debürokratisierung Und Krisenmanagement: Neuere Entwicklungstendenzen In Malaysias Öffentlicher Verwaltung, Thomas Menkhoff

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Der Beitrag analysiert mit Blick auf die Asienkrise Entwicklungsaspekte und ausgewählte Strukturmerkmale der öffentlichen Verwaltung in Malaysia, an die nicht zuletzt im Rahmen des derzeitigen Krisenmanagements hohe Anforderungen hinsichtlich Effizienz, Professionalität und Kundenorientiertheit gestellt werden. Besonderes Interesse gilt den vor einigen Jahren eingeleiteten Reform- und Debürokratisierungsmaßnahmen, durch die die Leistungskraft der öffentlichen Verwaltung und der in ihr Tätigen erhöht werden soll. Der Beitrag verdeutlicht die Hintergründe der anhaltenden Restrukturierungsanstrengungen, zeigt interne Schwachstellen auf und untersucht, inwieweit die öffentliche Verwaltung in der Lage ist, die an sie gestellten Erwartungen einzulösen.

Assessing Export Platforms: The Case Of Singapore, Kong Weng Ho, Hian Teck Hoon

Research Collection School Of Economics

The aim of this paper is to try to understand how Singapore was generally successful in its export promoting strategy. Historically, Singapore experimented with an import-substituting strategy in the first half of the sixties in anticipation of forming a common market with Malaysia and also briefly after its independence in 1965. The level of protection, however, was relatively low during its import-substituting phase.

Treatment Of Multi-Courts Jurisdiction Agreements, Seow Hon Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

An increasingly popular manner of drafting jurisdiction clauses in cross-border contracts involves the selection of the courts of more than one jurisdiction. Traditionally, parties would submit all disputes to the courts of a particular country under an exclusive jurisdiction agreement or agree that the transaction is subject to a particular jurisdiction without intending to create an obligation to proceed there and nowhere else. Of late, the Singapore courts have encountered litigation over multi-courts jurisdiction agreements. A common form involves the naming of a particular court with one of the parties being given the option to proceed anywhere else.

Singapore Management University Report To Stakeholders 2000 - 2001, Singapore Management University

Report to Stakeholders

It has been an extremely gratifying first year for SMU. From scratch, we saw a curriculum developed, a more than credible faculty assembled, a campus bloom from the ground in record time, and a small group of bright and very promising young individuals set the standard as the historic pioneer intake of students. How did we even begin to persuade sponsors or students to come on board with us? We had no track record, no alumni, not even an existing undergraduate population. Yet, industry support was unabashedly warm from the time Singapore’s third university was announced. First year application for …

Bbm Programme Student Handbook 2000-01, Smu School Of Business

SMU Corporate Reports

The SMU Business School (School) undergraduate curriculum leads to the award of the degree of Bachelor of Business Management (BBM). The objective of the programme is to produce professionally competent graduates who are entrepreneurial, creative, capable of critical thinking and committed to life-long learning. In order to accomplish this objective, the curriculum is structured into 3 sections and a business attachment.

The School offers students a carefully designed programme in which business and management education is integrated with a broad-based foundation throughout the student's 4 years. The courses aim to equip all students with the fundamental skills and attributes needed …

Companies Act (Cap. 50): Memorandum And Articles Of Association Of Singapore Management University (Registration No. 200000267z), Singapore Management University

SMU Press Releases and News

This is to certify that Singapore Management University is incorporated under the Companies Act Cap. 50 on and from 12/01/2000 and that the company is a public company limited by guarantee.

The objects of the Company are to establish, operate, maintain and promote the Singapore Management University (hereinafter called the 'University') which will provide courses of study or instruction pertaining to management, human resource development and any other fields of knowledge.

Resource Commitment, Entry Timing, And Market Performance Of Foreign Direct Investments In Emerging Economics: The Case Of Japanese International Joint Ventures In China, Takehiko Isobe, Shige Makino, David B. Montgomery

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examined whether early movers and technology leaders attained superior performance in emerging economic regions. We assessed the determinants and performance consequences of two key aspects of entry strategy, resource commitment to technology transfer and timing of entry, using survey data from over 220 Sino-Japanese joint ventures (JVs) in China. Both high commitment and early entry had positive impacts on the perceived economic performance of the JVs. Yet these relationships were found to be significantly contingent on several internal and external factors, such as the strategic importance of an investment, parental control of a JV, and the availability of …

Religion And Modernity: Ritual Transformations And The Reconstruction Of Space And Time, Chee Kiong Tong, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In this paper, we use the case of Chinese religion in Singapore to examine the relationships between religion and modernity, and between social processes, on the one hand, and spatial conceptions, forms and structures and temporal practices, on the other. Specifically, we look at how traditional Chinese rituals are being modified, reinterpreted and invented to fit with modern living. Such ritual transformations entail reconstructed notions of space and time. Through such transformations, modernity does not simply lead to the demise of religious beliefs and practices but allows for a continued role for religion in providing a meaning system for Chinese …

Law And Values In Governance: The Singapore Way, Eugene K. B. Tan

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The article examines the role of law and the legal system in catalysing Singapore's development success. It argues that there is a dichotomy in the approach with regard to commercial law and law relating to individual freedom and rights and civil society. Universalism characterises the treatment of commercial laws while cultural relativism and a communitarian-based understanding of rights and obligations are features of the law relating to the rights of the individual. Instrumentalism, driven by a particularistic 'communitarian' political philosophy underpinned by strong Confucianist values, is very much motivated by the need for good governance as a prerequisite for economic …

The Singapore Legal System – History, Theory And Practice, Andrew B.L. Phang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Law is central to order and stability and, without order and stability, societal as well as economic viability (let alone progress) are impossible The alternative is 'rule of man', and all the dangers of fallibility and (consequently) despotism that that entails. One central difficulty has, of course, been the maintenance of the argument that law is consonant with objective truth for if the law does not in fact possess this quality, then the 'rule of law' turns out to be the 'rule of man' after all. However, it is difficult, on rational grounds at least, to reject the concept of …

The E-Landscape: An Unexplored Goldmine Of The New Millennium, Thow Yick Liang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The Internet is an intangible cyberworld created by the human mind. Exploring and exploiting this e-landscape requires a totally redefined mindset. The fact that it exists in the mental realm also makes it a nonlinear system. In this respect, understanding both intangible and nonlinear dynamics is a requisite to the proper exploitation of e-commerce. The e-landscape is a new edge of chaos where order and disorder co-exist. It could be a goldmine for those who swiftly recognize structure in this highly disordered territory. The tremendous number of opportunities and uncertainties embedded in the submerged portion of this iceberg are still …

Hong Kong And Singapore, Sock Yong Phang

Research Collection School Of Economics

There are many similarities between Hong Kong and Singapore. They have both enjoyed high rates of economic growth over the past three decades, averaging six percent a year in real terms. The two have become known as “East Asian Tigers,” having made the transition from poverty to newly industrialized economies in a relatively short time. Both started off as British colonies, with British legal and administrative systems, and made their living as trading ports serving their respective regions. Singapore has been an independent republic since 1965; Hong Kong was returned to China on July 1, 1997. While Hong Kong and …

An Empirical Analysis Of Unit Trust Performance In Singapore, Joseph H. H. Chia, Yiu Kuen Tse

Research Collection School Of Economics

The Singapore government’s recent strategic plan to develop the financial sector has placed much emphasis on the fund management industry. In this paper we examine the unit trust performance in Singapore in the 90s. Our results show that fund managers in general performed poorly in security analysis and market timing. However, they performed fairly well in risk-adjusted returns and generally maintained well-diversified portfolios. We find that there is little consistency in the performance ranking of the evaluated portfolios, although there is evidence of repeat performance of some top funds. Our analysis also shows that fund managers could indeed make excess …

On Business Education In Singapore: The Past, The Present And The Future, Teck Meng Tan, Kwong Sin Leong, Yang Hoong Pang

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

Examines the developments in business education in Singapore and directions for its development. Post-graduate programs; Status of management education at universities; Broadening of education in Singapore universities.

Imagining The Future: Training Hong Kong Lawyers For The 21 St Century, David N. Smith

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Hong Kong must commit itself now to becoming one of the leaders in legal education in Asia and the world. To do so, it must dramatically rethink the structure, process and content of legal education. This will not be easy, but it is essential if Hong Kong is to continue to serve as one of the great centres of finance, trade and technology in the world and if it is to maintain and secure a position of leadership in 21st century China and the Pacific region.

The Persistent Competitive Advantage Of Traditional Food Retailers In Asia: Wet Markets' Continued Dominance In Hong Kong, Arieh Goldman, Robert E. Krider, Seshan Ramaswami

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The focus of this article is the persistent continued strength of wet markets in Hong Kong and the weakness of supermarkets in the fresh food area. This phenomenon is surprising because, based on the experiences in North America and Western Europe and given the well-developed economy of Hong Kong, one would have expected supermarkets to dominate fresh food retailing and wet markets to be in retreat. In this article, the authors explain the reasons for the continued dominance of wet markets. They argue that consumers’shopping and consumption culture, the effectiveness of wet markets in handling consumers’needs, and the appropriateness of …

An Investigation Of Price Discovery In Informationally-Linked Markets: Equity Trading In Malaysia And Singapore, David K. Ding, Frederick H. Harris, Sie Ting Lau, Thomas H. Mclnish

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Using transactions data for the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange and the Stock Exchange of Singapore (SES) for a major Malaysian conglomerate, Sime Darby Berhad, and intraday exchange rate data, we investigate whether and to what extent each exchange contributes to price discovery. Results indicate that the price series are cointegrated. The raw data appear to indicate the presence of arbitrage opportunities, but none exist after taking exchange rate changes into account. Using the common long-memory factors of Gonzalo and Granger (1995, Journal of Business and Economic Statistics 13, 1-9), we show that while the majority of the price discovery (approximately …

Asian Higher Education And The Politics Of Identity, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Selection Of Expatriates For Regional Business Operations In Asia: A Study Of Mne Managers In Singapore, A. Ahad M. Osman-Gani, Wee Liang Tan, Thian Ser Toh

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The recent interest for regionalization of business operations in Asia underscores the demand for expatriates. While much has been written on expatriation, very little was documented on expatriates assigned in Asian countries. In this respect, American, German, Japanese and Korean MNEs have been found to take active interests in regional expansion of business in Asia. Expatriation is a significant international management issue for them. The high costs of expatriation and the risks for expatriate failures also underscore this importance. As such, selecting the right candidate for expatriation success is a crucial issue for these MNEs. This paper presents the findings …

Globalisation And Singaporean Transmigration: Re-Imagining And Negotiating National Identity, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Within the context of globalisation that confronts the world today, I aim in this paper to illustrate one particular state's attempts at constructing a 'nation' amidst efforts to encourage its citizens to globalise, actions which are ostensibly, or at least, potentially, contradictory; and to analyse how these citizens who became transmigrants construct and negotiate their sense of 'nation' and national identity. Specifically, my empirical questions centre on Singaporean transmigrants working in China. I ask the following questions. What happens to the sense of national identity among Singaporeans and their relationship with the 'nation' when confronted with transnational conditions? What are …

Differential Emphases On Modernity And Confucian Values In Social Categorization: The Case Of Hong Kong Adolescents In Political Transition, Shui-Fong Lam, Ivy Yee-Man Lau, Chi-Yue Chiu, Ying-Yi Hong, Si-Qing Peng

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This study investigated if modernity and Confucian values were ingroups positively valued distinctiveness for Hong Kong adolescents with different social identities. Participants (236 Hong Kong adolescents) filled out a questionnaire which tapped social identity and intergroup perception. They also participated in a card-sorting activity in which they decided if any of 20 attributes (e.g., advanced, respecting collective will) could be used to characterize a specific ethnic–social group (e.g., mainland Chinese, Hongkongers, Americans). Multidimensional scaling performed on the card-sorting data resulted in a two-dimensional solution. Emphasis on Dimension 1 (modernity) correlated with positive perception of Hong Kong and Hong Kong people …

Language Use As Carrier Of Social Identity, Yuk-Yue Tong, Ying-Yi Hong, Sau-Lai Lee, Chi-Yue Chiu

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

In the present study, we examined the relationship of social identity (Hongkonger or Chinese) and the attitudes toward bilingual code switching in a conversation between a Hong Kong person and a Chinese Mainlander. Students from a local university in Hong Kong (N = 159) listened to a four-turn conversation between a Hong Kong person and a Mainlander in a wedding party. As expected, when the speaker converged to the Putonghua (the Mainland official language), those who claimed a Hongkonger identity judged the Hong Kong speaker less favourably than did those who claimed a Chinese identity. In addition, participants who claimed …

The First Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Legislative Council Elections, James T. H. Tang

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The Legislative Council (Legco) Elections in Hong Kong on May 24, 1998, isthe first open multiparty electoral competition in the People's Republic of China(PRC). Since Chinese leaders have repeatedly rejected Western-style democracyor multiparty competition for China, the extent to which the Hong Kong experiencewould serve as a model for political developments on the mainland isclearly limited. Nonetheless, political changes in Hong Kong has to be seen aspart of China's experience following their reunion. Under the "one country, twosystems" formula, Hong Kong is given the freedom to conduct its own internalaffairs as a Special Administrative Region (SAR), but the formation of …

Cemetaries And Columbaria, Memorials And Mausoleums: Narrative And Interpretation In The Study Of Deathscapes In Geography, Lily Kong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This paper reviews research on deathscapes, particularly by geographers in the last decade, and argues that many of the issues addressed reflect the concerns that have engaged cultural geographers during the same period. In particular, necrogeographical research reveals the relevance of deathscapes to theoretical arguments about the social constructedness of race, class, gender, nation and nature; the ideological underpinnings of landscapes, the contestation of space, the centrality of place and the multiplicity of meanings. This paper therefore highlights how the focus on one particular form of landscape reveals macro-cultural geographical research interests and trends.

Social Comparison During Political Transition: Interaction Of Entity Versus Incremental Beliefs And Social Identities, Ying-Yi Hong, Chi-Yue Chiu, Grace Yeung, Jennifer Y. Y. Tong

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

The relation between intergroup perceptions and peoples implicit theories of the malleability of human attributes or character was examined. We predicted that people who believe that human attributes are fixed (entity theorists) may also view a group as an entity and thus would rely on trait-based dimensions in social comparison to achieve group distinctiveness. By contrast, people who believe that human attributes are malleable (incremental theorists) may focus on the dynamic aspects of social groups (e.g., group goals) and thus would be less likely to rely on trait-based dimensions in social comparison. Moreover, such differential tendency was expected to become …

The Singapore Electronic Transactions Act 1998 And The Proposed Article 2b Of The Uniform Commercial Code, Andrew B.L. Phang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

It is axiomatic that the law must change with the times. And nowhere is this more starkly demonstrated than in the shift, particularly during the last decade or so, into the information age - a shift that has radically changed the face of commerce, and will continue to do so in the years to come. In the context of commercial law, the focus on goods and property, so prevalent particularly in the middle of this century, is now giving way to an acknowledgment that the relevant legal regimes must accommodate information as contractual subject-matter. In this regard, it is widely …

Workplace Sexual Harassment In Singapore: The Legal Challenge, Jack Tsen-Ta Lee

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article examines the nature and prevalence of sexual harassment in the work environment, and compares civil and criminal law in Singapore to the approaches taken by various jurisdictions in dealing with the problem. It is submitted that legislation is needed to protect employees, as Singapore law currently does not present any clear and coherent means for victims to seek redress for workplace sexual harassment.

Negotiating Cultural Boundaries: Confucianism And Trans/National Identity In Korea, William A. Callahan

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

This essay looks to the complex intercultural relations of China and Korea to highlight two important issues in political theory and international relations: the transnational nature of world politics and the limits of analytical binaries such as East‐West and tradition‐modernity. Discussions of international politics in East Asia characteristically address issues of security and development studies. More recently, Confucianism has been mobilized as part of the clash of civilizations of Asia with the West. This essay will consider how cultural boundaries are negotiated within the region via an analysis of the workings of the transnational discourse of Confucianism in the construction …