I've spent quite a lot of time in Singapore over the past few years, and I think you'll find that, by and large, they have adopted pretty much the Western business philosophy. When this thread got under way I emailed a couple of Chinese friends in Singapore (one, an elderly and very wealthy chappie who made his money we know not how, and a younger woman who is pretty high up in a large Singaporean company) and asked them about how "Chinese" their business practices are. The gist of the reply was:
* Be polite. That oils the wheels. However, it's no more so or less so than in the Western world.
* Do not offer gifts immediately. Singapore is hot against bribery and corruption. The exchange of small gifts is fine, although not mandatory.
* Culturally people are still Chinese, but unless they come from outside Singapore, they are a lot more direct and to the point than Chinese culture would suggest.
Having said that lot, though, the Singaporeans apparently do have trouble dealing with Chinese from China because their customs are different, and Singapore is pretty multi-cultural. The Malaysians regard Singapore with a kind of creeping horror - Singaporeans are seen as worldly and avaricious beyond Malaysian belief.
Hev was right - a lot of NZ business people, including Chinese, work quite happily in Singapore (I love the place and I like the Singaporeans). New Zealand and Singapore have a very good relationship and we move backwards and forwards between the two countries with a minimum of fuss. Singaporeans quite often choose New Zealand for their honeymoons. The New Zealand army had a lot of troops stationed there (at the Singaporeans' request) for many years, so a lot of Zilders have spent time there and know the place and the people well.
