Singapore
Company Report
Anna Smith
Angela Scioli
Tammy Nyugen
Paige Perry
Devon Dyer
Chandler Cruse
Sandy Tang
History of Corporate Singapore
• 1819- Early prosperity was based on a free trade
policy, put in place when Sir Stamford Raffles
first established it as a British trading post
• 1970s- Became a leader in global financing and
trading due to the government changing its
strategic focus to skill and technology
• 1980s-International and financial services
accounts for nearly 25% of the country’s GDP
History of Corporate Singapore
• Boasts the world's second busiest port after
Rotterdam, minimal unemployment, and a super
efficient infrastructure
• 2001- Worldwide downturn in demand for
electronics
• 2008/09- The global financial crisis had a large
impact on Singapore's trade-oriented economy
• 2010- Economy grew 14.5% , the second-highest
rate in the world that year
Hewlett Packard (HP) History
• 1939- Founded by Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard
with an initial capital investment of $538
• HP200A was the first company offering
• 1968- HP 9100A introduced, the first massproduced personal computer
• 1970s- HP 2640 introduced forms-based
interface and screen labeled function keys
HP History
• 1984- HP expanded into the computer accessory
market
• 1986- Registered the HP.com domain name,
making it the ninth .com domain ever to be
registered
• 2002- HP merged with Compaq
• 2009- HP acquired 3Com for $2.7 billion
• 2010- HP acquired Palm, Inc. for $1.2 billion
Expatriate Interview
Brent Breedlove Sr.
• Tell me about your last overseas assignment, from the
time when you first learned about the possibility of going
to Singapore.
• I was nervous to tell my family because I had only been back in
the states full time for about a year and a half. Before I had been
back home I was gone for two years. But, at the same time I've
always enjoyed working in Singapore and have created several
business relationships.
• What did you think when you first heard you were going
to Singapore?
• I understood that the opportunity to work in Singapore would be
much more lucrative, however, thought first about missing my
youngest sons senior year Soccer season.
• What were the first few days like?
• The first days were full of jet lag, of course. I was very tired. The
transition period between life in the states and in Singapore is
exhausting because I was constantly making an effort to get out
of my daily habits of family life.
• Were there things that surprised you about the way
people thought or worked?
• I had forgotten how nice and accommodating the Singaporeans
were. I also realized quickly that I hadn't studied up on the
language and I felt slightly unprepared. The best way to learn a
language, in my opinion, is to experience it first hand.
• What was your first big "aha" about the culture?
• I felt very rushed. Due to the release of another manager from
the company, I was thrown into a project to finish where he left
off. I would get off work and go straight back to my hotel where
I’d work some more. It was definitely a struggle to stay on top of
my work at first. I never want my subordinates to know more
about the project than I do, so I had to work around the clock to
feel like the most effective leader possible.
• How would you sum up your first six months?
• The first time I went to Singapore, our international HR staff held
a two-week "training" course for all of us that would be
relocating. We went through meeting etiquette, dinner, and daily
life differences. Although this was nice, I found it to be less
rewarding once I actually arrived in Singapore. The training
session was definitely taught from an outsiders perspective. This
became evident when I realized Singaporeans could tell.
• Did you have someone who could explain the local
culture to you and that you could confide in? Who were
they and how did they help you?
• I was very lucky to have been relocated with a great group of
people. There were about 14 of us who all worked in the same
office back home and were relocated at the same time. Some
that I knew fairly well and some that we're just familiar faces.
• Can you describe your relationship with your coworkers?
• I would say it was the same as any corporate relationships I have
encountered in the United States. I always try to maintain a
friendly relationship, but also want my subordinates not to be
surprised when I have to exert authority.
• What did you think about your job?
• I was really proud of my team. I was working with a group of
fairly young managers and they significantly exceeded my
expectations.
• Can you describe your relationship with your home
organization?
• During my first stint in Singapore I had very little contact with
those in my home office, but during my second experience
overseas I would actually videoconference with my at-home boss
almost daily. With that being said, I had been promoted before
my second trip.
• What was the most important thing you learned in those
first six months?
• The importance of respecting the vast cultural differences that
we encounter globally. I loved learning how others lived and
using that learning to help grow as a person. It taught me to even
respect our American culture more because you often take our
daily conveniences for granted.
• Whom did you mainly socialize with (people from your
own culture, third -country expatriates or host-country
nationals)?
• When I wasn’t working, I had a group of three men that I
regularly attended social events with (dinner, entertainment,
etc.).
• How would you describe your living situation?
• I lived in an apartment building that was also occupied by many
of my co-workers.
• Did you feel you changed as a result of working abroad?
If so, how?
• Yes and No. I have benefitted from my time around by growing as
a person and respecting other cultures. At the same time, I still
feel that I am the same person as I was before I left, and others
haven’t made me aware of any personality differences.
• What was it like to come home (if the person has been
repatriated)?
• After my first trip to Singapore, I immediately just tried to enjoy
every minute I could with my boys. I hated everyday that I was
away from them, and knowing that I missed them growing into
young men.
• Do you get to use the skills you acquired abroad in your
current job?
• I feel that I grow from every project I have worked on, whether it
by abroad or not. Experience is my most valuable asset and I try
to use it on a daily basis.
• Would you go abroad to work again? Why?
• I would, but I would want my family to be able to come with me.
Being away has put a great strain on my family and I wouldn’t want
to place this burden on them again.
• If you had to select people to work abroad, what
characteristics would you look for?
• Focused & out-going. These are two qualities that I have seen
people lack and have their trips abroad not go as well.
• What advice would you give to a friend who was on his or her
way to a foreign assignment?
• Before you leave, study about the new culture/country before you
leave, and once you get there always keep in mind the company you
represent and never forget that that you are a guest in your “host
country.”
• What advice would you have for HR departments about
handling expatriates?
• To try to use us during their training of future abroad workers. I
believe that we have unique information that we could pass on as
advice.
Repatriate Interview
Donald Dyer
• Where did your last international assignment take place?
• Singapore and Asia Pacific
• How long were you there?
• From 2003-2006
• What was your position?
• General Manager – Vice President Sales
• Was your position more technical (engineer,
programmer, etc.), more managerial/administrative (HR,
dept. manager, project coordinator, etc.), or both
(equally technical and managerial).
• Managerial
• Why did the company select you for the assignment?
• Broad knowledge of Company processes and experience in field
of expertise. Knowledge of legal contracting and business joint
ventures and partnerships
• What was the company's reason for sending an
expatriate to do this job?
• Needed someone to extend the product line to new markets and
to maintain consistency in the development and delivery of the
software technology. Further to ensure that expansion was done
in a way that supported the company culture. Culture is
important in the Software industry.
• What kind of knowledge did you acquire during your
expatriate assignment?
• Extensive appreciation for cultural differences, the impact of
different cultures on the way that business is conducted.
Appreciation for the decision process as it is carried out in
different cultures. The ability to listen intensely. This acquired skill
was needed as dialects and various versions of proper English
required me to listen closely, cue in on non-verbal
communication and many learned English speakers are timid and
quiet in meetings. This skill is quite useful now.
• Please think about your return home. How long have you
been back?
• Six years
• What was it like to come back to your/this country?
• You gain an incredible appreciation for what Americans have in
respect to individual possessions and access to infrastructure.
Also, the enormous size of our Economy and ability to produce
and consume. Additionally, problems in business are put in a
completely different perspective as now I relate to solutions
impact on not only this market but also how certain solutions
may or may not have impact on others outside of the United
States.
• What was it like to return to your workplace?
• Again, you can now share your experience with others and many
are interested to understand how others think, make decisions
and the environments in which they work and live.
• Did you return to the same work unit? (For example, the
same department)
• Yes
• Was the assignment you were given upon reentry a
natural follow-up in terms of Capitalizing on what you
experienced and learned in the international
assignment?
• Yes
• If so, in what way?
• I was promoted to Worldwide Sales VP and ran Sales for Software
Company. Leaning various business channels of distribution and
sales.
• Can you think of a specific decision or situation in your
work unit where you have made an important impact
that was primarily a result of a capability/perspective you
gained during your international experience? If yes, what
happened?
• Yes, in many occasions I have been able to assist customers
understand the impact of “outsourcing” IT projects. I can share
the ways in which decisions are made in various countries and
provide insight into the skills, process and priorities of various
Asian Cultures. In most cases IT out sourcing is driven into Asia,
first India, then China and now Philippines and parts of Malaysia
• Do you try to share the knowledge you acquired overseas
with your work unit?
• It depends
• Why?
• Yes, software acceptance and use can be similar in many ways
regardless of culture. Most infrastructure software such as
networks and Database only differ in language and localization.
However, application software is dependent on organizational
differences and process. This knowledge can assist our
development and sales of applications. For example, things as
simple as address are vastly different in Japan and The United
States.
• Based on your observations of other repatriates, what
obstacles prevent repatriates in general from attempting
to transfer overseas knowledge to their work unit?
• In most cases Americans have difficulty in understanding the
need to respect other differences. In one way this is a statement
of the “great experiment” at work. America is the land of the
melting pot of cultures. Therefore we have the challenge of
appreciation. Generations have passed from most of our family’s
immigration. The negatives happen as Americans have all they
need within our own boundaries and don’t want or need to
expand. Finally, the size of our own Nation means that people can
travel vast distances and still be in the same country. In Europe
travel of six hours could take people through three countries.
• What suggestions do you have for companies to facilitate
repatriate knowledge transfer?
• Smaller companies typically build their organizations by using
individuals to initiate the organizational growth, and then build
the organization as business and revenues substantiate the
growth. Infrastructure investment is minimized and in some cases
organizations might employee companies in country that have
specific talent and facilities to handle this type of growth. As
revenues and customers grow and expand the organizational
investments expand to meet the need.
• What suggestions do you have for repatriates about
transferring their knowledge?
• Constantly share your experiences and stories. I find that people
are curious about the mundane as well as the complex. While
sharing stories of complex deal structures it was not uncommon
for people to be curious about the size of housing or the nature
of the roads or infrastructure. Humans are the same around the
world. We all desire safety, we all want the acceptance and
nurture of our families and many around the world simply want
the same freedoms that we as Americans take for granted. It is
my belief that world harmony can be achieved through open and
fair markets. Global commerce and individual wealth and success
can lead to peace. While the path may be bumpy the end goal
can be achieved. Capitalism is the great equalizer and those who
succeed will do so with hard work, determination and minimal
government intervention.
Works Cited
• A Brief History of Singapore. (n.d.) Retrieved from
http://www.guidemesingapore.com/relocation/introduction/brief history-of-singapore
• Singapore expats. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.singaporeexpats.com/about-singapore/aboutsingapore.htm
• Economy of singapore. (2011, December 10). Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Singapore
• Us department of state. (2011, December 02). Retrieved from
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2798.htm
• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2012, January 13). Retrieved from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hewlett-Packard
• Measure. (1970, April). Retrieved from
http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/abouthp/histnfacts/publications/mea
sure/pdf/1970_04.pdf
• Hp history. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hpinformation/about-hp/history/history.html