Product Description
Culture Smart! provides essential information on attitudes, beliefs and behavior in different countries, ensuring that you arrive at your destination aware of basic manners, common courtesies, and sensitive issues. These concise guides tell you what to expect, how to behave, and how to establish a rapport with your hosts. This inside knowledge will enable you to steer clear of embarrassing gaffes and mistakes, feel confident in unfamiliar situations, and develop trust, friendships, and successful business relationships.

Culture Smart! offers illuminating insights into the culture and society of a particular country. It will help you to turn your visit-whether on business or for pleasure-into a memorable and enriching experience. Contents include


* customs, values, and traditions
* historical, religious, and political background
* life at home
* leisure, social, and cultural life
* eating and drinking
* do's, don'ts, and taboos
* business practices
* communication, spoken and unspoken


"Culture Smart has come to the rescue of hapless travellers." Sunday Times Travel

"... the perfect introduction to the weird, wonderful and downright odd quirks and customs of various countries." Global Travel

"...full of fascinating-as well as common-sense-tips to help you avoid embarrassing faux pas." Observer

"...as useful as they are entertaining." Easyjet Magazine

"...offer glimpses into the psyche of a faraway world." New York Times
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Customer Reviews (2)

Singapore: Culture Smart was ok
I didn't find this book particularly useful - the information was pretty straightforward and very general. Wouldn't recommend - you can get all this cultural info online with a bit of research.

No help for the woman business traveler, otherwise very good.
I gave this four stars instead of five since the section on business custom does not describe how business women should dress and behave in Singapore. There's the passing remark that women should only initiate handshakes when one is introduced to a (presumably male) colleague; otherwise, there is nothing about how to dress or behave when working in Singapore. Can we wear pants? or must we wear skirts?
The chapter about dining etiquette and entertaining was fascinating. I'll keep this around for my upcoming trip but only wish that it was a bit more helpful on the distaff side. ... Read more

Product Description

A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette in Singapore

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Customer Reviews (1)

Great book!
This book has wonderful information for moving to Singapore. My only problem with it is the binding started coming apart shortly after we began reading it. Not even to the first 50 pages. Otherwise great read and very informative. ... Read more

Product Description
This book examines Singapore's culture of control, exploring the city-states colonial heritage as well as the forces that have helped to mould its current social landscape. Taking a comparative approach, Trocki demonstrates the links between Singapore's colonial past and independent present, focusing on the development of indigenous social and political movements. In particular, the book examines the efforts of Lee Yew Kuan, leader of the Peoples Action Party from 1959 until 1990, to produce major economic and social transformation. Trocki discusses how Singapore became a workers paradise, but what the city gained in material advancement it paid for in intellectual and cultural sterility.

Based on the latest research, the book addresses the question of control in one of the most prosperous and dynamic economies in the world, providing a compelling history of post-colonial Singapore. ... Read more

Product Description
This book presents a comprehensive and dynamicunderstanding of cultural tourism. It examines cultural mediators andhow they help tourists appreciate foreign cultures. It also shows howtourism experiences are strategically crafted by mediators. Themediation process is complex, and the various products are mediateddifferently. A number of different products are investigated,including destination brand identities, "living" cultures and everydaylife, art and history.

The author illustrates his arguments by comparing the tourism strategies of Copenhagen and Singapore, and demonstrates how tourism is an agent for social change. The author also offers an original and refreshing way of understanding tourist behaviour through the concept of the "versatile tourist". The book's empirical cases and dialogic framework provide new and deep insights into tourism activities.

In his conclusions the author reminds us that we are constantly bombarded by brands, media reviews and advertisements, and the issues raised here inspire us to reflect beyond tourism and into other forms of mediated consumption. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Tourism mediation
Tourists want to enjoy themselves, they have little local knowledge and their visits are relatively short, these are the starting premises of this book. Consequently, the author argues, tourists need and want help when they visit new places, so as to enhance their experiences. Thinking about myself as a tourist, I do need help from "cultural mediators" (the term used in the book), otherwise I might as well feel as lost as I am on Mars, rather than in some exotic and friendly country. Tourism experiences are being influenced by cultural mediators; even backpackers rely on their Lonely Planets!

Another idea that runs through this book is that tourists do not consume culture, they consume only senses of culture. So, for example, tourists who want and are experiencing authenticity are really only having a sense of authenticity. Mediators help them achieve this sense. This is a radical but refreshing argument! The author presents the discussions compellingly, as he/she provides many examples (brand identities, everyday life, history and art) from Denmark and Singapore.

After reading and thinking about the ideas offered in the book, I am convinced that mediation is in the centre of tourism experiences. It is time that people move away from the "tourist gaze". This book offers a persuasive alternative. ... Read more

Product Description
In this collection, public intellectuals and civil society activists discuss Singapore's public rhetoric about liberalization and its association with the development of a creative economy, focusing on questions surrounding conservatism, national identity and values, civil society activism, and the societal role of the younger generation. Moved by Singapore's Renaissance City Report, released in 2000 amidst an uneasy mix of millennial celebration and pessimism arising from a prolonged economic downturn, the authors engage with the public rhetoric of Singapore's transformation into a forward-looking, critical, open, unconventional, diverse, participatory, and inclusive society. Edited by Kenneth Paul Tan. Contributors are Chng Nai Rui, Janadas Devan, Colin Goh, Suzaina Kadir, Terence Lee, Sylvia Lim, Edwin Pang, Kirpal Singh, Alvin Tan, Tan Chong Kee, Kenneth Paul Tan, and Joyceln Woo Yen Yen. ... Read more

Product Description
In a world of uncertainty and change, current achievements are no guarantee for future survival. Even if the initial chosen set of principles, policies and practices are good, static efficiency and governance would eventually lead to stagnation and decay. No amount of careful planning can assure a government of continual relevance and effectiveness if there is no capacity for learning, innovation and change in the face of ever new challenges in a volatile and unpredictable global environment. This book provides an in-depth look at dynamic governance, the key to success in a world of rapid, increasing globalization and unrelenting technological advancements. If bureaucratic public institutions can evolve and embed the culture and capabilities that enable continuous learning and change, their contributions to a country s socio-economic progress and prosperity would be enormous. The lessons from their efforts in institutionalizing culture, capabilities and change could provide meaningful and valuable insights for transforming organizations in other contexts. ... Read more

Product Description

Travel to Singapore and explore the beauty and majesty of this important country. Now readers can delve into the specifics of Singapore's exciting culture and find out about its various customs, religions, music, and fashion. All subjects are discussed in

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Customer Reviews (6)

Pretty bad
I bought this book after reading and appreciating other books in the series. But this book is trying to be everything but doesn't cover the main theme - understanding the local culture. It goes into practical details although there are other much bettersources for it, it covers sights and tourist spots but not as well as the normal travel guides. But when it comes to actually understanding the psyche of the Singaporean, this book is hopeless with a lot of silly generalizations and very superficial statements and none of the very helpful insights I have learnt to expect from the Culture Shock series. It's like the author has just summarized a bunch of guidebooks and added a large dose of Singapore propaganda...

Hopelessly Outdated
Bought this book on the strength of other titles in the Culture Shock series. Was disappointed with its boilerplate descriptions of the process of culture shock and culture-by-culture descriptions of major holidays. As other reviewers have mentioned, there is little discussion of the realities of modern Singapore nor the aspects of which will most likely cause cultural misgivings (ki'asu culture, pursuit othe 5Cs, difficulties in making local friends, government policies towards the media, arts and alternative lifestlyes, etc.). Furthermore, few practitical strategies for dealing with life in Singapore are introduced (building a network of friends, taking advantage of extensive opportunities for personal and professional development, developing a love of sports, using Singapore as a hub for exploring the region, etc.)

Great book
When my family moved to Singapore in 1975, the first book my mom bought was Culture Shock: Singapore and Malaysia. (They were one edition back then.) Twelve years later, it was much dog-eared and had helped us know the right thing to do or not do in just about any situation. (Not that we didn't pick up the culture from living in it, but a reference book is always a good idea.) In January, 2006, my husband went to Singapore for business and picked up this edition of it. I read it partly in preparation for a family trip we were taking in April and also just to jog my memory in general. I really enjoyed reading it.I was really excited to learn that the chapter on the Malay community was written based on information from the former Malay teacher at my high school in Singapore. It's fun to see a familiar name in a book. Singapore has three major cultures: Chinese, Malay and Indian and Culture Shock covers all three. It can be really confusing to keep them all straight at first. For instance, traditional Chinese see even numbers as good luck, so you want to give gifts in pairs. Indians traditionally believe odd numbers are good luck, so you would give an odd number. You really don't want to mix these things up and unintentionally offend your host! The explanations of the different holidays are very useful, too. The books also tells how to be a good guest ifyou are invited to a holiday celebration. There's also a section on business practices and what to expect in the office.

If you're going to be visiting Singapore, I highly recommend this book. If you're going to be living in Singapore, I recommend you also get a copy of "Living in Singapore" printed by the American Association of Singapore. It has the nuts and bolts of setting up a life. It covers such things as transportation, shopping, hiring a maid, finding a doctor, enrolling your children in school. It also has information on the embassies and high commissions of many different countries. Discussed are things like visas, lost passports, recording births and deaths and other bureaucratic matters. It's available through the assocation office at the American Club. (You don't have to be a club member to visit the club.)

Helpful, But There's More To Know (And Other Books Can Help)
This is a useful book for knowing how to behave at a local cocktail party or with your local business clients.But when I lived in Singapore in the late 90's I found it did not explain the aspects of Singapore society that actually caused me amd my family "culture shock" - rude crowds, unpleasant public behaviour, and the unexpected reaction of Singaporeans to their efficient, but not exactly pleasant government. I and other expats supplemented this Culture Shock guide with books like Stan Sesser's *The Lands of Charm and Cruelty,* which had an extremely helpful account of S'pore and of "the irrational fear which even the best educated Singaporeans feel towards their government." This is certainly something we experienced. Sesser helped us understand this attitude of our neighbors/acquaintences and made it possible for us to know how, politely, to talk with them about matters other than simply small talk (I would have liked to have known about that from the Culture Shock guide to have saved my guests pain). Sesser's book also goes into good detail about how the Malay and Indian minorities feel like second class citizens in Singapore, something we also heard from them, too. I also recommend Chinese writer Bo Yang's *The Ugly Chinaman & the Crisi in Chinese Culture* for understanding the centuries of history that have produced the dominant Chinese culture of Singapore and the heavy emphisis on "saving face" in any and all situations, even at the expense of what Westerners might call "accurate description." Ian Buruma's book *The Missionary and the Libertine* contains a fascinating account of Singapore called "The Nanny State of Asia," with more about the dissatisfaction (on the quiet, of course) of many Singaporeans towards the police state government of Harry Lee Kuan Yew, to the extent that sadly many skilled and talented Singaporeans chose to leave S'pore for new lives and careers in the First World - all this we found to be true. Paul Theroux's *Saint Jack*, though a novel, contained a surprisingly accurate take on many actions and attitudes to be found in Singapore today - of both long-term Western expats and local Easterners. Christopher Lingle's *Singapore's Authoritarian Capitalism is a kind of "bible" of Singapore's unpleasant underside, usually considered the "twin" of Harry Lee Kuan Yew's 1800 page autobiography (perhaps auto-hagiography is the better term!) You can't buy it in Singapore. Francis Seow's *A Dissident in Lee Kuan Yew's Prison* shows what happens if you open your mouth.

Of course you can have an interesting stay in S'pore and complete a successful year or two stint in your career, before returning to the West, as we did, but the books above will I feel prepare you for the real Singapore more than just the Culture Shock guide - which, ironically, doesn't deal with culture shock at all.The real S'pore is a successfull city-state with many of the pluses and problems of a Arab Gulf oil state - Kuwait for example (where I lived, and which S'pore reminded me of - the plus side {clean toilets, modern garbage collection) and the negative (police state with a mean kick if you're a local). It's sad, because a less megolomaniacal government would have a lot to be proud of in Singapore's clean squares and efficient public transport, in a region better known for corrupt, run-down dictatorial dumps.

Eyes wide open!
This book was recommended to me as a 'must read' by a friend who had already done the expat thing in Singapore. The other review of this book nearly decided me not to bother with it by dismissing Craig as just an expat wife. I'm really glad I decided to give it another chance as I amkeen not to make too many blunders when I relocate to Singapore. It'simpossible to summarise all the nuances of a complex and sophisticatedsociety in the pages of such a slim book, but Craig manages to simplifywhat is a fairly scholarly exercise on cultural naunces and encourage thereader to adopt a positive attitude to surviving cultural dislocationthrough mutual understanding, communciation and respect. She herself admitsthat many of these cultural mores are in a state of flux in Singapore (asthey are in any culture), and the book is now seven years old ­ a long timein such a rapidly progressing society. However, I am certainly pleased totake her advice about keeping my mouth closed and eyes open when I arriveand I hope to end up enjoying and respecting Singapore and the Singaporeansas much as Craig obviously does. Had my friend read the book BEFORE shewent to Singapore many of the problems she encountered may have beenavoided and her experience there much more enjoyable. ... Read more

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Contributed articles. ... Read more

Product Description

This book explores this inherent contradiction present in most facets of Singaporean media, cultural and political discourses, and identifies the key regulatory strategies and technologies that the ruling People Action Party (PAP) employs to regulate Singapore media and culture, and thus govern the thoughts and conduct of Singaporeans.

It establishes the conceptual links between government and the practice of cultural policy, arguing that contemporary cultural policy in Singapore has been designed to shape citizens into accepting and participating in the rationales of government. Outlining the historical development of cultural policy, including the recent expansion of cultural regulatory and administrative practices into the ‘creative industries’, Terence Lee analyzes the attempts by the Singaporean authorities to engage with civil society, the ways in which the media is used to market the PAP’s policies and leadership and the implications of the internet for the practice of governmental control.

Overall, The Media, Cultural Control and Government in Singapore offers an original approach towards the rethinking of the relationship between media, culture and politics in Singapore, demonstrating that the many contradictory discourses around Singapore only make sense once the politics and government of the media and culture are understood.

Product Description
Explores the vibrant relationships between theatre, cultural politics and social attitudes in a country whose history has many lessons for Western scholars. ... Read more

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Examining the pattern of relationships within the Malay household, and the creative ways in which cultural ideas are adapted to meet new conditions, this study analyzes the ways in which the Malay cultural heritage and economic conditions in contemporary Singapore shape the form of Malay household and community life. ... Read more

Product Description
Despite unprecedented levels of global interconnectedness, little academic attention has been paid to how governments actively deal with the challenges globalization poses for national identity. This book investigates the Singapore Government's approach to the construction of national identity and the shifting ways in which Singapore has been imagined in official discourses. The hallmarks of Singapore's nation-building project have been the state's efforts to manage ethnic differences and ensure the economic well-being of its citizenry. Unlike other global cities which are embedded in a larger nation-state, Singapore is both a global city and a nation-state. Singapore embodies a curious contradiction: while global cities are often theorized as transient spaces, contradictorily, the nation-state needs to be bounded in order to remain viable. This book focuses on the global/national nexus: the tensions between the necessity to embrace the global to ensure economic survival, yet needing a committed population to support the perpetuation of the nation-state and its economic success. It critically explores how the government has been responding to the challenges of globalization through policy initiatives and official rhetoric to create a "space" for affective identification with the Singaporean nation-state and how Singaporeans relate to and articulate their sense of identity and belonging to Singapore within the context of globalization. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The Lee Kwan Yew that very few Singaporeans know about!
I was fortunate enough to locate the Malaysian edition of this fascinatingbook while I was visiting Malacca, Malaysia this past summer.FrancisSeow's 'The Media Enthralled : Singapore Revisited' paints a very bleakpicture of the government controlled press and the media in thisauthoritarian island-state.While on a trip to Singapore, I made enquiriesabout purchasing a copy of this book, but I was told by all the book-storesin Singapore that it was unavailable for sale or special order! Today,Lee Kwan Yew is a leader that is still feared by the state, and bookstoresin Singapore do not want to risk incurring the wrath of Harry by carryingbooks that are highly critical of him.The fact that I had to purchasethis book from Malaysia, isa good case in point of how tightly controlledthis country has become.This excellent book chronicles the Singaporepress from it's humble but independent beginnings to how Lee Kwan Yewturned it into the rag of his People's Action Party.A fascinating readfor anyone interested in Singapore, Lee Kwan Yew, and the secret behindthis Asian Miracle!One of Lee's 'secret-ingredients' for Singapore'ssuccess is to suppress the press!

A case study of tyranny
Mr Seow's book is to date the only piece of research that I know which does an indepth study of a much misunderstood state apparatus. The singaporean government to date has been lavished with praise from mostquarters, mainly due to misinformation on their part.Seow's book showshow Lee Kuan Yew pseudo-democratic state hides behind a veneer ofdemocratic respectability. How the press and media is controlled by thestate and how all independent avenues are banned.He also shows howgovernment instrumentalities are used to police its hegemony on its behalf. An excellent study of deceit.A great study of Lee Kuan Yew. ... Read more

Product Description
From its early beginnings at SLAC in the 1970s, the study of nucleon spin structure using polarized lepton beams and polarized nucleon targets has become increasingly important in nuclear and particle physics, with current experiments at several of the world's high energy and nuclear physics laboratories (CERN, DESY, SLAC and Jefferson Lab) and with enormous related theoretical studies. The understanding of the fascinating but complicated problem of nucleon spin structure has progressed substantially, but fundamental questions remain and it can be confidently predicted that future activity will be high. The Erice Course on the Spin Structure of the Nucleon covered both the experimental and theoretical aspects of the subject, and this volume includes the lectures given at the School. In many cases the lecture material has been extended and updated by the authors. In addition, several recent publications on experimental work have been added in an appendix. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Singapore Sling
Singapore is a shopping paradise. The nation's many modern world class shopping malls offer a rich cornucopia of goods replete with leading brand names. Sitting astride the crossroads of the Eastern and Western world Singapore has long been a station for trade and cultural flows. Since 1819 and the arrival of the British it has been a city of the mercantile age.

Goods and services are the life blood of the city and its well being and raison d'etre center on these; Singapore is after all the world's largest port in terms of shipping tonnage, or at least competes toe to toe with Hong Kong for that title.

Chua Beng Huat an academic at the National University of Singapore has brought together a selection of his essays on the consuming habits of Singaporeans. He shows some of the meaning that getting and showing possessions brings to Singaporean lives. He discusses food, clothing, the Singapore presence of the globally ubiquitous McDonald's, deals with uses of language (Singlish, Hokkien) and class, and local cinematic representations of Singaporean culture and society. He deals with the interactions of culture in Sinagpore and the influence of the Japan-Hong Kong-Taiwan-Korean-China axis on local youth culture. He helps show us how multiple layers and registers of cultural exchange play out in Singapore.
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Product Description
Singapore, a tiny island 1 degree north of the Equator, lies at the tip of the Asian mainland, just south of Thailand and Malaysia. This strategic position together with a natural harbor has allowed the 19th century fishing village to flourish into the modern city it is today. Modern Singapore was founded in 1819 when the British started a trading post on the island. Migrants from as far way as China, India, the Middle East and Europe were attracted to the bustling port. Their descendants have helped make the island one of the busiest ports in the world, a finanacial center for the region, a telecommunications hub and a favored tourist destination. Singapore's constantly expanding economy and industries have transformed the country few thought would survive alone into a newly-industrializing country and one of the four "Asian Tigers." Yet despite all its modernity, much of traditional Singapore still remains. Singaporeans still celebrate many of the festivals of their ancestors, marry according to age-old customs and enjoy the foods of the original migrants. This book is part of a series, Cultures of the World,--a look at people and their lifestyles around the world. ... Read more