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Otavio Veras, Research Associate of the NTU-SBF Centre for African Studies Introduction Education is the central piece that propels economic growth. A country can be rich in natural resources, but if its population lacks education, it will continue to be poor and dependent on foreign support. Singapore is probably the best example of this statement: a city-state, with no natural resources, but ranking 3rd as the largest GDP per capita in the world, according to the IMF[1]. This achievement would never have been reached if education had not spread throughout all the socio-economic layers of its population since the country’s independence in 1965. High levels of education paved the way for Singapore to evolve from a village to a metropolis, but this recipe was already known for a long time. ...

Navin Ravindran, VP Sales of Aluzinc Asia (Pte) Ltd Defining “Culture” “All people are the same; only their habits differ.” ― Confucius Culture refers to the accepted norms and values and rational behaviour of groups. It’s “How we do things!” Countries, as well as people within the country, may operate differently according to beliefs, values, norms, morals and attitudes. Understanding and being sensitive to the local “culture” is a critical factor for any organisation to succeed, especially in international business. What works in your country might not work well in another, and could even be interpreted as an insult! And in our role as a stakeholder in the organisation, it’s important to raise the awareness of cultural issues within our organization beyond the factual cultur...