I had to understand multiculturalism in Singapore, especially by finding an effective way to communicate and get a balance between their habits and mine. The transition and assimilation of different cultures is essential because this can bring much more than we expect.
Also, I had to understand how are their business relationships, their local commitment, and the organizational structure. How the business meeting takes place, how teams & management work. In addition, the language barrier was important. In Singapore, I had to be bilingual in English and know professional key words in Chinese, in order to be integrated and to perform in my business.
Another important point : I had to know perfectly the Singaporean rules such as the laws of the country. A local lawyer is needed. I also did a first trip, because having an initial approach before initiating the project is mandatory. When it comes to opening a restaurant, making a study/benchmark about local foods and customers tastes is also recommended.
However, what I did not anticipated and that was a key point for integration was the multicultural experience. Why ? Because living and working with Singaporean people is different than with French people. Therefore, I’m gonna try to show you in this blog how to live in Singapore when you are a foreigner.
French Chief in Singapore 