Singapore Expats

Social engineering: convincing stateside Americans that Singapore is not horrible

Discuss your views about Singapore business & economy, current policies & issues, starting a business in Singapore.
Post Reply
cattleherder
Member
Member
Posts: 44
Joined: Fri, 11 Aug 2017 11:04 pm

Social engineering: convincing stateside Americans that Singapore is not horrible

Post by cattleherder » Sun, 20 Jan 2019 7:01 pm

Addressing primarily the American populace here.

I am running a small tech startup here in Singapore, but we're active globally. I have some ties to the US, and we also have a representative on the East Coast. We still look for affiliates, but it's a very particular niche, so we grab onto any match we see.

Recently, we had a conversation with an experienced sales person in California, who was generally OK with everything, but the talks came to an abrupt end when we handed her our NDA. She didn't like the jurisdiction being Singapore and was insisting on making it California. Her explanation was, "Jurisdiction not being California is an unneeded nuisance, and besides, I read that in Singapore, they cane people on the streets for chewing bubble gum" :x :x :x . No, she is not stupid, she lived overseas for years, and her home is right in the middle of the Silicon Valley.

Being insulted aside (seriously? a company asking to sign papers with its own jurisdiction is a nuisance for you?), a US jurisdiction was a non-starter for me. I know way too much about the US commercial justice system and would opt for nearly anything else; and if I could make an exception for a big client, a sales rep is definitely out of question. Plus, if someone makes a fuss over a stupid NDA, it's better to stay away from them.

That, however, raises a bigger question. When I was about to leave for Singapore from MA, many of my then-coworkers thought I was going to China "or something like that". For the record, I don't see it as being geographically illiterate - Singapore is tiny, the US is really far, and has a lot going on domestically to pretty much eclipse the rest of the world, etc.

But the question remains. Is there a way to convince at least an average well-traveled American that Singapore is OK as a jurisdiction? I did mention that every single multinational has their regional APAC headquarters here, etc.

Or we have to pay a bunch of local bloodsucking pencil-pushers to manage our empty local branch?

User avatar
PNGMK
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 9076
Joined: Thu, 21 Mar 2013 9:06 pm
Answers: 10
Location: Sinkapore

Re: Social engineering: convincing stateside Americans that Singapore is not horrible

Post by PNGMK » Sun, 20 Jan 2019 8:49 pm

Singapore IS the choice of location for arbitration. The court system is open and uncorrupted. It also has a lower cost option: "The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)" which is the only arbitration institution in Singapore. The SIAC administers most of its cases under its own Rules of Arbitration which are adopted by parties in their arbitration agreement.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is a moron and need not apply.
I not lawyer/teacher/CPA.
You've been arrested? Law Society of Singapore can provide referrals.
You want an International School job? School website or http://www.ISS.edu
Your rugrat needs a School? Avoid for profit schools
You need Tax advice? Ask a CPA
You ran away without doing NS? Shame on you!

cattleherder
Member
Member
Posts: 44
Joined: Fri, 11 Aug 2017 11:04 pm

Re: Social engineering: convincing stateside Americans that Singapore is not horrible

Post by cattleherder » Mon, 21 Jan 2019 2:59 pm

Well, how do you explain that to someone who believes it's a town in China where they cane people for chewing gums?

The Ref
Chatter
Chatter
Posts: 376
Joined: Wed, 19 May 2010 11:37 pm

Re: Social engineering: convincing stateside Americans that Singapore is not horrible

Post by The Ref » Mon, 21 Jan 2019 7:08 pm

you reply that "with the greatest respect, you feel that moving jurisdiction away from Singapore is a very brave proposal that is not right at this time but that you will keep it in mind in the future"

read: https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-a ... 50s8p.html

cattleherder
Member
Member
Posts: 44
Joined: Fri, 11 Aug 2017 11:04 pm

Re: Social engineering: convincing stateside Americans that Singapore is not horrible

Post by cattleherder » Mon, 21 Jan 2019 7:45 pm

The Ref wrote:you reply that "with the greatest respect, you feel that moving jurisdiction away from Singapore is a very brave proposal that is not right at this time but that you will keep it in mind in the future"

read: https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-a ... 50s8p.html
Funny but really, I wonder if there are arguments that can help me win over American minds. If there are brave explorers that choose Singapore Airlines over United and AA, there is hope.

User avatar
PNGMK
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 9076
Joined: Thu, 21 Mar 2013 9:06 pm
Answers: 10
Location: Sinkapore

Re: Social engineering: convincing stateside Americans that Singapore is not horrible

Post by PNGMK » Mon, 21 Jan 2019 9:33 pm

If it's business critical invite the best candidates for an interview in Singapore. We do that with exec / C-suite level people.
I not lawyer/teacher/CPA.
You've been arrested? Law Society of Singapore can provide referrals.
You want an International School job? School website or http://www.ISS.edu
Your rugrat needs a School? Avoid for profit schools
You need Tax advice? Ask a CPA
You ran away without doing NS? Shame on you!

GSM8
Chatter
Chatter
Posts: 218
Joined: Sat, 14 Dec 2013 11:01 pm
Location: Singapore

Re: Social engineering: convincing stateside Americans that Singapore is not horrible

Post by GSM8 » Mon, 21 Jan 2019 10:08 pm

PNGMK wrote:Singapore IS the choice of location for arbitration. The court system is open and uncorrupted. It also has a lower cost option: "The Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)" which is the only arbitration institution in Singapore. The SIAC administers most of its cases under its own Rules of Arbitration which are adopted by parties in their arbitration agreement.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is a moron and need not apply.
Another Singapore based arbitration option is WIPO (World Intellectual property Organization). They have only 2 arbitration centers - one in Geneva and the other in Singapore. Singapore's legal institutions definitely carry credibility.

User avatar
Strong Eagle
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 11618
Joined: Sat, 10 Jul 2004 12:13 am
Answers: 9
Location: Off The Red Dot
Contact:

Re: Social engineering: convincing stateside Americans that Singapore is not horrible

Post by Strong Eagle » Mon, 21 Jan 2019 10:19 pm

Sounds like you have a flat-earther... and anti-vaxxer... not much to be done to try and reason with people like that. You can put the facts out but it rarely makes a difference.

The Ref
Chatter
Chatter
Posts: 376
Joined: Wed, 19 May 2010 11:37 pm

Re: Social engineering: convincing stateside Americans that Singapore is not horrible

Post by The Ref » Tue, 22 Jan 2019 4:22 pm

Strong Eagle wrote:Sounds like you have a flat-earther... and anti-vaxxer... not much to be done to try and reason with people like that. You can put the facts out but it rarely makes a difference.
I set up a second facebook account for my flat-earth posts - it is amazing fun :-"
But I wont post anti-vax rubbish because that actively hurts people

Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “Business in Singapore”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests