Nothing is as exciting as a night long chat with hostel mates. One of my 4 am chats hovered on the topic of our favourite destination. And yes!!! Singapore has to come as the first spontaneous choice of the maximum. Every time I hear “Singapore†immediate picture in my head is the great Merlion Fountain. Before our chit chat could reach the fairy land, I took my leave for I had to research on this pretty land.
Singapore, consists only of one main island and 63 other tiny islands and is among the 20 smallest countries of the world. It is called as the city of lions which is a major paradox, as there are no lions native to the city. But they do have lions and tigers in the jungles of domestic and international markets, and they are the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMES). With hardly any natural resources it has built it’s economy strong and powerful building on these. Its Technology, on which these SMES feed, thrive and grow, and the choice of the right technology holds the driving force ( w.r.t blog by vijayendra).
Besides being a luring country for the travelers, and a fairy tale for people like me, Singapore has fast developed its nation as the land of entrepreneurs and leaders. Like I say, How can I not relate anything with technology? Manpower being scarce, automation is seen as the one fold mantra of the enterprises here. The newly industrialised republic has set strategies to develop its SMES on raising the level of technology as their topmost priority.
According to the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial Research (SISIR), three aspects on which they work are:
- Provision of technology information through seminars, conferences, exhibitions etc.
- Provision of opportunities for technology transfer through a number of competency centers
- Quality upgrading, to match the product of SMES to the export quality
Globalisation and free trade has become the economic culture for the Republic, where they maintain the international competitiveness, which may not have been possible without the availability of high-end technology. Taking Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an example, which serves as the backbone for every SMES, be it to connect it to international market, make its presence felt around the world, operate and manage in its own jungle. No wonder, being among the smallest countries, and being the major world economy stands it true “ Big things come in small packagesâ€.
