The Indian Institute of Planning & Management ( New Delhi )

SINGAPORE
( 11th Sep 17th Sep )

Faculties:
Priyanka Sharma Sandeep Singh

Students:
1. Mohammad Razick SS- 11/13 md.razickrafeek@gmail.com 9873333587 Sec: SB 3 2. Sabiya Chauhan SS- 11/13 Sabiya8@gmail.com 8287247108 Sec: SB 2 3. Varsha Goyal SS- 11/13 Vrsh.gyl@gmail.com 9827741022 Sec: SB 2 4. Vijay Moorthy SS- 11/13 Vijay_moorthy2005@yahoo.co.in 9999462397 Sec: SB 2

Abstract
GOTA (Global Opportunity & Threat Analysis) Programme which has provided a unique opportunity to us to get exposed to the global environment and appreciate a Countrys economy and culture. It gives us

great privilege and honor to offer thanks to all those who helped us in our project.
Here in we have attended lectures of Persons from a well renowed IT company HP, one of the best university of the world NUS, supply system of Singapore i.e. Newater. These were the companies and university where we got global exposure, we were able to interact with the students there which helped us to learn how is the procedure there. We got to know about Singapore, their culture, about the history of it, its economy.

Table of contents

PEST Analysis

Politics of Singapore
The politics of Singapore takes the form of a parliamentary representative democratic republic whereby the President of Singapore is the head of state, the Prime Minister of Singapore is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the cabinet. Cabinet has the general direction and control of the Government and is collectively responsible to Parliament. Like many countries in the world today, there are three separate branches of government: the legislature, executive and judiciary, though not necessarily meaning that there is a separation of power. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Parliament of Singapore. The legislature is the parliament, which consists of the president as its head and a single chamber whose members are elected by popular vote. The role of the president as the head of state has been, historically, largely ceremonial although the constitution was amended in 1991 to give the president some veto powers in a few key decisions such as the use of the national reserves and the appointment of key judiciary, Civil Service and Singapore Armed Forces posts. He also exercises powers over civil service appointments and internal security matters.

Political climate
Although dominant in its activities, the government has a clean, corruption-free image. Singapore has consistently been rated as the least-corrupt country in Asia and amongst the top ten cleanest in the world by Transparency International. The World Bank's governance indicators have also rated Singapore highly on rule of law, control of corruption and government effectiveness Amnesty International has criticised Singapore for having "possibly the highest execution rate in the world" per capita. The Singapore Government responded by asserting it had the right as a sovereign state to impose the death penalty for serious offences. Legislative process Before any law is passed, it is first introduced in parliament as a draft known as a bill. Bills are usually introduced by a minister on behalf of the cabinet, known as Government Bill. However, any member of parliament can introduce a bill, known as a Private Member's Bill. All bills must go through three readings in parliament and receive the president's assent to become an Act of Parliament. Each bill goes through several stages before it becomes a law. The first stage is a mere formality known as the first reading, where it is introduced without a debate. This is followed by the second reading, where members of parliament debate on the general principles of the bill. If parliament opposes the bill, it may vote to reject the bill. If the bill goes through the second reading, the bill is sent to a Select Committee where every clause in the bill is examined. Members of parliament who support the bill in principle but do not

agree with certain clauses can propose amendments to those clauses at this stage. Following its report back to parliament, the bill will go through its third reading where only minor amendments will be allowed before it is passed. Most bills passed by parliament are scrutinized by the Presidential Council for Minority Rights which makes a report to the Speaker of Parliament stating whether there are clauses in a bill which affects any racial or religious community. If approved by the council, the bill will be presented for the president's assent. The last stage involves the granting of assent by the president, before the bill officially becomes a law. Constitution The Constitution of Singapore is the supreme law of Singapore and it is a codified constitution. The constitution cannot be amended without the support of more than two-thirds of the members of parliament on the second and third readings. The president may seek opinion on constitutional issues from a tribunal consisting of not less than three judges of the Supreme Court. Singaporean courts, like the courts in Australia, cannot offer advisory opinion on the constitutionality of laws. Part IV of the constitution guarantees the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. liberty of a person (limited). prohibition of slavery and forced labour protection against retrospective criminal laws and repeated trials equal protection prohibition of banishment and freedom of movement freedom of speech, assembly and association (limited) freedom of religion (limited). right to education

Elections and political parties For other political parties see List of political parties in Singapore. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Singapore. Voting has been compulsory in Singapore since 1959 and there is universal suffrage. The legal voting age is 21. The Elections Department of Singapore is responsible for the planning, preparation and conduct of presidential and parliamentary elections and of any national referendum in Singapore. It is a department under the Prime Minister's Office. Paper ballots are still used in Singapore. However, there is a concern that voting secrecy might be compromised as ballot papers have serial numbers on them. As stated in the Elections Department website: "...ballot papers can be examined only under strict conditions, and there are safeguards that make it extremely difficult to find out how any particular voter voted. After the count, all ballot papers and their counterfoils have to be sealed in the Supreme Court vault for six months, after

which all the ballot papers and other election documents are destroyed. During those six months, these documents can only be retrieved by court order. The court will issue such an order only if it is satisfied that a vote has been fraudulently cast and the result of the election may be affected as a result. Our courts have issued no such order since elections have been held here since 1948."

Economy of Singapore
Singapore has a highly developed trade-oriented market economy. Singapore's economy has been ranked as the most open in the world, least corrupt, most pro-business, with low tax rates (14.2% of GDP) and one of the highest per-capita gross domestic products in the world. Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, Temasek Holdings, holds majority stakes in several of the nation's largest companies, such as Singapore Airlines, SingTel, ST Engineering and MediaCorp. The economy of Singapore is a major Foreign Direct Investment outflow financier in the world, and the economy of Singapore has benefited from the inward of Foreign Direct Investment from the global investments due to Singapore's attractive investment climates.

Exports, particularly in electronics, chemicals and services including the posture that Singapore is the regional hub for wealth management (and the opening of the city state's first casino in 2010) provide the main source of revenue for the economy, which allows it to purchase natural resources and raw goods which it does not have. Moreover, water is a scarcity in Singapore therefore water is defined as a precious resource in Singapore along with the scarcity of land to be treated with land fill of Pulau Semakau. Singapore has limited arable land that Singapore has to rely on the agro technology park for agricultural production and consumption. Human Resource is another vital issue for the health of Singaporean economy. Singapore could thus be said to rely on an extended concept of intermediary trade to Entrept trade, by purchasing raw goods and refining them for re-export, such as in the wafer fabrication industry and oil refining. Singapore also has a strategic port which makes it more competitive than many of its neighbours in carrying out such entrepot activities. Singapore has the highest trade to GDP ratio in the world, averaging around 400% during 2008-11. The Port of Singapore is the second-busiest in the world by cargo tonnage. In addition, Singapore's port infrastructure and skilled workforce, which is due to the success of the country's education policy in producing skilled workers, is also fundamental in this aspect as they provide easier access to markets for both importing and exporting, and also provide the skill(s) needed to refine imports into exports. Singapore's government promotes high levels of savings and investment through policies such as the Central Provident Fund, which is used to fund its citizen's healthcare and retirement needs. Singapore's savings rates have remained among the highest in the world since the 1970s.

Economic history This is a chart of trend of gross domestic product of Singapore at market prices estimated by the International Monetary Fund. Gross Domestic Product ($ millions) Nominal Per Capita GDP (as % of USA) PPP Per Capita GDP (as % of USA)

Year

US Dollar Exchange

1980 25,117

2.14 Singapore Dollars

39.65

55.00

1985 39,036

2.20 Singapore Dollars

36.63

63.41

1990 66,778

1.81 Singapore Dollars

52.09

74.76

1995 119,470

1.41 Singapore Dollars

86.14

90.60

2000 159,840

1.72 Singapore Dollars

66.19

91.48

2005 194,360

1.64 Singapore Dollars

67.54

103.03

2007 224,412

1.42 Singapore Dollars

74.61

107.92

2008 235,632

1.37 Singapore Dollars

73.71

107.27

2009 268,900

1.50 Singapore Dollars

78.53

108.33

2010 309,400

1.32 Singapore Dollars

82.13

119.54

2011 270,020

1.29 Singapore Dollars

Upon separation from Malaysia in 1965, Singapore was faced with a lack of natural resources, a small domestic market, and high levels of unemployment and poverty. 70 percent of Singapores households lived in badly overcrowded conditions, and a third of its people squatted in slums on the city fringes. Unemployment averaged 14 percent, GDP per capita was less than $2,700, and

half of the population was illiterate. In response, the Singapore Government adopted a proworker, pro-business, pro-foreign investment, export-oriented economic policy. At first the government rejected free market orthodoxy and made massive government interventions into the economy, however after discovering that letting markets equilibrate on their own lead to greater growth they decided to adopt their current meritocratic capitalist model. Nevertheless, they continue to maintain strict unwavering investments in housing and education to produce a skilled and educated populace. Living standards steadily rose, with more families moving from a lower-income status to middle-income security with increased household incomes. During a National Day Rally speech in 1987, Lee Kuan-Yew claimed that (based on the home ownership criterion) 80% of Singaporeans could now be considered to be members of the middle-class. However, much unlike the economic policies of Greece and the rest of Europe, Singapore followed a policy of individualizing the social safety net. This lead to higher than average savings rate and a very sustainable economy on the long run. Without a burdensome welfare state or its likeliness, Singapore has developed a very self-reliant and skilled workforce well versed for a global economy. Singapore's economic strategy produced real growth averaging 8.0% from 1960 to 1999. The economy picked up in 1999 after the regional financial crisis, with a growth rate of 5.4%, followed by 9.9% for 2000. However, the economic slowdown in the United States, Japan and the European Union, as well as the worldwide electronics slump, had reduced the estimated economic growth in 2001 to a negative 2.0%. The economy expanded by 2.2% the following year, and by 1.1% in 2003 when Singapore was affected by the SARS outbreak. Subsequently, a major turnaround occurred in 2004 allowed it to make a significant recovery of 8.3% growth in Singapore, although the actual growth fell short of the target growth for the year more than half with only 2.5%. In 2005, economic growth was 6.4%; and in 2006, 7.9%. As of 8 June 2013, Singapore's unemployment rate is around 1.9% and the country's economy has a lowered growth rate, with a rate of 1.8% on a quarter-by-quarter basiscompared to 14.8% in 2010.

Sectors
Manufacturing and financial business services accounted for 26% and 22%, respectively, of Singapore's gross domestic product in 2000. The electronics industry leads Singapore's

manufacturing sector, accounting for 48% of total industrial output, but the government also is prioritising development of the chemicals and biotechnology industries. To maintain its competitive position despite rising wages, the government seeks to promote higher value-added activities in the manufacturing and services sectors. It also has opened, or is in the process of opening, the financial services, telecommunications, and power generation and retailing sectors up to foreign service providers and greater competition. Banking Singapore is considered a global financial hub, with Singapore banks offering world-class corporate bank account facilities. These include multiple currencies, internet banking, telephone banking, checking accounts, savings accounts, debit and credit cards, fixed term deposits and wealth management services. According to the Human Rights Watch, due to its role as a financial hub for the region, Singapore has continually been criticized for reportedly hosting bank accounts containing ill-gotten gains of corrupt leaders and their associates, including billions of dollars of Burmas state gas revenues hidden from national accounts. Biotechnology Singapore is aggressively promoting and developing its biotechnology industry. Hundred of millions of dollars were invested into the sector to build up infrastructure, fund research and development and to recruit top international scientists to Singapore. Leading drug makers, such as GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Pfizer and Merck & Co., have set up plants in Singapore. On 8 June 2006, GSK announced that it is investing another S$300 million to build another plant to produce pediatric vaccines, its first such facility in Asia. Energy and infrastructure Singapore is the pricing centre and leading oil trading hub in Asia. The oil industry makes up 5 per cent of Singapore's GDP, with Singapore being one of the top three export refining centers in the world. In 2007 it exported 68.1 million tons of oil. The oil industry has led to the promotion of the chemical industry as well as oil and gas equipment manufacturing. It has 20 per cent of the world market for ship repair, and in 2008 the marine and offshore industry employed almost 70,000 workers.

Trade, investment and aid Singapore's total trade in 2000 amounted to S$373 billion, an increase of 21% from 1999. Despite its small size, Singapore is currently the fifteenth-largest trading partner of the United

States. In 2000, Singapore's imports totaled $135 billion, and exports totaled $138 billion. Malaysia was Singapore's main import source, as well as its largest export market, absorbing 18% of Singapore's exports, with the United States close behind. Singapore's principal exports are petroleum products, food/beverages, chemicals, textile/garments, electronic components, telecommunication apparatus, and transport equipment. Singapore's main imports are aircraft, crude oil and petroleum products, electronic components, radio and television receivers/parts, motor vehicles, chemicals, food/beverages, iron/steel, and textile yarns/fabrics. According to Healy Consultants, Singapore has free trade access to the entirety of the ASEAN network, with import duty reduced when dealing with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) continues to attract investment funds on a large-scale for the country despite the city's relatively high-cost operating environment. The U.S. leads in foreign investment, accounting for 40% of new commitments to the manufacturing sector in 2000. As of 1999, cumulative investment for manufacturing and services by American companies in Singapore reached approximately $20 billion (total assets). The bulk of U.S. investment is in electronics manufacturing, oil refining and storage, and the chemical industry. More than 1,500 U.S. firms operate in Singapore. Singapore's largely corruption-free government, skilled workforce, and advanced and efficient infrastructure have attracted investments from more than 3,000 multinational corporations (MNCs) from the United States, Japan, and Europe. Foreign firms are found in almost all sectors of the economy. MNCs account for more than two thirds of manufacturing output and direct export sales, although certain services sectors remain dominated by government-linked corporations. The government also has encouraged firms to invest outside Singapore, with the country's total direct investments abroad reaching $39 billion by the end of 1998. The People's Republic of China was the top destination, accounting for 14% of total overseas investments, followed by Malaysia (10%), Hong Kong (8.9%), Indonesia (8.0%) and U.S. (4.0%). The United States provides no bilateral to Singapore, but the U.S. appears keen to improve bilateral trade and signed the U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement. Singapore corporate tax is 17 per cent.

Year Total trade Imports Exports % Change

2000 $273

$135

$138

21%

2001

-9.4%

2002 $432

1.5%

2003 $516

$237

$279

9.6%

2004 $629

$293

$336

21.9%

2005 $716

$333

$383

14%

2006 $810

$379

$431

13.2%

All figures in billions of Singapore dollars.

International trade agreements Economy Agreement Abbreviation Concluded Signed Effective Legal text

New Zealand

Agreement between New Zealand and Singapore on a Closer Economic Partnership

ANZSCEP

18 August 2000

14 1 January November 2001 2000

[1]

European Free Trade

Agreement EFTA11 April between the EFTA Singapore FTA 2002 States and

26 June 2002

1 January 2003

[2]

Economy

Agreement

Abbreviation

Concluded

Signed

Effective

Legal text

Association Singapore

Japan

Agreement between Japan and the Republic of Singapore for a JSEPA New-Age Economic Partnership

October 2001 13 Ja [3]

United States

United StatesSingapore Free Trade Agreement

USSFTA

19 November 6 May 2002 2003

1 January 2004

[4]

Jordan

Singapore Jordan Free Trade Agreement

SJFTA

29 April 2004

16 May 2004

[5]

Brunei Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement

August 2005

Chile

Trans-Pacific SEP

18 July 2005

1 January 2006

[6]

New Zealand

18 July 2005

India

India - Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement

India-Singapore November CECA 2004

29 June 2005

1 August 2005

[7]

Economy

Agreement

Abbreviation

Concluded

Signed

Effective

Legal text

Korea

Korea-Singapore Free Trade Agreement

KSFTA

28 November 4 August 2004 2005

End 2005

[8]

Peru

Peru-Singapore Free Trade Agreement

PesFTA

September 2007

29 May 2008

Early 2009

Singapore workforce In 2000, Singapore had a workforce of about 2.2 million. The country has the largest proficiency of English language speakers in Asia, making it an attractive place for multinational corporations. The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), the sole trade union federation which has a symbiotic relationship with the ruling party, comprises almost 99% of total organized labour. Government policy and pro-activity rather than labour legislation controls general labour and trade union matters. The Employment Act offers little protection to whitecollar workers due to an income threshold. The Industrial Arbitration Court handles labour-management disputes that cannot be resolved informally through the Ministry of Manpower. The Singapore Government has stressed the importance of cooperation between unions, management and government (tripartism), as well as the early resolution of disputes. There has been only one strike in the past 15 years. Singapore has enjoyed virtually full employment for long periods of time. Amid an economic slump, the unemployment rate rose to 4.0% by the end of 2001, from 2.4% early in the year. Unemployment has since declined and as of 2012 the unemployment rate stands at 1.9%. The Singapore Government and the NTUC have tried a range of programs to increase lagging productivity and boost the labour force participation rates of women and older workers. However, labor shortages persist in the service sector and in many low-skilled positions in the construction and electronics industries. Foreign workers help make up this shortfall. In 2000, there were about 600,000 foreign workers in Singapore, constituting 27% of the total work force. As a result, wages are relatively suppressed or do not rise for all workers. In order to have some controls, the government imposes a foreign worker levy payable by employers for low end

workers like domestic help and construction workers. The Government recognizes that the current overall foreign workforce should complement the local resident workforce and not replace the Singaporean Core concept, and helps companies greatly as they raise productivity through business restructuring and workforce retraining; raise resident labour force participation rate.

Public finance Government spending in Singapore has risen since the start of the global financial crisis, from around 15% of GDP in 2008 to 17% in 2012. The government's total expenditure as a percentage of GDP ranks among the lowest internationally and allows for a competitive tax regime. Personal income taxes in Singapore range from 0% to 20% for incomes above S$320,000. There are no capital gains or inheritance taxes in Singapore. Singapore's corporate tax rate is 17% with exemptions and incentives for smaller businesses. Singapore has a singletier corporate income tax system, which means there is no double-taxation for shareholders. Singapore introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) with an initial rate of 3% on 1 April 1994, increasing government's revenue by S$1.6 billion (US$1b, 800m) and establishing government finances. The taxable GST was increased to 4% in 2003, to 5% in 2004, and to 7% in 2007. Some Facts: Percentage of economic growth in Year 2007: 7.4% Industrial production growth rate: 6.8% (2007 est.) Electricity - production: 41.137.7 billion kWh (2007) Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998) Electricity - consumption: 37.420.3 billion kWh (2007) Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2007) Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2007) Agriculture - products: rubber, copra, fruit, vegetables; poultry, eggs, fish, orchids, ornamental fish

Currency: 1 Singapore dollar (S$ or SGD) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Year Singapore Dollars per US$1

1981

2.0530

1985

2.1213

1990

1.7275

1995

1.4148

2000

1.7361

2005

1.6738

2008 (April) 1.3643

2009 (March) 1.5123

2010

1.2844

2011 (May)

1.2336

Culture
The country has strict laws against drug use and has one of the lowest rates of drug use in the world. Foreigners also make up 42% of the population and have a strong influence on Singaporean culture. A.T. Kearney named Singapore the most globalised country in the world in 2006 in its Globalization Index. The Economist Intelligence Unit in its "Quality-of-Life Index" ranks Singapore as having the best quality of life in Asia and eleventh overall in the world. Languages, religions, and cultures Singapore is a very diverse and young country. It has many languages, religions, and cultures for a country its size. Due to the many languages and cultures in the country, there is no single set of culturally acceptable behaviors. When Singapore became independent from the United Kingdom in 1963, most of the newly minted Singaporean citizens were uneducated laborers from Malaysia, China and India. Many of them were transient laborers who were seeking to make some money in Singapore and they had no intention of staying for good. A sizeable minority of middle-class, local-born people, known as the Peranakans, also existed. With the exception of the Peranakans (descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants) who pledged their loyalties to Singapore, most of the labourers' loyalties lay with their respective homelands of Malaysia, China and India. After independence, the process of crafting a Singaporean identity and culture began. Former Prime Ministers of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew and Goh Chok Tong have stated that Singapore does not fit the traditional description of a nation, calling it a society-in-transition, pointing out the fact that Singaporeans do not all speak the same language, share the same religion, or have the same customs. Even though English is the first language of the nation, according to the government's 2010 census 20% of Singaporeans, or one in five, are illiterate in English. This is a marked improvement from 1990 where 40% of Singaporeans were illiterate in English. Unlike many other countries, languages, religions and cultures among Singaporeans are not delineated according to skin colour or ancestry. Among Chinese Singaporeans, one in five is Christian, another one in five is atheist, and the rest are mostly Buddhists or Taoists. One-third speak English as their home language, while half speak Mandarin Chinese as their home language. The rest speak other mutually unintelligible Chinese languages at home. Singaporean Indians are much more religious. Only 1% of them are atheists. Six in ten are Hindus, two in ten Muslims, and the rest mostly Christians. Four in ten speak English as their home language, three in ten Tamil, one in ten Malay, and the rest other Indian languages as their home language. Each Singaporean's behaviours and attitudes would therefore be influenced by, among many other things, his or her home language and his religion. Singaporeans who speak English as their native language tend to lean toward Western culture. While those who speak Chinese languages as their native language tend to lean toward Chinese culture and Confucianism. Malay-speaking Singaporeans tend to lean toward Malay culture, which itself is closely linked to Islamic culture. Those who speak Indian languages as their native language would probably lean toward Indian culture.

Sports Popular sports include football, basketball, cricket, swimming, sailing, table tennis and badminton. Most Singaporeans live in public residential areas near amenities such as public swimming pools, outdoor basketball courts and indoor sport complexes. Water sports are popular, including sailing, kayaking and water skiing. Scuba diving is another popular recreational sport. Singapore began hosting a round of the Formula One World Championship, the Singapore Grand Prix, in 2008. The race takes place on the Marina Bay Street Circuit and was the inaugural F1 night race and the first street circuit in Asia. The Singapore Grand Prix will remain on the F1 calendar through at least 2017, after race organizers signed a contract extension with Formula One Management on the eve of the 2012 event. Kranji Racecourse is run by the Singapore Turf Club and hosts multiple weekly meetings and many important local and international races, notably the prestigious Singapore Airlines International Cup.

Science and Technology

The Internet in Singapore is provided by ISPs that offer residential service plans of speeds up to 1 Gbit/s. In Singapore, the rise of Gigabit Networks increased exports and created 80,000 jobs in 2006. Telecommunications in Singapore include 4G mobile phone services for over 6 million subscribers. Education Education for primary, secondary, and tertiary levels is mostly supported by the state. All institutions, private and public, must be registered with the Ministry of Education. English is the language of instruction in all public schools, and all subjects are taught and examined in English except for the "Mother Tongue" language paper. While the term "Mother Tongue" in general refers to the first language internationally, in Singapore's education system, it is used to refer to the second language, as English is the first language. Students who have been abroad for a while or who struggle with their "Mother Tongue" language are allowed to take a simpler syllabus or drop the subject. Education takes place in three stages: primary, secondary, and pre-university education. Only the primary level is compulsory. Students begin with six years of primary school, which is made up of a four-year foundation course and a two-year orientation stage. The curriculum is focused on the development of English, the mother tongue, and maths. There are four standard subjects taught to all students: English, the mother tongue, mathematics, and science. Secondary school lasts from four to five years and is divided between Special, Express, Normal (Academic), and Normal (Technical) streams in each school, depending on a student's ability level. The basic coursework breakdown is the same as in the primary level, although classes are much more

specialised. Pre-university education takes place over two to three years at senior schools mostly called Junior Colleges. Some schools have a degree of freedom in their curriculum and are known as autonomous schools. These exist from the secondary education level. National examinations are standardised across all schools, with a test taken after each stage. After the first six years of education, students take the Primary School Leaving Examination, which determines their placement at secondary school. At the end of the secondary stage, GCE "O"-Level exams are taken; at the end of the following pre-university stage, the GCE "A"-Level exams are taken. Of all non-student Singaporeans aged 15 and above, 18% have no education qualifications at all while 45% have the Primary School Leaving Examination as their highest qualification. 15% have the GCE 'O' Level as their highest qualification and 14% have a degree. Singaporean students consistently rank in the top five in the world in the two major international assessments of mathematics and science knowledge. Singaporean students were ranked first in the 2011 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement and have been ranked top three every year since 1995. Singaporean students were also ranked top five in the world in terms of mathematics, science, and reading in the 2009 Programme for International Student Assessment conducted by the OECD. The country's two main public universities the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University are among the top 50 in the world.

STEEL Industry of Singapore

Steel in Singapore industry profile provides top-line qualitative and quantitative summary information including: market size (value 2007-11, and forecast to 2016). The profile also contains descriptions of the leading players including key financial metrics and analysis of competitive pressures within the market. Essential resource for top-line data and analysis covering the Singapore steel market. Includes market size data, textual and graphical analysis of market growth trends, leading companies and macroeconomic information. Highlights

The steel market consists of the production of crude steel in the stated country or region. The Singaporean steel market had total revenues of $595.8 million in 2011, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.2% between 2007 and 2011. Market production volumes increased with a CAGR of 3.9% between 2007-2011, to reach a total of 744.5 thousand metric tons in 2011.

The performance of the market is forecast to decelerate, with an anticipated CAGR of 8.3% for the five-year period 2011 - 2016, which is expected to drive the market to a value of $866.3 million by the end of 2016.

It is part of the governments three-year-old policy to restructure the Singaporean economy and wean it off its dependency on low-skilled, low-wage immigrantswho have become politically unpopularand improve productivity. As well as increases in the levy, businesses have been made to cut the ratio of foreign workers to local hires. But companies are passing on the extra labour costs to consumers, fuelling an inflation rate that is one of the regions highest. Meanwhile, rising costs make exports less competitive, especially with low-wage economies such as Vietnam snapping up business. Ms Seah wants to export to Indonesia, but she will be hit by the strong Singapore dollar, priced to reflect the booming services economy. The government is supporting the transition to its new higher-productivity economy with schemes such as the productivity and innovation credit. With it, Ms Seah recently bought a German machine that can stamp out an aluminium number plate in two minutes, rather than the hour that it took previously. She was able to claim back 60% of the S$8,000 it cost. The scheme was extended in the most recent budget. The government also helps with technical know-how and training. It is nurturing potentially more profitable manufacturing industries, like biomedical engineering that makes scanners and other advanced diagnostic tools.

NEWATER
NEWater is the brand name given to reclaimed water produced by Singapore's Public Utilities Board. More specifically, it is treated wastewater (sewage) that has been purified using dualmembrane (via microfiltration and reverse osmosis) and ultraviolet technologies, in addition to conventional water treatment processes. The water is potable and can be consumed by humans, but is mostly used for industry requiring high purity water. History NEWater may sound like an overnight success for Singapore. But its evolution is a journey that spanned 3 decades. Singapore's first water masterplan was drawn up in 1972. In 1974, PUB built a pilot plant to turn used water into potable water. This was the precursor of today's NEWater factories. But it was ahead of its time. The costs were astronomical and the membranes were unreliable, so the idea was shelved to await further technological advancement. In 1998, the necessary technology had matured and driven production costs down. In May 2000, the first NEWater plant was completed. Now Currently, there are 4 NEWater plants in Singapore. The latest and the largest NEWater plant at Changi with a capacity of 50mgd was opened in May 2010. With this addition, coupled with the expansion of the existing plants, NEWater now meets 30% of Singapores total water demand. By 2060, NEWater is projected to meet 50% of Singapores future water demand.

Production Singapore has four operational NEWater factories, at Bedok, Kranji, Ulu Pandan and Changi. Bedok and Kranji were commissioned in 2002, Ulu Pandan in March 2007 and the Changi plant in August 2009. A plant at Seletar, commissioned in February 2004, is now closed. The Bedok and Kranji plants are operated by the Public Utilities Board, while the Ulu Pandan and Changi plants are under DBOO concessions by Keppel Seghers and Sembcorp Industries. There is a Visitor Centre in the NEWater factory in Bedok, near the Singapore Expo Tanah Merah MRT Station. Admission is free.

Process NEWater is produced by a multiple barrier water reclamation process:

The first barrier is conventional wastewater treatment in the Water Reclamation Plants. The second barrier, and first stage of the NEWater production process, uses microfiltration/ultra filtration to remove suspended solids, colloidal particles, diseasecausing bacteria, some viruses and protozoan cysts. The filtered water after passing through the membrane contains only dissolved salts and organic molecules. The third barrier, and second stage of the NEWater production process, uses reverse osmosis (RO). A semi-permeable membrane filters out contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, nitrates, chlorides, sulfates, disinfection by-products, aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticides. NEWater is thus free from viruses and bacteria and contains very low levels of salts and organic matter. At this stage, the water is of potable quality. The fourth barrier, and third stage of the NEWater production process, is a safety precaution. UV disinfection is used to ensure that all organisms are inactivated and the purity of the water can be guaranteed. After adding some alkaline chemicals to restore the pH balance, NEWater is ready for use.

Applications The total capacity of the plants is about 20 million US gallons per day (75,700 m3/day). Some 6% of this is used for indirect potable use, equal to about 1% of Singapore's potable water requirement of 380 million US gallons per day (13 m3/s). The rest is used at wafer fabrication plants and other non-potable applications in industries in Woodlands, Tampines, Pasir Ris, and Ang Mo Kio. Potability The quality of NEWater consistently exceeds the requirements set by USEPA and WHO guidelines and ironically is cleaner than Singapore's other water sources. Plans are under way to increase the amount of NEWater in indirect potable use up to 3.5% by 2011.

NeWater is Reverse Osmosis Water

NEWater is high-grade reclaimed water produced from treated used water that is purified further using advanced membrane technologies, making the water ultra-clean and safe to drink. NEWater has passed more than 100,000 scientific tests and surpasses World Health Organization requirements.

The first stage of the NEWater production process is known as Microfiltration (MF). In this process, the treated used water is passed through membranes to filter out and retained on the membrane surface suspended solids, colloidal particles, disease-causing bacteria, some viruses and protozoan cysts. The filtered water that goes through the membrane contains only dissolved salts and organic molecules. The second stage of the NEWater production process is known as Reverse Osmosis (RO). In RO, a semi-permeable membrane is used. The semi-permeable membrane has very small pores which only allow very small molecules like water molecules to pass through. Consequently, undesirable contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, heavy metals, nitrate, chloride, sulphate, disinfection byproducts, aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides etc, cannot pass through the membrane. Hence, NEWater is RO water and is free from viruses, bacteria and contains negligible amount of salts and organic matters. At this stage, the water is already of a high grade water quality. The third stage of the NEWater production process really acts as a further safety back-up to the RO. In this stage, ultraviolet or UV disinfection is used to ensure that all organisms are inactivated and the purity of the product water guaranteed. With the addition of some alkaline chemicals to restore the acid-alkali or pH balance, the NEWater is now ready to be piped off to its wide range of applications. In fact, RO is a widely recognised and established technology which has been used extensively in many other areas. This includes the production of bottled drinking water and production of ultra-clean water for the wafer fabrication and electronics industry. RO is also becoming increasingly popular as one of the technologies used in desalination of seawater for human consumption. It is also used to recycle used water to drinking water on space shuttles and on International Space Stations. The NEWater Visitor Centre, which was opened in February 2003, is the focal point of PUBs public education on NEWater. The centre highlights the importance of water and how Singapore leverages on advances in technology to reclaim water. Visitors are able to view firsthand the operation of the advanced dual membrane and ultraviolet technologies used to produce NEWater. New Water from Wastewater in Singapore Singapore is comprised of 63 small islands and has a natural, rainforest climate. In fact, nearly a quarter of Singapores land area consists of forests and nature preserves, and the country averages more than 90 inches of rainfall every year. However, despite what appears to be a flourishing wet ecosystem, Singapore has faced persistent water shortages throughout its history.

Faced with these water shortages, in 1974, Singapore began a program of water recycling the action of transforming wastewater into clean freshwater. However, its experimental treatment plant was closed just a year later when cost and reliability issues proved too problematic to overcome. In 1998, the Public Utilities Board and the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in Singapore instituted a water reclamation study. Its aim was to determine whether recycled water and desalination could be viable options to meet the countrys long-term water needs, and whether they would help reduce Singapores reliance on imported water from Malaysia, a source of friction over the years.

CONCLUSION

BIBLIOGRAPHY

www.google.com www.pub.org www.singaporepsa.com www.newater.info www.economysearch.com www.ssss.org www.marketresearch.com www.worldsteel.org