Examining Singapore’s intercultural business communication using intercultural communication competency framework.

Intercultural communication is defined the interactions with members of other cultures. Despite the complexity involved in intercultural communication, it has often been viewed favorably and highly encouraged in some business organizations because of the inherent advantages of having diversity in a group. Multicultural group discussions could potentially lead to more ways of viewing the problem or situation and they tend to be more creative. In order to appreciate and enhance the chances of successful intercultural communication, many intercultural communication competency (ICC) models have been developed by various researchers. ICC refers to ability to execute communication behaviors effectively and appropriately by the negotiation of their own cultural identities in a culturally diverse environment Singapore is a melting pot, which houses a plethora of diverse cultural groups. In terms of economy, many foreign businesses are locating up their subsidiaries and offices in Singapore. It is ranked first as a choice for Multinational Companies (MNCs) to locate a Regional Headquarter (RHQ) in Asia Pacific. However, with so much diverse cultures in Singapore, there is little research done on intercultural business communication. This paper aims to investigate the intercultural business communication, by examining data collected from one of the MNCs in Singapore, using the ICC developed by Spencer-Oatey and Stadler (2009). The results show the failure of intercultural miscommunication due to the development too many goals in the meeting and the failure to develop synergistic solutions. Some general cultural trends, suggestions and recommendations are also made with regard to intercultural business communication in Singapore.Bachelor of Art