http://www.integralseminars.org Fri, 08 Jul 2011 07:55:58 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2 http://www.integralseminars.org/singapore-%e2%80%93-international-business-corporation-ibc.cfm http://www.integralseminars.org/singapore-%e2%80%93-international-business-corporation-ibc.cfm#comments Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:06:02 +0000 ewwink http://www.crawbot.co.cc/?p=420

Singapore International Business Corporation

Offshore financial centers are coming under strict scrutiny because of the regulatory pressures exerted by organizations such as OECD. In the present scenario Singapore with a strong reputation as an international financial center offers a tax system that is equally attractive to resident and non resident companies alike.  Singapore’s status and reputation as a trusted and responsible business and financial hub committed to the international efforts to combat cross-border tax evasion, is attracting high net-worth individuals and companies who seek unsullied image along with effective tax management. Singapore Company, if properly-structured is an attractive, tax-efficient corporate structure to conduct international business. Certain inherent provisions make a Singapore resident company an attractive entity for holding foreign investments. Similarly a non-resident company is not subject to Singapore income tax on foreign sourced income if it is not received in Singapore. Therefore non-resident companies are also an attractive vehicle as international holding or trading companies

Features of Singapore Company

Ø       Minimum paid-up capital of just S$1 and allows 100% foreign ownership

Ø       Minimum 1 shareholder is required and corporate shareholders are allowed, the details of shareholders appear on public register, however nominee shareholders are allowed. Nationality of the Shareholder does not matter.

Ø       Minimum of one director and need at least one Singapore resident director. Corporate directors are not permitted. The details of directors appear on public register

Ø       Details of beneficial owners are publicly accessible

Ø       A natural person must be appointed as company secretary who can also act as a director, but in the case of sole director the same person cannot serve as company secretary and director.

Ø       Must file annual accounts

Ø       For companies with an annual turnover exceeding S$ 5 million, annual audited accounts are required to be filed with the Registrar. The accounts are required to be audited by Singapore auditors. For companies with an annual turnover less than S$ 5 million, annual accounts need to be filed but there is no auditing requirement.

Ø       Must conduct Annual General meeting

Ø       A registered office in Singapore is required

Merits of Singapore Company

Ø       A Singapore company is resident and domiciled in a country with a highly regarded international reputation

Ø       Singapore has political stability, sound economic and financial fundamentals, and reasonably comparable client confidentiality standards of other offshore jurisdiction

Ø       No restriction on the free entry and repatriation of funds

Ø       Foreign sourced income which is earned and retained outside Singapore is not taxed in Singapore.

Ø       Singapore follows a territorial tax system whereby tax is levied only on incomes sourced in Singapore or received in Singapore

Ø       Subject to certain conditions a Singapore company can enjoy tax exemption from its foreign-sourced dividends, foreign branch profits, and foreign-sourced service income that is remitted into Singapore

Ø       Singapore follows a single-tier tax system whereby the dividends in the hands of shareholders are not taxed

Ø       No tax on capital gains

Ø       Attractive tax rate of just 17%  and with the available incentive schemes and exemptions effective tax rate is as low as 8.5% for new startups and for small and medium sized companies

Ø       Singapore has over 58 Double Taxation Treaties, Singapore resident companies can access the benefits of DTA

Limitations

Ø       Redomicilation is not permitted

Ø       Details of company members and directors is available on public registry

]]> http://www.integralseminars.org/singapore-%e2%80%93-international-business-corporation-ibc.cfm/feed 0 http://www.integralseminars.org/boost-your-company-way-out-of-your-local-recession-field.cfm http://www.integralseminars.org/boost-your-company-way-out-of-your-local-recession-field.cfm#comments Sat, 14 May 2011 15:04:53 +0000 ewwink http://www.crawbot.co.cc/?p=431

Do you automatically assume your business will follow the flow if your local economy was going through a recession? Do you lack ideas on how to keep your company slugging through rough times?

How would you like to be able to free your company up out of any sticky recession your local economy might be in?

Let’s take a closer look at how your marketing team functions during recessions.

Your marketing team is your lead generation tool, right? How can a seasoned marketer help you during recession?

Traditional Marketing Outlook In A Recession

Generally speaking, during a recession most offline marketers get their budgets cut. This appears to limit their choice of actions. Marketing life can seem pretty gloomy without the budgets companies become accustomed to.

But this will not deter the seasoned offline marketer. He will look for and find creative solutions he can implement on a decreasing budget. The seasoned offline marketer will learn to manage, if his company and products have staying power. And if this is not his first recession to ride through, he will have prepared for hard times.

Creativity is part of the key. Traditional marketers have to lift their heads up and look out at the whole world to try to find their solutions. Communication is live.

They have the upward and outward outlook. They might lack the tools or opportunities they desire in-house and will naturally look outwards to find them.

Online Marketing Outlook In A Recession

During a recession the online marketers will naturally look to increase their conversion rates. They will want to get even more out of the money they have. Good online marketers often still have weapons up them sleeve to get better conversion rates. Recession stimulates them into action.

But this leads the online marketer down one narrow road, totally fixated with numbers, and testing, concentrating on the math and science of online sales conversion.

His vision is totally focused, and can be narrow in scope during a recession. Increased conversion rates can help during a recession.

Fly Above The Crowd

The pressures of survival on low budgets can narrow your vision.

What happens when you get a marketer with both online and offline experience marketing during times of recession? What would he come up with?

Probably a solution that will give your company a big boost, taking you out of the whole recession arena.

A little creativity with focus…and the low-cost friend, the internet.

What will you see if you were to look upward and outwards with focus?



There are other countries which are not operating under the same economic constraints as you are.



Creativity?

In a recession, dare yourself to find or create a product to sell further afield. Any company can. It just takes a little bit of imagination. Let the traditional marketer help you.

Powered Focus?

In a recession, dare yourself to find those clients fast. Of course, you can. Let the online marketer help you.

Recession proof your business by getting more foreign clients.

Flying above the crowds is a mindset, don’t let your mindset get caught in your local economy.

Developing clients further afield will help your company expand in the long term.

In a recession? Use both Traditional Marketing and Online Marketing skills to give you the power you need to get up and out of any local recession your company may be in.

Are you committed to speeding up your international sales cycles?

Learn how to combine cross-cultural marketing tools and international sales strategies for faster sales.

Join us on the International Sales Road Map

Would you like to develop your international business?

Are you a beginner at international sales and marketing?

Read the Beginners Guide Discover Your International Business

]]> http://www.integralseminars.org/boost-your-company-way-out-of-your-local-recession-field.cfm/feed 0 http://www.integralseminars.org/want-to-do-business-in-japan.cfm http://www.integralseminars.org/want-to-do-business-in-japan.cfm#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:54:24 +0000 ewwink http://www.crawbot.co.cc/?p=425

Japan has the world’s second largest GNP and is the world’s second largest market accounting for 60-70% of the economy of Asia. It is the source of a great deal of advanced technology, much of it built into Japanese consumer products owned by consumers throughout the world. Japan has 50 million mobile phone users (40% of the total population) most with Internet access, while broadband technology is rapidly advancing on both the home and business fronts. Total sales through mobile e-commerce reached $500 million in 2000 with projections of $10 billion in sales by 2005.

The Japanese have the justified reputation of being the world’s most demanding consumers who are satisfied with nothing less than the very highest standards of quality and service. The Japanese market is therefore the benchmark for any company aiming to succeed in international business.

Despite its ultra-modern, Western appearance and technological sophistication, foreign business people often find that on closer acquaintance, Japan is in many ways the most culturally distinct advanced society they will have encountered. This is part of its fascination. Too much is sometimes made of this but is does mean that time spent acquiring the necessary cultural awareness and knowledge needed to adapt one’s style and approach to fit Japan is a necessary investment. Key aspects to be aware of are the strong group orientation of Japanese and the distinction they make between tatemae, the face which Japanese present in public to maintain harmony and avoid embarrassment, and honne, one’s real feelings or the actual situation.

Japanese business is relationship-based on the assumption that it is the relationship which makes the business possible. Since Japanese are instinctively wary of those with whom they have no relationship, whether Japanese or foreign, it follows that building a relationship takes time and requires patience, persistence, and perseverance. These are among the qualities most admired and respected in Japanese business and they are needed in abundance by both companies and individuals in Japan if they are to succeed.

The hallmarks of the Japanese approach to business are tireless collection and collation of information, thorough preparation and meticulous attention to detail. Foreign companies in Japan should do their best to match this and should also have clear objectives and a well thought out strategy for the market. Time-consuming and often very costly mistakes have been made there by foreign businesses which have failed to gather sufficient information and skimped on preparation and planning. “Winging it” or “playing it by ear” are sure recipes for disaster. Those who do their homework thoroughly will find a vast amount of information readily available from official and commercial sources as well as many experienced consulting companies to call on with long experience and specialised knowledge of Japan’s particular markets. Being prepared also means knowing one’s company, products and markets inside out. Those who do not cut a poor figure in Japanese eyes even if they can do business in Japanese.

Formality and formal politeness are much more important features of Japanese social and business life than in most other societies. Their observance ensures respect for hierarchy, the smooth functioning of social relations and the elimination of uncertainty and any possibility of public embarrassment. Knowing and being able to observe the basics of etiquette are therefore important for the incoming business person wishing to make the best possible impression. First encounters in business, for example, must always begin with the formal exchange of meishi or name/business card. Any business visitor to Japan therefore needs to take an ample supply (anything between one and two hundred) of professionally produced cards. They are a key element of the public face not only of the individual but of their company. On the sophisticated and often involved protocol for meetings, entertainment and other areas of business, it is best to take expert advice.

Japanese companies are collective organisms whose individual members are with the company for most if not all of their working lives. Decisions are made after an exhaustive period of information gathering, consultation and discussion (nemawashi) among all relevant parties in the company. This takes time and will involve repeated requests for information as well as great patience from a prospective business partner. It also underlines the necessity for any business partner of developing and maintaining good relationships with as wide a range of people as possible in their Japanese counterpart.

Being able to speak and do business in Japanese is always an advantage, not least because it shows an unquestionable commitment to the market. The language is also an important window into Japanese culture and without the ability to read it, foreigners have the unnerving experience of being functionally illiterate when they arrive in Japan. However only a minority of foreign business people will have these language skills while all Japanese have some knowledge of English and some a very good command of it. It is therefore certainly possible to do successful business through the medium of English in Japan. Native speakers of English however need to now how to adapt their language in order to communicate effectively with second-language speakers of English like the Japanese. This involves much more than just speaking more slowly. And even when doing business mainly in English, every foreign business person should make the effort to learn some courtesy and survival Japanese and in particular the polite expressions and formulas which always lubricate social interaction in Japan. This will always be appreciated.

Whether business is being done in Japanese or English, all relevant printed information such as company brochures, product information and the like should be produced in Japanese and an interpreter, properly briefed, should be used at all important business meetings.

The economic and financial news coming out of Japan over recent years has seldom been positive but this should not be allowed to obscure Japan’s massive strengths and the increasing opportunities it offers for successful and profitable business. Worth highlighting here is the genuine welcome now on offer to foreign inward investment in an economy where in the past it has deliberately kept it to a minimum. As a result foreign investment has been rising rapidly.

Original article at www.intercultural-training.co.uk

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