Kau Ah Keng

Differences between Small and Medium Sized Exporting and Non‐Exporting Firms: Nature or Nurture

This article focuses on the relevant demographics, attitudes, behaviours, and concerns of small‐medium sized exporting and non‐exporting firms in Singapore in an attempt to determine whether measures can be developed to nurture non‐exporters into exporters. The findings suggest that while basic differences in demographics exist between the two groups, the attitudinal and behavioural differences are acquired. Therefore, programmes may be developed to nurture non‐exporting firms to be export‐oriented.

The influence of materialistic inclination on values, life satisfaction and aspirations : An empirical analysis

This article attempts to measure the effect ofmaterialistic inclination on the degree of lifesatisfaction. The study is based on a sample of about1600 respondents randomly selected from differentparts of the city state of Singapore. Theserespondents were divided into two distinct groups withhigh or low materialistic inclination. It wasobserved that when these respondents were asked torate the importance of the nine items from KahlesList of Values, the ratings of seven of these itemswere found to be significantly different between thetwo groups. The two groups also indicated differentchoices when asked to rate the things they wanted mostout of life. Finally, it was revealed that they alsoreported different degrees of satisfaction withvarious domains in life in general. However, as withregard to satisfaction with life in Singapore inparticular, there were no significant differencesobserved between the two groups.

Assessing quality of life in Singapore: An exploratory study

This article attempts an exploratory study of the quality of life in Singapore. The first objective of this study was to gauge how Singaporeans view the quality of their lives and the extent to which demographic characteristics affect life satisfaction. Secondly, the importance of the different pre-selected domains of life was also individually investigated. Finally, the levels of satisfaction with each of these domains were also assessed. It was found that there were no significant relationships found between life satisfaction and demographic characteristics. In addition, people in Singapore attached great importance to being healthy and having a happy family life. Finally, it was also determined that they were in general very satisfied with the various domains of life, particulary with family life and life in Singapore as a whole.

Understanding Singaporeans: Values, Lifestyles, Aspirations and Consumption Behaviors

Introduction and Research Methodology Value Orientations Personal Values and Life Aspirations Life Satisfaction Media Habits Leisure Activities Internet Usage and Behavior Clustering of Singaporeans Successful Ageing in Singapore Young Adult Singaporeans.

Segmentation of library visitors in Singapore: learning and reading related lifestyles

Examines the learning and reading‐related lifestyles of users and non‐users of libraries in Singapore. Door‐to‐door personal interviews with over 800 respondents in the age group of over 15 were used to collect the data. Factor analysis was used to establish eight types of reading and learning lifestyles. Subsequently cluster analysis was used to segment the respondents into seven types of library visitors. Together with their demographic characteristics and usage patterns of libraries, distinct profiles of these segments of people could be constructed. Finally, implications for library policy planners are discussed.

The Seven Faces of Singapore - Initial Findings from a Large-scale Representative Life Style Study

A large-scale, representative survey of Singaporeans was conducted to obtain data, amongst others, on their values and attitudes. Factor and cluster analyses were performed. First, the underlying dimensions of Singaporeans’ value system were identified using factor analysis. Based on 75 life-style and value items, six factors were obtained (Table 1). They were (1) family value oriented, (2) entrepreneurial sprit oriented, (3) status oriented, (4) traditional value oriented, (5) materialism oriented, and (6) society oriented factors. These six factors were then utilized to identify clusters. The cluster analysis identified the following seven major cluster of Singaporeans: (1) Traditional family oriented, (2) new age family oriented, (3) independents, (4) entrepreneurs, (5) aspires, (6) materialists, and (7) pragmatists. The cluster centroids are provided in Table 2.