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F
24,3/4 Strategic facilities management of
Suntec Singapore International
Convention and Exhibition Centre
120
A case study
Received September 2005
Revised October 2005
Linda Tay
Accepted December 2005 Faculty of the Built Environment, University of New South Wales,
Sydney, Australia

Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to highlight how facilities can enhance the strategic competitive position
of a business organisation.
Design/methodology/approach – The methods of investigation used in this study include
observation, in-depth interviews and secondary data.
Findings – This case study has shown that both hardware, i.e. facilities and software, i.e. business
philosophy of the organisation are important to enhance its competitive position.
Research limitations/implications – This study has looked at only one case. Future research may
use the same five-force model to assess and determine the contribution of facilities to the competitive
position of a business organisation.
Practical implications – This study hopes to create more awareness among senior management
of the strategic importance of facilities to a business’s bottom-line.
Originality/value – Using a strategic management model, this paper illustrates the contribution of
facilities management to the broader corporate goals.
Keywords Competitive advantage, Modelling, Market orientation, Strategic management, Facilities
Paper type Case study

Introduction
The convention and meetings industry is today growing rapidly. While its absolute
contribution to a country’s national gross domestic product (GDP) may be small, the
spillover effect is significant for the tourism sectors such as wholesale and retail trade,
hotel and air transport. A study conducted in Singapore showed that for every
$1 contributed by this industry, another $12 is generated in the national GDP
(International Enterprise Singapore Press Release, 2001). As a result, many
destinations around the world have invested in the construction of convention
centres (Oppermann, 1996). In particular, the Asia-Pacific region has seen rapid
increase in industry activity since the late 1980s. In its latest projection, the Union of
International Associations (UIA) predicts that only Asia will experience a positive
14.9 per cent growth in the next two years (UIA, 2005). The convention and meetings
Facilities
Vol. 24 No. 3/4, 2006
pp. 120-131 The author wishes to thank the management and staff of Suntec City Development Pte Ltd for
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited
0263-2772
their generosity in sharing their experience and Renee Leong, for providing valuable assistance
DOI 10.1108/02632770610649386 in the data collection and compilation process for this case study.
industry is a significant contributor to the Singapore economy. With its strategic Strategic
geographical location, Singapore has performed consistently well in attracting major facilities
conventions (e.g. Asian Aerospace). Singapore was also identified as the top competitor
for the Australian convention and meetings industry (Weber and Ladkin, 2003). management
Studies have shown convention facilities to be an important factor for the success of a
convention centre (Hazinski and Detlefsen, 2005; Weber and Ladkin, 2003). Thus far,
studies on convention centres have consistently focused on the technical systems of 121
convention facilities (Jalayerian, 1996; McMorrow, 1996). There has been a vacuum in
studies that links convention facilities with business performance, i.e. the strategic
management of facilities. Consequently, the purpose of the case study is three-fold. First, it
seeks to inform the state of facilities management practices within a convention centre in
Singapore. This paves the way for future comparative research on facilities management
practices within convention centres; especially those in Asia since this is the fastest
growing region for the convention and meetings industry. Second, since technology has
been a key focus in convention centre research, this case evaluates the sustainability of
technology as a competitive advantage. Finally, the case study aims to highlight how
facilities can enhance the strategic competitive position of the convention centre business
through a strategic management framework, i.e. Porter’s five-force model.
The case study begins with a literature review of the relationship between facilities
and business performance. Key concepts that underpin this case study such as
competitive advantage and the five-force model will be introduced here. Next, the case
will describe the creation, business philosophy and the facilities of Suntec Singapore
International Convention and Exhibition Centre. Following this, the case evaluates
whether technology can be a source of competitive advantage for Suntec Singapore and
illustrates the role of facilities in enhancing the competitive position of the convention
centre. Finally the case study closes with some concluding remarks.

Facilities and business performance

The last three decades have seen the rise of many performance-enhancing theories for
business organizations. Whereas these theories have been extensively researched and
applied in industries such as hotel, human resource management, marketing,
manufacturing, etc. only a handful of studies have been undertaken within the facilities
management industry to examine the link between facilities management and business
performance.
One notable study was carried out by Alexander (1992) who applied the total
quality management (TQM) concept and posited that quality managed facilities will
help an organization achieve key objectives. The TQM paradigm emphasizes the use of
external-based quality goals, the use of cross-functional teams, widespread employee
involvement in the quality improvement process, and the use of process design and
control techniques to ensure conformance (Oakland, 1989; Grant et al., 1994). Alexander
(1992) concluded his work with a quality plan for facilities management but noted that
it will take time for benefits of many of these quality initiatives to emerge, although
there may be short-term improvements. Tranfield and Akhlaghi (1995) related facilities
to business performance indicators through a strategic capabilities approach.
According to the authors, this approach focuses on the design of routines
(co-ordination through systems, procedures and structures) for long-term, continuing
performance improvement. The authors argued for the relevance of key integration
F indicators such as the degree of teamwork, standardization of inputs and cultural
24,3/4 reinforcements for improving facilities management performance.
A closely related concept to strategic capabilities is the idea of competitive
advantage. Just as strategic capabilities focuses on developing internal capabilities of
the firm, competitive advantage extends the concept by looking at internal capabilities
that will produce a sustainable positional advantage, i.e. superior customer value
122 and/or lowest delivered cost. There are two basic sources of competitive advantage:
superior skills and resources. Barney (1991) lists four essential requirements for a
resource/skill to be a source of sustainable competitive advantage:
(1) it must be valuable;
(2) it must be rare among a firm’s current and potential competitors;
(3) it must be imperfectly imitable; and
(4) there must not be any strategically equivalent substitutes for this resource/skill.

In line with this perspective, there have been many attempts to empirically derive
“generic” competitive strategies (Miller, 1986; Kim and Lim, 1988). Many of these
conceptualizations have been influenced by the work of Porter who first published a book
on Competitive Strategy (1980) followed by Competitive Advantage (1985). Porter asserted
that in order to derive a competitive strategy, the organization must first evaluate its
position within the industry against five factors: power over buyers, power over suppliers,
barriers to entry in the industry, the threat of substitute products, and the overall level of
rivalry within the industry. Figure 1 diagrammatically portrays Porters’ five-force model.
While there has been many performance-enhancing models developed over the
years, the five-force model has received strong support from within the property and
facilities industry as a strategic management framework in understanding the role of
facilities in business performance. O’Mara (1999) suggested that a thorough
understanding of a firm’s competitive strategy is required before determining the
best property and facility strategies. This understanding begins with a clear diagnosis
of the forces of competition within the industry. From here, it is clear that the five-force
model complements the other strategic management concepts such as TQM and
strategic capabilities in that it provides an assessment of the external environment in
order that a competitive strategy may be developed through the firm’s internal

Potential
Entrants

Supplier Buyers
Industry
Competitors

Substitute

Figure 1.
Porter’s five-force model
Source: Porter (1985)
capabilities. Similarly, Edwards and Ellison (2004) considered Porter’s model to be Strategic
sufficiently well developed and flexible to be capable of broad application across facilities
a range of different business types. This allows the property and facility implications
to be explored over a range of different strategies applied to different organisations. management
The cogency of the five-force model is thus well-positioned for this study.
The next section provides the background information to Suntec City by describing
its creation, business philosophy and facilities. This then serves as a backdrop against 123
which the role of facilities in enhancing the business performance of Suntec Singapore
International Convention and Exhibition Centre will be evaluated.

The creation of Suntec City

Located on 11.7-hectare of prime land adjacent to the Central Business District in
Singapore, Suntec City is the single largest integrated commercial development with
five office towers, a shopping mall, and an international convention and exhibition
centre (Suntec Singapore) with a total of 7 million square feet of space. Suntec City
Development Pte Ltd was formed by 11 Hong Kong tycoons in 1988 through a winning
bid of S$209 million for the land. By 1997, Suntec City was completed and today offers
direct access to 5,200 hotel rooms, 1,000 retail stores, 300 restaurants and the region’s
new centre for the performing arts, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.

The business philosophy

In the early days, Suntec City was called a bowling alley by the press because of the
lack of visitors. Many attribute this to poor location as Suntec City was not near
enough to prime office and shopping locations. In response, Suntec City defined a niche
for itself as Asia’s Vertical Silicon Valley by embracing technology and today has an
occupancy rate of more than 95 per cent for its office and retail properties.
According to its CEO, Mr Wong Ah Long, a critical success factor for Suntec City is
an open style of management that views criticisms as a source for improvements and
swiftly responding to them. At the same time, Suntec also adopts a business concept
termed facilities service provider (FSP). The FSP concept transforms the traditional
role of a landlord to that of a business partner with its tenants through strategic
partnership, business alliance and constructive connectivity. Under this broad FSP
concept, many IT initiatives have been implemented. These include:
.
broad band access via fibre optic cable to enable internet communication among
tenants;
.
incubators for start-up companies which comprise shared office space,
management and administrative services, and access to capital via a network
of investors and a virtual set-up for companies that do not need physical space;
.
a community web portal, with intranet capabilities, to enable tenants to shop,
sell, acquire goods and services, book restaurants and/or travel reservations; etc.
.
common telecommunications connection that enables tenants to communicate
with each other at no cost, thereby encouraging networking among tenants; and
.
an internet call center enables tenants to provide online customer support for
their web sites to build relationships with their customer and boost online sales.
F Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre (SSICEC)
24,3/4 One of the key facilities of Suntec City is its convention and exhibition centre – Suntec
Singapore. It has total gross area 100,000 m2 and is one of Asia-Pacific’s largest
purpose-built venues. The six-storey centre was built at a cost of S$620 million. Since
its opening, Suntec Singapore has won many awards with its standards of service,
security and facilities and has hosted 1,356 and 1,288 events for the years 2001 and
124 2002, respectively. Suntec Singapore’s vision is to be “The World’s Best Host” and it
prides itself in its ability in customizing facilities to cater to their customers’ needs.
They have the ability to organize a meeting of ten or a convention of 10,000 people.
The facilities available at Suntec Singapore include:
.
Car parking. Suntec City has the largest carpark in Singapore with 3,200 parking
lots spread over two basements. Music and landscaping is also present in the
carpark to provide the Suntec City user maximum comfort from the very
beginning to the end. In addition, there are trained traffic wardens in the car park
to direct cars to empty parking lots.
.
Convention hall. This is the largest column-free meeting area in Asia capable of
accommodating 12,000 delegates in its 12,000 m2 column free space.
. Exhibition hall. Its 12,000 m2 floor space can be subdivided into three smaller
areas if required.
.
Ballroom. The 2,150 m2 ballroom is a multi-purpose, sub-dividable space that is able
to accommodate 1,800 people theatre style featuring pre-function areas.
.
Meeting rooms. There are 31 meeting rooms, ranging from 76 to 253 m2, having
the capacity to fit in 10-400 people. All these rooms are equipped with
state-of-the-art technology to cater to clients’ needs. There is also a special VIP
meeting room for up to 26 delegates, in the Executive Suite, which has its own
lounge and bar area.
.
Theatre. The theatre spans over two levels and has a 596 seating capacity.
.
Concourse. A multi-purpose space on level 3 with 930 m2 of space, the concourse
can cater for up to 600 persons in banquet-style.
.
Lobby. Another multi-purpose space at the entrance to Suntec Singapore, the
lobby is mainly used for exhibitions and public displays.
.
Gallery. The gallery is 3,700 m2 of versatile space located that can cater for
1,000 delegates in a banquet-style setting or 3,000 delegates in a theatre-style setting.

To complement the above facilities, Suntec Singapore also provides services such as
food and beverage and it also has the largest banquet kitchen in Singapore, providing
on-site and off-site catering facilities for all events. The Digital Congress Network
system provides infra-red simultaneous interpretation for up to 14 languages. The
employment of this infra-red light instead of radio waves better ensures that sound
signals do not leak into adjoining halls. In addition, the portable seating system allows
flexible configuration and allows for easy set-up and retrieval. In addition, Suntec
Singapore has also formed an alliance with its neighbours. This creates a
self-contained and totally integrated destination. The alliance includes hotel partners
offering attractive rates for convention delegates, shopping malls in the vicinity, and
the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.
Challenges for Suntec Singapore international exhibition and convention Strategic
centre facilities
The convention and exhibition industry which includes meetings, incentives,
conventions and exhibitions (MICE) is worth about a billion dollars a year and management
provides 15,000 jobs in Singapore (International Enterprise Singapore Press Release,
2001). While Singapore has performed well as a MICE destination, the industry is
getting increasingly competitive. Table I shows that there are several countries which 125
have shown a growth greater than 50 per cent in the last ten years since 1993. Table II
shows the top ten international meeting cities in 2004.
Further, Malaysia’s Putra World Trade Centre has been playing a more active role
to promote the country as a convention and exhibition destination since it came under a
new management in 1993. The authorities are also working on improving the air access
of destinations like Penang, Sabah and Sarawak from their key overseas markets.
Equipped with strong economic performance, good infrastructure, affordable hotel
rates, support from the federal government, state governments and airlines, the future
of Malaysia’s convention industry remains bright. Thailand’s newly completed
International Trade and Exhibition Centre is also a worthy competitor to note as the
country enjoyed a 69 per cent growth in its convention industry from 1993 to 2002.

Country Percentage of growth (1993-2002)

Iceland 173
Australia 144
Fiji 140
South Africa 125
Peru 113
New Zealand 86
Slovenia 83
South Korea 81
Thailand 69
Cuba 56 Table I.
Turkey 54 Countries registering
rapid convention centre
Source: www.uia.org industry growth

Ranking Country

1 Paris
2 Vienna
3 Brussels
4 Geneva
5 Singapore
6 Copenhagen
7 Barcelona
8 London
9 Berlin
10 Seoul Table II.
Top ten international
Source: www.uia.org meeting cities in 2004
F On the local front, The Singapore Expo, located five minutes’ drive from the airport
24,3/4 and served by the Expo MRT Station is one of the most recent and largest exhibition
centres in the region. Since first opening its doors on 4 March 1999, Singapore Expo
has hosted more than 218 theme shows and received over 5.7 million visitors. It has
60,000 m2 (645,000 square feet) of indoor, column-free exhibition space, another
25,000 m2 (270,000 square feet) of outdoor exhibition space and 19 conference halls and
126 meeting rooms. Furthermore, the centre is technologically advanced and equipped with
the latest state-of-the-art presentation, interpretation, sound and lighting systems, and
connectivity. Designed by world-renowned and award-winning architect,
Cox Richardson Rayner, the 25 hectare Singapore Expo was built at a cost of over
$220 million.

Is technology the source of Suntec City’s competitive advantage?

According to Day and Wensley (1988), competitive advantage can be defined as
superior skills or resources that a business deploys to set up barriers that make
imitation difficult. The provision of superior customer value or the achievement of
lower relative costs result in better performance such as increased market share and/or
profitability. The concept of competitive advantage is central to business strategising
because the very purpose of strategy is about seeking new edges in a market while
slowing the erosion of present advantages. In general, there are two broad sources of
competitive advantage:
(1) superior skills; and
(2) superior resources.

However, superior skills and resources are not automatically converted into positional
advantages nor is there a certain performance payoff from superior cost or
differentiated position. Both conversions are mediated jointly by strategic choices
including objectives and entry timing and the quality of tactics and implementation.
Superior skills arise from the ability to perform individual functions more
effectively than other firms. For example, superior engineering or technical skills may
lead to greater precision or reliability in the finished product. Other skills may be those
that are derived from the systems and organisation structure that enables a firm to
adapt more responsively and faster to changes in market requirements. As a FSP and
landlord, Suntec City’s finished product in this case is space that meets the need of its
users. To understand the needs of users requires first and foremost, reliable
intelligence generation, effective intelligence dissemination and swift responsiveness.
This equates to the business concept of being market oriented. In Suntec’s case, an
open style of management and regular dialogues with its tenants and other users
serves to collect the important information about user needs. A flat organisation
structure ensures that the information gathered is disseminated effectively down the
supply chain. The FSP concept provides the cornerstone for Suntec to become a market
oriented business organisation. The initiatives under the FSP programme are designed
to help tenants run their businesses more efficiently and effectively. For example,
Suntec looks into the needs of smaller start-up companies by providing incubators and
related administrative services and thus lowering the capital cost of these businesses –
one of their primary concerns. By doing so, tenants are satisfied and this translates into
high occupancy rates.
 Superior resources are more tangible requirements for advantage that enable a firm Strategic
to exercise its capabilities. They may reside in the scale of the manufacturing facility, facilities
the location, the breadth of sales force and distribution coverage, the availability of
automated assembly lines, or the family brand name. When Suntec first opened its management
doors, its location was considered its Achilles’ heel. Several factors were important in
turning its location into a superior resource. First, it is the use of technology to
condense time and space. For example, the broadband access allows efficient internet 127
communication among tenants. Today, the connectivity provided by information
technology has become a source of differentiation for Suntec whose mission is to be
Asia’s Silicon Valley. Second, Suntec “created” its own locational advantage by
forming an alliance with its neighbours. There is synergy in the alliance as the
neighbouring uses (e.g. hotel, entertainment) complement Suntec City. In addition,
there is also the benefit of agglomeration economies by forming an alliance with the
neighbouring competing uses. Together, it creates a self-contained and totally
integrated destination.
Central to the concept of competitive advantage is the setting up of barriers that
make imitation difficult. To this end, if we look at Suntec’s differentiated position
through the use of technology, it is a barrier that is relatively easy to imitate if the
financial means are available to its competitors. This is likely so since the other
players in the market are also big players with strong financial backing such as
Singapore Expo and Malaysia’s Putra World Trade Centre. The positional
advantage of Suntec in providing superior customer value, instead, lies in Suntec’s
holistic approach to business management. First, the strong management support
given by Suntec’s top management to create a vibrant and modern development
that is in tune with Singapore’s progress as a nation is a key driver for its Suntec’s
positional advantage. Second, it is the strategic choices made by Suntec’s
management in adopting a market oriented approach through the FSP programme
and maintaining a good long-term relationship with its stakeholders through
alliances. And finally, Suntec’s commitment in meeting the needs of its users
through the implementation of the FSP initiative is the closing link to Suntec’s
competitive advantage.
In summary, while financial limitations can raise the barrier for imitation of
hardware such as technology and thus provide some degree of competitive advantage,
it is the whole package of software such as management support and commitment,
business management talent and skills that are more difficult to replicate and thus
provide a more sustainable competitive advantage.

Facilities and Suntec Singapore’s competitive position

The five-force model developed by Porter determines industry profitability through the
understanding of a subject company’s competitive position in relation to five forces,
namely, suppliers potential new entrants, competitors, buyers and threat of substitute
products or services. The model allows the illustration of how forces within an
industry can either function to help firms sustain high profits, or how the same forces
can provide imposing barriers to profitability.
The following discussion examines the impact of each force on Suntec Singapore’s
competitive position and how facilities and its related services can enhance its
competitive position.
F Potential entrants
24,3/4 The seriousness of the threat of entry depends on the barriers present. Essentially the
sources of barrier include cost advantages, product differentiation and capital
requirements. In the convention centre business, the most effective barrier lies in
product differentiation. And in the case of facilities, the location of Suntec Singapore
can be utilised to market it as the gateway to Asia. Singapore has the advantage of
128 being in a geographically strategic position. In addition, the security, the effective
transportation network, state-of-the-art facilities and proximity to neighbouring
Malaysia and Thailand for extended holiday is a whole locational advantage that
diminishes the threat of potential entry. In a study by Dube and Renaghan (1999) on
the lodging industry’s best practices, the authors noted that a hotel’s location is a
structural quality that is tremendous source of sustainable competitive advantage.
Convenient location remains the primary hotel attribute driving purchase decision.

Suppliers
Suppliers can exert bargaining power on participants in an industry by raising prices
and reducing the quality of purchased goods and services. Powerful suppliers can
thereby squeeze profitability out of an industry unable to recover cost increases in its
own prices. A supplier is powerful if it is dominated by a few companies, the product is
unique and if the industry is not an important customer of the supplier group.
Suntec Singapore depends to a large extent on outsourced service providers to meet
the needs of their clients. To ensure a ready supply of services, Suntec Singapore
recruits worldwide for these services and talents. In addition, because Suntec
Singapore is a big client and offers a big contract, there are many willing suppliers to
offer services such as broadband access, maintenance, etc. Further, suppliers of
services such as cleaning and building maintenance belong to highly competitive
industries and as such they have a weaker bargaining position against Suntec
Singapore.

Competitors
The competitive position of a firm is weakened if competitors are numerous or are
roughly equal in size and power. The competition Suntec Singapore faces can be
analyzed at two levels. The first level relates to the appeal of the country destination as
a whole, while the second level is concentrated on the convention centres within
Singapore.
At the international level, the competitors are many and are competitive in terms of
size and power. However, from Table II, it appears that Singapore is doing well coming
in 5th as the top ten international meeting cities. It is also worthy to note that
Singapore is the only Asian city to make it into the top ten. However, Australia,
South Korea and Thailand are increasingly popular given the results of growth rates
in Table I.
On the local front, Suntec Singapore is still a preferred venue due to its easy
accessibility to various other entertainment outlets and hotels. The positive image that
is associated with the Suntec brand name also proved the success of its marketing and
branding initiatives through the years. To remain ahead of competition, Suntec
Singapore has to ensure that its physical facilities are consistent with its branding as
Asia’s Vertical Silicon Valley, i.e. it is state-of-the-art and that meets the needs of the
MICE industry. Dube and Renaghan (1999) observed that for the top hotels, the Strategic
physical product is closely tied to fulfilling either functional or aesthetic brand facilities
promises.
Although the neighbouring hotels can also be considered to be Suntec Singapore’s management
competitors for local banquet events, their co-location within the Marina area generate
agglomeration economies by creating a total experience for its visitors. In addition, the
scale of the Suntec City Development including its office and retail blocks sends a 129
strong signal to Suntec Singapore’s competitors on its financial and management
capabilities to retaliate when its market position is threatened.

Buyers
A buyer group is powerful if it purchases in large volumes and if the products it
purchases are standard or undifferentiated. The buyers of Suntec Singapore can be
classified into several groups: foreign exhibitors, local exhibitors and local banquet
events. The foreign exhibitors are an important clientele group. Cancellations during
the SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) outbreak in Singapore during 2003
meant losing about 1,000 foreign exhibitors and this translates into a loss of about
$2 million. Similarly, smaller local event organisers are powerful in the way that they
are price sensitive since they work on high overheads. The best buyer group appears to
be the local banquet events, especially the wedding banquets where price is less
sensitive if the buyer perceives value in the product offered.
The swift response by Suntec to introduce thermal imagers and SARS information
kit is a positive step to allay fears and enhance its attractiveness to buyers. Its large
quantity of space and versatility in configuration is an added advantage for large
exhibitions and convention. Studies by Canen and Williamson (1998) and Kerns (1999)
have shown that facility layout is an important factor towards competitiveness of
a business. Further, marketing Suntec together with its neighbours as a total
self-contained and integrated destination with retail, hotels and entertainment outlets
will enhance its value to foreign buyers. The Fountain of Wealth, as the largest
fountain in the world further enhances Suntec’s attraction to its foreign buyers. For the
local banquets, more can be done to create awareness of the availability of smaller
spaces for say weddings. In addition, Suntec Singapore’s image is very much
“corporate”, possibly due to the publicity of big corporate events coupled with the
spaciousness of the place that may be too “cold” and impersonal for events like
weddings. Hence, more “warmth” can be injected into the ballrooms by way of décor,
lighting and design.

Substitutes
Substitute products are those which perform a similar function or convey a similar
benefit as your product but are different in a fundamental way. For example, cars were
a substitute for horses. Substitutes can entirely change the rules of competition in an
industry. For Suntec Singapore, the advancement in telecommunication technology
has posed some form of threat. This became apparent during the SARS period in 2003.
Video-conferencing became a feasible alternative for some conference organisers.
While it is unlikely that video-conferencing will eradicate face-to-face conferences
completely, it nevertheless may be an option for some organisers. In response, since
Suntec’s mission is to be Asia’s Vertical Silicon Valley, the vertical integration of
F video-conferencing and other conference related facilities and services (e.g. the setting
24,3/4 up of Suntec Integrated Media) augurs well with Suntec’s vision. At the same time, a
review may be needed to consider the impact of video-conferencing on the space
demand of Suntec Singapore.

Conclusion
130 This case study has sought to examine the competitive advantage of Suntec City and
how facilities and its related services can enhance Suntec Singapore’s competitive
position. Through the five-force framework, it is clear that the competitive position of
Suntec Singapore can be enhanced through its facilities and services such as the
integrated location, facilities that enhance Suntec’s corporate image of a partner in
business rather than a landlord, etc. Although Suntec City positions itself as “Asia’s
Vertical Silicon Valley”, its performance is sustained to a greater extent by the
“software” rather than the actual hardware although the hardware provides an
important visible impact. To this end, having a market-oriented culture that places
importance on collecting and disseminating market intelligence as well as responding
to market needs ensures a more sustainable competitive position.

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Further reading
Suntec City Development Pte Ltd (1998), Suntec City, Times Edition Pte Ltd, Singapore.

Corresponding author
Linda Tay can be contacted at: lindat@unsw.edu.au

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