guidemespore , 47

Opened in March 2004, The Arts House is Singapore's newest arts and heritage venue where all are inspired by the arts and where the arts become a fundamental in life through a connection with artists and their works. Built in 1827, Singapore's first Court House and former Parliament House, is the only gazette government building designated as a multidisciplinary arts centre. At The Arts House, audiences connect with artists and arts organizations through a broad spectrum of engaging, contemporary arts and entertainment events. The Arts House is managed by Old Parliament House Limited, a not-for-profit full-service arts management company limited by guarantee. The Arts House seeks to engage and connect audiences with artists and their audiences and to remove any barrier.

Their vision is to be a multi-disciplinary arts centre that is all-encompassing and that is always relevant to the needs of the communities of Singapore. Their mission is to develop and promote Singapore artists and works by, from and about Singapore, to enable the people of/who live in Singapore from all levels of society to enjoy and access art and make art accessible to all and to serve as a platform for those in search of an appropriate and suitable space to practice their art.

The Arts House fills a niche where the arts, lifestyle and heritage could fuse together in a comfortable and inspiring setting. At The Arts House, audiences access the arts easily through programmes of broad appeal, and through interacting freely with artists and their works. Artists will find The Arts House a place for connecting with their audiences and with one another even as they avail themselves to amenities that re-charge them. At the same time, the space is highly conducive for the development of young talent.

The regular programs at the art house are a diverse mix of contemporary visual and performing arts, encompassing music, theatre and dance, visual art and fashion design. Thus Arts House at The Old Parliament is Singapore’s newest multidisciplinary arts and lifestyle space transformed from its oldest surviving government building.
 
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For more information about Doing Business in Singapore, please visit our Singapore incorporation website.

All companies registered in Singapore are governed by the Singapore Companies Act. Any overseas entrepreneur who is thinking of Singapore company incorporation is advised to thoroughly go through the Singapore Companies Act if they wish to effectively manage their businesses in the country while maintaining all ongoing compliance requirements. While the Singapore Companies Act is quite significant and covers an enormous number of areas, some of the main highlights are as follows:-

1) All Public or Private limited companies formed in Singapore are governed by this act. While there are other types of businesses in Singapore as well such as proprietary businesses and partnership business, such type of companies do not fall under the Singapore Companies Act.

2) Private limited companies in Singapore are allowed to be registered by both local residents as well as foreign nationals. The three types of companies available are Private Limited Liability Company, Public Limited Liability Company and Public Company Limited by Guarantee.

3) The Singapore Companies Act regulates how a company can be formed in Singapore as well as how a company can be terminated. Various aspects of company setup and operations are governed by the Singapore Companies Act such as the structure of the company, the relation between each party in a company, how a company needs to deal with outside entities etc.

4) All ongoing compliance requirements are also regulated by the Singapore Companies Act. All managing directors of a company, whether local residents or foreign nationals must be well aware of the ongoing compliance requirements as stated by the Singapore Companies Act. Not adhering to the compliance requirements can lead to heavy fines and even imprisonment for the company managers.

5) As per the amendments made to the Singapore Companies Act in 2005, the concepts of par value and authorized capital were abolished. All incorporated companies in Singapore need to have only paid up capital. The minimum amount of paid up capital for a newly formed company is only S$1. However, for those companies where the overseas owner needs to relocate to Singapore under an Entrepreneur Pass, needs to invest at least S$50,000 as paid up capital.

In the past, many foreign companies who were interested in entering the Asian markets and were looking for the ideal location to base their regional headquarters would choose cities like Hong Kong. Even though today Hong Kong remains one of the most attractive destinations in Asia for foreign companies, Singapore has slowly emerged as a top contender for regional headquarters in Asia. As a matter of fact, an increasing number of foreign companies who go for Singapore company incorporation have started to convert their Singapore based companies into their headquarters for the Asian operations.

There are many reasons behind the growth of foreign companies trying to cater to the entire Asian market from Singapore itself. One of the most important though is the stability ensured in Singapore which is not guaranteed in most other places in Asia. In Singapore, both the political system as well as the society in general remains extremely stable. There are no sudden surprises which could hinder the operations of the entire company. All multinational companies prefer stable locations where the only aspect to worry about is internal business planning and not continually planning for political or social contingencies beyond their control.

Of course when we speak of stability, Singapore ensures that its laws and policies towards business houses remain fairly stable. Each policy is carefully thought out and implemented without any ambiguity. The clear guidelines provided by the administration in Singapore provide a lot of confidence to companies to create their own business plans without worrying about sudden policy change. They also do not have to worry about not being able to fully understand a law or policy as everything is well defined and streamlined.

Apart from stability in all aspects of life in Singapore, the country is obviously one of the most developed nations in not just Asia but in the world. Singapore has one of the best business environments for any country and businesses are always provided with the best infrastructure possible. Of course Singapore’s strategic location at the heart of the Asia-Pacific region also goes in its favor for attracting foreign companies looking to establish their regional headquarters in the Asian continent.

Singapore today is a melting pot for people from all over the world. The country has one of the most unique multicultural societies in Asia and is proud to be known as the true representation of the great cultures prevalent in Asia. In fact it is not just from multicultural point of view that Singapore represents Asia. When it comes to Business, Singapore genuinely does represent Asia and its great potential.

Thousands of business houses, entrepreneurs as well as investors from all over Asia head to Singapore each year to complete their Singapore company incorporation. Most Asian businesses believe that to expand and do well in the continent, you have to have a presence in Singapore. As a matter of fact, some entrepreneurs choose to relocate permanently to Singapore to start their new ventures. This is because they feel Singapore offers them a much better opportunity for business success than their own home country. Of course Singapore having one of the best business environment as well as business infrastructures in Asia, it automatically becomes a preferred destination for entrepreneurs from around Asia.

Given that so many entrepreneurs, investors and professionals have relocated to Singapore, Singapore society today represents people from all over Asia. You can literally find people from every country or culture in Singapore. Of course Singapore already had a robust and thriving multicultural society but of late with the number of entrepreneurs entering the country each year, Singapore’s society is going through a massive change and is becoming a mini-Asia all by itself. Mind you Singapore’s economy is so strong right now that you could call it a mini-Asia even from economic terms.

Today if anyone wants to experience all of Asia from one location, all they have to do is visit Singapore. From cuisines from all over the continent, to business houses, people, cultures etc. You will find it all in Singapore itself. Of course the good thing about Singapore is that you get to experience the best of Asia as the country gives a lot of emphasis to those who will enter the country and directly contribute to its unique society, economy and build a better future for its residents. Singapore has always managed to attract the best from the rest of the continent and it has enabled the country to not just thrive economically but also maintain a society which lives in perfect peace and harmony.

For a well developed nation like Singapore which is still growing at a rapid pace, carbon emissions and other effects on environment due to development and infrastructure building could have been a major cause for concern. However, being a country which immaculately plans each and every aspect of its growth, Singapore is also equally environmentally conscious and ensures that its development has minimum negative effects on the fragile global environment.

Since Singapore attracts thousands of companies to its shore each year, many relocate to the country after completing Singapore company setup. This not just includes entrepreneurs or company directors but also professionals and other skilled workers. However, whoever relocates to Singapore is also required to be environmentally conscious and has to ensure that their projects meet the guidelines set by the concerned authorities in Singapore.

In fact Singapore ensures that all infrastructure projects, building for commercial as well as residential purposes etc are approved by the concerned authorities who look after environment norms in the country. Without their approval, projects cannot go through and care must be taken that all projects in Singapore are well within the guidelines set by the concerned statutory bodies.

Apart from this, Singapore residents themselves are known to be much more aware of the environmental concerns and how their actions affect the overall environment. Residents as well as Government of Singapore have participated in many activities which results in lower carbon footprints by each individual living in Singapore. Environment planning covers every aspect of Singapore including Government organizations, industries, real estate projects, individuals and residents of the country etc. Singapore has also taken the lead and has developed many initiatives which would help the environment in not just Singapore but in the surrounding region as well. Singapore today is one of the countries that is fully aware of its responsibilities towards the environment and also believes in a better future for its younger population. Government of Singapore strives hard to ensure that the development work done today benefits all future Singapore population in a positive manner including leaving behind an environment which is healthy and conducive for living.