ABSTRACT
Singapore celebrated its forty-first anniversary of full independence in August 2006. In a relatively short period of time of national development, Singapore has progressed from the Third to the First World. As Professor Jayakumar vividly pointed out, Singapore’s success can be summed up in its upholding of certain core principles, namely meritocracy, racial and religious harmony, multi-culturalism, integrity and incorruptibility, as well as the pursuit of excellence (Straits Times, 13 February 2006). Indeed, one of the many reasons why the country has achieved its current economic status is the effective investment and utilisation of its human assets and HR (Akdere, 2005). In this respect, the Singapore government has been an indispensable force in spearheading HRM and HRD within a well-established tripartite framework of government, employers and unions (Wan, 1999).
