44 Int. J. Business Competition and Growth, Vol. 4, Nos. 1/2, 2015
Copyright © 2015 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
Singapore as an accountancy hub –
a Porter’s Diamond perspective
Boon Seng Tan*
Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants,
60 Cecil Street, ISCA House, 049709, Singapore
Fax: (65) 6749-8061
Email: boonseng.tan@gmail.com
*Corresponding author
Yew Kee Ho
Department of Accounting,
NUS Business School,
National University of Singapore,
1 Business Link, 117592, Singapore
Fax: (65) 6779-2083
Email: bizhoyk@nus.edu.sg
Abstract: Using the framework of the Porter’s Diamond, we examine the
Committee to Develop the Accountancy Sector (CDAS) report, which outlines
the vision for Singapore to be a leading accountancy hub. The application of
the Porter’s framework provides clarity on the connectivity of the strategic
thrusts for strategy formulations and implementations. There are two strategic
thrusts which address the levers for strategy formulation and one strategic
thrust which addresses the levers for strategy implementation. The analysis
shows that Singapore is strong in almost all four attributes of the Porter’s
Diamond. The CDAS report is an important policy blueprint to enhance these
attributes via suitable strategic levers. It is an open question if the targeted GDP
share outlined in the report will be achieved, but the framework shows that
Singapore has strong fundamentals in becoming the accountancy hub in the
region over the long run. This paper contributes to the literature on economic
growth and competitiveness by examining a case where industrial policy can be
guided by a framework of competitiveness.
Keywords: accountancy hub; Porter’s Diamond; Committee to Develop the
Accountancy Sector; CDAS; sector competitiveness; industrial policy;
Singapore.
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Tan, B.S. and Ho, Y.K.
(2015) ‘Singapore as an accountancy hub – a Porter’s Diamond perspective’,
Int. J. Business Competition and Growth, Vol. 4, Nos. 1/2, pp.44–56.
Biographical notes: Boon Seng Tan is an Assistant Director at the Institute of
Singapore Chartered Accountants. His research applies microeconomic theory
to investigate managerial and policy problems, and have been published in
international journals in the areas of public policy, business and accounting. He
has held research and academic positions in universities in Hong Kong,
Singapore and the USA. He has also served in marketing and strategic planning
roles in healthcare companies.