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Preparing for business abroad.

Article Excerpt
[check] This checklist aims to stimulate thoughts about some of the implications of doing business abroad--of doing business with people of other nationalities, races and cultures. Success in doing business abroad often depends on 'getting the little things right'--recognising and anticipating cultural differences. The purpose of this checklist is to help you do that by pointing out some general guidelines and some specific examples. It is not a manual on foreign trade.

Definition

For the purposes of this checklist 'doing business abroad' involves either transacting business with people from other countries or transacting business in a country outside Britain. In doing business abroad you will be confronted with people of nationalities, races and cultures other than your own, and probably with customs, practices and legal systems which differ from yours.

Advantages of preparing for business abroad It:

* increases your self-confidence in a situation which might be stressful

* enables you to appear informed and international in your outlook

* reduces the chances of your being taken by surprise by suddenly discovering that 'they' do things differently

* reduces the chances of you and your colleagues on the one hand, and of your potential business partners on the other, being embarrassed

* reduces the possibility of misunderstanding and increases the possibility of mutual understanding.

Action checklist

1. Identify sources of information

Write to, ring or even visit the Embassy in Britain of the country you are visiting. Most have some literature about their countries which will provide useful background. In the case of some smaller countries, particularly those less economically developed, don't count on printed information being completely up-to-date.

Don't expect all embassy buildings to be like those of the United States or other major powers in the world. Some embassies consist of no...

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