As most their business counterparts Chinese men prefer a conservative wardrobe with the appropriate colors. Women should stick to very conservative clothes as Chinese frown upon women who ‘’show too much’’. Jeans are allowed for both genders, but not for official business meeting. Avoid large hand gestures and if you must point to something use the palm of your hand. In general Chinese are not very keen on personal contact. Gifts are accepted, but you must be very careful what you present your partner with. One of the big no no’s is to gift a watch as it is connected with death and therefore should be avoided. Giving gifts to government officials is illegal and is viewed as attempted bribery. Chinese are very punctual so you should always arrive early for a business meeting. While it is very common in other countries do not discuss business affairs during a meal. Remember that Chinese prefer large quantity of small portions during a meal. Do not completely finish your meal or it may be translated that you did not receive enough food and are still hungry.

The general greeting is bowing, but there is a chance that you be offered a handshake. Always wait for your counterpart to offer it. Use formal introductions. Have several copies of all written documents. Chinese value rank and status very highly. The Chinese party will always be the first to leave the meeting. Although some Chinese speak English it would be wiser to use a translator as most Chinese people still do not understand English.

Granted it can be quite hard to successfully conduct business with the Chinese, but the reward can be very satisfying. Respect is a key part in every business deal.

I admit I had the same stereotype thinking when it came to Australians, but then I actually visited Australia and my preconceptions changed. The average Australian business person looks quite similar to their European and American counterparts. Men prefer conservative dark business suits, while women may wear a dress or a skirt and a blouse. Admitted Australians are somewhat more laid back and informal clothing is deemed appropriate at more informal business meetings. Despite their seemingly laid back attitude Australians value punctuality. Maintaining eye contact during business meetings is crucial. Gift giving is not appropriate in Australian business traditions as it may be confused with corruption. On the other hand if you have been invited to somebody’s home a small gift would be viewed as a token of appreciation.

As we all know Australia is an English speaking country so most business communication is done in English, but you must remember that Australia is a multi national country and a lot of people are of Asian origins. A handshake is the most commonly used method of greeting. Similar to Japan the exchange of business cards is quite widespread. In general Australians are very friendly and open people.

I do not know why, but sometimes we view Australians as simpletons and unimportant. We tend to forget that they have their own continent with a lot of natural resources and a huge industrial potential. The Australians in some ways have actually surpassed us, as they managed to out play the global economic crisis. Australia is currently one of the few countries where the impact of the crisis has been minimal. It means that they are quite efficient in business sphere and should be viewed as a major player in the global market. Use their strengths to your own advantage and maybe even become more like them.

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world and it covers a large part of South America. With a population of about 190 million people it is one of biggest nations in the world. The genetic background of the population is very diverse. Historically for a long time Brazil has been a target country for European emigrants and during the times of slavery a large number of black slaves were sold in Brazil. Today they are the ancestors of Brazilian nation. The climate and wildlife of Brazil is very variable. A part of Brazil is also the Amazon area which in general is called the ‘’lungs of earth’’. So Brazil is a vital part of the world.

Brazil has the largest national economy of the whole Latin America region. It has large and developed sectors in agriculture, industry and service. As it covers a large part of the continent Brazil has vast amount of natural resources which the successfully export. Currently Brazil undergoes a heavy investment phase meaning that its economy is viewed as developing and with a great potential. Of course Brazil also has experienced economic problems and in 2002 received a large monetary rescue package from International Monetary Fund. The loan was repaid in 2005. Due to the population levels Brazil also has a large labor force. The general prognosis for Brazil promises it a bright future.

Of course not all is that good and shiny. Despite the developing economy the poverty level is still quite high. Poverty on the other hand generates high crime levels and currently Brazil is not considered the safest place on Earth. Lot of robberies and kidnappings occur in Brazil and in most cases foreign visitors are the target audience. This fact can and probably is hurting the tourism sector of Brazil. But I imagine that as the economy grows so will the poverty levels decrease and with them also the crime levels.

Don’t be afraid of Brazil. Visit it, trade with it or invest in it. It can be the best thing for you to do. It is just another opportunity the life provides to you. What you do with that is solely your choice.

First of all the business appearance of is more formal than in the rest of Europe and Spaniards prefer dark formal business suits, bright colors should be better avoided. Casual wardrobe during business meetings is not appropriate.

The Spaniards have nothing against English language and in general speak English, but it would be wise and good gesture to have a copy of all business papers in Spanish. One must remember that Spanish is a very widely used language.

Although their wardrobe might suggest that Spaniards are very punctual businessmen, it is actually the other way round. As a foreigner you should arrive on time, but do not expect your Spanish counterpart be there exactly on time. The same principle applies to deadlines; if the deadlines can be met that’s nice, but if they are missed Spaniards are not over concerned. Friendship is an important base for business in Spain. So you must be careful when dealing with the Spaniards not to offend them and ruin a beneficial friendship. Business meetings often take place in restaurants, but you must remember that in Spain most restaurants open only after 9 p.m. So prepare for a long night. Business meeting can be very vocal meaning more than one people speaking at the same time. Remember that the main religion of the Spanish is Catholicism so be very careful not to offend them by critiquing it. Close friend will often hug each other. Family is the most important thing in life for Spaniards so if you are not a close friend of the family do not bother them on holidays or at home.

The Spanish may appear very serious, but appearances can be very tricky because if you look closer the Spanish businessman is more relaxed and easy to conduct business with than their counterparts from rest of Europe. If you become friend with them you are almost sure to succeed in business in Spain.

Singapore is a popular tourism target for many reasons, but in my opinion the main reason is the language as English is one of the official languages. The general population of Singapore consists of various nationalities like; Chinese, Malays, Indians and many others. So you are able to experience the Asian flair in an environment where you can easily understand what people are saying and more important they understand what you want. You can taste the various Asian cuisines in the local Hawker centers and get a glimpse of Asian lifestyle. One of the things I regret in my life is that I was too young when I visited Singapore on my way to Australia. I was not able to experience the possibilities Singapore has to offer.

If you are fond of Asia visit Singapore, but remember that this is only an introduction of Asia. To experience every part of Asia you must travel to countries where English is not the official language and where the culture might shock you, but that is up to you because Singapore might turn out all that you need.

Probably not at the moment, but, in my opinion, there are some countries whose potential is somewhat bigger than that of USA. One of such countries is India. Same as USA it has a large territory and thus vast amounts of valuable natural resources which fuel the industrial base. The industry level of India will be able to successfully compete with the one of USA and India has a significant advantage over USA – far greater and cheaper labor force. Though one might argue that India will never achieve the quality level of USA, but in my opinion it is quite a safe bet that in time quantity will lead to quality. Currently USA might have the highest overall technological advance level in the world, but again the key word is currently. Let just look at the IT sphere in India. India has the necessary know-how to successfully compete in the world market and as education is highly valued in India, the overall knowledge level will steadily rise. If there is a thing in which India will not surpass USA then it is the level of life quality. Lets be real a country with such a population will never be able to achieve total equality, but I would be very glad if they proved me wrong. But just because of this fact the labour costs are low and India can compete in the world market.

Does India need Hollywood? Why should they if they have their own Bollywood. Sure they do not have a John Wayne or an Audrey Hepburn, but they have their own superstars such as – Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Saif Ali Khan and many more. Bollywood movies have achieved a certain level of popularity in the UK and Germany and not to mention whole of Asia and their popularity is still rising. Hollywood may loose its monopoly in world entertainment in due time.

Do not get me wrong I have nothing against USA. We just have to realize that there are some somewhat overlooked countries out there.

The average English business person prefers conservative clothes, usually dark suits. Men prefer shirts without pocket, women on the other hand are not so restricted to the color code, but still prefer conservative wardrobe. English businessmen are very punctual. A handshake is a standard greeting. Though in many other business traditions small gifts are considered to be appropriate, this is not the case in English business traditions. Brits prefer to keep work and private life separate. Though considered to be very conservative, business meetings can take place also in a public establishment. It is obvious that the official language is English, but one must remember that Queen’s English an American English are somewhat different and can take time to get used to it. As UK is a monarchy and in general British are very proud about that, so one should treat the whole topic with respect. One more very important thing – UK consists of various nationalities so, for example, if you address a Scot as English, he might be offended.

Although there is no more an East India Company dominating the global international trade, English business traditions have strong roots in the fundaments of international trade. English businessmen are still influential in the global market and have a respectable reputation.

Indonesia is an island based country and consists of 17508 island, but only about 6000 of them are inhabited. Statistically Indonesia is the 16th largest country in the world with a population of more than 200 million. The main religion is Islamic and you should keep that in mind when conducting business in Indonesia. Indonesia is a democratic country which in general is a good idea, but at the same time it is a good soil for corruption and the level of corruption in Indonesia is one of the highest in south-east Asia.

Indonesia has vast amounts of natural resources including crude oil, natural gas, tin copper and gold. In fact Indonesia is the largest tin market in the world. So there are a lot of opportunities to conduct business and earn some money.

The 1997 financial crisis in Asia hit Indonesia the hardest. The economic development slowed down and even decreased, at one point inflation grew to 77%, but Indonesia managed to recover and now its GDP is steadily growing. And although it might sound weir Indonesia should feel quite happy about the 1997 crisis, because due to that the current global crisis has had a minimal effect on Indonesia.

Indonesia’s main trade partners are Japan, USA and China ant the main exports are of course the natural resources and various. They mostly import equipment, chemicals and food. So there are quite a few opportunities for trade and profit.

The costs of labour force are very low as in most of Asian countries and this is due to the poverty level of Indonesia. From the humanitarian viewpoint this is of course very bad, but on the other side manufacturers are able to produce their goods at low costs and so the price of the goods is affordable even for the poorer part of the global population.

Russia is the largest country in the world as it covers two continents – Europe and Asia. Its has a very colourful historical background by being founded by Vikings, ruled by various tsars, the wrath of both World Wars and almost hundred year rule of communists. Today Russia is a democratic, yet very controversial country with a population of more than 140 million which is actually not that much considering the territory of Russia. Due to the large territory Russia has the biggest reserve of natural resources in the world including oil, natural gas, minerals and chemicals. Most of the Russian population live in the European part of Russia. Moscow is the capital of Russia with more than 10 million people calling it their home; it is also the largest city in Europe and 7th largest in the world. On the other the population in Siberia is very sparse with most population concentrated in the biggest cities such as Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Omsk. But Siberia is also the place with all the valuable resources and although the average wage in Russia is quite low, people who are willing to work in the harsh conditions receive a good salary.

The main problems in Russia are corruption and criminal situation. Conducting successful business without the right connections might be quite difficult. Corruption is very wide spread even up to the highest chain of government. But in a way it can be understandable and it is symptomatic fore all Post – Soviet nations. After the fall of the Soviet Union people were suddenly exposed to almost unlimited opportunities and they use every possible tool to succeed in this new world order.

Nevertheless Russia is a wonderful country with a lot to see and experience. Some of the world’s greatest artists are from Russia, they have wonderful music and their cosine is something special. And let’s not forget the Vodka which is a crucial part of the Russian soul.

Whatever you might think of Russia remember one thing, in a way it is yet a very young country – a teenager among other democratic countries. Let’s give Russia the time to mature.