International Trade Blog

China is a major player in the global market and although it has not yet reached the development level of Western Europe countries and USA it still plays an important role in global market. Trading with Chinese can be a very profitable undertaking, but to succeed you must n\know at least a bit about their business traditions.

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.

It is very important to know the correct business etiquette of your business counterpart. The Spaniards have quite a strong influence in world trade and the Spanish language is the second most used language in the world. So it would be considered quite wise to know a little bit of Spanish business etiquette.

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.

USA is one of the largest and currently viewed as the most powerful country in the world. Although hit hard by the global economic crisis it is still very present in the global market. More often than not the counterpart in your business endeavors might be an American so it would be wise to know at least the basic principles of American business etiquette.
Although the population of USA consists of mix of people from various races and heritage and they have no real nationality, we can use the term ‘’Americans’’ Actually everybody already uses it and there are no misunderstandings so lets stick to this. More often than not when we think of an American businessman we imagine a cocky man with an leather jacket, cowboy hat and boots. Well this might apply to a businessman from Texas, but in general an average American businessman looks and acts like his European counterpart.
Americans also prefer dark business suits although also more relaxed attire is appropriate if the situation suits. In more rural areas an informal wardrobe is allowed. Nevertheless the wardrobe should be clean and neat. If the situation is appropriate men may wear jeans. Women prefer business dresses or maybe a skirt and a blouse.
In some countries gifts may be an ordinary part of a business encounter, but not so in the USA. A gift might be misconceived as a bribe and that could cause some serious implications. Business meetings can take place at a public establishment or during the meals, but more often than not during a meal a conversation is more of a social kind. Remember that USA has very strict laws about smoking in public places.
A firm handshake is an appropriate greeting. During conversations eye contact is vital. Smiling is conceived as a sign of friendliness so use it. An American businessman has a generally more relaxed style of communications. So business meetings are not so stiff as compared to West Europe. In general an American businessman is very friendly and more often than not will introduce you to his family which is not that common for businessmen from other countries.
No matter what is your viewpoint towards USA the general idea behind a successful business deal is respect! If you will respect your partner he will do the same to you and a successful business deal means more profit for both.

UK has always been a major player in the international market. At one point in the history Great Britain came very close to the status of World Empire and they did not achieve this by only military power. Their most powerful weapon was probably the worldwide trade network. Although they lost their colonies and foreign territories, such as India, Pakistan and Australia, they still maintain important connections and English businessman are still influential.
Although UK is a part of European Union, the British themselves do not consider to be European because they have an island of their own and grand heritage. But English business traditions have greatly affected the business traditions of their European counterparts. We can go even one step further because English business traditions have affected business traditions in the whole world.

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