Page 51 - Horizon Han22

"To understand the culture boosts your chances of success and will improve sustainable overseas business. Ignore culture and you will come back empty-handed"
Maurice Pattison
Horizon issue 2.indd 51 14/12/2022 14:50:23
the point that it can be seen as disrespectful for an individual to voice criticism of a senior colleague.
So it is important for UK businesses to ensure that they make contact with the appropriate person (from the appropriate level within the business) who can influence decisions. Also, when attending Singapore, a business should always try to ensure that they send at least one individual with a similar status to their contact to ensure that no offence is caused.
Maurice paints a similar picture of Vietnam, when he talks about the importance of the most senior team member sitting alongside the most senior member of the business partner's company. He recalls one particular event.
“I was entering a meeting with our Vietnam Country Manager to talk to one of the most important companies to us, in Vietnam. I asked him where he was going to sit and he said "anywhere, and that I should sit next to
the Vietnam company’s President because I knew the company quite well and had been dealing with them for the longest time”. I told him that, in fact he must sit next to the President to show how important their business was to us. The Country Manager lacked understanding of culture and could have sabotaged our business by unknowingly making the wrong decision”.
What NOT to do:
In Singapore, spitting, smoking in public, chewing gum or jaywalking, may all leave you in a sticky situation and facing a fine.
Maurice adds that “even today people will wait at a road crossing at 2am in the morning, even though there is no traffic, due to fines being relatively large and people are
"Supertrees" in Singapore
encouraged to report any misdemeanours".
In both Vietnam and Singapore, exhibiting the wrong behaviour when dealing with disagreements can cost you business. It is important that you don't lose your temper or display anger. You should always try to use a measured and calculated tone when speaking.
It can go so far that on occasions businesses may choose to sit in silence to reduce any tension rather than progress and risk the meeting becoming overheated. If this happens the UK business should respect the silent period and be careful not to press an issue that could cause confrontation.
Vietnam Business Opportunities:
The Department for International Trade (DIT) highlights the following as key opportunity sectors within Vietnam:
Education: Young population plus various investment opportunities equals an open opportunity for UK exporters Energy: UK businesses who specialise in renewable energy can benefit from the transition away from coal
Infrastructure: An ambitious programme of development (inc. new urban railways and an international airport) opens the door to opportunities
Healthcare: A growth in GDP and a growing population increases the demand for improved healthcare quality Technology: One of the fastest growing digital economies in South-East Asia lends itself perfectly to the UK market.
Singapore city skyline
Hanoi - the capital city of Vietnam