If you’ve ever been abroad on business, you’ll no doubt have found yourself in the tiptoeing through the minefield that is leaving a tip – it’s bad enough if you’re just on holiday with family or friends, but when there’s business clients involved, you have the extra pressure of showing your overseas peers how in tune you are with their customs.
So, if you’re going away on business any time soon, here’s how to leave a tip overseas.
Benin is a country in West Africa with a population of around 10 million – and although it’s neighbours with Nigeria it has nowhere the same trade links or business opportunities.
Porto Novo is the capital of Benin but most of the country’s trade is done via the bustling port of Cotonou where cargo includes cocoa, rice and cotton, which is the lifeblood of the economy.
There is also a growing trade in used vehicles from Europe and the US – imports have grown from 200,000 in 2010 to 314,000 in 2014.
On average, 25,000 cars pass through Cotonou every month – up to 90% of which end up in Nigeria – but it’s something of a murky market and in 2013 there was a diplomatic disagreement between the two countries when Nigerian customs officials directly accused the Beninese government of smuggling vehicles into Nigeria.
So if you’re thinking of dabbling in the Beninese second-hand car market, approach it with caution.
And as Benin is something of an unknown quantity, it may be worth setting up an international conference call with potential business partners to get the lay of the land before you commit.
And here’s how…
The third largest economy in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations – a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten Southeast Asian countries that promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and socio-cultural integration among its members – Thailand is home to over 50,000 British residents, and the export of UK goods is worth around £1.96 billion a year. Service exports from the UK are worth around £708 million annually.
Top exports from the UK to Thailand include:
If you think the Thai market could be good for your business, here’s everything you need to know about exporting to Thailand.
Switzerland is a diverse and mature economy, and offers a great opportunity for UK-based businesses – bilateral trade between the two countries is worth £31.9 billion, and Switzerland is the UK’s tenth largest export market, with goods and services exports having grown by 130% in the last five years.
If this sounds like a good opportunity for your business, here’s everything you need to know about exporting to Switzerland.
After weeks of unbroken sunshine, the rain came back with a bang today – not the sort of thing anyone wants to wake up to on a Monday morning, particularly after a weekend of warm sunshine – so if you have to travel to work, and can’t avoid the morning commute, there are a few things you need to do to stay safe on the roads in wet weather and worse.
How much do you trust your smartphone? It might sound like a daft question, but just take a minute or two to think about the sheer volume of sensitive information your phone holds – from banking app logins to business messages and emails – and think how much damage could be done if this information fell into the wrong hands.
So, to help make sure your data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, here’s how to keep your smartphone secure.
The summer heatwave looks like it’s here to stay, and one would assume this has to be good for productivity – the longer, brighter, warmer days should make even the most chronic couch potato want to get up and out into the world.
But, in the world of work, this can bring its own problems – yes, everyone wants to get out of the house when the weather is good, but they don’t necessarily want to go and then spend a day locked away in the office instead. And so the summer sick note becomes a thing, when the number of staff turning in for work seems drop in direct correlation with the rise in temperature.
If this sounds like your workplace, your business is far from alone, as research commissioned by PMI Health Group, has found a third of businesses recorded an increase in the number of staff calling in sick as the summer heatwave gripped the UK.
And of those companies questioned as part of the study, over half (54%) reported that they do not operate flexible working hours that staff can take advantage of at short notice.
So, could these companies benefit from introducing more accessible working from home policies or would that mean they’re being dictated to by employees who are all to quick to call in sick.
Spain is home to about 47 million people, around one million of which are British nationals, making it on of the biggest consumer markets in the EU, and a great opportunity for any British businesses looking to widen their net.
The country also has a growing economy, with householders experiencing an increased household disposable income after recent tax reform and record employment growth. This healthy outlook has led to the return of foreign investment – if you want to be part of it, here’s everything you need to know about exporting to Spain.
Positioned in the middle of the European mainland and flanked by Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Italy, and the Adriatic Sea, Slovenia is the ideal gateway to doing business in south eastern European markets. Not one of Europe’s biggest markets, it is developing economically, and has about 20 British businesses operating from there, including Astrazeneca, Castrol, Shell and Unilever.
If you want to tap into this emerging market, and take advantage of its central location, here’s all you need to know about exporting to Slovenia.
Situated right in the middle of mainland Europe, Slovakia has enormous growth potential and can offer a great Central and European base for any business.
There are more than 100 UK owned companies operating in Slovakia, including include BAE Systems, GlaxoSmithKline, Provident Financial, Shell, and Tate and Lyle. And Tesco not only Slovakia’s top retailer, it is one of the country’s main employers.
If you want to join this growing list, here’s everything you need to know about exporting to Slovakia.