Build International Business Networks free essay sample

Sydney| 10-12 March 2013| $ 300| It provides an excellent opportunity for all the entrepreneur and new companies to work along with topmost established and contemporary brands to get an international exposure and to find their target customers, retailers, suppliers and manufactures and for discovering new labels and keeping up-to date with trends and network to build relationships with new designers and wholesalers as well. | 2. Franchising amp; Business Opportunities Expo Sydney| 15-17 March 2013| $ 300| It is to make franchising offer the new investors an established and successful business environment. | 3. Australian International Sourcing Fair 2013 Melbourne| 13-15 Nov. 2013| $ 1400| It is all about making business easier. It connects manufacturers to retailers and importantly promotes a diverse array of exciting product options from fashion and textiles to homewares. | 4. China Clothing amp; Textiles Expo Melbourne| 13-15 Nov. 013| $ 1400| It serves as an ideal platform for the attendees to exchange the latest news, views and information that are currently prevailing in the sector, while participating business houses can also devise strategies for more effective order placement as well, thanks to the business acumen they gain by attending the show. | 5. Canton Fair (China Import and Export Fair) – Guangzhou China| 1-5 May 2013| $ 400| It provides a platform for national and international vendors, suppliers, manufacturers and ntrepreneur to show their products, for national and international visitors to place orders, sharing and exchanging information and cooperation opportunities. | Part 2. Reflect Social and Cultural Awareness in Developing and Maintaining International Business Networks Research sources of cross-cultural information: 1. Austrade 2. pwc: ww. pwccn. com/home/eng/doing_biz_invest_cn. html 3. Kwintessential: http://www. kwintessential. co. uk/resources/global-etiquette/china- country-profile. html 4. The Australian: http://www. heaustralian. com. au/business/lack-of-cultural-diversity-a- risk/story-e6frg8zx-1226546776157 5. Australian chamber of commerce and industry: http://www. acci. asn. au Profile cross-cultural communication styles for a specific country: China- * Greeting and closings (written and s poken): Greetings are formal. Chinese are not keen on physical contact, especially when doing business. A handshake with a simple and kind salutation, like â€Å"Ni Hao† (Hello! ), and a slight nod of the head is the standard way to greet men and women, whatever their age or seniority. Be sure not to slap, pat or put your arm around someones shoulders and not to be overly vigorous while shaking hands, as the Chinese will interpret this as aggressive. They respect their elders and they are always greeted first, so an extra show of courtesy in the presence of them will reflect well on you. * Proper forms of address: Address the person by an honorific title followed by their surname. If they want to move to a first-name basis, they will advise you which name to use. Generally speaking, there are four main categories: 1. You can call some directly by his job title and put it before his/her surname or full name. This is often used in the workplace on more formal occasions. e. g. Director Liu 2. To address based on professional qualification, which expresses respect to those being addressed. e. g. Lawyer Wang 3. To address based on educational qualifications. e. g. Dr. Zhang 4. To address based on professions. e. g. Teacher Chen If a person has no professional title, simply use â€Å"Mr. †, â€Å"Madam†, â€Å"Miss† plus the last name. * Making an appointment: Appointments are necessary, and, if possible, should be made between one-to-two months in advance, preferably in writing. Arrive at the appointment on time or slightly early. The Chinese view punctuality as a virtue. Provide the agenda first and reconfirm prior to meeting. Be aware that when their holidays and lunch time are and avoid making an appointment on those days or at those time, especially during the Chinese New Year and National Day. * Eye contact and tone of voice: Eye contact is a basic respect and manner. If you look at the other direction while talking to people, they will deem that you have no respect or are telling a lie. Don’t use exaggerate tone of voice while speaking but maintain regular intonation. Speak in short, simple, jargon-free sentences. Pause frequently. * Formal introductions: 1. Addressing others: Seniority is valued in China. It is important to address your counterparts by their title (Chairman, Director, etc. ). Find out who the most senior person in the room is and address them first. 2. Introducing yourself: Say your name clearly and remember to state your company or the company you work for and your position. As a point of reference, know that Chinese will refer to his/her company first, then his/her title, and then their name while introducing themselves to others. Having a Chinese name, ideally one with meaning rather than a transliteration your English or other language name will be taken as a sign of respect as well. 3. Giving/Receiving business cards: Similar to introductions, hand out business cards to the most senior official first. Chinese use both hands when giving and receiving anything of value, including gifts and particularly business cards; you should do the same as this is one of the first points at which you will make an impression. Take a moment to look at and acknowledge the individual’s card. * Body language: You should always be calm, collected and controlled. Body posture should always be formal and attentive as this shows you have self-control and are worthy of respect. If you are beckoning to someone, motion towards you using your palm and hand pointed downwards. Never palm up. Furthermore, don’t use your index finger or point while speaking. * Direct and indirect communication style: Indirect communication is the preferred method of transmitting news in China. It means that information (usually bad news or self-boasting) is either transmitted via a third party or through half truths. It usually involves the word â€Å"maybe. † For example, â€Å"Maybe you need to come to work on Saturday for a meeting. † When your Chinese counterparts politely say â€Å"Not a big issue† or â€Å"The problem is not serious†, they usually mean â€Å"There are still problems†. Part 3. Review Own Participation in International Network Participate in a networking event: Fashion Exposed Sydney * Establish face-to-face connections with at least 3 attendees: Australian designer – Chief Designer : Terry Biviano Australian wholesaler – President : R. M. Williams Chinese manufacturer – President : Zhang, Da Fu * I met the Chinese manufacturer, Mr. Zhang Da Fu at the event. We shook hands with a simple salutation in Chinese â€Å"Ni Hao† to each other first, then introduced my company, job title and my name to him, and then we exchanged business cards with both hands to each other. We had a small talk about the journey, hotel, weather and Sydney. Finally, I invited him to join Linkedin and Skype and Wechat on mobile phone for keeping in touch and the future cooperating opportunity. * Two days later, Mr. Zhang Da Fu went back to China and he did join Linkedin and Wechat and added me to be one of his connections and showed his interested in cooperating with my company. We made an appointment to chat on Wechat on Mar. 30 for the further discussion. Report on the networking event: * Event description, including type of network, purpose and objective: Fashion Exposed – Sydney It is Australias most anticipated designer trade event and will fuse business with fashion with FREE industry seminars and a first-look at the upcoming season. It provides an excellent opportunity for all the entrepreneur and new companies to work along with topmost established and contemporary brands to get an international exposure and to find their target customers, retailers, suppliers and manufactures, for discovering new labels and keeping up-to date with trends and network to build relationships with new designers and wholesalers and for sourcing from the most comprehensive range of apparel, accessories and footwear labels as well. Printed material for the event : Contact details or business cards of the 3 contacts : Australian designer – Terry Biviano Chief Designer Private Label : terry biviano Address : Red Doors, Level 5, 104 Commonwealth Street, Surry Hills, NSW Australia Tel/Fax : 61-2-92803318 Email : [emailprotected] com Australian wholesaler – R. M. Williams President R. M. Garment Co. , Ltd. Address : Level 11, 52 Alfred St. , Milsons Point, Sydney NSW, Australia Tel/Fax : 61-2-90285401 Email: [emailprotected] com Chinese manufacturer – Zhang, Da Fu President Dafu Garment Manufacture Co. : 1188? Adderess : 1188 Qixin Rd, Shanghai, China / : 00286-21-54957117 Tel/Fax : 00286-21-54957117 :[emailprotected] com Email : [emailprotected] com Copies of emails or letters sent to contacts seeking and / or providing feedback information or ideas: Dear Mr. Zhang, I am so glad to meet you at the Fashion Exposed event in Sydney and talk to you on Wechat and thank you for showing your interest in cooperation with us as well. I did meet a few outstanding designers at the event, who showed their high interests to cooperate with us and are willing to assign us to be their supplier. Therefore, I will visit you and your factories when I go back to China at the end of April. Therefore, please provide us your quotation first so that I can have a further discussion with the designers. Thank you very much and looking forward to meeting you soon! Regards, Grace Tsung Calculate costs of the event: | AUD| Entry Fee| 0| Flight| 0| Hotel| 0| Transportation| 25| Food/Drink| 70| Business cards | 175| Total| 270| Analyse Event: A. Effectiveness of the event: Beside the wonderful venue, it was exactly a successful event, which not only provided enough integral resources for the visitors but also organized well. I collected all the information I need, such as the latest fashion trend, tools and knowledge to buy better and sell more, business and visual merchandising, etc. rom the seminars, and also found some potential co-operators who are customers, designers, manufacturers, suppliers and wholesalers and exchanged our business cards with one another. B. Effectiveness of your communication: Because I just start to work half the year in Australia and half the year in China, I am good at English. When I spoke to Australian designers or other English native speakers, I couldnâ €™t express all that I would like to let them know, and they speak English so quickly that I couldn’t understand all that they expressed as well. Therefore, after the event, I have to email every one I got their business cards and invite them to join Linkedin or others, like Skype. C. Value of outcomes: Since I am in Sydney at a good hour, I don’t need to spend extra fees on hotel and flight. Also, this is the industry, which I was familiar to, so it is not difficult for me to build relationships and networks in this field. This time, I exchanged more than 50 business cards and got 20 personal contact details at the scene. I will keep participating any related