Asia Blog :: Business & Culture

Whether in the consumer products or manufacyuring industry, Asia is the market which many keen investors have their eyes trained on.

Experts warn that despite the overall positive outlook on the Asian investment market,investors should be selective as to where they put their money. Predictions and valuations can be stretched and sometimes the expectations are unrealistic. In 2006, Credit Suisse said that the market for investment continues to offer incredibly profitable and positive opportunities. It is reported, then, that the world can expect a consistent growth in the Asian market for the next three to four years from 2006…Thus,investment opportunities in the Asian countries continue to be aplenty.

Governments in countries like Japan, China and India have shifted their focus from consuming imported goods to exploiting local and domestic products,thereby helping to boost their local economies. This has given small, growing companies in these Asian countries room and opportunity for growth…from the investor’s point of view, this is extremely good news. The Asian economy is set for robust growth and expansion in the long run which providing lucrative returns for foreign investors.

Countries like China, India, Korea, Singapore and Taiwan have sent many unknowing stock market players into silence in recent years because of the dramatic rise in their economic conditions. Each of these countries presents different investment opportunities for investors and the range of their expertise has narrowed down. While some people would argue that Asian investment in China and India would be the most lucrative, others would prefer to techno-friendly countries like Korea, Taiwan and Japan where they already have a strong following for their electronic products and gaming technology as well as household products. Japan and Korea looks to be nose-to-nose for the communications sector too, so, in the near future, the pendulum could swing either way, depending on the number of foreign investors and growth of their domestic markets.

While the US market limps back to health, investors from other parts of the world, particularly countries in Europe, Canada and Australia are eyeing potentially profitable long-term partnerships with companies from these countries. US consumers are generally swallowed by the grave need to save money and reduce the cost of living, the Asian and European market continues to stride ahead. Not long ago, the US market determines the performance of other markets,particularly Asia.But now,the reverse are true. As long as the US market continues to post health growth and do not suffer prolong recession, Asia will continue to grow and provide foreign investors with many investment opportunities.

Before you set out for that holiday or business trip to the South East Asian region, be aware that there are some cultural issues that may impact on your experience. None of these are frightening or off-putting in a big way, just good to know about and expect. Forewarned is forearmed as they say.

So what does this saving face mean? It means that when people deal with each other there is a greatly heightened awareness and priority on avoiding a perception of embarrassment or humiliation. This applies to you and to the other parties involved. An example would be a conversation between a student and their teacher. The teacher explains a process, and the student does not understand. In the west this would not be a very big deal at all. The student would be happy to, (and in fact be expected to), alert the teacher that they did not understand, and ask for it to be explained in a different way.

In the South East Asian countries of say Thailand or Indonesia, this type of situation would need to be handled carefully. From the students perspective, they firstly would not want to appear slow or inattentive, and may have an issue in asking for a clarification in the class environment. Also, as they would hold their teacher in high esteem, they would definitely not want to allude that they lacked the skills to explain things clearly. From the teachers perspective, they may find it difficult to accept a student expressing confusion in the classroom.

So in these countries, the student may well hold their tongue and either ask a fellow student, or seek to speak to their teacher in private later.

Another issue on this region that visitors may come across is etiquette at religious places. The term for a temple in Buddhist countries such as Thailand and Cambodia is Wat. When visiting a Wat, be sure to dress conservatively. There is no need to be formal, but please do not go in beach clothes or your short disco dress! Additionally, you will inevitably see a collection of shoes at the door. This is simply as the correct etiquette is to take your footwear off before entering. So if you are planning a day of serious temple visiting, a good tip is not to wear lace up shoes. You will find yourself exhausted by the end of the day if you do.