If you don’t make an effort to understand the culture of the people you are looking to trade with, you will probably fail to achieve the level of success you desire. Saying “I am from Australia and didn’t realise that would be considered rude” is a lame excuse, and will be treated as such. “I didn’t understand” can be translated as “I didn’t bother to do my research”.

If Asia is Asia, then basically once you have researched one country you have mastered them all, right? Wrong! Asia is a region, not a country. There are so many variances from one country to another that need to be understood — I couldn’t hope to possibly cover them all in this column.

The following are important issues to consider as social conduct rules. They can alter significantly and are often foreign to our upbringing.

* Appropriate strength of a handshake can vary.

* To bow or not to bow?

* Do you initiate a handshake to women?

* What name do you use in an introduction or meeting?

* When should you exchange business cards?

* What should be written on the card?

* Do you understand what can be considered as obscene gestures?

* Appropriate business attire?

* Is gift giving appropriate?

* Are certain colours offensive?

I am not implying that doing business in Asian region means that you need to become an expert on regional customs, but it is important to make a genuine effort to understand local people and their culture.

Following are key extracts taken from the web on appropriate business conduct in Singapore. I don’t know about other executives, but without doing this research, I would be 99 per cent sure to offend in some small way:

* Do not touch anyone on the head — not even a child — as the head is considered sacred;

* Never signal or point at someone with your forefinger;

* Do not pound your fist on an open palm; it is an obscene gesture in Singapore;

* The foot is considered the lowest part of the body, and is thought of as being unclean;

* Never point your foot or the sole of your shoe at anyone;

A common question asked of executives when talking with a new contact is, “What do you know about my business?”. If you don’t know the answer, you go nowhere. If you know about the technical aspects of their business, but demonstrate limited knowledge of their social conduct rules, the result could well be the same.

Macau, is a southern coast city of China. It is located at the south of Guangdong Province, on the tip of the peninsula formed by the Xijiang (West River) on the west and the Zhujiang (Pearl River) estuary on the east. Macau is situated 145 km southwest of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province and 60 km western side of Hong Kong. It is next to the Zhuhai Special Economic Zone.

Macau facing the South China Sea in the south and east has thriving industries such as electronics, textiles and toys. There is also a remarkable Macau tourism industry that features a wide range of hotels, resorts, restaurants, stadiums and casinos. Macau, one of the richest cities in the world, tempts all with the variety of entertainment.

The Templo de A-Má, a temple built in 1448 dedicated to Matsu – the goddess of seafarers and fishermen – has given Macau its name. The following are the must see places in Macau:

* Casino at Venetian Macao
* Macau Tower Convention & Entertainment Centre
* Grand Prix Museum
* Leal Senado (Municipal Council)
* Cotai Strip
* Ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral
* Lisboa Casino
* A-Ma Temple (Ma Kok Miu)
* Largo do Senado (Senate Square)
* Monte Forte (Fortaleza do Monte)

Macau, an enthralling tourist location with a cluster of entertainment facilities, famous for its locales, casinos and nightlife.

Macau Hotels have a huge spread as far as budget and location are concerned. Hotels in Macau possess a great range of diversity in facilities and entertainment options. Macau hotels range from exotic five star accommodations at Lisboa hotel to the very economical three star accommodations of Fu Hua hotel.

The costs of accommodation in Macau Hotels range from as low as USD 65 to USD 142. Most of the Macau hotels provide air condition, television, radio, telephone as basic room facilities and hotel facilities includes beauty parlour, fitness centre, and laundry cleaning service. Other important facilities available in most of the Macau hotels are sauna, conference facilities and car parking.

Hotels in Macau offer great food and beverages that suits both holiday and business travelers. Most of the hotels in Macau have restaurants and serve a range of dishes in Chinese, Japanese and Continental cuisines. Food in Macau interests foodies from around the world. Macau provides Italian, French, American, Brazilian, Japanese, Korean and Mozambique cuisine as well as dishes from Southeast Asia, such as Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

Macau hotels offer a great array of entertainment facilities. Lisboa hotel, New Century hotel, Holiday Inn, Royal hotel and many other Macau hotels entertain with a scintillating nightlife.

The hotels in Macau also house busy casinos that are open on all days. Casinos are one of the big attractions in Macau.