TimeZone Journal

Chinese companies are increasingly expanding into international markets. But there is a significant difference between selling products overseas and building a business overseas. A company can continue to manufacture in China and sell through distributors, logistics partners and local sales organisations. It can establish warehouses, service operations and subsidiaries in overseas markets. It can form a joint venture with a local company, acquire an established business, or e

Many people who work with American colleagues are struck by how openly they talk about their successes. In meetings, they may highlight projects they have led, targets they have exceeded, or challenges they have overcome. On LinkedIn, they often share promotions, awards, certifications, speaking engagements, and business wins. In performance reviews, they are generally expected to explain their achievements clearly and confidently. For professionals from countries where modes

Many international professionals experience the same frustration when working with British colleagues. A meeting seems positive. Everyone appears friendly. No major objections are raised. The discussion ends on a constructive note. A few weeks later, nothing has happened. The proposal has quietly disappeared. The project has stalled. The decision has been postponed. What appeared to be agreement turns out not to have been agreement at all. This often leads to the familiar com

When something goes wrong in international business, very few people describe it as a cultural problem. They say the project is moving too slowly, the customer has stopped responding, the supplier keeps agreeing to things but nothing seems to happen, or head office simply doesn't understand the local market. The problem gets labelled as poor communication, weak management, lack of urgency, resistance to change or, quite often, simply difficult people. Sometimes that diagnosis

China has become one of the most discussed countries in international business, yet also one of the least understood. Political headlines dominate the conversation. Trade disputes, tariffs, technology restrictions, supply chain resilience and national security concerns regularly shape the news agenda, creating the impression that companies are steadily distancing themselves from China. The commercial reality is considerably more nuanced. Every day, organisations around the wo

If you've worked with Chinese colleagues or clients for any length of time, you've almost certainly heard the expression, "It's about face." It is one of the first concepts introduced in almost every cross-cultural training programme and one of the most frequently cited explanations for behaviour that Western managers find difficult to understand. The problem is that it is often explained far too simply. Face is commonly described as avoiding embarrassment or preventing someo

Many people preparing for international business begin by looking for information about the country they are about to work with. They search for guides on business etiquette, meeting protocols or negotiation styles, hoping to avoid making cultural mistakes. There is nothing wrong with that approach. Understanding the business environment in another country can provide valuable context and help people feel more confident before an important meeting. However, there is a danger

When something goes wrong in international business, it's often tempting to look for a cultural explanation. A negotiation slows unexpectedly, a supplier misses another deadline or a customer stops responding, and before long someone suggests that it's simply "the way business is done" in that country. Sometimes they're right. However, after more than thirty years working internationally, I've found that many of the challenges organisations face have very little to do with na

The UK-India trade agreement has created fresh opportunities for businesses looking to expand into one of the world's fastest-growing major economies. Reduced trade barriers and improved market access are likely to encourage many organisations to explore India for the first time, while others will look to strengthen existing partnerships. But trade agreements don't build business relationships. One comment from a discussion this week stayed with me. The point being made was s

If you've worked internationally for any length of time, you've probably experienced it. The meeting goes well. Everyone speaks good English. The discussion feels productive, there is agreement on the next steps, and everyone leaves believing the project is moving in the right direction. A week later, something has changed. The deliverable hasn't arrived. Decisions that seemed settled are suddenly being revisited. One team believes work has already started, while another has

We've all experienced it. A project is moving along well. The deadline has been agreed. Everything appears to be on track. A few days before delivery, you discover the work isn't as far along as you believed. The immediate reaction is often, "Why didn't anyone tell us sooner?" Many people assume this is about poor planning or a relaxed attitude towards deadlines. In my experience, that's usually the wrong conclusion. The deadline isn't the issue Indian businesses are no stran

Over the years, I've had countless conversations with clients who have returned from China convinced a project was moving ahead, only to discover a few weeks later that very little had actually happened. It can be frustrating, particularly when the meeting itself seemed to go so well. There was plenty of discussion, questions were asked, ideas were explored, and nobody appeared to disagree with the proposal. Everyone was polite, engaged, and constructive, so it's easy to leav

Boots is back in the takeover conversation. Sigma Healthcare, the Australian group behind the unmistakable fluorescent-yellow Chemist Warehouse stores, is reportedly circling the 177-year-old British chemist, in a deal that could value it at around £7.5bn. Most of the commentary around that story has, fairly enough, reached for a familiar cautionary tale: Wesfarmers' takeover of Homebase. It deserves to be told properly because it's a far better cross-cultural case study than

One of the hardest things in international business is recognising when you are unintentionally creating the wrong impression. The behaviour feels normal to you; it is what you would do with anyone, and so it doesn't register as something that might land differently. Using first names immediately in Germany is a good example of this. In German professional culture, titles carry genuine social weight. An academic qualification, particularly a doctorate, is not just a credentia

The first few months after a Chinese acquisition often feel positive. There is investment, energy, and talk of new opportunities. Then, gradually, something shifts. Western managers begin to notice that decisions are becoming more top-down, that questioning feels less welcome, and that their local expertise carries less weight than it did. At the same time, Chinese leadership teams grow frustrated that their Western counterparts openly challenge decisions, ask too many questi

There has never been more information available about how to work across cultures. Books. Frameworks. Training programmes. Online courses. Country guides. TED talks. Academic research. Entire consultancies are built around the subject. The volume of material on cross-cultural business has grown enormously over the past twenty years and is now saturated with ‘experts’. And yet. The same problems keep appearing. The same frustrations. The same misunderstandings. Deals that stal