BUILD INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS NETWORK

Task 1 – Report
Task 2 – Theory Exam

Marcos Vinicius Steluti Gulin

PROCEDURE

1.a The country that I chose to import products into Australia was Brazil. The area field was food and the product is the acai berry. PRODUCT
The fruit, commonly known as açaí berry, is a small, round, black-purple drupe about 1 inch (25 mm) in circumference, similar in appearance to a grape, but smaller and with less pulp and produced in branched panicles of 500 to 900 fruits.
In the general Brazilian consumer market, açaí is sold as frozen pulp, juice, or an ingredient in various products from beverages, including grain alcohol, smoothies, foods, cosmetics and supplements. In Brazil, it is commonly eaten as Açaí na tigela (acai in the bowl).
Information taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A7a%C3%AD_palm DRIVERS OF CHOICE
The reason for choosing the acai product for import into the Australian market, are: 1- Australians generally care about health and has an interest in natural products. 2- The climate of Australia is hot, making the product suitable for the Australian market. 3- Acai is an original product of Brazil, which makes it interesting and new to the Australian public.

The purpose of business is to buy fruit and turn it into finished product, packaged and prepared for consumption in Brazil. And soon after that industrialization, sends him to Australia by refrigerated containers.
The great strength of the business is the low cost of fruit, labor and product industrialization in Brazil, and the strength of the Australian currency on the Brazilian currency, which would generate a high return to our business.
The acai berry is a product that is already on the Australian market, however, is being sold in specialty stores at a high cost. The objective of our business would offer the product at a slightly cheaper cost in major supermarkets in Australia. Are three types of products, an individual pack to be consumed on the spot, a package to be stored and consumed in multiple portions, like ice cream, and acai berry juice.

1.b A process that fosters the exchange of information and ideas among individuals or groups that share a common interest. Networking may fall into one of two categories - social or business. In the latter category, one of the implicit objectives is to form professional relationships that may boost one's future business and employment prospects.
Information taken from: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/networking.asp

TRADE FAIRS are temporary events in different recurring intervals where new products and services are presented. The number of trade fairs is steadily increasing worldwide; therefore it is important for exhibitors and visitors to get a quick overview and find the right trade shows for themselves.
One way to get contacts in Australia would be trade fairs, one that is especially geared for the food industry is the Fine Food Queensland. It's three days of fair in the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre, where we can rent a space. The fair already offers packages with standard booth space to expose the products.
Fairs like these, we could find all sorts of contact. Investors interested in investing money in product, store managers and markets we could sell our products, transportation companies to bring the product to Australia and also carries it inside the country through states, skilled labor in the food market.
Information taken from: http://www.finefoodqueensland.com.au/

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS are usually not-for-profit organisations that support businesses in a specific industry. They may: * give information about your industry (i.e. how changes to legislation will affect your business) * provide you with useful resources (i.e. information and programs to help you meet industry standards) * run training and education programs * organise seminars * facilitate networking events * manage mentoring programs * connect you with other businesses in your industry * arrange public relations or advertising activities to promote your industry * organise advertising campaigns to educate or persuade the public about issues relevant to your industry * lobby on behalf of your industry to influence government policy.
These associations offer some information and services for free, but, in most cases, you need to become a member and pay a fee to access their full range of information, resources and services.
In many industries, becoming a member of the peak body can give your business credibility as your membership proves to customers that you have met strict criteria and have certain qualifications and experience.
This guide introduces a range of business and industry associations that can help you to run your business in Queensland.
INFORMATION TAKEN FROM: http://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/support-tools-grants/support/business-industry-associations

Join industry associations is a great option for contacts, they organizing networking events, conferences to update the laws relating to industry, help to expose your brand and publishes it to the market.
I researched the industry association FIAQ (Food Industries Association Queensland). To become a member, the price is $ 150.00 dollares. To advertise your business and become gold member of the association, the price is $ 2,500.00. Some events are to come, as FIAQ Networking Breakfast on 27/08 at The Comslie FIAQ Hotel and Conference on 29/10.

AUSTRADE Australian Trade Commission – Austrade - contributes to Australia’s economic prosperity by helping Australian businesses, education institutions, tourism operators, governments and citizens as they: * develop international markets * win productive foreign direct investment * promote international education * strengthen Australia’s tourism industry * seek consular and passport services.
We achieve this by generating market information and insight, promoting Australian capabilities, developing policy, making connections through an extensive global network of contacts, leveraging the badge of government offshore and providing quality advice and services.
We aim to create value for our business sector, and do it in a way that represents a good investment for the taxpayer. And we seek to do all this in a way that meets or exceeds all appropriate standards of ethical behaviour.
Information taken from: http://www.austrade.gov.au/
Austrade is an important tool to implement our business in Australia, they offer all kinds of necessary support for the implementation of business in Australian land. They can help us with initial coordination of all investment inquiries and assistance, information on the Australian business and regulatory environment, market intelligence and investment opportunities, identification of suitable locations and investment partners in Australia, Australian advice on government programs and approval processes.
In the Austrade website there is an option to get in touch with a specialist investment Austrade, unfortunately there is no specialist in Brazil, however, there are specialist in the United States and Europe. In the case, we could try an online meeting to create a contact with a specialist rather than going to one of these countries or even Australia.

LINKED IN allows you to network with whoever, and whatever business/business person you like. By accepting connections and inviting people you already know to become connections you are expanding the amount of people your profile is seen by; as the people who you’ve connected with will have connections and their connections will be able to see (and so connect) with your profile. But basically, expand your reach and your professional profile will blossom.
Not only can you ‘connect’ with people on LinkedIn you can connect with communities by joining groups. Groups which represent official organisations, companies etc. are great to join because you can connect with people like you; people who are either in that field of work, or are looking to be in that area of work. So, sharing information and even your details (i.e. Twitter username to encourage ‘like minded’ followers) on the group so other members can see it is helpful; as it helps you to not only make your LinkedIn profile visible to potential employers, but also helps to expand your other social networks with people who have the same interests, job aspirations etc. as you.
Information taken from: http://jessicaleeman.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/what-is-linkedin-used-for/
LinkedIn is a tool specifically geared towards networking, lets you view your professional profile for millions of people. In view of our business, looked for someone or some company that could help me to introduce my business in Australia, and that was on the same food that I branch. I found the profile of Rachelle Williams of Brisbane, which offers training in the food area and webinars for free.

CONFERENCE A conference is a meeting of people who "confer" about a topic. * Academic conference, in science and academic, a formal event where researchers present results, workshops, and other activities. * Business conference, organized to discuss business-related matters * Conference call, in telecommunications, a "multi-party call" * Conference hall room where conferences are held * News conference, an announcement to the press (print, radio, television) with the expectation of questions, about the announced matter, following. * Parent-teacher conference, a meeting with a child's teacher to discuss grades and school performance. * Peace conference, a diplomatic meeting to end conflict. * Settlement conference, a meeting between the plaintiff and the respondent in lawsuit, wherein they try to settle their dispute without proceeding to trial * Trade conference, or trade fair, organized like a business conference but with wider participation and providing the opportunity for business people and the general public alike to network and learn more about topics of interest through workshops, viewing whitepaper presentations, and meeting vendors of similar or related services.

TABLE OF NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES

Type | Date | Cost | Purpose + Objetive | Trade Fairs | 11/abr | $470 | Expose the brand and attract stakeholders. | Industry Association | 1 year of membership | $150 | Catch up with information about the food industry. | Austrade | Always | FREE | Expert help to deploy the business in Australia. | Linked In | Always | FREE | Create network of relationships with stakeholders. | Conference | 22/jun | $770 | Being in touch with all the news from the food area. |

2.a HOFSTEDE is a Dutch social psychologist, former IBM employee, and Professor Emeritus of Organizational Anthropology and International Management at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands, well known for his pioneering research of cross-cultural groups and organizations.
Armed with a large database of cultural statistics, Hofstede analyzed the results and found clear patterns of similarity and difference amid the responses along these five dimensions. Interestingly, his research was done on employees of IBM only, which allowed him to attribute the patterns to national differences in culture, largely eliminating the problem of differences in company culture.
Hofstede would be a great line to find information about the country's culture and how to deal with customers, suppliers and employees. His study is divided into 5 parts, which are: Power / Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Uncertainty / Avoidance Index and Long Term Orientation.

KWINTESSENTIAL.CO.UK is a website founded in 2003 with the goal of helping companies in the globalization of its business. It is an important source of data on over 30 countries worldwide. For each country is provided data such as: location, population, climate, language, religion, meeting etiquette.

AUSTRADE.GOV.AU Austrade is an Australian Government site that helps international investors to put their business in Australia. They provide a guide on site for those interested in investing in Australia, with various information, including culture. They have also especialistadas in many countries around the world ready to give necessary assistance in case anyone wants to implement its business, including cultural information, and if anyone finds the expert, since eh an opportunity to learn the culture of another country.

HIGH CONTEXT VS. LOW CONTEXT The general terms "high context" and "low context" (popularized by Edward Hall) are used to describe broad-brush cultural differences between societies.
High context refers to societies or groups where people have close connections over a long period of time. Many aspects of cultural behavior are not made explicit because most members know what to do and what to think from years of interaction with each other. Your family is probably an example of a high context environment.
Low context refers to societies where people tend to have many connections but of shorter duration or for some specific reason. In these societies, cultural behavior and beliefs may need to be spelled out explicitly so that those coming into the cultural environment know how to behave.

PROFILE CROSS-CULTURAL BETWEEN AUSTRALIA - BRASIL Interpersonal Skill | Australia | Brasil | Greetings | Handshake | Handshake | Form of Address | 300 Adelaide St Brisbane City QLD 13 13 18 | Avenida Paulista, 1901 Sao Paulo, SP 00000-000 | Process for making an Appointment | Usually in time | Usually late | Language | English | Portuguese | Eye contact | Yes | Yes | Direct or Indirect communication style | Direct | Indirect |

Greetings In Brazil and common people greet with kisses between men and women, and between men shaking hands. Even if people are not known when they are presented to each other, they kiss normally. However in Australia and different, even if you already know, it is not common for people to kiss. In a formal situation, however, the Brazilian only use the handshake, which signals a good entendimente between the two parties in a business relationship.
Form of Address The only differences between the forms of addresses between the two countries is that in Australia the number is first used to the street, and the street in Brazil that the number comes first.
Process of Making an Appointment There is a big cultural difference in the question of appointment, in Australia, it is common for people to always be on time, but the Brazilian almost always late to their appointments.
Language In Australia the English language is spoken, and the Portuguese in Brazil. However, with globalization, English became the official language of business, and is a great number of Brazilians who speak fluent English, especially those who work in the business.
Eye Contact Both countries have a culture of eyes in the eyes when they are speaking, to convey trust and respect.
Direct or Indirect Communication Style The Australian is usually straightforward in their attitudes and way of speaking, as the Brazilian is different mainly in speech, always extending a little more and trying to explain in minute detail why it is saying.

PARTICIPATE IN A NETWORKING EVENT

Business Meeting

I attended a networking event called business meeting. In this type of event is possible to find business people in an informal setting to try to find common interests and find business opportunities. I could talk to Sarai, an importer of drinks from Mexico, we exchanged business cards. The cost of the event was around $ 100 and 200 dollares.

Agave Mexican ProductsSarai Martinez Martinez International Manager Level 1, 20/340 Queen Street4000, City, Brisbane, Aus. Mobile: (+61) 0412843856 AUS, (+52) 4448335226 MEXE-mail: sarai.agave@gmail.com Website: www.agaveproducts.com |

We are from Latin countries, and have similar cultural customs, noted great professionalism on her part, always smiling, looking into my eyes, our initial and final fulfillment was by handshake, and at no time felt uncomfortable with our conversation.

EMAIL

Dear, Sarai

It was a pleasure to meet you at the business meeting. As we speak, we have interests in common in Australia, and we work in the same area of business, would be profitable to keep in touch.
I have your business card and would like to visit you next week, are you available some day?

Best Regards,

Marcos Gulin.
As our conversation, we have a lot in common and a lot to help us. An important point was to divide the office here in Australia. Both she and I are just introducing our products and we can split this first moment an office for both companies.
Another important point was to divide contacts as we practically in the same area, but we are not competitors.
Finally, we found that it would be interesting to introduce the tequila agave in Brazil, and the Brazilian açai in Mexico, so after our success in Australia we could try to penetrate these two countries since we contact each other.

Linked In

I also created a profile on professional relationships Linked In network, and searched people from the business and acted in the food area to help me introduce my business in Australia.
I found the profile of Rachelle Williams, a professor of TAFE who works in the food area to 14 years and provides free webinar on the internet. Linked In is free, however there are some paid plans that give even more opportunities to find contacts on the website.
The contact Rachelle would initially by email, it is very important to pay attention to communication, because she is a native speaker Inglês, then maybe there are some communication barriers, especially in person. It is very important punctuality and respect, and researched the Kwintessential website, Australian people do not like to talk about your academic achievements and always smile and greet by shaking hands. EMAIL
Dear, Rachelle Williams

After our initial contact at Linked In, I would like to thank you and show my interest in following our contact below.
Any webinar scheduled for the coming weeks? I have great interest in participating.
Anyway, it would be a pleasure to meet you for a coffee.

Best Regards,
Marcos Gulin

The great benefit of this contact would be the advice of a specialist in the food area of Brisbane, which makes it even more important that contact is that it provides such information and consulting for free.

Industries Associations

Industry associations can offer beyond business meeting, talks about new laws in the area where the business will be deployed, and data and important information about the chosen area.
I chose FIAQ (Food Industry Association of Queensland) to join, and the annual cost is $ 470 dollars.
There are two events that can generate contacts for our business in Australia, one is FIAQ Networking Breakfast on 27/08 and the other is FIAQ Conference on 29/10.

It will be very important fluency in the English language for this type of event, mainly because I'll find all kinds of people and Australian rules tag will be crucial. As a breakfast is an informal event, know about sport and Australian subjects may be a difference in time to start a conversation.

EMAIL
Dear, Industry Association

I hereby apply for associate myself with the institution, I have a plan to deploy a business in the food area, and all information and lectures and business meetings would be essential to the success of my business.

Best Regards,

Marcos Gulin
The major benefits of me joining an industry association events are available throughout the year, as business meeting, conference and lectures. Very important are also the current information provided by them.

Cost per Lead
As we can see in the table, business meeting would be a good choice for networking would cost cheaper than a TV ad, the cost per lead would be 200.00 dollares while the ad on tv 2500.00 dollars.

Cost per Lead | Cost | Referrals | Cost per lead | Business Meeting | 200 | 1 | 200 | TV Marketing | 50000 | 20 | 2500 |

Conversion Ration
We put a sample of 20% benchmark and did conversion ratio of the association industry, and we can identify it would be good business to join an association of industry.

Conversion Ratio | Costumers | Referrals | | | Industry Association | 30 | 100 | 0,3 | 30% | Benchmark | 20% | | | |

ROI
With the ROI can directly identify the profit of each investment to get a cantato, as the table shows LinkedIn is a great option because it is free and offers a complete search engine contacts.

ROI | Revenue | Investment | | Linked In | 150 | 0 | 150 | Ad on Website | 500 | 100 | 5 |

TASK 2

THEORY EXAM

1- List 5 places or organisations that provide opportunities to build international business networks.

Trade fairs, Conferences, Linked In, Industries Associations and Business Meetings. 2- List 3 professional development activities or events.

Linked In, Business Meetings and Industries Associations

3- Why are international business networks useful? What useful information or industry knowledge can you gain through international business networks? List 3 sources of Information.
Business networks are important to acquire information, data, customers, best prices, all that can facilitate the implementation of a business in a particular location. Besides offering the opportunity to meet and conduct other business partnerships. Could obtain information as competition, rental rates, raw material and labor. 4- In a short paragraph, describe the steps you would follow to research, identify and join an international business network.
I would first look on the internet all the possible options and all the information that I would have to join a business network, then prices indentificar and if this would be the best network and finally go in person, if possible, to know and understand how this network works. 5- List 3 sources of information on cultural information for specific countries.
Hofstede, Austrade e Kwintessencial. 6- Define cultural awareness.
Cultural Awareness is the foundation of communication and it involves the ability of standing back from ourselves and becoming aware of our cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. 7- Describe the process you would follow to build cultural awareness when building an international business network.

I would look at all possible sources to know about the culture of the country or else I would relate, and be very careful when I relate them.

8- The Trade Practices Act and World Trade Organization are key organisations and provide legislation that affect business operations, codes of practice and national Standards. Summarise their purposes in Australia trade.

The Trade Practices Act was introduced in 1974 to prohibit large business using their market power for anti-competitive purposes and has ample resources to enforce these rules.

The WTO agreements are lengthy and complex because they are legal texts covering a wide range of activities. But a number of simple, fundamental principles run throughout all of these documents. These principles are the foundation of the multilateral trading system. Non- discrimination, more open, predictable and transparent, more competitive, more beneficial for less developed countries, protect the environment.

REFERENCES

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%C3%A7a%C3%AD_palm

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/networking.asp

http://www.finefoodqueensland.com.au/

http://www.business.qld.gov.au/business/support-tools-grants/support/business-industry-associations

http://jessicaleeman.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/what-is-linkedin-used-for/

http://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/what_stand_for_e.htm

http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/

https://www.linkedin.com/?trk=nav_lo