In this section you find: ·information on the European market ·relevant sectors ·information about European traders, importers and fairs ·European customer expectations ·samples of Asian style products sold in Europe ·information on European Chambers
EuroBali wants to also draw your attention to the differences in business culture if you deal with European Businesses:
EUROPEAND INDONESIA: DIFFERENT MARKET PLACES AND MARKETING APPROACHES
First of all the risk perception is very different if we compare Europeto Indonesia (what we call the country risk - political, commercial as well as financial). This is reflected in the ratings issued by the major international agencies.
The marketing of Indonesian products in foreign countries as well as of as a competitive country for foreign investment is nearly non-existent compared to the marketing efforts of the European countries abroad, whether it is by the Indonesian government itself or by private companies. The EUROBALI EXPORT NETWORK endeavours to bridge this marketing gap for Balinese products and to act as a hub for all Indonesian products on a long run.
Similarities and Differences in Business Culture between Europeans and Balinese
Regarding styles of negotiations, there are many similarities between Europeans and Indonesians (Balinese), because the SMEs play a major role in both countries and face problems with marketing and finance.
However, there is a mentality difference between Indonesian and European businessmen. Indonesians tend to be more casual and informal when compared to European businessmen who are more formal.
For Indonesians, relationships are important and the profit motive may not be the prime motive. For European businessmen, it is more clear cut and they do not normally mix relationship with business.
The business language used by businessmen from the two regions is also different. When Indonesian businessmen say for instance that there is no problem, the European businessmen understand by that, that there is really no problem. What that means often however, is that the problem has just begun, but the Indonesian businessmen believe that they can handle it.
Often negotiations have a short term aim of squeezing the maximum from the other partner as quickly as possible. The major difference between European and Indonesian companies is that once a European company says that you will get a product at a certain price at a certain time, you may be sure of getting a quality product according to specifications. There is a certain commitment by the European company. The higher prices in Europecover certain contingencies. The Indonesian party faces many infrastructural problems such as transporting the product and may not be able to deliver on time or according to specifications.
One main difference between Indonesian and European companies is the product quality (see in particular the EUROBALI handbook).
Finally, when there are legal claims of a commercial nature, the court outcome is much speedier in Europethan in Indonesia.
Learn about European BUSINESS Culture and Demands!
Indonesians (Balinese) have to make an effort to understand European culture. Indonesians should be on time for their appointments, they should be particular about their dress in Europeand not take these things lightly. They may be struck off the European businessman’s list because they are not as image conscious! A fundamental difference is that European businessmen are disciplined, while certain unprofessional Indonesians are careless in their dealings. The important issue is that there is a demand for different sorts of products from Bali! If you are able to understand the market and are willing to adapt to it, there are good profits to be made:
A European company which has promised to pay a bill would feel dishonoured if the bill is not paid and its representative may experience personal embarrassment if the bill is not paid on time. You may not need to remind the European company about the payment.
For European entrepreneurs, the first impression as well as the first deal are very important as it is a test case.
Unfortunately, there are only a few companies or families of entrepreneurs in (not the majority of them) who pay attention to the interest of both partners in the business transaction/ association. This is reflected in the low number of successful joint ventures in .
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS RELATIONS?
A major problem that attends bilateral business is the fact that many businessmen take a short term view. There are some companies who are just interested in selling (exporting) and sometimes just once. The long term view would consist of not merely concentrating on exports but of building and flourishing together. The EUROBALI EXPORT NETWORK therefore promotes the methods and practices of modern Customer Relationship Management (CRM) among Balinese SMEs. See for instance the training material of the EUROBALI EXPORT NETWORK on CRM on this website. Country Examples:
Be aware that there is no “one” European culture, as there is no “one” Indonesian culture. When talking to a company in Europe, one’s style has to be different from that when talking to a company in Indonesia. In general, there should be a lot of discussion and interaction before tying up with a potential partner.
THE AUSTRIAN EXAMPLE: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN BUSINESS CULTURE
The Austrian perception towards work is slightly more rigid than in Indonesia. The working hours are fixed and in general there is no deviation from that. In Austria, offices start work at around 8 or 9 a.m. in the general service industry, such as banking. The employees work till 12 noon and have half an hour or an hour break for lunch. They return to work at 1 p.m. and work up o 5 p.m. In the morning hours are used more efficiently than the afternoon hours.
Another major difference is regarding the opening hours in the retail sector. In Austria due to short working hours and a strong trade union, the hours when goods can be purchased are limited. In Indonesia (Bali), the retail outlets are open late in the evening and are hence more customer oriented.
Another striking difference is in labour costs. Labour costs in are much less than in Western countries. Industry in does not have comparable added costs like for holidays and insurances. In Austria, every employee has on a monthly basis insurance against unemployment, sickness, accidents, health insurance and pension. If one breaks up the monthly salary of an Austrian employee, on an average 55 per cent of it is net salary and 45 per cent consists of the extra costs that have to be borne and paid by the company. Thus, labour costs in are very high. This of course has become a major issue of discussion in since it effects ’s competitiveness in the global market.
Indonesia has a comparative advantage in this respect because it has a huge labour force, and in some sectors well educated people to contribute to the global market. This can be an indirect advantage to European companies.
If one examines the negotiation styles of Austrian and Indonesian businessmen, one can notice differences in retail business. In , the shopkeeper by law has to put a price tag on display on the product. This is a firm price. In , one would not see this in all retail shop.
Similar is the case for industrial products. In Austria, they have a firm price. In Indonesia, there is not much transparency. Even if one receives a proposal from an Indonesian company, it is always expected that the price is open to negotiation.
Basically, both Indonesia (Bali) and Austria have family run businesses. But in Austria they are managed more professionally. In Indonesia too, the trend now is for family businesses to be managed by professionals and this trend is growing.
The service consciousness of Indonesian (Balinese) companies compared to Austrian companies is rather low. Indonesian companies often do not consider “customer satisfaction” as an important business objective. When one enters a local store, one sometimes gets the impression that the customer is not welcome and is a cause of extra work to the shop employee.
Sometimes, for instance when a warranty is provided on a product, the retailer is not really bothered about enforcing it.
When it comes to payment terms in business, while Austrian businessmen would generally pay on time, there are times and occasions in Indonesians when Indonesian businessmen do not pay on time:
The major difference between Austrian and Indonesian businessmen is that if businessmen want to get a thing done immediately and normally tend to deliver goods on time. In Indonesia many factors can come in the way of a prompt delivery. There are many festivals and holidays in Indonesia, problems of power supply and other infrastructural problems which may delay manufacture and delivery of a product.
THE ITALIAN EXAMPLE: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES IN BUSINESS CULTURE
The greatest similarity between Indonesian and Italian businesses, especially among SMEs is that they are family owned.
Italian SMEs are however quick to adapt to new market conditions and are very creative and innovative so that they are able to align themselves to the emerging market scenario. Indonesian businesses need to enhance their capacity to respond to market realities.
As business negotiations are often conducted by professionals, there is not much difference between Indonesian and Italian approaches. For very small businesses in Indonesia (Bali), this is however, not the case and negotiations are done and decisions are taken by the owner entrepreneurs themselves. The EUROBALI EXPORT NETWORK helps to overcome this disadvantage by advising the owners and thus facilitating the negotiations and business contacts.
Consumer markets in Italy are more evolved than Indonesian markets in the way they are organised. With globalisation the Indonesian consumer market is moving fast towards better standardisation and organisation.
One difference between Indonesian (Balinese) and Italian businessmen is that Italian businessmen tend to see a problem in a certain definite way. In Indonesia businessmen need to see a problem from several different perspectives, because of the complexities of legal and other requirements to be complied with. This difference in approach is reflected in the style of negotiations.
A common complaint of Italian businessmen is that it is difficult to know from Indonesian businessmen whether they have taken a decision or not, until the last stage is arrived at and things are given in black and white. They often express the feeling that though during the negotiations, the Indonesian businessmen appear to be agreeing with their foreign counterparts, this agreement cannot be taken for granted, until the contact is signed, sealed and delivered.