Esteemed Magazines August-September 2009 | Seite 3

Business Principles
The African continent is a land of
great opportunity. Only knowledge, tremendous work ethic, positive attitude, self confidence and a desire to succeed, goodwill, persistence, perseverance and determination will
bring forth rewards.
Bottom line, international business
success begins with an attitude of acceptance.
Acceptance for a whole combination of things
that we will be addressing in the ensuing paragraph.
As more and more companies go
global, astute businesspeople are finding that
knowledge about other countries' cultures and
customs can enhance their working relationships--and thereby affect their businesses'
bottom line
A Spirit of Acceptance
The key to insuring smooth international relationships, lies in cultivating an open-minded
spirit of acceptance towards other people and
cultures. Acceptance and appreciation for
other cultures requires willingness to explore
and cooperate. This can lead to strengthening,
appreciation and acceptance. There need not
be loss of identity or compromised values.
Research and Training Pay Off
When the Thom McAn Company tried to sell
footwear in Bangladesh, a riot ensued, injuring
over 50 people. The company's executives

had not known that Thom McAn's signature,
printed inside the shoes resembled the Arabic
script for "Allah." Outraged Muslims concluded
that shoe manufacturers were trying to get
Bangladeshis to desecrate the name of God by
walking on His name-a double insult because
the foot is considered unclean in their country.
Had Thom McAn executives expended the
effort to learn more about the culture to which
they were marketing their products, they could
have saved the time and money required later
to polish up their image and