EDITORIALFEATURE
Doing Business with
the Indonesian Culture
By Ludmila (Mila) Rusakova Golovine
I
f one were looking for an up-and-coming country with which
to do business, Indonesia would definitely be on the short list.
Having the 16th largest economy in the world with a yearly
growth rate of six percent since 2004, Indonesia is one of the
most rapidly developing countries on the planet. This situation
will offer tremendous opportunities to those savvy enough to
recognize them. Nevertheless, in order to be successful, one
must be able to interact with Indonesians in a culturally appropriate manner.
Indonesia is one of the most diverse countries in the world. It
has 17,000 islands and hundreds of different ethnic groups speaking various languages. Consequently, there is no single Indonesian
culture. That said, the Javanese culture has long dominated the
island chain. In addition, Bahasa Indonesia, a modified form of
Malay, has become the official language in an effort to improve
communication across the country. Therefore, one can glean
some basic characteristics from the culture.
Just as there are many ethnic groups in Indonesia, there are
many religions as well. Although the country is predominantly
Muslim (the most populous Muslim country on Earth), there are
still quite a few Buddhists, Hindus, and Christians. Therefore, you
must be extra cautious in your behavior so as not to offend. For
example, should you intend to give a small gift to your Indonesian
counterpart, you should not give anything derived from alcohol if
he/she is a Muslim since alcohol is strictly forbidden in Isla K