CHARLIES FORMAL CLOTHING

International
Business Venture
Expanding the Company Beyond
Australia
Mitchell Spreadborough

Year 12 Business Communications and Technology

Hello and welcome. Todays presentation will be discussing the future

plans for our local business, Charlies Formal Clothing. Currently, the
company is performing to an above average standard. Profits are up and
business is solid with no signs of trouble in the near future. The company
has become the leading distributer of formal apparel in the hometown of
Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia. Due to this increase in profits and
reputation, the company is deciding to venture forth on to new horizons.
The way the company is planning on doing this is through expanding on to
the international market. This presentation is going to compare two of the
international options that Charlies Formal Clothing has considered. These
being either Japan or England. Multiple issues will need to be considered
for doing something this substantial. These things include:

Time Zones
Official Language
Social behaviours and guidelines
Religion and Religious celebrations
Government, and Economic climate

In the business world, time is a very important element in just about

everything. Whether it be deadlines having to be met, timing for
conferences, or even being on time for meeting any potential or current
clients. So with time playing such an important part in effectively running
a business, it must be considered for the overall decision on which country
would be most beneficial for expanding to. In Japans case, their time is
only an hour behind Charlies Formal Clothing local time. This is an ideal
situation as it makes any conference calls or meetings etc. a lot easier. In
England however, their time is 10 hours behind Queensland local time.
Unfortunately this makes it very difficult to organise many meetings or
calls between the two countries. The only way of getting around this
would be to organise the calls late in Australia, so that they are early in
England.
Another important factor in this business venture is the communication
between countries. Right away, this is obviously a big part of the decision
making process. Japan speaks an entirely different language to Australia
and England. Therefore this makes England the preferred country in this
aspect. The reason this decision is so obvious, is because of the hassle
that is required in cross language communication. Both countries either
have to hire employees that can speak both languages, or outsource and
bring in third party translators. Not only does this cost the business
money, but it is also time consuming and can waste precious time that
could be used talking and discussing many various topics.
Furthermore, social behaviours and guidelines are also a necessary topic
to be discussed and compared. Japans culture is quite a bit different to
Australian and also English culture. England and Australia tend to be very

similar in their formalities and dress, where Japan is very unique in theirs.
Some examples of this include:

Bowing to greet one another

The exchanging of business cards is held in a very high standard
It is often required to where slip on shoes indoors
It is considered rude or offensive for women to wear pants in
business situations
Pointing is unacceptable
Smiling can be interpreted as displeasure in some cases

These are only a small few examples of how Japanese social behaviours
differ from the Australian and English. If business communications were to
occur between Australia and Japan, it is essential to remember what is
appropriate and what is not. This also applies to the clothing that will be
sold in Japan. Japanese women are expected to wear minimal accessories
and appear very conservative. They are also not allowed to wear highheeled shoes so that they can avoid towering over Japanese men. In
Australia and England these are not big issues, but in Japan, special
considerations have to be made.
Regarding religion in countries, there are not many considerations that
have to be made to accommodate the needs of religious followers. The
dominant religion in England is Christianity, which is also the dominant
religion in Australia. Japans national religion is Shinto. Fortunately for both
religions, there are no requirements or special rules to follow regarding
the communication between countries. Christianity is a religion that is
very non-invasive and religious gatherings such as churches, are on
Sundays. Sundays in many cases are non-business days so there is no
way that that can impact the business. The same goes for Shinto. There
are no formal requirements in communication between the two parties.
Shinto followers often simply visit shrines and pay their respects. This is
also done in free time so ultimately religion is not a big issue in the
expansion of Charlies Formal Clothing to other countries.
The final comparison to be made is of the different Political and
Economical situations in the respective countries. Australia is run by a
single Prime Minister that is elected by Australian citizens. This is a
democratic format. Japans Government is a Constitutional Monarchy. This
Government is divided into three branches: the Executive branch, the
Legislative branch and the Judicial branch. Japan has an Emperor but he
has no real say in anything regarding running the country. That is all done
by the Prime Minister that is appointed by the Emperor. Even though the
Emperor is the one to appoint the Prime Minister, it is the Diet that
designates the person for the position. The National Diet is part of the
Executive branch of the Japanese government. Englands government is
also a Constitutional Monarchy but there are many things that are

different. It is known as Her Majestys Government and is also led by a

Prime Minister. There are two branches in British Government. These are
the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. The House of Commons
is elected by the citizens and the House of Lords members are appointed
by the Queen. Similarly to the Japanese Emperor, the English Queen has
no real power in the country as their governments do all the work. This
concludes that no matter where Charlies Formal Clothing ends up, the
political situation is almost completely the same. On the Economic side,
currently 1 Japanese Yen is worth AU$0.011, and 1 English Pound Sterling
is worthAU$2.00. This will have to be taken into consideration with any
prices of clothing etc.
Based on the comparisons that have been made over the course of this
presentation, considering the time zones, official language, social
etiquette, religious status, and political and economical situations of the
countries in question, it can be concluded that Japan would be a suitable
location to expand to. The biggest factor in coming to this decision is time.
Time is of the upmost importance and Japan is in a very convenient place
relative to Australia regarding time zones. As previously mentioned
however, communication between the countries may turn out to be a
hassle in some situations, but that will have to be a small sacrifice to
make in the grand scheme of things. As long as all matters of importance,
such as communication, are attended to, there can be close to no
negative effects on Charlies Formal Clothing for committing to this move.
Charlies Formal Clothing has decided to expand to Japan in the near
future as it is a more convenient option than moving to England. While
most things that were considered are the same in both countries, the
main issues are time and communication. England has easier
communication as Australians have a very similar social system to them
while Japan is very different. On the other hand, England is in a very
different time zone to Australia and Japan. 10 hours difference between
Australia and England is a long time considering business hours usually
range from 7-9 hours and conference calls would require special
commitments from staff to stay late. Japan is only an hour behind
Australian Eastern time therefore any calls that need to be made would be
extremely conveniently timed. On conclusion, the two countries in
question have been thoroughly compared and a decision has been made
that Japan would be the best choice for Charlies Formal Clothing to
expand to. Having another store will increase the companys profits, and
Japan is the most suitable location for a new store to be located. Thank
you for listening.

Bibliography

http://media.berlinschools.org/~dbosso/japan/customs.htm

http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/japan.htm

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2056.html

http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/government/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Japan

http://www.england.mu/articles/england-form-government.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_the_United_Kingdom