What do you want to become when you are older? – That typical question you get asked as a kid. My answer? Something with languages…. When I graduated from High School, that “something with languages” transformed into a University study program of International Business and Management Studies with major in Asian Business Studies. But where can a degree in this field lead to?
In an ever-changing global business and economic environment, knowledge in business from an international perspective is vital for ambitions to work across international boundaries and cultures. In order to achieve sustainable global business development, business professionals often must find ways of adapting to the cultures and societies within which they operate and conduct business.
With huge growth opportunities created by the emerging middle class of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), many companies in the developed world are stepping in to provide goods and services to those countries’ consumers, and business development professionals provide the necessary legal, financial, and cultural bridges between supplier and consumer.
This perception is also part of P&L Global´s concept. As the globalisation of economies, societies, and cultures continues, and nations become more integrated through networks of exchange, international business development and global strategic management continues to evolve.
Professionals who work in international business development must acquire specific skills relating to the countries where they operate. This includes understanding the economy, history, culture, laws, business practices and trade patterns of the target country. Knowing this, P&L Global is aware of the importance in the international business development and global strategic management industry – a specialized field of commerce that penetrates existing markets, and often creates new ones, by introducing new products and services to businesses, individuals, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.
P&L Global´s international business development professionals therefore have knowledge of the legalities of strategic relationships, licensing, partnering, intellectual property, emerging technologies, fair practices, cultural differences, international marketing, information management, knowledge management, finance, and advertising, all of which affect business development within a culture and its economy.
So how did I eventually become an international business development consultant at P&L Global in Spain? Well, the entire story would go beyond the scope of this blogpost. My tutor at university told me once: “Josie, you represent the international vision of our educational institution to its finest. As a German student at a university in the Netherlands, you write your final graduation thesis on the product entrance to the Chinese market for a Spanish company.”
What then is the outline of this comment? That we should all be focusing on 4 – 5 countries /languages to be experts in? By far not to this extreme. However, a healthy spotlight on distinctive markets and its cultures seems to be essential in today´s global world – and is definitely the case in P&L Global´s multicultural team.
Coming up: my extensive experience in Asia. Especially China. Why did I decide to focus on this contient as business opportunity? Did I manage to learn the language? How did I get along in this contrasting culture? – Read more on this in my next blogpost.
Josephine Brauner – International Business Development Consultant at P&L Global
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