Business Card Etiquette
When doing business abroad it is important to understand the local culture. Culture includes areas such as a country’s norms, values, behaviours, food, architecture, fashion and art. However, one area of culture that is important for the international business person is etiquette. Understanding business etiquette allows you to feel comfortable in your dealings with foreign friends, colleagues, customers or clients. Knowing what to do and say in the right places will help build trust and open lines of communication. One aspect of etiquette that is of great importance internationally is the exchanging of business cards. Unlike in North America or Europe where the business card has little meaning other than a convenient form of capturing essential personal details, in other parts of the world the business card has very different meanings. For example, in Japan the business card is viewed as a representation of the owner. Therefore proper business etiquette demands one treats the business card with respect and honour. Below we have provided you with a few examples of international business card exchange etiquette that may help you on your business trips abroad. General Business Card Etiquette Tips: o Business cards are an internationally recognised means of presenting personal contact details, so ensure you have a plentiful supply.
o Demonstrating good business etiquette is merely a means of presenting yourself as best you can. Failure to adhere to foreign business etiquette does not always have disastrous consequences.
o When travelling abroad for business it is advisable to have one side of your business card translated into the appropriate language.
o Business cards are generally exchanged at the beginning of or at the end of an initial meeting.
o Good business etiquette requires you present the card so the recipient’s language is face up.
o Make a point of studying any business card, commenting on it and clarifying information before putting it away. Business Card Etiquette in China o Have one side of your business card translated into Chinese using simplified Chinese characters that are printed in gold ink since gold is an auspicious colour.
o Ensure the translation is carried out into the appropriate Chinese dialect, i.e. Cantonese or Mandarin.
o Your business card should include your title. If your company is the oldest or largest in your country, that fact should be highlighted on your card.
o Hold the card in both hands when offering it.
o Never write on someone’s card unless so directed. Business Card Etiquette in India o If you have a university degree or any honour, put it on your business card.
o Always use the right hand to give and receive business cards.
o Business cards need not be translated into Hindi as English is widely spoken within the business community. Business Card Etiquette in Japan o Business cards are exchanged with great ceremony.
Business Intelligence
As business intelligence moves into the computer age, corporate dashboards are becoming a necessity in business intelligence technology. Although business intelligence has used corporate dashboards for years, their popularity has increased greatly due to the change and advancement in the technology used. However, with the great amount of information available, there are some key design issues to consider if you want to use corporate dashboards for your business intelligence.
If you want to design an effective corporate dashboard for your business intelligence technology, you will need to decide on some design goals. You will need to think about the function and look of your corporate dashboard as it relates to the type of business intelligence you are trying to put together. Some corporate dashboards are flashy reports and others are more like strategic scorecards. Other corporate dashboards are used for business intelligence that is more tactical, using relevant and actionable data. Your corporate dashboard will need an efficient design that fits the business intelligence role.
There are two essentials to understanding how to build a corporate dashboard for business intelligence, metrics and key performance indicators. Metrics are direct numerical measures to represent certain types of business intelligence in the relationship of at least one dimension. For instance, you could take the metric of gross sales and show it by day or week in the financial quarter. The business intelligence can be shown in your corporate dashboard in both a dynamic and static way to use various types of analysis of the business intelligence.
Business Grants for Women
Many women in business find that in order to meet their business’ financial needs, they turn to searching out a loan source. Business loans for women are widely available through the Small Business Administration and a variety of other sources such as banks, credit unions and other financial institutions. Loans, however, are not the only source for financing. In some instances, business grants for women are available.
Business grants for women are a wonderful option for some women in business. Grants are an excellent source of funding because grants are not repaid. The funding is provided through government resources that have been budgeted for specific needs in our national community. Anyone is open to apply, so business grants for women are available to anyone regardless of gender, race, religion, or background.
The downside of grants is that business grants for women are not widely available. Rather, business grants for women are available only to select businesses and under very strict circumstances, mostly for research or development. Technologically-focused businesses, for example, will find it much easier to qualify for a grant than a craft or retail business. Still, because the money is readily available, even if your business is retail oriented, it may be of benefit to check into business grants for women available for various resources that could assist you in your business.