Why Many Facilitators Fail With a Crude Oil Business

Facilitators are present in most of the trading businesses and also have proven their worth for centuries. Facilitators perform certain important functions in a trade cycle so that it functions smoothly. Often they are aware of the best deals in the market and can help someone new in the business to survive and consolidate. However facilitator requirements for crude oil trading business are more advanced and unique. Crude Oil business has high stakes, involved both in terms of monetary requirements and incidental losses due to non compliance of sale deed. This nature of business requires more mature approach on part of the Facilitators of agents involved in this business. We will further study a few important reasons why facilitators involved in this business are not able to do well.

Lack of Experience and knowledge: Many people are attracted into this business because of kind of money one can earn on account of successful deals. Many agents fail to understand that requirements to succeed in this business are very demanding. Only those who have years of hands on experience and through knowledge of the industry can strive to do well as middle-men. Anyone thinking of making quick bucks getting involved with crude oil business may not do that well.

Many middlemen getting involved: Often it is observed number of middlemen get involved in a single deal and all of them have their own interest to protect. Often main focus of their business is changed from ensuring a smooth deal to protecting their own share of fee or commission. Also as the saying goes "too many cooks spoil the broth", too many middle men getting involved in the deal often creates confusion and focus is lost.

Working without a legal Mandate: It is very important in order to succeed as an agent in oil trading business one must have clear mandate from either a genuine buyer or genuine seller. This mandate may be non-exclusive in nature but still having a mandate will mean that you have at least one strong end. Your efforts will be better rewarded only in the where you will have this mandate otherwise your jobs becomes very difficult and changes of success very dim.

Clarity with Buying and Selling Procedures: The agents must be well aware of all the procedures involved in sale of crude. Lack of knowledge or clarity in these procedures can create serious problems and can cause a deal in making to fizzle out.

The Author has more than 10 years of International Market Development and Advisory experience, focused on new deals, company image and productive partnerships. Track record of contributing in start-up business units and divisions with developing accounts and organizing sales and marketing campaigns in different global markets. Click to know more about Crude Oil and Crude Oil Trading

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=R_Ambardar

Mattel's Barbie - A Great Case for Doing Business in China the Right Way

What could go wrong? You've got an enormous growing consumer sector, the world's largest economy and the world's best known doll. Well as it turns out everything can go wrong. Mattel is another high flying victim of failing to understand China before jumping in and assuming they'd make enormous amounts of money easily.

They've just announced the closure of their flagship Shanghai store a six storey heaven (or hell) of pinkness. A Barbie bar and a staircase embedded with over 875 of the dolls themselves couldn't save the brand here.

So what went wrong?

Mattel's biggest mistake was assuming that because the brand is well known in the West it would automatically be well known in China. In fact by and large Chinese people don't know much about Western brands at all, excluding clothing and cars that is. So given a wealth of locally made much cheaper equivalent products, the Chinese voted with their wallets.

The country's little girls simply didn't care about Barbie and why would they? Barbie's blond hair and blue eyes may reflect the archetypal American teen but it's not really a reflection of China's realities is it?

To compound their error the company decided to launch in Shanghai, one of the country's Tier 1 cities, a mistake that no Chinese retailer would make. It's well known that local companies don't test market in the highest visibility locations for a reason. Firstly they're expensive and secondly failure in these positions would be seen as a drastic "loss of face".

Smart retailers test market in Tier 2 cities, and not usually regional capitals but those cities that fall in the grey area around them. It's much lower cost strategy because rents are cheap and there are decent incentives to open businesses in these cities. They also have their fair share of high and low income families, who can give feedback (with their wallets) on a new range before making a high profile song and dance about it.

The keys to doing successful business in China

Market Research - it seems astonishing at how little research major retailers are putting into their market entry strategies. Without engaging with the Chinese consumer how can Western companies even hope to be successful? Consumer spending habits are very different as is brand recognition. The culture of the country is such that the "big bang" style launch may well be perceived as "boasting" rather than the intended "here we are" too.

Test Markets - There's way too much focus on Beijing and Shanghai and not enough understanding that there's an enormous number of other cities that are far less visible to gauge the market. No major Chinese brand starts off in these cities, they head to the more obscure Tier 2 cities make sure they have their formula right and then move up. There's a huge wave of Chinese brands making their way up through these easier to access markets now, and soon they'll be competing head to head with Western brands in Tier 1 cities on equal terms.

Mattel will be back in China, there's no doubt that the pull of the biggest consumer market in the world is too much to resist. Let's hope they do their groundwork properly this time.

Get To Know All About Setting Up A Business In Dubai

Many of my friends, family, feel that this is a confusing topic. I'm sure you too have one or 2 questions or you would not be going through this discussion.

My concept is to provide a bird's eye view of the present economic scenario of Dubai that leads to the questions WHAT, WHY, and HOW; this is due to the fact that by asking the questions WHAT and WHY, the big question of HOW will be answered.

By the time you're done reading this I hope to have addressed your query of "how to set up a business in Dubai". I would feel happy if 1 or 2 points which you did not know before is adopted by you regarding starting an organization in Dubai.

This observation commences with the reason behind the desirability quotient of individuals to start doing business in Dubai. There is not one single reason for this but rather a mixture of many.

Freehold Zones

Foreigners are allowed to make investments in property in freehold zones, due to the fact that these areas are designated by the Dubai government (typically you are not permitted to own property in Dubai).

These are also areas where businesses aren't taxed on corporate income. Payroll taxes also do not apply.

The economic miracle of Dubai has been built on free trade and relaxed tariff laws, and the designation of freehold zones have encouraged MNCs to set up a presence in Dubai.

The rules and regulations for the small businesses are no different from the other businesses.

In my estimation, the foremost advantage the freehold zone concept provides you is the exemption from having a local business partner who has the ownership of no less than 51% of your business (keep reading below).

Labor Arbitrage

As of early 2008, there aren't any minimum wage laws in Dubai. Labor is really cost effective in Dubai since workers from nearby nations such as India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan usually head to Dubai to seek work and a better life-style for their families. These workers do not get paid much. The arrival of these persons is facilitated, more often than not, by the recruiting branch of the numerous corporations in Dubai.

Excellent Geographical Location

Due to the distinctive geographical location of Dubai on the Arabian peninsula, the port city of Dubai attracted a lot of merchants, entrepreneurs, and daily wage laborers establishing Dubai as a hub of finance and commerce. The petroleum sector is responsible for less than 7% of the annual GDP of Dubai. Rather, its central geographical location near water has made it a premier destination for trade.

In order to conduct business, several merchants from the continents of Europe and Asia arrive and convene at the numerous ports in Dubai. Foreign merchants find trading in Dubai even more attractive due to the relaxed trade and tariff laws of the emirate of Dubai. All the people involved in this emerge victorious.

Due to these benefits Dubai is a really good place to start a business for many entrepreneurs and even international companies. Being a multi-national, you want your corporation to be near your vendors and customers. If everyone is establishing a presence in Dubai, it becomes difficult for you not to. You may just lose your position in the industry you play in.

You want to be close to people and businesses which you frequently deal with. You want to be at the forefront so that you're always ready to wholeheartedly welcome any opportunity which knocks the door.

And perhaps the most underestimated reason is that local businesses and individuals prefer to work with companies that are established locally. Building personal relationships is really important in such cultures, and that involves the sense of sight and touch. You should be there for that to happen!

Business Licenses

Any person requires an operating license for the business activity done by their company in order to own a business concern in Dubai. The three general types of business licenses you could apply for are as follows:

* Professional License - for organizations engaging in professional services

* Commercial License - for corporations engaging in import/export trading

* Industrial License - for companies looking to establish manufacturing operations

The economic department of Dubai, an institution founded for the lone objective of managing, governing and monitoring economic activity, offers these business licenses. The general application process is similar for each; however each license application has its own nuances.

For instance, the department may require that you obtain a guarantee from a local bank in Dubai, if your company is involved in trading or certain services. For any kind of business to be established in Dubai, the Chamber of Commerce should recognize it and provide registration. Similarly, there are several other significant things to understand to be able to successfully set up a business in Dubai.

The 7 types of business entities you can form in Dubai:

* Public Company (Traded in the Stock Exchange)

* Private Company (Not required to disclose publicly)

* Joint Venture Company (JV)

* Limited liability Company (LLC)

* General Partnership

* Partnership-en-commendams

* Share Partnership Company

LLC has always been my personal favorite. I have multiple LLC registered at the time I'm writing this discussion. I find them to be the most flexible. At the same time I get the liability protection from separation of business from personal assets.

My suggestion is that even you select to go for an LLC. You will not be alone if you decide to found a limited liability company in Dubai. Many successful companies in Dubai which have been in existence for a while are LLCs. It's the number one choice of business entity.

If you're used to the western business laws, there are a few crucial things you must know regarding an LLC in Dubai. A minimum of two individual shareholders are required for your LLC. You can have as many as 50 (somewhat similar to an S Corporation in the United States).

In order to establish an LLC, there is even a minimum capitalization requirement. As of 2008 this number is about 300,000 Dirham or just around $80,000 USD. You can have this in either cash or capital assets.

The Dubai Information Site is a website on Dubai City put together from a practical and first-hand perspective. The site covers information about Business in Dubai, sightseeing, jobs, sports, flights, hotels, weather, visa information, tourism, holidays, history and more. Dubai-Information-Site.com is your guide to fresh, practical and first-hand information about Dubai City.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kish_S

Building a Business Overseas

Sometimes you need to go elsewhere to find that breakthrough in your business. This is more common when your business has come to a point where you have sold your product to every possible prospect. These prospects in an area eventually dry up some time.

When the well dries up, the only option is to look for other sources. The next thing you might need to do is start a business in a different area. Other geographical reason may be as close as the next block but sometimes to really diversify you customer base and take advantage of a new prospect stream, you need to go across seas.

Although it is hard work, starting a business overseas has certain advantages to it. For one thing, it adds prestige to your company because you can now accurately call your company a multinational company. Some of the benefits of having a multinational company include getting the best talent to work for you. Having a company that operates in more than one country gives your employee the chance to visit other countries. As such, more people would like to work for you.

The fact that your company is working overseas also gives you continuous income even if there is a catastrophe. Your business will still have sales even if there is an economic collapse in the country. You can still continue to sell overseas despite having no customers in your home location.

Then, of course there is the obvious benefit of getting more customers. Selling overseas is all about the customers. Just like any business, someone needs to buy your goods, whether actual products or services. Building a business overseas is always about selling more of your product to more people.

You have several options when you want to start a business in another region or country. One of the simplest ways is to buy an existing business there. Doing so eliminates the need for introduction of the product as well as time consuming paperwork.

The downside to buying a business overseas is that it is very expensive. Furthermore, the businesses that you buy already have a system of their own in place which might not cater to your needs as an entrepreneur on the go.

The next option is to start a new one from the ground up. If you think buying an existing business was expensive, you will be astounded as to how much more this will cost. However, you do have free reign to do whatever you want and implement what you need. Freedom like that usually cost a great deal of money.

If you are on a budget, there are cheaper ways to build a business. You can start selling your goods through other more established companies via consignment. They would just then need to agree on the commissions the seller gets. Another way to sell through another company is by renting out shelf space. Renting out shelf space lets you keep all the profits but it increases your overhead on top of the shipping costs.

Another cheap alternative for building a business overseas is to sell your goods online. You can keep better track of your inventory because you can just ship out products when you have a sale. Furthermore, it is a good way to sell because you get to control your costs. The only problem with this is whether your product will move well in an online setting.

China's Latest 5 Year Plan - Opportunities and Threats for Business in the Region

The key to the latest (12th) 5 year plan is the reduction in the target for economic growth for China. It's been reined in again to 7% underlying government concerns that runaway growth is causing damage to the stability of Chinese society. Optimists have already noted that this long-term reduction of targets hasn't actually prevented the country from exceeding those targets anyway.

However while this may be true in the short-term there are some serious warning signs on the horizon.

The World's Manufacturer

China may have succeeded in becoming the factory and production base for the world, but this success has impacted on local wages. In fact Chinese workers have benefited from massive wage inflation over the last few years, and while this may not seem substantial to their counterparts in the west, locals are now among the best paid in the region.

Which is not good news for the low-end "pile it high, sell it cheap" producers. It's likely that over the next 5 years China will start to lose this business, as it becomes cheaper to use other countries in the region for unskilled labour and other emerging states like Bangladesh.

Food and Housing Costs

There's also going to be some serious inflation of the cost of basic resources, with China facing its worst drought in 60 years it's very likely that basic staple foods are going to increase dramatically in price. This means that the internal economy which is already fragile compared to developed nations may be at risk as more of a worker's budget goes on necessities than ever before.

To make matters worse rents and costs of ownership in China for housing are also spiralling upwards, with an unending pressure for rural workers to be able to migrate to cities this isn't likely to slow down any time soon. And again this takes money away from the internal economy.

So where are the opportunities?

China is now faced with similar problems to Japan in the 70's. And similar solutions may enable China to make the final move to world economic giant.

Quality Industries and High Tech

Japan pulled itself out of economic stagnation by moving the economic focus from cheap mass produced products to high quality production. China must now have its own "Kaizen" or "TQM" style revolution by building on what is now a semi-skilled production base and enabling it to become highly skilled. This will justify the increased wages and ensure greater profit margins in the future, and make the economy better positioned for the inevitable exodus of low end manufacturing.

While Japan completed its quality revolution before moving on to become a high technology provider, China will almost certainly have to undergo this in parallel. With enormous investment earmarked for new and existing technologies that are perceived as high value. The challenges will include turning the "new energy" sector into a viable, reliable and cost-efficient alternative to existing fuels. Ensuring that China's automotive sector becomes an efficient exporter to match the successes it has had within its own borders. And making better use of fossil fuels which are an essential part of continuing growth until such a time as new energy can take up the slack, particularly in terms of implementing low power technologies such as LED in new city developments.

The Internal Economy

The other massive opportunity in China comes from enabling the Chinese to spend more at home. This is hugely problematic at the moment; locals tend to save much more than their Western equivalents despite much lower wages. They do this because there is no safety net built in their system, no health care, no state support or pensions for the elderly, etc.

But there is also a focus on buying cheap non-sustainable products with no service and support. This is an area that offers huge growth potential in transforming purchasing habits to high quality and high service products. It's not without risk as Best Buy discovered recently but it is a key to bringing cash flow to the economy.

There's much more to the 5 year plan than a headline rate for growth, but even that simple figure offers enormous opportunity to those willing to seize the day and work with China to bring sustained success.

Interview With Sebastian Guerrini, Owner of Guerrini Design Island, About China Business

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Sebastian Guerrini; who were gracious enough to provide readers of the China Business Connect (China Business Connect it is effective trainings, step-by-step guides, reports, case studies about business with China). Sebastian owner of Guerrini Design Island, which is a communication and design studio that uses an effective and personal approach to create brands worldwide, achieving this added value by bringing new areas of knowledge to the act of design.

His specialties: Brand design, image and identity, political campaign, advertising, image advisor, visual communication, logo design, propaganda design, NGO branding, Institutional branding and communications

China Business Connect: Why does the business partnership with China is of interest to you (your company)? Is this interest to work with the Chinese business potential or real?

It is real because I love Chinese culture and traditions. However I found difficult to consider China as the center of my activity. That is because my marketing strategy is based on having clients which accept my budgets, and my experience with China is that most of Chinese companies are rejecting to pay what I consider my work deserve. In that sense, it is profitable for me to work with companies from Germany or Italy rather than from China.

About the particularity of Chinese culture, I didn't find problem to approach it. Then, my doubts are just related to my fees.

CBC: How special, according to your point of view, is the business with China (shipment of goods, logistics, quality control of the production etc)?

According to my activity of brand, logo, web and all sort of graphic and digital design, I have no problem or limitation because files are sent by Internet. On the other hand, for me, the understanding of the identity, aims and commercial strategies of Chinese companies is not different than other ones. That is because I developed methodologies that help me so much to face these circumstances

CBC: What prospects of the business with China do you see in whole for your company?

In fact, all related to China can be connected to my business: not only the internationalization of the image and identity of their companies, but also the development of their products communication, design of web-pages based on international criteria's, etc.. In addition, I believe China requires the improvement of the institutional communication of their cities, towns and state, especially if they are willing to encourage their image for getting visitors and for improving their political perception abroad.

CBC: How do you assess the current state of being in the know and the level of knowledge according to the different aspects of vision of business with China? How important and necessary is it for your and for your company? What do you think would your customers say on this question? What do your customers think about the "made-in-China" goods?

China is now in the focus of the world, then I don't think the gap between reality and perception is so wide. Nevertheless, it is not so simple to get in touch with managers or owner of their companies because there is not an accessible business center or forum, where to be personally in contact with them.

CBC: Business education, variable seminars, courses and trainings are extremely popular nowadays. To what extent the specificity of doing business with China should be studied by the managers?

They are all valid alternatives. My experience is that the best way to learn is to be within the market. That's mean to talk, travel, share and understand their logic. Even tough I have a PhD (so I am respectful about academic studies); I strongly believe that the best way to understand each part is to start to talk.

CBC: Does the staff factor inside the company important when building the relations with China? Is it enough to manage with the only representative or intermediary which specialization is making business with China?

I think it can be a problem. I work with issues of identities, and therefore I am always looking to be in touch with the one who publically represents this identity. It can be the owner of the company or the Mayor of a city, because in many cases marketing responsible or managers have no really power to know and to introduce any change. In the Chinese case, my experience is that in many cases, the translator seems to be converted in a mediator between the CEO and me and that can be a problem. The ideal case is when the responsible of the company and you, can both speak in the same language.

CBC: What do you think will help to minimize the various risks arising when doing business with the Chinese companies?

All depends on the activity. About mine, I found that is good to talk and to see the client face to face, by using a system as Skype. That is because prejudices are diminished if you see and decodes all related information of your client. Thus, suddenly you are now not talking with a Chinese, but with a person who is willing to do business with you. A person that has pressures and fears like you and that is looking certainty to concrete the business, such as like you. We have to remember that if we have no concrete information about the other person we are dealing with, the myth about Chinese people will talk in the name of him/her, something not proper in good human interpersonal relationships.

CBC: The CEO of the company and the majority of the managers do not possess the required amount of the special knowledge on this problem. How can they solve the problem of communication with the Chinese business?

The same than with the CEO of other country: just talking. The solution is based on the understanding of the problems.

CBC: And the last question. What would you like to tell to our audience?

Nothing more than what I tried to express: we are all human being, nationalities and cultures are human creations that have to be interpreted to do business and to be a better person.

Business Project - Four of Its Important Aspects for Chinese Investors

In order to be ready to present own project or communicate with Chinese investors, a foreign manager should to identify those objects and directions, which could be interesting for Chinese. It is important to know such directions not only to build successful communication with Chinese businessmen and attract their attention, but also to correct projects and accents of the projects during presentation.

One of such directions is that things, what have one Chinese, another one should also have. That means, that something, that is interesting for a Chinese, will be also interesting for other Chinese. This principle is about not only things, but also about ideology of business. For instance, if we look on Chinese business, we can mention, that there are similar directions in different areas, such as product realization, business negotiations, advertising and promotion.

The same principle is applied to investors. For example, that, what is interesting for big investors, will be interesting for small investment companies. Knowledge about this principle could help foreign manager to build mirror strategy according strategy of Chinese investor and, thus, to propose own project as interesting. There are four key aspects, which are important for Chinese businessmen.

The first aspect is that, Chinese develop accurate international strategy, when they build own investment policy. Therefore a foreign manager should present his project as potentially international. Moreover, he needs to appoint on the size of the project, otherwise Chinese manager will evaluate it himself and will offer an amount of money according his vision and attitude.

The second aspect is preparation of resources for goal achievement. During presentation, it is possible to note, what kind of resources own company has, for example, administration, commercial, technical resources. In addition, it should be shown, what share of them the general manager is ready to use. It is also necessary to give Chinese investors to understand, that the main activities referring to the project were fulfilled and resources are activated. Some recommendation and reference letters could be provided as a prove of readiness to the next steps and that serious work has been done. Furthermore, if company received such recommendations from other Chinese firm, this will become a way to built correctly "Guanxi", net of business connections.

The third aspect is research of target markets. It is understandable, that Chinese don't know all narrow moments of market and specifics of foreign business. Therefore foreign manager should demonstrate results of made research of customer segments, instead of short information, that promotion and trades will be realized at the growing market.

The forth aspect is control and project management. As the majority of Chinese businessmen are educated in European or American Universities, it is obligatory to make accents on systems of project management and quality control. They pay attention to such points. Chinese also want to see financial and efficiency indexes. It is recommended to include them to business project presentation.

To conclude, the main principle, which could be used by a foreign manager is principle of imitation, as Chinese find interesting, those things, which are interesting for other Chinese. Therefore experienced manager should take into consideration four aspects during project presentations, which will do his project similar to Chinese projects. Such mirror strategy could be accepted as a way, how to become interesting and attract attention of Chinese investors.

Cultural Codes for Doing Business in China

One cultural value that is always strongly linked to Chinese people is the concept of 'face' (lian), which is associated with numerous courtesy conducts, aiming not to undermine one's honor, one's face. Respecting the wise and the elder, not exposing one's questionable deeds in front of others, showing respect and giving compliments to the person you are dealing with - Are all manners stressed by Chinese culture and its Confucianist origins. Perhaps one should be aware of several customs which represent saving or losing face (diulian), but this doesn't mean that this concept isn't present also when western business people deal on with each other.

Since I've mentioned Confucianism, roots of this doctrine can be noticed during business meetings and negotiations, apart from the 'face' issue, in the importance of inter-personal harmony and avoiding conflicts. High pitched arguments and curse words can perhaps be less casually forgotten by Chinese colleagues, compared to people of certain other cultures, but as long as you repress such impolite tendencies things should be OK.

Some codes are important, such as accepting every document, check or envelope by holding it with both hands and treating business cards given to you with maximum respect, inserting them to your wallet rather than in the back pocket of your pants (I have heard of a big business deal which blew up, because one of the European directors was amusing himself during the meeting by using a business card he had just received as a toothpick).

Still, the excessive thoughts and fears as if you are entering a complete new sphere, in which no culture norms could be understood without a wise guide, could be a problem by itself, leading to awkward interactions and treating one's counterparts as aliens. On of the most alienating fact is the language barrier, a problem that can be overcome only by an interpreter or dealing with Chinese who speak a language you are familiar with. Apart from this obstacle, most misunderstandings and inconveniences can be avoided be maintaining a formal attitude and showing respect to the other side in any given moment.

There is never any harm in taking (good) advice from the wise and the experienced, just remember that sometimes common sense would also do. After all, some experts use the exotic mist of our lack of familiarity with China as opportunities to make some money.

Web Site Translation Service: A Necessary Tool For Your Business

Today's world depends a lot on relations with other countries. We need each other in every field and today's world is constantly learning from their correlations. Who can deny the importance of business relations when it comes to communication? Businesspersons all around the world need to convey their ideas efficiently to their clients, and to do so they rely on website translation services. The websites are a great help to translate business documents into international markets within the required standards. These translations reveal the same standards as the authentic. They are quite helpful to capture the attention of the future customers.

The website translation service has proficient employees who are skilled with all sorts of tools needed for this job. The market needs to clearly understand your demands and these skillful workers help to convey the exact picture you need to portray to the market and for that they need to be equipped with all sorts of information they need and a good command over the area under discussion. The website translation service must make sure that the information conveyed is hundred percent according to the global market standards. These workers have to keep into consideration that they do not only deal with single-handedly done business but also multinational trading organization. The more efficient they are to translate the message the better they are in business.

Let us look at how the website translating services work. Suppose an Indian business needs to capture the Chinese market, they will need to advertise their concepts in the Chinese language on their web sites so they convey they message clearly. These are no ordinary web translating services because they not only need to give be flawless work but also of high standards. It should be presented immaculately to create a center of attention for the clients and it is important that the message conveyed should be in hundred percent correct English and with essential units of dimensions and not only this they must have other proper tools needed to attract patrons.

The website translation services have a variety of methods to make their presentations more appealing. Some of them depend on graphics, which is quite an efficient way to give the information. Others depend on audio visual aids, which is a great help to give a positive message, they not only try these strategies but some of them also use aural devices to give accurate information with correct accent of the required language the company can immediately come into the lime light. Not only have the web translators helped to flourish your business but also to correspond with partners in an efficient way.

The website translation services help you to gain confidence with your clients because they have their field experts who are native language speakers of both the employees as well as the clients. They are your bridge to capture unknown areas successfully. The only thing that matters us the proficiency in language and correct presentation that reflect clears image of your goals and aims. It is not an easy job as a lousy unattractive translation can lead your business into disaster.

Discover Cyprus - Top 10 Good Reasons to Move and Develop Your Business in Cyprus!

1) Ideal Weather: The sub-tropical Mediterranean climate of Cyprus is ideal for anyone who wants to get away from the cold. The sizzling summer is compensated by a large variety of beautiful beaches and despite some rain during the winter season, 5-7 hours of sunshine are assured almost everyday of the year. Forget the cold especially in the southern cities where averages range from 13-27 degrees Celsius all year-round. As a result, the people are very warm and friendly and the food is exceptional.

2) Exceptional Natural Environment: Stunning Scenery, beautiful clean beaches and brilliant golf courses (4 of which are championship standard). Cyprus offers a great variety of natural environments that give way not only for enjoyable breaks but also for developing long-lasting partnerships with clients through sports and team building activities.

3)Blessed Strategic Position and Cultural Heritage: Cyprus' position, lying on an axis of movement, both north-south and east-west, stands at the crossroads of three continents, Europe, Asia and Africa. This strategic position is great for any business seeking to develop strategic alliances and international trading partnerships. As a result of the small country's position it has also developed a great cultural heritage which as a result, today, paired with the modern youth offers much in terms of cultural and scenic entertainment.

4) Prosperous and Stable Economy: The Cypriot economy is prosperous and has diversified in recent years offering a great stability in macroeconomic terms. According to the latest IMF estimates, its GDP per capita (adjusted for purchasing power) at 28,381 USD, just above the average of the European Union. Cyprus has also adapted the EU currency since 2008, further simplifying commerce and administration.

5) Professional Services and Qualified Workforce: Cyprus is a destination which greatly covers the demand for professional service in terms of tax, banking and finance to local and international businesses that choose to expand and grow their activity. The country offers a highly qualified and multilingual labor force also for those seeking grow in the services industry.

6) EU Membership: In 2004 Cyprus joined the EU with 9 other countries. As an onshore destination with great tax rates, Cyprus allows for those who register a company in Cyprus to do business in the EU and with other EU countries more easily, quickly and cost effectively. And of course, there are no customs tax is charged on goods that are sold or transported between member states. Being an EU member state, access is possible to 'European Structural Funds' for development.

7) Ideal Tax Environment: Not only can the country boast its flat cyprus corporate tax rate at 10% but a great network of double tax treaties. As Cyprus has been busy developing agreements with more than 45 it has achieved great tax sparing advantages as a fully legal EU onshore environment. It's numerous double tax treaties, aimed successfully at reducing rates for taxes on interest received, on royalties, taxes on dividends and taxes on the sale of shares of subsidiaries, securities and shares. Cyprus is today one of the most favorable countries not only for European member residents but also international businesses to register a Cyprus company and operate a business. Cyprus is also an ideal tax environment for private individuals. On the personal level the Cypriot system has also introduced many allowances which apply to all privates but especially to non-residents in terms of Cyprus personal income tax rates. The Cyprus capital gains taxes arising from the disposal of companies of property within the family are also generally tax exempt. And finally, for business seeking to increase their workforce, with overall costs of approximately 20% of overall salary costs, employee taxes (value paid by employer and employee together) which provide for fully covered social security services are also a strong motivator.

8) Strong Social Insurance and Medical Assistance Advantages: EU retirees are eligible for medical treatment at no cost. EU citizens from other countries who contributed to another EU country's social security scheme for at least two years are eligible for coverage in Cyprus. Those receiving an invalidity pension or those injured on the job are eligible for free medical treatment. high level medical care is available where facilities are comparable to other industrialised countries.

9) Advanced Telecommunications Network and Infrastructure: The infrastructure of Cyprus is ideally suited for businesspeople who need to get things done. The country has a modern road network, extensive port facilities and two international airports. Travel and transport in Cyprus and internationally between the country and other countries is fast, efficient and economical. Considerable investments have been made for transforming the island into a telecommunications hub in its geographical region. In addition to the seven satellite earth stations which provide satellite communications, Cyprus is connected to a number of advanced technology submarine cables which provide excellent connectivity to Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

10) Low Crime rates and familiar legal system. Cyprus enjoys some of the lowest rates of theft and crime in Europe alongside the colder Denmark and Norway. Due to its British colonization until 1960, Cyprus functions under the common law system. This system is not only more transparent to many businesses and managers who choose Cyprus as their destination for trade but it also offers advantages for the structuring of trust organizations through nominees.

Stamegna Holding Ltd. is a Cyprus tax planning and advisory service company located in Limassol. Under the Stamegna Management Services brand group the company offers professional services to individuals and companies taking Cyprus into consideration as the ideal jurisdiction for their business activities.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ernesto_Stamegna

EU Company Formation - A Varied Treasure of Tax Havens and Business Benefits

When most Americans see the term "EU company formation" they think the EU stands for European. While that is accidentally correct in some ways, it is financially incorrect in many others. EU company formation actually refers to the registering of a company, partnership, branch or proprietorship in one of the European Union's 27 member-states. Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom are all political members of the EU, with some being old hat and some only a few years into their union marriage.

You might be guilty of thinking that agreeing on legal, political and business particulars would be a guarantee, and that all you had to do for EU company formation was find the country willing to give you the most favorable set of circumstances that meet you business goals, and you were done. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you are seeking beneficial tax laws, they could come at the cost of substantial upfront capital or share contributions. And what flies on the coast of France may not carry water in Germany, even though they share a border. Estonia prepared an exceedingly liberal business environment in advance of its inclusion into the EU in 2004, and is very attractive to foreign investors.

However, if you don't know the difference between Sole Trader business status in Estonia, where your business has no capital requirements or financial reporting obligations, and Estonian company incorporation, your EU company formation can be stressful, and possibly liable financially. Dealing with a European company formation specialist that has been around for years, and uses local business professionals and attorneys that live in each of the countries and states you are considering, is really the smart way to go to make your EU company formation worry-free and financially beneficial.

If you are looking into EU company formation in Portugal because you heard of some pretty attractive incentives there, and want to take advantage of their natural, geographic trade-hub status to move product to and from the U.S. and Europe, you should know why their incentives are so high. Portugal has had a very hard time keeping up with their EU brothers in establishing a consistent economy. They are constantly in a state of flux, and their gross domestic product is lower than most other states in the EU. You have to settle for yourself if this instability is a good trade-off for a healthy incentive package.

In the case of Portugal, Estonia, Germany, France and all the other members of the EU, statutes and requirements could change at any time. Deal only with a European company formation specialist with years of experience employing locals in each of the EU states. Get a free consultation, ask a lot of questions, and your EU company formation will be beneficial to everyone involved.

Russian-Chinese Business Relations - Reasons of Disharmony

Being involved in business with China, many managers face the challenge of disharmony and misbalance in relations with Chinese representatives. This may be caused by two reasons: luck of understanding of such Chinese characteristic of business as duplicity or not positive stereotype of Chinese about Russian partnership. Differences in business approaches and culture add difficulties in Russian-Chinese interaction.

If it is enough to develop professional business plan with positive figures for Russian, in order to find investment for the project. For Chinese, profitable project is not a reason to provide investment. This is connected with duplicity of Chinese business, to be exact, with wish of Chinese to get not only high income for themselves, but also to benefit for Chinese economy development or family connections. In such way, it is apparent, that if Russian businessman offers investment project, the gist of which is to build stable trade net due to big product flows and then to reorient created trade net on other products and suppliers, there will be negative answer from the side of Chinese company about any cooperation. In majority cases, high profitableness of the project is the secondary criteria of its attractiveness. The primary and priority will be rather guarantee of strategic long termed cooperation, which could bring use to Chinese party and economy. Thus, in order to avoid not wished results and surprises in business with Chinese company, experienced manager should remember about duplicity and to present competently its project to parties from China.

The other obstacle on the way to harmonic interaction with Chinese company is stereotype and reluctance to build relations with Russian businessmen. The main reason of this is distrust based on not-compliance with terms of contract. At the same time, there are a range of problems connected with quality control of Chinese products and differences in laws. Both parties, Russian and Chinese, have disadvantages, but Russian businessmen plan large margin in size from 300 till 800 percent and a share of Chinese middleman is approximately 10-30 percent and, in majority of cases, it is only 20 percent. Moreover, commission for Chinese broker companies are counted as a share from the volume of bought products and not from the share of profit, which is more in three - five times. This happens, because Russian companies have as an aim to decrease margin of Chinese middlemen instead of to find interest in improving system of quality control due to professional Chinese broker. Thus, it is understandable, that cooperation and business with Russian companies look not so attractive for Chinese companies.

The other argument, that Chinese company are not interested to have deal with Russia, is slow and not to big money turnover between China and Russia, which is nearly 58 milliards dollars, but every year it also fluctuates from 36 till 58 milliards dollars. To make example more clear, it is possible for a comparison to present other data. For instance, money turnover between China and the USA is about 460 milliards dollars for the last year. The other thing, which should be mentioned, is that basket of goods of the USA and China consists mostly of consumer goods, when Russian basket of goods concerning China represent raw materials, for example, wood. Thus, the USA is more attractive partner for China than Russia.

To conclude, in order to cooperate successfully with Chinese companies, experienced manager of European country or Russia should remember about duplicity of Chinese business and understand, that profitable business project is not the priority criteria for Chinese. It is obligatory, that long termed connections with China business economy development became the base of Russian-Chinese relations. In addition, the character of these ties should be friendly and fair, otherwise, Chinese businessmen will continue to find unattractive Russian business proposal. Instead of increasing of margin of Chinese brokers, it is better to find professional broker, who will control delivery and quality of goods according signed contracts.

Increase in Business Globalisation Triggers an Increase in Demand for Document Translation Services

When you start up a new business your target market will be a small local market, an entire country or the entire world. Quite often, the products and/or services you offer will determine the extent of your market. However if you are extending your feelers to the rest of the world, then there are a few things to consider.

In a lot of cases, extending your offerings overseas will go beyond countries whose language of choice is the same as yours. If you are from New Zealand for example, trading with countries like China and Japan could pose a few difficulties. Most of this is likely to surround the language barrier associated with business documents. So what is the answer here?

Document translation services are gradually becoming more of an everyday requirement for hundreds of thousands, if not millions of businesses around the world. There are various types of documents that are popular candidates for this service. Contract agreements, as well as legal, medical, educational and government-related documents all require translation between organisations.

Many people are fortunate enough to know more than one language, however unless you are one of them, you will need to enquire about this service, how it can benefit you and the costs involved.

One of the biggest hurdles about translating documents is that there is a lot more to it than simply translating the language. A number of cultural, linguistic, social and political factors need to be considered as part of the document translation process.

Having a professional and tailor-made document can make a big difference to the running of your business. Businesses that specialise in this service generally employ people whom are experts in the relevant language, as well as the countries and local markets you are targeting.

Once you use a document translating company, it's very likely that you'll use them more than once. This reiterates the importance of utilising the services of a business that is well regarded for their credibility, trust, ability and confidentiality. In a world of increasing business globalisation, the demand for businesses that offer document translation is growing each day.

If you are dealing with highly detailed, technical documents and big dollars, it'll be well worth your while spending more. Delivering accurate and precise information that takes into account localisation and other important factors could mean the difference between winning or losing business. Ensure you ask a lot of questions before committing your time and money to a service provider.

Translation Services - Logistics of International Business

Your company is expanding into international markets. Congratulations! This is a time for celebration. You are preparing to take your business to the next level, but before you throw the company a party there are a lot of logistics to work out. Legal matters galore need to be taken care of and everything from contracts to advertisements will need to be translated into a language that you don't speak or know anything about.

There are several ways to ensure that you obtain accurate translations.

1. Person versus Machine: Your business is too important to leave to the hands of a machine. Yes technology is great and we should use it to our advantage but online translations just can't capture cultural innuendo or even the natural flow of language. For example take the simple sentence, "I am twenty years old" and run it twice through an online translator from English to Spanish and back again. Here's what you end up with.

I am twenty years old.

Tengo veinte a?os de edad.

I have twenty years of age.

You can still understand the gist of the sentence but a native English speaker will pause to think about the funny phrasing. This distracts from the message you are trying to convey. Some thoughts simply don't translate, a human can adjust with such situations, a computer can't.

2. Native language: A good translator will speak the target language natively. You want someone with a full handle on both the language and culture to take care of you. This can help you avoid potentially expensive mistakes.

3. Writing Skills: Hire someone who can write well in both the source and target languages. Grammar, sentence structure, and paragraph flow all contribute to better communication.

4. Specialization: Hire someone with firsthand knowledge of your business. If you are in the car business, hire a translator that understands cars. Think of it your company as being a third language. Quality translators will speak source language, target language, and business language.

5. Deadlines: Deadlines are important to you and they should be important to your translator. Choose someone who will stick to your time scale.

6. Proofreading: The final stage in any written document is proof reading. The best translators will have a means of proofreading their work. The proofreader should be a second translator who is also native in the target language.

Good language translation is a must in international business, so make sure you check credentials and portfolio's before hiring someone. When hiring you can either hire a free lance translator through an agency or you can hire a translation service. Translation services provide the translator, the proofreader, and are very strict with deadlines. Both options can give you good results, as long as you do your homework and hire the right person or company.

So, going global is probably pretty intimidating, but relax, take one step at a time and get ready to celebrate, all that hard work is paying off and you just might be the next big success.