This three volume video series provides the expatriate business traveler with a brief introduction to the behavioral and communication skills necessary for successful face-to-face business interactions in three Southeast Asia countries: Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Each (roughly 45 minute) video is divided into 9 categories – orientation, history, economy, etiquette, business relationships, communicating, values, negotiating, and management – with summary outlines following each segment. To cover so much ground the video makers have necessarily sacrificed depth in favor of breadth.
All three videos were produced before the current Asian economic crisis had gathered steam – a fact that, surprisingly, impacts little on their content. The points made on business behavior are valid yet general enough to be impervious to the historical changes now taking place in the region. In fact, on more than one occasion I had to check and see which videotape I was viewing since the points made could easily apply to more than one country in Southeast Asia.
The videos consist primarily of interviews with local and expatriate executives working in the region, narrative overviews of the points being made, and short performances of the behaviors being described. The sections devoted to the history and economy of the region are brief but enlightening and often frank concerning the government’s strong hand in business. The video on Indonesia addresses honestly the widespread problem of corruption, presenting it as an unavoidable fact of life for all who work and live in the country. Several executives provide anecdotal evidence of the impact bribery (in its many forms) has on their business, giving the viewer an understandable, if regrettable, context for an economic act many will have never before encountered.
The videos are less insightful as they move into the areas of etiquette, communication, and values. The protocol, behavior, and dress acceptable for the face-to-face business meeting are clearly explained and well organized. There is no attempt, however, to move beyond the most superficial of cultural descriptions. The cultural values Southeast Asians attribute to the head and feet, a list of conversation topics to avoid, and the proper way to present a business card will all help with the initial business meeting but may leave the visitor with little to say after formal introductions are over.
Personal relationships, important anywhere, are presented as essential for successful business in Southeast Asia. One businessman, discussing the importance of knowing the right people, tells a story of trying to buy a quality mattress at a reasonable price in Jakarta. The tale, memorable and entertaining, manages to make tangible the importance of relationships in all walks of Indonesian life. Indeed, a highlight of this video series is the use of executives as commentators on the behaviors, customs, and political conditions of Southeast Asia that affect their business. These first hand accounts are informative and interesting but often too short in their edited form as introductions to general points made by the narrator. More time spent with the executives and less with the narrator would add immense value to "Doing Business in Southeast Asia."
Communicating across cultures is a challenge and these videos do point out some of the more inevitable though unexpected pitfalls one is bound to encounter. Understanding that "yes" may not necessarily mean "yes", and the vagaries of body language and tone of voice that often signify "no" are difficult for even the long term visitor to Southeast Asia and these videos do a good job of bringing these issues to the viewer’s attention. I was disappointed, however, by the lack of attention given to the variety of peoples, and thus communication styles, one is certain to encounter in the business world of Southeast Asia. Doing business in Malaysia, for example, would most likely entail working with people from Malay, Indian and Chinese backgrounds. Communication and behavioral practices would certainly differ for each group but the video on Malaysia barely touches on this diversity. Attention is instead given to the less complicated topic of providing the appropriate foods and gifts for each culture group.
The benefit of a video over a handbook covering the same material lies in the camera’s ability to document fist-hand accounts and show places the viewer has presumably never been. Unfortunately, the video makers’ unwillingness to leave the hotels in which they were staying seriously limits this benefit. There are a couple of street scenes from each country and one shot of the Jakarta Stock Exchange, interesting for the total lack of movement on the exchange room floor, but these images serve merely as background vignettes for the narrator’s own words. The narrator, in fact, appears never to set foot in Southeast Asia. As far as I can tell most of his on-camera shots were filmed on location in Boulder, Colorado. Still, this should not take away from the valuable content of the video. "Doing Business in Southeast Asia" is an informative introduction to the region.
This video is useful for the fist-time visitor to Southeast Asia who has been sent on a short-term business trip. The interviews with Southeast Asian executives, both expatriate and local, might be of interest to those interested in cross-cultural business practices. This video does not contain enough new information to interest the traveler who already has more than a cursory knowledge of the region.
