Image, branding, client perception...

Since we started to hear of world globalization and companies buying suppliers in china, producing the items in India, and selling them in Germany, companies started to care about their image on each country they have presence to improve relationships with clients in order to improve sales and become part of joint ventures. In Coca-Cola company, for example, at the beginning of this century suffered a decrease in sales caused by the bad image of the company, there where articles and videos online talking about:

 “Artificially pumping up concentrate sales to boost the stock price” in Japan, and “hiring right-wing death squads to terrorize union organizers in Colombia”.

–Neville Isdell, “Inside Coca-Cola”, Former chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola

Based on this situation, the company experienced a difficult moment. Even though, these where in Asia and South America, there where big changes in the Structure of the company starting in the headquarters. The new CEO stopped to think about the company´s values, the relations with the employees and the image Coca-Cola wanted to project to the society.


Moreover, Image, branding, client perception... any other word you want to use to talk about identify (or not) yourself with a brand are one of the companies’ bases. These means that a company has to be careful about the colors, words, advertising, and other marketing strategies used to approach the clients. From a global perception, companies sometimes have to change even their logos to enter in a country or a specific market. For example the Red Cross using the moon in some Arabic countries.

Structural impacts of companies can be correlated to how a company chooses to assimilate (or lack off) the local culture in order to improve operations. Vice-versa as an international professional you can create marketability by finding ways to assimilate your international acquired skills to the local market. Even just quirky blogs to understand day to day observations from the perspective of an international professional can give you the initiative to being your skill assimilation in your new market.

Looking at local humanitarian ventures and getting involved might also give you some insight on the local interests that as an international professional you might not be aware of. These non-profit humanitarian interests might be a fantastic idea on how a foreign company can get involved with the local humanitarian image.

One last thought to remember is that as an international professional, your skills will be valued but it takes hard work and perseverance to create these assimilations of your skills and put them into action.

Cross-border transactions

Cross-border transactions; regardless of the distance and cultural differences, an international business brand can fade the lines that many corporations have unconsciously drawn, and bring in the best practices that could provide positive disruption in the industry. An international business brand does not have to be solely applied to an organization; it can very well bring relevance to an individual’s portrayal of personal business ethics.

  

“Tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential than ever in a world where peoples are becoming more and more closely interconnected”

–Kofi Annan, Former secretary general of the United Nations

Words from a an international influential individual like the former secretary general of the United Nations, can be applied to our daily procedures in real life; these best practices can be key lessons that you can bring as your contributing business ethics to any position regardless of the continent where you build you career.

Olympic Stadium (Montreal)

My personal brand has been enriched by my International exposure in both my personal and professional life. A proud instance for me was my father’s example as a business man. His experience in bringing the first Colombian group of people in his industry, to train in Japanese production and operational procedures, taught me from an early age that we can all benefit from adapting the best practices from one culture to another.  During my own professional life, the success my industry had in opening its doors to trade with our neighboring nations brought success in the way of new business partners… and to tell you the truth, great friends as well.

Taking the leap to better my horizons, my exposure to the Canadian corporate world has increased the value of my International Business Brand. I have grown as a professional, but I could have not done it without the expanded multicultural mindset that my international experience has provided.