1.4 泰国商务实践在线视频

Hello everyone Welcome to the Intercultural Business Tour in Thailand

So after learning all the Thai cultural etiquetteit is time to practice

We are now going to have an in-depth tour

in Thai companies or business enterprises

It is good to know more about Thai company’s Structure and Hierarchy

how to make appointments with Thai companies

strategies to negotiate with Thai businessmen

language and communication styles they usually use

and finally how to maintain a good business relationships

with your Thai counterpart

Thai business reflects a society in which hierarchy

and respect for elders are very important

thus senior colleagues are obeyed and respected

This business culture bears some of the characteristics

of the working practice in other Southeast Asian countries

such as Singapore Malaysia and India

Regardless of the size or nature of the company

hierarchy is an integral part of business culture in these countries

Thus understanding the social status

of people and the vertical structure of a company

is essential for doing business with these international companies

In these hierarchical organisations a vertical structure is adopted

with power coming from the top

Discussions are almost always led by people at the highest levels

and it is the responsibility of the top management to supervise

check and look after the subordinates

The final decision-making power is in the hands

of the top management of the business

so it is very important to maintain good relations with the top people

Also in keeping with the corporate culture

titles and job descriptions play an important role

in many Southeast Asian companies

Therefore it’s important for you to have the awareness

of emphasizing power relations when conducting business

with your Thai business counterparts

so as in most other Southeast Asian business practices

Making appointments as early as you can is suggested In Thailand

Meetings are generally scheduled well

in advance and confirmed the day beforehand

Both private companies and public offices are usually

built up very hierarchical

Only very little authority to decide is surrogated（代理）

away from the top management

which means that informed decision makers are very busy

The traffic in Bangkok is unpredictable

so it is difficult to estimate the time

of transportation during business meetings

Traffic jams roadworks accidents and roads closed for VIPs

can make a short journey very long

Thus it is a good idea to consult a person who is living in Bangkok

the company you are visiting

or an employee before you leave the hotel

If you find yourself to be late for the meeting during

the way it is a good idea to call and inform

Negotiations

Status acquaintance and power tend to be more important

than content in negotiating with your Thai business partners

Thais respect foreign businesspeople with long connections

in the country and will be more willing to accept their offers

While Thailand has a pro-business attitude

decisions are reached quite slowly

Thus it is important to remain patient as mentioned in the early part

Pressure tactics should be avoided

Planning is usually short-term

therefore it is a good idea to emphasise the immediate benefits of the offer during negotiations

Despite the somewhat conservative nature of Thai culture

small talk is actually expected

at the beginning of a business meeting

Diving straight into negotiation

without having a little friendly chat is viewed as bad manners

Therefore informal conversations before and after business meetings

are common and cannot be ignored

Thais may ask for personal information such as your age

marital status and educational background to help them

understand your status in society and build

a sense of familiarity with you

It is also common place to be invited for a round

of golf or some other kind of entertaining activity

Much of this is an effort for your Thai business partners

to get to know you better

so take every opportunity to forge（锻造）

a successful partnership with your Thai counterparts

Language & communication styles

The use of English

during international business exchange is common especially if your Thai business counterparts

are from large companies in Bangkok

where presentations

proposals and contracts in English are acceptable

However be sure to use fairly simple and non-accented language

and if language is an issue

a business interpreter should be provided

especially when dealing with traditional Thai firms

although some of your Thai business partners

might be English speakers working in newer organisations

particularly those with international business

Communication styles in Thai business

environment are sensitive and courteous

You should give great care to not offending

any of your Thai business counterparts

Frankness is not appreciated

as indirectness is highly valued in Thai culture

So please be subtle in responding

your Thai business partners’ offer with a negative reply

Usually when times happen that a direct

confrontational type of statement can’t be avoided

it is advisable to use a preface

with a phrase that is generally equivalent to

if you will allow me to be very frank

and this kind of wording will excuse the occasional blunt statement

Also when it comes to business communication

another important thing to remember

is that there are two ways to express Yes in Thailand

The word Chai ( 泰语表示赞同 读作[tʃaɪ]) in Thai language means Yes

but the words Khrap(male) and Kha(female) mean yes I follow

So it is imperative（必要的 紧要的）

that you clarify exactly

what someone is saying within different contexts

Business relationships

In Thailand most businesses are family businesse

and most of these families know each other

Because of this

Thais only like to do business with people that they know

Thus establishing a good relationship

with a company before any deal can be finalised (定下来)

would seem an imperative thing to do in Thailand

Invitations to social events from Thai counterparts

should always be accepted

as they are a means to get to know each other

before doing business together

See you next time bye bye