No need to panic? (3)

OK - it’s not really a surprise Wall Street had another turbulent day. I believe it’s time to comprehend a key idea - “We need others“. Isolation and belief in one’s own invincibility are recipes for disaster. Accepting this, the next item on the agenda is developing solid adaptable plans to build revenue by expanding into new markets internationally. In the current economic situation, partnerships need to be strategic. If we are too powerful in the partnership, then we have to ensure we neither become a feudal lord, nor a charity. If we are too weak in a partnership, we have to ensure our partner does not become feudal lord or charity. We need to accurately assess our real or potential strength as well as that of our potential partner. For example, after World War II Japan assessed it had no significant supplies of raw materials. As a result it decided to concentrate on developing industries that needed significant intelligence and little in the way of raw materials.

If we are going to partner internationally I believe one area to investigate in potential partner countries and communities is their potential. Potential is a lot easier to identify the more creative and holistic our vision. One example would be communication or marketing methods. The West is very dependent on its technology, but in Majority World countries, primary social communication structures are still paramount. This heightens the importance of understanding those structures; how they could relate to marketing in the partner country as well as how they may help marketing in our own countries. Secondly it heightens the importance of building flexible, strong, forward looking, intercultural relationships with the people that will be important in a partner country's societal structure. These people are sometimes very apparent, but oftentimes undiscovered as the traditional unicultural mindset has to think counterintuitively to locate them.