Doing Business Globally

Working in another country can be a fun and challenging experience. If you had to choose one country to live in other than the US, where would it be? What American companies are located there?

If I had to choose a country other than the USA to live in, I would choose Israel. As enticing as it is to experience new and exciting places, if the goal is to work there and create your livelihood in a different country, there can be many challenges. When one is not familiar with the language and culture it is hard to find a job, and to find a comfort level. I know that my familiarity with Israel as well as my knowledge of the language and the culture, as well as a support system of family would allow me an easy absorption in the country. 

Whereas once it was difficult to find American products and companies available in Israel, I have seen it grow over the years. As in most places you can now find McDonalds in Israel. I know that Intel has a company in Israel. I also know that when I went shopping in the bazaars on my past visits, I would find shirts and undergarments made for Gap and Victoria’s Secret that were made in Israel for sale for a quarter of the price of what I would pay locally for the product. 

What products have you bought lately that were made in a different country? What countries produced them? Did you have any difficulty accepting the fact that the product came from there? Did you have difficulty with the directions or the follow-up service? What does that tell you about global marketing and global business?

I recently needed to purchase a car. I lot of thought and research went into this purchase, as it is a large purchase for me. Initially I really wanted to support the American auto industry and looked at my options closely. I ended up buying a Toyota Corolla.  Toyota is a Japanese company. I am unsure where our car was produced as they have many factories worldwide manufacturing their vehicles. I did spend time discussing the pros and cons. Toyota was able to give me a fair price with an excellent payment plan with little to no interest of the vehicle. As much as idealistically I try and buy local whenever possible, personal family finances needed to come into play for this item. In the end I had no qualms about purchasing the Toyota. The Toyota is known to be a reliable car, needing very little repairs and getting good gas mileage. All instructions and follow up have been very easy. They are very equipped to handle their American market, and they do so quite well. This purchase tells me that the global market and global business, at least this particular business, is functioning well and has the ability to meet the needs of the American market.