Intimate knowledge of Japan

Marcus can also boast specialist expertise that few other business advisors can offer - help with every aspect of doing business in Japan, or with Japanese people.

Marcus' background in Japan and with the Japanese language

Marcus spent about ten years living in Japan (five years as a student and five years as an investment banker). He passed the highest level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JPLT) administered by the Japan Foundation.

Negotiating in Japan

Some people say “Business is business” as if business is the same everywhere and, as such, the same approach to negotiation can be used everywhere. This is not Marcus' experience.

Anybody can conclude a contract easily by not negotiating and saying yes to everything. Negotiation is challenging because it requires each party to balance the potential benefits and risks of entering into the agreement. The negotiation decides how the benefits are shared and risks are allocated.

Marcus believes the negotiation process can be invaluable in INFORMING each party about their counter-party in turn developing trust which leads to better results for all parties. An added benefit of increased trust is that when parties experience problems they will first try to resolve the problems informally rather than immediately reverting to the contract to start the prescribed resolution process. All of these processes have acute nuances in Japan, where insights from a specialist like Marcus can be the difference between success and failure.

The importance of language

It is not necessary to speak and understand Japanese to conclude a contract with a Japanese party, but Marcus believes it can be a tremendous help in developing trust. Marcus believes understanding the Japanese language and culture can remove ambiguity and the potential for misunderstandings. His experience is that it also speeds up the process.

Understanding culture in an organisation

Understanding Japanese culture helps in interpreting the behaviour of organisations. It is critically important to understand how decisions are made with in Japanese organisations to appreciate how negotiations progress.