Tag: Europe

Franchising is known to be among the available options that businessmen and entrepreneurs can use as business opportunities without having to go through the usual motions of having to brainstorm and hypothesize on studies that most business tycoons would initially make. Franchising can be seen today in local food chain stores like McDonald’s, Burger King and Subway. They are practically seen in all countries of the world.

Mixed Origins of Franchising
Franchising does not really have a clear trace of its background. There has been various information as to where the franchising business originated. These include countries like China, England, and Europe and of course the United States. It is even traced as far as the Middle Ages where the business opportunity issues back then was more on the lack of transportation for the goods to be transferred from one place to another. Other considered franchising as well as a means of establishing stands, vendors and a better means of being able to offer goods towards customers in other places within the coverage area.

Franchising at a Glance
Franchising is not a new term for defining business opportunities. It extends as far as home business opportunities for people who would want to be their own boss and hold their own business hours. Franchises would usually depend on the location to which franchisees would want them to be located, ideally in populated and commercialized areas for maximum exposure. Depending on the product or service to which the franchise caters, people can even do business from their own footsteps at home. This way the expenses to be incurred such as rent or warehouse allocation expense can be avoided, an expense that is certainly something tough on the budget allocation constraints of franchise owners.

Think Big but Start Small
A franchising business does not have to start big. Just like any ordinary business, it can start from the simplest and smallest business. Like most business endeavors, as long as they are managed properly, business can grow at an instant at any time. Franchises are not different from conceptualized businesses and the varying factor would be the people who would run it and how they would view such a business at a glance.

Placement and Scope of Target Market
Placement of franchise establishments, just like any other product that most people would be interested in today would have to analyze and survey the market class to which they would want to serve. It is not merely a place and operate venture. It requires gathering strategies and putting minds into action, the usual backbone towards success in business ventures.

There will always be issues concerning the target market and identifying what product or service to serve. This has always been the issue that makes businesses different from others and unless it is properly defined, a franchise or business will falter eventually if franchising business owners are not careful.

Who Invented Business Cards?

Apparently this was originated in Europe, France in particular, where it was typical for a gentleman or a lady in the 19th century to carry a card. It was a common thing amongst everyone in Europe at the time. At this time in Europe the business card was freely given out to all, by just about everyone, as a hello, or an ice breaker.

These cards were not too different from todays business cards, as you could imagine. Pretty much every business card has the same basic information on it. That is because it is the core of what makes the business card such a powerful tool in marketing yourself, a business, service, or some sort of merchandise. What started in Paris in the 19th century and then was then brought to the US about the same time.

The US was a bit more formal about the affairs of which a business card was thought to be proper. Mostly only left behind with a servant at first the business card was a way to say hey I came to collect my bill and you were not in. Now today we have evolved to what used to be a European way of passing out the business card, quite freely as cheap business cards of high quality are easier to find.

So now everyone has easy access to the fantastically effective, good looking, business cards to be remembered by. If you dont have a business card you would be better off getting finding cheap business card printing online and getting a few thousand cards for less than a video game costs these days. Its no secret everyone who know anything about business knows a business card is essential.

Although the concept of a Business Administration qualification seems fairly recent, the first business school opened in the early 19th century, and by the mid-20th century numerous schools in Europe were offering qualifications in business. With the first program launched in Barcelona in 1959, students studying todays Bachelor of Business Administration in Barcelona can benefit from the citys 60-plus years of experience in this area.

Business Administration itself is very diverse. Generally speaking, it consists in effectively managing a business and helping it to grow and achieve more, whilst ensuring growth is achievable, realistic and that stability is maintained in the company. More precisely, there are many different sides to business administration and studying a Bachelor of Business Administration in Barcelona can give you not only all-round knowledge of these areas (useful in todays job market where many find themselves performing multiple roles, or transferring to other departments), but can allow you to specialize in an area you find particularly stimulating.

So what exactly is Business Administration when broken down? Henri Fayol, an engineer born in 1841, who is best-known for his General and Industrial Administration, based on his own management experiences, is seen as a trailblazer in defining business administration. He defined 5 primary functions of management, or Business Administration:

Planning and Forecasting

Organization

Direction

Coordination

Feedback

We can see how these principles have influenced business management today by equating these management functions to departments in all areas of modern businesses, such as Operations, Logistics, HR. Marketing, Economics, and of course Management. Thus it can be seen that Business Administration is a key part of most areas of company management.

Now that we have seen how key Business Administration is to companies operating today, there still remains the question of what you will learn when studying for a Bachelor of Business Administration in Barcelona. Course contents vary depending on the institution but at GBS the emphasis is on innovation and preparing you to work in global business, as well as equipping you with the basic core business concepts everyone needs in order to be successful in business. This international focus not only prepares you to work in markets as diverse as Asia, Europe and Latin America, but as you will be studying with students from all over the world, you are sure to gain much cultural sensitivity and learn from interactions with students from all over the world!

In addition, the Bachelor of Business Administration in Barcelona (or BBA for short) allows you to study modules in global Communications, Marketing, Management and Entrepreneurship. It also allows you to take elective modules in areas of particular interest, such as the study of markets you may be less familiar with. What is certain is that Business Administration embraces all areas of corporate activity, and studying a Bachelor of Business Administration in Barcelona is one of the best ways to increase your adaptability, cultural knowledge and to improve your future career prospects.

Clients rely on the translator to provide a translation that does full justice to the source text. This means that the translation should cover every aspect and connotation in the source, and should not add any material or connotations extraneous to that source, nor hints of the translators personal opinion with respect to the subject-matter. Clients that are particularly keen on ensuring that this practice is adhered to will ask for a sworn translation, but most professionals would agree that the general principles underlying sworn translations also apply to translation in general, and should be used accordingly. This is easier said than done, however. While it is true that translations should be reliable and undistorted reflections of the source in a different language, clients will also expect an attractive text that is pleasant to read and effective in achieving its purpose. It is impossible to simply convert the content of the source text into the target language: the requirements of register, stylistic authenticity and readability inevitably entail some degree of modification of the original.

Having said that, there is general consensus that clients can rightfully expect a translator to possess professional skills, which entails that the translator should not accept a translation job if he feels incapable of providing a high-quality text, for instance because the subject-matter is not within his field of expertise.

Another interesting issue is that of errors in the source text. The requirement of faithfulness dictates that any errors found should simply be copied into the translation, but this obviously clashes with every serious translators common sense and desire to produce a text that is free from error and, if at all possible, even better than the original. Sometimes a translator might even feel the urge to protect the authors reputation if he suspects that the content or tone of voice of the source text would open its author to ridicule. One example is that of a CEO whose deputy speechwriter had come up with a New Years speech in a raving populist style. The translator in this case had decided to somewhat neutralise the invective, while of course pointing out to the client that he had taken liberties with the text in order to adapt it to the tastes of the target audience.
The obvious strategy in these cases is to highlight errors or problems and ask the client to reconsider his text, and while many clients will indeed appreciate such perspicacity, others will condemn the translator for being pedantic. Clearly there is no ideal remedy.

These, however, are all technical issues. The real dilemmas are found at a different level, for example when a professional is asked to do a translation of a text whose contents clash with his or her personal moral beliefs. One example from professional practice is that of a website for a womens rights organisation, which several Arab translators refused to translate because one section concerned womens sexual freedom and the rights of lesbians. While the obvious an only acceptable response to such refusal is to respect it, this issue does raise interesting questions about the translators relation to the text he translates and the extent of his responsibility for its contents, or his complicity with its objective. The latter would apply, for example, to a person agreeing to translate the election manifesto of a political party whose views he does not subscribe to. In some jurisdictions, a translator working on the translation of a hate speech might even be committing a criminal offence. Generally speaking, however, decisions in this category very much depend on the translators personal orthodoxy. People who depend on translation for their livelihood can be expected to be slightly more liberal-minded than those who can afford to refuse unsavoury orders thanks to alternative sources of income.

There is also a category of texts which, at first sight, appear to be positively illegal. If a translator agreed to translate bomb-making instructions, would he be responsible for attacks committed with the bombs produced with the help of such instructions? He certainly would, in our view, if he did not take the trouble of finding out who needed the translation, and for what purpose it was required. If the nature of the client were sufficiently obscure to raise even the slightest concern, no translator in his right mind would accept such an order. However, if the translation was commissioned by a government authority as part of efforts to study terrorists practices, the translator might actually contribute to a good cause by translating even the most reprehensible texts.

To sum up, it is clear that translators in addition to grappling with the technical content of source texts may be up to some morally challenging tasks as well. While guidelines and codes of conduct exist to help translators formulate their stance in general ethical issues, in many cases the approach to practical moral dilemmas in translation will be a matter of personal consideration and assessment, aided by the translators knowledge of the client.

About translation agency beedigdevertaling.eu
Beedigdevertaling.eu, established in the Netherlands, is a professional translation agency with a primary focus on the Dutch and international business community, and on public and semi-public institutions. Our principal strengths lie in the financial, legal and medical sectors, as well as in commerce, advertising and media. Our client base includes some of the largest corporate enterprises in Europe.

While doing business in Europe it is extremely important to be aware of the cross-culture differences. Bearing in mind the cultural influences of a country are crucial for the success of your business. Are you planning to start out a new venture in Italy? Are you apprehensive about getting along with your clients in Italy?

Well here is a list of things to keep in mind to do business the Italian way:

1.Good manners and politesse are held in high regard in Italy. They prefer to deal with people who are polished but not uptight. So it is important to maintain some distance while having a professional conversation, but at the same time it is vital to be courteous. Too much resistance may be perceived as a sign of snooty or cold behavior.

2.Make sure to shake hands at the commencement and at the end of all rendezvous, this implies for group meetings as well. Italians are warm people; so dont be surprised if the greeting switches from a handshake to an embrace after a while. In fact, treat it as a positive sign; it indicates that their comfort level has gone up.

3.Remember that Italy is one of the most fashionable countries in the world. Home to some of the most coveted fashion labels, this place is about looking stylish and being well-dressed. So unpolished shoes and shabby wrinkled shirts are big no-nos.

4.Italians are relaxed most of the times, however, dont be surprised if your client turns up little late for the meeting. And in case you are running late for the meeting, make sure to give them a heads up.

5.With a slightly unconventional approach to doing business, Italians believe in combining business with pleasure. So inviting your clients for lunch or dinner is a good idea. You can take the consent of your senior client, as to who all should be invited for the meal. And by all means, do not decline any invitations; it is a great chance to network and expand your business.

6.If you happen to have any other clients in Italy, you can use your networking skills to introducing yourself; it builds the trust factor. Also, refrain from fixing any meetings between noon to 2pm, as Italians like enjoying their meal at leisure.

7.While trying to break the ice during the first few minutes of the meeting, take a relaxed approach. Dont just get down to business instead talk about casual stuff like Italian food, culture, etc. When you submit your proposal make sure to give as much information about the company and your services as possible.

8.Give the potential client time to go through the proposal. Stay in touch but dont be too pushy, as that can be viewed as rudeness.

Understanding cross-culture differences will take you a long way in doing business in Italy, and help you and your business expand and succeed tremendously.

So are you ready to do an Italian Job?