a bit of ground to catch up.
We have done well in investment terms
inSingapore; wo have done less well elsewhere than apparently some of
our competitors have done.
175.
Freeing the exchange controls has really helped a great deal
with reciprocity?
(Mr Young) I believe so.
176. And the practical consequences of perhaps educating the
investment world now to use this new freedom would be further joint
ventures in the ASEAN countries. You also go on to say that too much
obvious hard-sell can sometimes be offensive. Is this due to the
are
temperament of the personalities that we actually negotiating with?
/
(Mr Young) Yes. A professional sell is always welcome in
the normal sense. I think it is possible, because of the national
characteristics of some of the people, to be insensitive as to how we do
it and we can be, I think, from time to time, rather bad losers and make
excuses for ourselves when we fail to secure a contract.
Mc Mikardo
177. Is that really because of the national characteristics of the
people? Would you not say it is a fact that almost in every market now
throughout the world, because people are becoming more sophisticated in
business practice and in these developing countries they are learning
fast the ways of the west, would you not say in general that everywhere
the hard-sell is often courter-productive?
(Mr Young) I believe that to be true. I would not confine
that comment to South-cast Asia.
Mr Foster
178.
I would accept what you say about the hard-sell, but
nevertheless, would it not be helpful if there was an element of
coordination in planning on the part of Central Government in our
thrust in all of these countries?
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