Final Word from Thursday, January 10, 2008
Czech business is becoming more and more Czech, as foreign owners pull their expats out and increasingly entrust their operations to local managers. In many boardrooms, this is viewed as a key to future success. Not all the foreigners staying behind, though, are willing to play by the new rules. They want to retain their voice, even if it means bucking the trend and making waves at times. Some people say a clash of "foreigners vs. locals" was the main reason behind last year's revolt at the British Chamber of Commerce. Now, a group of the "foreigners" (some of whom are actually Czech) has left the British Chamber to start the British Business Forum. It's a rather radical move that, in the short term, could increase the tension between the "foreigners" and the "locals." If it works, though, it could lead to a healthier equilibrium, in which proudly foreign-run business organizations co-exist side-by-side with those that want to emphasize their Czechness.[Czech Republic United Kingdom U.K. UK]
Glossary of difficult words
full disclosure - we are not involved in any way in the founding of the British Business Forum, but we do expect to join it as a regular paying member;
expat - an expatriate, a person who lives outside his native country;
to buck the trend - to defy, go against a trend;
to make waves - to cause trouble;
revolt - an attempt to put an end to the authority of a person or body by rebelling.