Small Business Today Magazine APR 2014 MONTGOMERY ROTH | Page 16

EDITORIALFEATURE

Doing Business with

the Indonesian Culture
By Ludmila (Mila) Rusakova Golovine

I

f one were looking for an up-and-coming country with which
to do business, Indonesia would definitely be on the short list. 
Having the 16th largest economy in the world with a yearly
growth rate of six percent since 2004, Indonesia is one of the
most rapidly developing countries on the planet.  This situation
will offer tremendous opportunities to those savvy enough to
recognize them.  Nevertheless, in order to be successful, one
must be able to interact with Indonesians in a culturally appropriate manner.

 Indonesia is one of the most diverse countries in the world. It
has 17,000 islands and hundreds of different ethnic groups speaking various languages. Consequently, there is no single Indonesian
culture.  That said, the Javanese culture has long dominated the
island