Following an investigation by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) he described his business affairs from 1996 as "all fake".
Bribes are expected at every level: when collecting a package at the post office, getting a permit to start a business, collecting shipments at customs, getting hospital care, or seeking admission to a school or college.
Even the formal sector of business, it seems, commonly pays customs men not to notice its imports, if only so that it can compete with black-marketeers.
Despite the democratization of access to information that the Internet and mobile devices have brought, the business of social networks is subject to customs, cultural habits, and privacy tolerances.
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This fall, Quinlan will begin asking international students to take courses on business communication and U.S. classroom customs.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, another federal bureau, could bring more business if Congress funds the intelligence-reform bill passed last in late 2004.
Both the Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise are also keen to get out of the business of managing property.
Business outsiders can impress with their knowledge of local customs, acknowledging hierarchy, offering gifts, addressing people by their designation -- especially when dealing with state representatives -- and appreciating the food.
Central European countries are toughening visa regimes and customs services, making it harder for Russians to go and do business there.
Many companies will get you a replacement in 24 hours, but Citibank says its international replacements usually take two to four business days, or longer if they get caught up in customs.
Business rates are set by the Valuation Office Agency for HM Revenue and Customs and are paid through the city council to the government.
If you are looking to understand what your competitors are shipping, you can check out a company like Manifest Journals where a business connection of mine, Michael Heffernan, helps companies make sense of U.S. Customs Import Trade Data.
But experience shows that retail mergers are tough to pull off and frequently end up destroying value partly because local customs and tastes still vary greatly, and partly because global synergies in purchasing and the sharing of best business practice have been slow to materialise.
That agenda had included plans to reduce the costs of doing business across borders by 5% over the next few years by, among other things, streamlining customs procedures and speeding up applications for export permits.
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