Doyle's Practical Guide to Business La in Emerging Countries in Asia

Citation

Moller, L. (2010), "Doyle's Practical Guide to Business La in Emerging Countries in Asia", Journal of International Trade Law and Policy, Vol. 9 No. 3, pp. 310-311. https://doi.org/10.1108/14770021011075536

The book is structured and organised with a discussion of the same topics for each of the above countries addressing specific questions that are very useful to any investor looking to do business in any of the countries.

The key questions that are addressed throughout the book for each country are the following:

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  Should our business establish as a limited company, representative office or branch?

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  What legal issues are associated with the start up of a foreign held company?

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  What legal issues are associated with operating as a foreign held company?

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  What is the process to obtain a work permit?

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  What investment incentives are available to foreign investors?

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  What legal issues are associated with foreign ownership of land?

This book is very useful and provides relevant practical advice to any potential investor looking to do business in these countries. Important areas are highlighted and discussed in a practical manner in view of the legal framework in each country. Each chapter is very well written by a legal practitioner based in the respective country, with a clear discussion of the rules and regulatory practices. It highlights the areas of law that are relevant to the above questions. Most of the sections are supported by examples to illustrate the practical implementation of the rules. What is not clearly identified is the legal basis of the rules (the country laws and regulations) that are so eloquently highlighted and explained in the chapters from the perspective of the individual authors. What is however missing from the book is an introductory chapter that could have explained the rationale and justification of the areas that are addressed in the chapters, i.e. why are these areas in particular important or a potential problem in these countries. Another criticism is also that some of the rules within each country may change in a couple of months which could render some parts of the book outdated and perhaps obsolete. Another missing item is a list of relevant legislation and statutory instruments. It would also have been ideal to have proformas of some of the key documents in the book as examples instead of referring to the web site all the time.

The chapters are written by established legal practitioners in their respective jurisdictions. The details of these lawyers are included at the beginning of each country report. The chapters contain relevant practical legal advice and this may however be a little bit subjective in that the reader will have no option but to follow the advice as described. Some of the information may also be affected by changes in the national law and the reader will have to be aware of the changes that may occur afterwards. However, what is good, is the link to the web site which will have more updates on the information; and the details of the authors are provided for any potential queries that may arise. Conveniently, the book also refers to Doyle's web site for further information. Clearly, the book is useful for people who want to know how the business operates in these Asian countries. A very practical guide.