Negotiating the Legal Systems in ASEAN

One may ask: What is a thought piece on legal systems doing in a business magazine? The fact is, as one begins to look at the legal and regulatory systems across the world, one quickly finds that these systems are an essential part of a firm’s business environment. Legal and regulatory structures, unique to each country, can facilitate or hinder, enable or limit how a firm operates locally. Laws can often impact business performance more than any other factor, internal or external to the business. You may have control over your finances, human resources, products, processes, supply chains, and even your customers; but legal systems dictate what products you can produce, where and how much you can produce, and where and to whom you can sell them. While the ‘sin’ industries like alcohol and tobacco are polarised examples of this, it is easy to see how the laws and regulations of a country can impact any business.