Doing Business
in the United
Kingdom
2015
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
DOING BUSINESS
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM
With a total population of 63 million people the UK
offers great potential for Danish companies looking
to set up and/or expand its activities.
The UK is one of Denmark’s largest export
markets and its geographical location combined
with the similarities between the Danes and the
Brits, suggest that Danish companies stand a good
chance of succeeding in the UK.
Despite the fact that there are similarities between
the two nations, there are also significant
differences to be aware of.
The purpose of this booklet is to explore the key
issues for doing business in the UK
The booklet is created by; Miller Rosenfalck –
European Business Lawyers, (European business
law), Krogh & Partners (Taxation), Compass
Human Resources Group (Recruitment), Danske
Bank (Export funding), Deliberate PR (PR &
Marketing), DSV (Logistics), Cintra (Labour
market), and The Royal Danish Embassy.
Contact
Miller Rosenfalck
T: +44 (0)20 7553 9931
W: www.millerrosenfalck.com
Aylesbury House
17-18 Aylesbury Street
London, EC1R 0DB
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
BUSINESS LAW
BY MILLER ROSENFALCK
Legal tradition
English law is based on a different legal system than
the Danish; namely Common law. The two main
differences are that there are fewer supplementary
statutes and that a seller is not bound by a general duty
to disclose known defects of a product or service.
Therefore, it is necessary to regulate everything in the
contract (this also applies to employment contracts).
This is the reason why English contracts are much
longer than what we are used to in Denmark and why
more resources are traditionally required to investigate
the circumstances (due diligence) before entering into a
binding agreement. Buyer, beware!
Companies etc.
There are two main types of limited liability companies;
namely the “Private Limited Company” (“LTD”) and the
“Public Limited Company” (“PLC”). The capital
requirement for a LTD is low, typically £1!, whilst the
capital requirement for a PLC is a minimum of £50,000.
A LTD is much simpler to manage whereas a PLC is
subject to stricter disclosure requirements and
regulation in a number of areas. Only the PLC may offer
to sell its shares to the public at so-called “listed” or
“quoted” prices.
Contact
Miller Rosenfalck
T: +44 (0)20 7553 9931
W: www.millerrosenfalck.com
Aylesbury House
17-18 Aylesbury Street
London, EC1R 0DB
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
Agents and distributors
The decision to hire an agent or appoint a distributor to
market your products or services in the UK will be
based on an assessment of both your own business
circumstances as well as the local market place in the
UK. If you hire an agent, the relationship will be
governed by the EU directive on commercial agents
etc., and therefore in the UK a number of mandatory
provisions in the area of termination, compensation etc.
will apply. However, if you appoint a distributor, there is
general freedom to agree applicable terms of contract.
In both cases, it is recommended that you use a tailor-
made contract to regulate the relationship.
Employment
The UK labour markets puts a high degree of
importance on freedom of contracts and the courts’
starting point is that the employment contract contains
the parties’ entire agreement including assumptions.
Normally, the court will only intervene in the wording of
the contract, if the contract does not provide statutory
minimum protection of the employee. The employer’s
primary opportunity to minimize the risk of disputes
relating to a contractual employment relationship is to
operate with a well-drafted employment contract. The
employee’s right not to be unfairly dismissed or unfairly
treated (discrimination) is paramount in an employment
relationship.
Contact
Compass Human Resources Group
T: +44 (0)20 7118 1275
W: www.compasshrg.com
2-4 King Street
SW1Y 6QL London
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
TALENT ATTRACTION IN THE UK MARKET BY COMPASS HUMAN RESOURCES GROUP
Compass Human Resources Group is a professional
headhunting company recruiting senior managers and
senior specialists across industries. The company
origins from Scandinavia but has been present in the
UK market for almost four years and is familiar with the
market conditions and challenges of recruiting in UK.
When entering the UK market
If your company has a strategy to enter the UK market
or to enhance your current organisational setup, you will
need to consider some key issues. First of all, the UK
market is spread over a much larger geographical area
than what we are familiar with from the Danish market.
This has a consequence for the way we do business,
but also the way we recruit new people to join our
organisations. Secondly, the candidate market is
significantly more competitive in UK, causing the best
candidates to be approached more often. The
competition for attracting the best employees is a
challenge that requires insight and a clear strategy.
Contact
Compass Human Resources Group
T: +44 (0)20 7118 1275
W: www.compasshrg.com
2-4 King Street
SW1Y 6QL London
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
Challenges of recruiting in UK
Similar to many other western countries the shortage of
skills is increasing, thereby creating a candidate driven
market. This means that the candidates to a greater
extent become a scarce resource making it difficult to
acquire their attention, if they are not approached using
the right strategy. This is the reality in which
Scandinavian companies must fight for the best
employees. Often, our companies do not have a strong
and familiar brand established in the UK market.
Therefore, the companies are depended on a partner,
who knows what excites the British candidates, how to
attract them, and what will bring them to the table.
Market specialists
Besides being aware of what characterises the
candidate market, your company will have to navigate in
an industry, which despite familiarities, will be different
from what you are conversant with. When you recruit
specialists, managers or senior managers to your
company, you will need people who are used to
navigate in that particular industry. Compass is fully
aware of this important aspect and is therefore
specialised in six practice groups:
Energy & Renewables
Life Science & Health Care
Financial Services & Financial Management
ICT
Contact
Compass Human Resources Group
T: +44 (0)20 7118 1275
W: www.compasshrg.com
2-4 King Street
SW1Y 6QL London
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
Industrial & Transportation
Consumer Products.
Furthermore, it is important to take a relational
approach to headhunting. It will give you a competitive
advantage as it is appreciated by the candidates, since
the British headhunting industry is known for its
roughness and cynicism.
Choose a partner who understands you
While your recruitment partner has to know the
tendencies and characteristics of the UK market, a
partner must also be able to understand you. As a
Scandinavian group operating in a foreign market we
understand your business, your management style and
culture. Bottom line; we can support you in both ways.
If you are interested in reading more about recruiting in
the UK market, you are welcome to click here to read
an article from the Danish newspaper Børsen featuring
our Managing Director Ole Dreyer (article in Danish).
Contact
Krogh & Partners Limited
T: +44 (0)20 7256 8800
W: www.kroghandpartners.com
823 Salisbury House 29 Finsbury Circus
London EC2M 5QQ
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
PERSONAL TAXATION / CORPORATION TAXATION / VAT. BY KROGH & PARTNERS
An important part of doing business in the UK is to
consider personal taxation, corporation taxation and
VAT. The areas are complex and professional advice
should always be obtained to avoid common pitfalls and
misunderstandings. Below you will find a brief
introduction to these areas.
Personal taxation
As the main rule a UK resident individual is subject to
UK income tax and capital gains tax on his worldwide
income and gains. A non-UK resident individual is by
contrast only subject to UK income tax on income
arising from sources in the UK.
Individuals resident in the UK but domiciled outside the
UK are taxable on most kinds of overseas income and
capital gains only to the extent of the amount being
remitted to the UK if the remittance basis of taxation is
chosen. Specific rules apply to individuals once these
individuals have remained residents in the UK, but
domiciled outside the UK for more than seven years.
As can been seen from the above an individual’s
exposure to UK tax is dependent on whether the
individual’s tax status is determined as resident or
domiciled. The taxable income for each fiscal year for
an individual is calculated by aggregating income from
Contact
Krogh & Partners Limited
T: +44 (0)20 7256 8800
W: www.kroghandpartners.com
823 Salisbury House 29 Finsbury Circus
London EC2M 5QQ
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
the various sources with deduction being made for
allowable items and personal allowances. The balance
remaining is subject to tax.
The fiscal year for individuals runs from 6 April to 5
April.
For the fiscal year 2013/14 the personal allowance is
GBP 9,440 and the basic rate is 20% for income
between 0 and GtBP 32,010. Income over GBP 32,010
until GBP 150,000 is taxed at 40%. Income above GBP
150,000 is taxed at 45%. Individuals with total income
exceeding GBP 100,000 will have their personal
allowance reduced.
Corporation taxation
Any profit generated in a UK company will be subject to
UK corporation taxation. In the following paragraph
some main guidelines of the taxation of UK Companies
are explained.
UK corporation tax is levied on the worldwide income of
companies incorporated in the UK. Accounting profit is
used as the base figure for calculating the tax liability.
However, various adjustments are made to this figure in
order to arrive at the taxable profit ie. depreciation of
fixed assets/capital allowances and entertainment.
Every company liable to corporation tax is required, for
every accounting year, to submit to the UK Tax
Authorities a set of accounts comprising of a profit and
Contact
Krogh & Partners Limited
T: +44 (0)20 7256 8800
W: www.kroghandpartners.com
823 Salisbury House 29 Finsbury Circus
London EC2M 5QQ
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
loss account and balance sheet and a computation of
the taxable income. Further a corporation tax return
needs to be prepared and submitted. The financial year
for corporate tax purposes runs from 1 April to 31
March. Corporation tax rates are fixed by reference to
the financial year ending 31 March and for year ended
31 March 2015 the main rate is 21% and for small
companies 20%.
Value Added Tax (VAT)
Value Added Tax is a sales tax levied on a wide range
of goods and services. VAT is generally chargeable at a
flat rate, currently 20%. Certain items, primarily
necessities such as food and personal transport are
zero rated with a VAT rate of 0%.
Any business entity with UK taxable supplies above a
certain value (currently GBP 81,000 per year) is
required to register for VAT. There are severe penalties
for failure to register.
Once a company is registered for VAT periodic VAT
Returns must be prepared and submitted to the UK
Authorities.
Contact
Cintra HR & Payroll Services
T: +44 (0)119 1478 7000
W: www.cintra.co.uk
Computer House
353 High Street
Gateshead,
Tyne & Wear NE8 1ET
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
THE UK LABOUR MARKET BY CINTRA
The labour market in the UK can provide a rich source
of knowledge and expertise, however there are many
considerations to bear in mind when sourcing and
managing a UK workforce.
Remuneration and expected benefits in the UK can vary
tremendously, depending on the region and sector in
which the company operates. Salary levels in the
capitol are typically 20-40% higher than in the rest of
the country.
Contracts of employment are usually very detailed and
will cover specific additional entitlements and/or
conditions for each employee. This will also typically
incorporate a code of behaviour expected by the
employee, including dress code.
Usual business hours for organisations in the UK are
Monday to Friday, 9am – 5.30pm. Roles below a
managerial level will typically be remunerated for
working outside of these core hours. Flexible working is
on the increase but is still not widely implemented in
practice.
Legal obligations
As an employer in the UK, you have a number of legal
obligations to do with paying your employees. Pay As
Contact
Cintra HR & Payroll Services
T: +44 (0)119 1478 7000
W: www.cintra.co.uk
Computer House
353 High Street
Gateshead,
Tyne & Wear NE8 1ET
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
You Earn, National Insurance Contributions and
Workplace Pensions are the three main areas to be
aware of:
Pay As You Earn (PAYE)
PAYE is the system that HM Revenue & Customs
(HMRC) uses to collect Income Tax and National
Insurance contributions (NICs) from employees
(including directors of limited companies). The tax and
NICs is deducted throughout the tax year based on the
employees' earnings and then paid to HMRC.
You must send PAYE returns electronically to HMRC
each time you pay your employees as part of your
routine payroll processes. These returns must include
details of all employees' pay, tax and deductions. You
must do this by sending a Full Payment Submission
(FPS) on or before each payday, either by using
commercial payroll software or HMRC's Basic PAYE
Tools. All employees must be included on your FPS, no
matter how much they earn, including students.
National Insurance Contributions (NICs)
As an employer, you pay NICs on the earnings you
provide to or for the benefit of employees earning above
a certain threshold. NICs are calculated and deducted
through the PAYE system when you operate your
payroll and must be recorded on the Full Payment
Contact
Cintra HR & Payroll Services
T: +44 (0)119 1478 7000
W: www.cintra.co.uk
Computer House
353 High Street
Gateshead,
Tyne & Wear NE8 1ET
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
Submission (FPS) and paid to HM Revenue & Customs
(HMRC).
Workplace Pensions
All employers will have to provide workers with a
workplace pension scheme by law over the next few
years. The biggest employers started doing this in
October 2012. This is called ‘automatic enrolment’.
When your business must start doing this (called a
‘staging date’) depends on how many people you have
on your payroll. By the staging date, businesses must
be in a position to offer workers a workplace pension
scheme. You must enrol into the scheme all workers
who: are aged between 22 and the State Pension age;
earn at least £9,440 a year; and work in the UK. You
must make an employer’s contribution to the pension
scheme for those workers. The Pensions Regulator
has more information for employers about automatic
enrolment.
Practical Considerations
In order to pay an employee, first of all you must
register with HMRC for a tax reference. There are three
ways in which this can be done:
The company can be registered as a legal
entity in the UK;
The company can have an Agent in the UK;
Direct Payment Scheme: where the employee
Contact
Cintra HR & Payroll Services
T: +44 (0)119 1478 7000
W: www.cintra.co.uk
Computer House
353 High Street
Gateshead,
Tyne & Wear NE8 1ET
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
is responsible for paying the tax direct. This is
the most infrequently used option.
Employer’s responsibilities
An employer has five key responsibilities:
Payment of tax and National Insurance;
Real Time Information (RTI) reporting to
HMRC;
Attachment of earnings (e.g. Child Support
Agency, Student Loan);
Workplace pension;
Issuing a pay statement.
The tax rate is variable, depending on the annual salary
of the employee. A basic personal allowance of £9,440
can be earned without incurring any tax. The basic rate
of tax is 20%, which is payable on earnings up to
£32,010. If earnings exceed this amount, the tax rate
increases to 40%. Earnings over £150,001 are taxed at
45%. These figures are current for the 2013/14 tax
year.
As well as calculating and deducting employee National
Insurance Contributions (NICs), the employer must also
pay a National Insurance Contribution for each
employee, for which the current rate is 13.8%.
By law, every pay period you must issue a pay
statement which gives your employee a record of pay
Contact
Cintra HR & Payroll Services
T: +44 (0)119 1478 7000
W: www.cintra.co.uk
Computer House
353 High Street
Gateshead,
Tyne & Wear NE8 1ET
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
and deductions, including:
'gross pay' - before the deduction of tax or
National Insurance contributions (NICs) and
any other deductions;
employee's Class 1 NICs deducted;
tax deducted.
Depending on the employee's circumstances you may
also need to include other payments and deductions on
their payslip. At the end of each tax year you must also
give each employee who was working for you on the
last day of the tax year a form P60 end-of-year
certificate. Form P60 provides a summary of the
employee's total pay and tax/NICs deductions for the
year. You must give this to your employee by 31 May.
Employees are also entitled to certain statutory benefits
which, if applicable, must be administered and recorded
through payroll, such as SMP (Maternity pay), SPP
(Paternity pay), SAP (Adoption Pay) and SSP (Sick
Pay).
Contact
DSV
T: +44 (0)84 4880 0844
W: www.uk.dsv.com
Scandinavia House
Parkston
Harwich
Essex CO12 4QG
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
LOGISTICS BY DSV
DSV offers a full range of transport and logistics
services between Denmark and the UK, providing
customers with complete coverage.
DSV operates a groupage service 3 times per week to
and from hubs across Denmark, including Horsens,
Esbjerg and Copenhagen, into and out of DSV’s
operating centres in the UK including Glasgow,
Immingham, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol and
London. This network enables a typical transit time of 4-
5 days.
DSV is able to enhance this with the express product
DSV Daily Flyer, launched in early 2014. This service
enables the client to reduce the transit time to a
maximum of 2 days, thereby offering a time sensitive
product to customers who need a faster delivery. In
addition, DSV can offer both LTL Part Load and Full
Truck Loads using the daily services operating from
Esbjerg to Immingham, covering the use of standard
curtain sided equipment, alongside 45” wide body
containers, complimented by a fleet of refrigerated
trailers offering both full load and chilled and frozen
groupage services.
Contact
DSV
T: +44 (0)84 4880 0844
W: www.uk.dsv.com
Scandinavia House
Parkston
Harwich
Essex CO12 4QG
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
DSV is a global supplier of transport and logistics
solutions. We have offices in more than 70 countries all
over the world employing approximately 22,000 staff
who generated an annual revenue of €6.1 billion in
2013.
About DSV Road
The Road Division handles transportation of groupage,
part and full loads both domestically and across Europe.
We offer total logistics solutions, including outsourcing
of stock control and a wide range of services related to
customers' supply chains. The Division's business area
also includes distribution and cross-docking. We have in
the region of 17,000 trucks on the road around Europe
each day.
About DSV Air & Sea
Via its solid global transport network, the Air & Sea
Division handles shipments to overseas markets by air
and by sea, LCL or FCL containers or airway unit load
devices. We act as a specialised intermediary between
the individual customer and the shipping lines and
airline companies.
About DSV Solutions
DSV solutions Ltd is committed to creating added value
for customers through tailor-made supply chain
services. Providing logistics services across a wide
range of industrial and commercial sectors, the
Contact
DSV
T: +44 (0)84 4880 0844
W: www.uk.dsv.com
Scandinavia House
Parkston
Harwich
Essex CO12 4QG
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
Solutions Division has built its success on providing
global logistics services that are reliable, responsive
and cost effective, and by offering our customers tightly
managed work processes, comprehensive systems,
reliable distribution services and dedicated
warehousing.
Contact
Danske Bank, London Branch
T: +44 (0)20 7410 8000
W: www.danskebank.com/London
Corporate Banking
75 King William Street
London EC4N 7DT
YOUR PREFERRED NORDIC BANK IN THE UK BY DANSKE BANK
Corporate Banking
Export Financing
Markets
Private Banking
What does your business expect from a modern
international bank?
With continued focus on regulation and anti-money
laundering, establishing a new banking relationship in
the UK can be a cumbersome and protracted process.
Getting things right the first time will enable you to
maintain your focus on developing your business.
The Danske Bank Group, based in Copenhagen, is the
largest bank in Denmark and one of the leading
financial enterprises in northern Europe. We have a
passion for innovation and offer groundbreaking
technology such as innovative banking solutions for
smart phones and tablets. We have a unique one-point-
of-entry setup, where you can manage your banking
business in several countries with one single login. This
unique setup is just one of the reasons why Danske
Bank was voted Best Cash Management Bank in the
Nordic Region in 2014.
Danske Bank’s London Branch was established in 1983
to support Nordic corporations in the UK. Since then,
Contact
Danske Bank, London Branch
T: +44 (0)20 7410 8000
W: www.danskebank.com/London
Corporate Banking
75 King William Street
London EC4N 7DT
our operations have expanded significantly, and today
we offer a broad range of products and services to our
corporate and institutional customers based throughout
Europe. Our personal banking customers benefit from
our wide range of financial products and services, and
our highly qualified advisers and experts provide
personal advisory services customised to customers’
individual needs.
With our roots in the Nordic region and a long
experience with the UK banking environment, we have
a real understanding of the financial, economic and
cultural issues facing our corporate customers in the
UK, and we use this expertise to add real value to your
business.
Contact
Deliberate PR
T: +44 (0)20 7221 1540
W: www.deliberate-pr.com
42 Westbourne Grove
London W2 5SH
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
IS IT THE NEW SKYPE / BANG & OLUFSEN / NOMA / FORRYDELSEN? THE BRITISH LOVE SCANDINAVIAN BRANDS BY DELIBERATE PR
Over the past five years, Scandinavian cultural and
lifestyle concepts have achieved an unprecedented
level of success in the UK. From fashion to food, tech
start-ups to TV programmes, brands emerging from
Scandinavia have been automatically granted a ‘cool
factor’ that has made them irresistible to the UK media
and, by direct association, British consumers.
Beyond engaging with a receptive and friendly market,
securing a presence within the UK media is a logical
step for any Scandinavian brand with global ambitions:
British exposure proving a gateway to the wider
English-speaking world.
British newspapers, news sites, blogs, broadcast
shows, and podcasts remain among the most popular
internationally: 4 of the 10 most-visited English
language news sites in the world – including number 1 –
have their origins in the UK.
For Scandinavian brands, a smart media campaign in
the UK can not only create a new user base in a
territory that does not lead to jet lag, but can also aid in
future investment rounds: VCs from Los Angeles to
New York, London to Hong Kong respond better to
exposure in the BBC, Bloomberg and Financial Times
than articles in unfamiliar languages.
Contact
Deliberate PR
T: +44 (0)20 7221 1540
W: www.deliberate-pr.com
42 Westbourne Grove
London W2 5SH
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
Previous Scandinavian successes show that the virtues
associated with the region on the part of the British – for
example, a reputation for honesty and hard work in
business, being straight-talking and progressive in
mind-set, and having a subtle sense of humour – can
and should be leveraged within PR, Marketing, and
Advertising strategies. Though the British might not
understand the principles of Jante, they respond
favourably to a number of its manifestations.
Though cutting-edge and forward-facing in many
respects, the British remain highly sensitive to historical
issues, meaning that for some international brands the
idea of marketing a product or concept on its country of
origin is simply not an option. Even though it might
infuriate the inhabitants of the Nordic countries that the
average UK consumer cannot really differentiate
between Sweden, Denmark, or Norway, the fact is that
British associations in terms of ancient, recent, and
contemporary history are favourable.
We’ve forgiven you for the Vikings, and, as the
popularity of the recent British Museum exhibition on
the pillaging Norsemen would attest, grown to love the
way that you once shaped our past. Many UK media
commentators have gone so far as to make slightly
dubious, but charming, links between once warlike
behaviour and present-day business ambition: ‘The
Vikings have conquered your children’s wardrobe’ being
the headline to a recent Daily Telegraph article on the
popularity of Danish and Swedish fashion brands for
teens. When Borgen, Broen, and Forbrydelsen became
Contact
Deliberate PR
T: +44 (0)20 7221 1540
W: www.deliberate-pr.com
42 Westbourne Grove
London W2 5SH
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
indispensible TV viewing for the British middle classes,
comparably anachronistic comparisons between past
and present were made in the British papers, but were
always favourable.
However much it might unsettle and possibly confuse
rational Scandinavians, when arriving in the UK, your
brands come pre-programmed with benefits by virtue of
their place of birth. Be prepared to use these to your
advantage. However, for the love of Thor, just don’t use
American English spelling.
Contact
Trade Section, The Royal Danish Embassy Contact person: Helle Sejersen Myrthue
T: +44 (0)20 7333 0200
W: www.denmark.org.uk
55 Sloane Street
London SW1X 9SR
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
BUSINESS CULTURE BY THE DANISH EMBASSY IN LONDON
Danes wishing to do business in our neighbouring
country, the United Kingdom, will presumably only meet
a few minor cultural barriers. However, it is still
important to keep in mind that, differences in customs
and standard practices do still exist.
Through our work at the Embassy, we have gathered a
wealth of experience of issues, problems and surprises
which typically face Danish companies wishing to enter
the British market.
Through our experience, we are inclined to recommend
that companies should be prepared to invest more time
and effort in getting in contact with decision makers in
the UK compared to that in Denmark. The reason for
this is attributed to the following; (1) British companies
do not easily divulge the names of employees, (2) the
organisational ‘distance of power’ is larger, which
means enquiries often have to be initially channelled
through a Personal Assistant, and lastly (3) in the UK it
is not perceived to be a serious breach of good
business practice to not respond to enquiries before
receiving a reminder.
In addition, it is not unusual that once contact is
established, the decision process can be a very
protracted affair given even the most basic of decision
making is often delegated upwards within organisations.
Contact
Trade Section, The Royal Danish Embassy Contact person: Helle Sejersen Myrthue
T: +44 (0)20 7333 0200
W: www.denmark.org.uk
55 Sloane Street
London SW1X 9SR
Doing business in the United Kingdom: 2015
Moreover, Brits are much more conservatively dressed
compared to the norms found in Denmark and in
relation to etiquette, it is important to be aware of that
the Brits place great importance on practicing small talk
during business meetings as a means to ‘break the ice’.
Brits are not typically confrontational or direct in their
approach, but instead prefer to maintain a good
atmosphere during business meetings. It short,
common courtesy is an essential element of British
culture – actually to such an extent that it may be
difficult for some Danes to realise that a potential
collaborator rejects a business opportunity purely based
on the inability to ‘read’ the signals accurately.
Further readings:
‘Fish can’t see water’ by Kai Hammerich &
Richard D. Lewis
Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of
English Behaviour’ by Kate Fox