Europe is typically seen as an unified region under the European Union's flag of common trade and currency that make it an easy market to serve, work in and maintain. Language barriers are the most common problem at any companies, along with differences in tax laws. Managing that complexity has long been one of Europe's core competencies. In many ways, the European market is very complex, but when you deal with markets outside EU it is an always different story.
This storyboard focuses on perception/expectation. The problem is that many companies with little or no experience in foreign markets tend to consider overseas markets habit, perception and business traditions from their country-residence company point of view. In other words, they expect to see the same way of appreciation, understanding, business environment, etc.
The inspiration for this story board comes from a trip with business partners who told the story about their experience in Russia. The company was looking to be present in the local market where they already rent expensive office space and work with some local staff. For the first order, they delivered a couple of pallets with expensive products for delivery to Russia. The local market authorities require a large number of documents to be able to clear the goods for customs. This is contrast to the EU, where only a few documents are required and there is less bureaucracy. Due to the way the company handled the situation the goods can not pass customs and are stored at very high costs at the customs area.