Assume that you are interested in importing silk blouses from Bangkok, Thailand, to France. What facts might persuade you to enter into an agency agreement with a Thai blouse manufacturer rather than a distributorship or vice versa?
All businesses must, of course, follow the laws of the countries in which they are physically present and operating. (Whether a business with no physical presence but which solicits or performs business in a foreign country electronically must follow the laws of the foreign country will be examined in Chapter 18.) Foreign firms often wish to establish operations in the United States, in part because Americans are more inclined to buy goods made in this country. Doing business in the United States brings with it the requirement to comply with U.S. laws and regulations.