ABSTRACT
The trust determinant of functional competence refers to the business, management and technical knowledge, experience and judgment that an individual brings to the enterprise, and applies in everyday practice, to make an enterprise as successful as possible. In fact, the latter respondent was surprised initially at the sophistication of his Russian partners on the business front: 'it was quite a sophisticated business plan that they wanted. The most serious business competence issue facing western investors in Russia during the 1990s was the lack of skills, knowledge and appreciation of the accounting and finance functions of business: 'accountancy in Russia and accountancy in the west - there is no comparison. Western companies found themselves demanding a significant shift in attitude from Russian staff when it came to the notion of a service culture. Western investors commonly sent Russian staff on training courses in Russia, the UK or the US.
