Cross-cultural training - How much difference does it really make? Before moving abroad, Alecia Myers and her husband Ken drove to Chicago to attend a daylong cross-cultural training seminar designed to teach them how to understand and relate to people from foreign cultures. There they learned about high context and low context cultures, sub-cultures, and co-cultures, the seven dimensions of culture, and increasing intercultural business competency. One year later, happily settled in Austria, Alecia looks back favorably on her cross-cultural training and tries to remember what she learned. "The thing I most remember is Austrians are like coconuts and Americans are like peaches," she says smiling. Cross-cultural and intercultural training, a marginal idea 30 years ago, has boomed into mainstream acceptance in the past 10 years with international businesses tapping into a large and sometimes expensive array of cross and intercultural training programs for their outgoing expat employees.
Intercultural training is no longer just for expats. 17128658. 4 Crucial Marketing Mistakes to Avoid When Doing Business Abroad - Globial Talks Business. Go global, don’t make mistakes. Opportunity has arisen, you’ve seen a gap in the market, and it looks like the exact right time to develop your international business and sell to overseas markets! But wait! International business is no quick-win, simple task. Requiring intricate cross-cultural understanding, too many businesses – large and small – have found marketing efforts are easily floored as a result of cultural difference. So where did those organisations go wrong? Not using market research to adopt a localised focus. Successful international marketing relies on hundreds of elements. Too many organisations just assume their services will be internationally wanted. For example, if you’re a US coffee brand setting up shop in Japan, consider if the local people will be interested in your offering.
What works in one market will not necessarily work in another, no matter how successful a strategy or product already is in one region, so: Skipping the translation process. What’s in a name? 5 Things to Know about Business Trip Etiquette HR. Traveling for business isn’t the same as going on vacation. While there are some similarities, it’s important to remember that you’re not only representing yourself while travelling for work; you’re also sending out important signals about your company — its culture, brand and products. Whether you’re travelling to meet with current or prospective clients, attend a seminar, or scout a new meeting location, presenting yourself in a professional and friendly manner can send positive messages about the company you represent.
The opposite is also true. Being overly casual or rude to hospitality staff at your hotel or restaurants, for example, can leave a very bad impression of your employer among the people you meet. Attire What you wear when travelling for business sends an unmistakable message to the people you see about how you perceive your place and purpose in the situation. Your appearance and clothing also affect how you feel and act when meeting people during your travels. Schedule. Doing business abroad? Simple faux pas can sink you. By Gary Stoller, USA TODAY Globalization has made cross-border business deals more common than ever.
But, every day, deals are jeopardized or lost when foreign associates are offended by Americans unaware of other countries' customs, culture or manners, etiquette experts say. They commit a faux pas (a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners or conduct) while traveling, meeting a foreigner here or communicating on the phone or Internet. "Americans are way too informal in their dealings with their counterparts abroad, and they end up perceived as uncouth and even obnoxious," says P.M. Forni, a professor of Italian literature and civility at Johns Hopkins University. "Innocence, stupidity or arrogance make them behave in Cyprus the way they would in Cleveland. " Politicians and celebrities are not immune, generating highlight reels of faux pas for late-night talk shows. President Bush used an expletive while talking to British Prime Minister Tony Blair at a meeting in Germany last year.
When working Abroad know the ropes with business etiquette. International Business Etiquette Tips by Lydia Ramsey. International Business Etiquette Tips To say that today's business environment is becoming increasingly more global is to state the obvious. Meetings, phone calls and conferences are held all over the world and attendees can come from any point on the globe.
On any given business day you can find yourself dealing face-to-face, over the phone, by e-mail and, on rare occasions, by postal letter with people whose customs and cultures differ your own. You may never have to leave home to interact on an international level. While the old adage "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" still holds true, business clients and colleagues who are visiting this country should be treated with sensitivity and with an awareness of their unique culture. There is no one set of rules that applies to all international visitors so do the research for each country that your clients represent. Building relationships Few other people are as eager to get down to business as we Americans. Tip Sheet: Business Etiquette Around The World. Conducting business in Europe or Asia? It's easy to loose your manners without even realizing it. Here's some advice. September 30, 2011 International business travel makes me nervous.
No, I don’t have a fear of flying or seeing new places; it’s the cultural interaction that makes me squirm. I never know what is appropriate and what is forbidden, so I’m usually left simply hoping I don't make a fool out of myself. On a recent business trip to Spain, for example, I was greeted with a two-handed handshake and kisses on both cheeks. So what are a few things businesspersons should remember when traveling abroad? To find out, I enlisted the advice of Terri Morrison, president of Getting Through Customs, and co-author of nine books on cultural guidelines in business. Here are a few of her tips for Europe and Asia. Northern Europe Businesspersons here are known for their formality. Once introduced, skip the chitchat and get right down to business.
Lack of chitchat extends to elevators. Asia. Cross Cultural Dining Etiquette | articles | cultural services. In today's inter-reliant, international and culturally diverse world economy, cross cultural differences can have an impact on business success. Both at an individual and organisational level understanding the values, etiquette and protocol of different cultures can positively influence your dealings in the worldwide marketplace. A lack of cross cultural awareness can result in misinterpretations which may cause offense. Such outcomes may end in your reputation being tarnished and your business objectives impacted. Cross cultural understanding and appreciation of foreign etiquette is important for today's globe trotting business person to avoid such negative repercussions.
One area of importance in cross cultural awareness is the different dining etiquettes of the world. Cross cultural dining etiquette involves considering the following points: . Dining Etiquette in Germany: . Dining Etiquette in Japan: . Dining Etiquette in Turkey: . Dining Etiquette in the USA: . . © Kwintessential Ltd. UH, CHECK, PLEASE! HELLO? Business Dinner Abroad? A Crash Course in Japanese Dining Etiquette. Traveling to a foreign country for work is exciting, but it can also be stressful—especially if you're unfamiliar with the local customs. That’s why, over the next few months, we’ll be exploring business dining etiquette around the world. Read on to learn more about eating out in Japan, then keep an eye out for more countries to come!
Headed to a business dinner in Tokyo or Osaka? Good manners are prized in any dining situation, but they're especially important in Japan, a culture that values harmony, politeness, negotiation, and teamwork. And if you don’t know the rules (which, yes, are much different than American norms), it's easy to commit a dining faux pas. So, if you’re visiting Japan for work (or just want to learn more!) Dress the Part The Japanese business culture is pretty conservative, so it's good idea to err on the side of caution and formality with your attire.
Take a Bow Spend even a few minutes in Japan, and you’ll see that the typical Japanese greeting is a bow. Chopsticks. Successful Entertaining in Sweden and Doing Business in Sweden :: World Business Culture. Sweden: Most business entertaining takes place over lunch or dinner. (Breakfast meetings are fairly unusual.) In fact, there is quite a tradition of business entertaining in Sweden and people will enjoy being invited out to a good restaurant.
Meals are taken relatively early in Sweden with lunch being taken between 12:00 — 13:00 and dinner as early as 18:00 — 19:00. Swedish food is often described as being quite heavy and it is true that there are many dishes with meat and potatoes. Most business people do not drink alcohol with lunch but are much more likely to have an alcoholic drink with dinner (unless they are driving — the drink-driving laws are very stringently enforced.) It is usually possible to discuss business issues over lunch or dinner — although it would be unusual to make any firm decisions or go into things in too much depth on these occasions. Business Dinner Abroad? A Crash Course in European Dining Etiquette. Traveling to a foreign country for work is exciting, but it can also be stressful—especially if you’re unfamiliar with the local customs.
And that’s why we’ve been exploring business dining etiquette around the world. Read on to learn more about eating out in Europe, then check out our guide to Japanese etiquette! Headed to a business trip to Paris, Berlin, or Rome? While a dinner in Europe sounds like a dream come true, it can also be très nerve-wracking. Which fork do you use? To know what you’re in for and to make sure you don’t commit a dining faux pas, brush up on these European dining basics for France, Italy, and Germany.
France: Mind Your Manners 1. Even if you didn't grow up in France, your mother probably told you that keeping your elbows on the table is poor manners. 2. In France, the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right. 3. 4. 5. One common complaint of French restaurant diners is that Americans speak too loudly. Germany: Follow All the Rules 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Is Dining Etiquette Important? Dining Etiquette 101. | Beechwood Hotel.
Just the word “dining etiquette” itself seems to stir up a touch of anxiety for all except the highly experienced gala goers. What is it about dining etiquette that gets our stomachs all tied up in a knot? For one, the innate fear of being judged has many of us worried that we’ll be ridiculed for having poor dining etiquette. For another, we place far too much emphasis on the consequences of making a dining etiquette mistake. And then, of course, there’s our childhood memories of our parents ingraining into our minds the importance of dining etiquette and behaving properly at the dinner table. Let us help take away the fear of poor dining etiquette and replace it with full confidence in your dining etiquette abilities. Dining EtiquetteDining with Confidence Did you know that the point of etiquette rules is to make you feel comfortable, not uncomfortable? There are too many dining etiquette rules to mention them all.
Dinner and a Deal - Business Traveler US. World Wise » Published: 28/02/2013 - Filed under: Home » World Wise » Home » In the recent Harvard Business Review article “Should You Eat While You Negotiate?” Lakshmi Balachandra described an experiment she conducted with MBAs to ascertain whether negotiating a deal over a meal would increase the value of the theoretical agreement (vs. discussing it without food). Her tests showed that, yes, eating together – even in a conference room – improved the overall negotiated deals by more than $6.5 million!
Why? But sharing a meal is more than an anatomical exercise. This perception starts in US grade schools, where food is gobbled down in a 20 to 30 minute frenzy – basically as a prelude to recess. So if eating habits are established in grade school – how do US executives change their behaviors, and adapt to other cultures’ dining etiquette? An Environmental Regulatory Compliance Auditor named Jamie White figured it out when she asked for an extended assignment to Guam. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.