Doing business in the Middle East?

Then you need to understand the role of honour in the Arab world.

To understand Japanese business culture, it's essential that you first appreciate Japanese cultural values.

Why?

Being a good host is a central part of life in the Middle East and it is an underpinning value that everyone in the region shares.

The roots of this can be found in the tribal system whereby treating guests well is traditionally a way of gaining honour.

If you’re off to Thailand for business or moving there as an expat, then we have compiled some essential cultural facts to give you an insight into Thai culture before you go.

By understanding the culture, you are best placed to get the most out of your time in Thailand and to make it a memorable experience for all the right reasons.

Saudi Arabia has become an almost permanent fixture in Western news.

With the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the continued carnage in Yemen which threatens to spiral into the worst global famine this generation, the spotlight placed on Saudi Arabia has been almost completely negative.

Many people doing business with Saudi Arabia are usually surprised to find that the date in Saudi Arabia is over 500 years behind that of dates in the West.

Why is the date different in Saudi Arabia?

We spend most of our time here working on serious cultural stuff, such as, how to negotiate successfully with the Americans, or, how to give good service to American customers.

Every so often however, we feel that need to go off at a tangent and indulge in some of the quirkier aspects of culture!

 Doing business or working in Japan can be tough for foreigners.

The cultural differences can be vast and it takes a while to get used to how the Japanese like to do things.

Travelling to Italy for work or business?

Want to make a good impression?

Saudi Arabia is on a mission.

Their ambitious 2030 Vision seeks to create an economy for the future based around trade and tourism.

Did you know that the UAE has some of the strictest laws governing social media?

Despite its reputation as a global commerce and tourism hotspot, the Arab state has strict laws which on occasion take foreigners by surprise.

Visiting Thailand? Then make sure your travels coincide with the three-day Thai new year celebration, known as ‘Songkran’.

Having travelled extensively across South East Asia, Songkran, was by far, the most beautiful festival that I had the fortune to take part in.

If you are travelling to Thailand for work, then you really need to understand a little about Thai culture first.

Despite its reputation as the Land of Smiles, Thai culture is relatively formal and, if you behave in the wrong manner, people can judge you negatively for failing to show the right decorum.

Did you know that the USA is one of our most in-demand countries in terms of cross-cultural training?

We support a diverse spectrum of business professionals from across the globe who work with Americans by helping them understand the culture, and specifically the business culture.

Doing business with the Chinese?

If so, then it’s more than likely that food will be involved at some point!

Working in the ASEAN region? Looking for some quick tips on how to do business? Need to know some of the main cultural differences you may come across?

Then this blog is for you!

Are you planning on doing business in the Nordic region? Maybe you already do? Want to learn more about the business culture? Then this blog is for you!

When working in a foreign culture it's essential to understand a bit about the people and how they like to do business.

Danes have every reason to celebrate! The Business Culture Complexity Index™ has ranked Denmark as having the easiest business culture among the top 50 economies of the world.

Let’s discover how this tiny western European country, famous for Lego, butter, bacon and Carlsberg beer, has created a culture, that according to the data, is open, trusting, transparent and open for business!

If you want to know how easy it is to do business with China, then look no further than the Business Culture Complexity Index ™ (BCCI), a tool that provides some great insights for expanding businesses.

The BCCI uses a number of data comparisons to produce a single ‘ease of doing business’ score for the world’s largest 50 economies, culturally speaking that is.

Indonesia is a growing market in a part of the world full of economic promise. As a result, more and more international companies and organisations are investing in the country and sending personnel to work with Indonesians.

In this blog we’ll cover some important tips around Indonesian business culture to help visitors to the country make the best impression possible.