Would you drink fermented mare’s milk with your new potential Mongolian business partners to seal a deal?
Or would you politely decline?
As part of the 2014 Export Week, Commisceo trainer Joyce Jenkins was invited to speak at UK Trade and Investment’s (UKTI) Women in Export event.
UKTI offers its services to UK based companies seeking to expand their business overseas, providing expert advice and practical support for exporting into foreign markets and understanding overseas business practices.
Their Master Class, held at Gatwick on the 13th of November, dealt with the challenges faced by women when exporting, with a particular focus on doing business in the Far East.
In addition to gaining a better understanding of the role UKTI can play in assisting companies in exporting, attendees heard from representatives of women-led businesses who had overcome barriers to trade in this region. Victoria Christian, Global Brand Ambassador for luxury goods producer Clive Christian, along with Claire Selby, Managing Director of educational materials producer Yellow House English Ltd., spoke about their respective experiences entering markets in the Far East.
Understanding a country's past helps you understand its present.
Kathinka gives her viewpoint on the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; a physical and symbolic wall that shaped the Cold War and today still influences German culture.
As bridge-builders, interculturalists have a lot of work to do.
I’m going to be honest with you. I have written this blog once already – I fully expressed my views and vented my frustrations as to the recent events in the UK. I am now taking all those words back and starting again.
If UK loses out on Erasmus, we lose the next generation
One of the OMG moments I had during my post-Brexit bewilderment was what would happen to funding for the Erasmus programme; an EU initiative to support students to study abroad for one year.
Have you heard about the 'Budgie Nine'?
If not, then here comes another perfect example of foreigners acting cuturally inappropriately when abroad.
For those that follow The Apprentice, you can’t have missed the recent outburst by contestant Dillon St Paul in Episode 6, entitled ‘Discount Buying’.
Sticking to the traditional programme format, contestants were required to spend the night identifying the whereabouts of 9 items in and around London and then negotiate the best possible price for their purchase.
Seriously, who uses the word ‘foreigners’ as a brush reference to the diverse nationalities living in and beyond the borders of the UK? This word surely is a relic? Something from the past?
Sitting on my perch last night in my normal nightly semi-comatose state after a hard day's work in front of the TV, I was aroused from my stupor by the following reaction of Norman Tebbit when discussing the right of EU nationals to remain in the UK post Brexit:
The viral video of Professor Robert Kelly talking to the BBC via Skype perfectly illustrate how unconscious bias works.
When his kids break into the room and interrupt the interview, an Asian lady comes to get them - did you see a Nanny or a Mum?
Traditionally one of the more expensive destinations to send expatriate staff, a survey has found that the UK is now becoming cheaper for foreign companies.
The MyExpatriate Market Pay survey (published annually by ECA International) states that for the past few years the fall in the value of UK Sterling has meant that for companies outside the country, operating mainly in USD, sending resources to Britain has become around 11% cheaper.
We are delighted to announce the release of an online cultural awareness training course on British culture.
Did you know that in The UK they celebrate a 'pancake day'? Yes! And it involves a pancake race too!
Did you know that Saudi Arabia segregates people at restaurants according to gender?
Yes, it’s true, but the internet and media have been buzzing with news that the country has stopped the practice.
Saudi Arabia has a wealth of strategic opportunities, characterised by a favourable geographical position and an abundance of natural resources.
It has the potential to become the ‘next big thing’ in the Middle East and to build economic streams which are not oil dependent, as outlined in its ambitious ‘2030 Vision’.
As COVID-19 continues to spread around the globe, China has claimed relative success in dealing with the virus.
On closer inspection, much of this success comes down to Chinese culture.
Do cultural commitments to ideas like freedom and liberty help or hinder Americans in their plight?
In this blog we’ll explore how American culture and values are potentially harming the country’s ability to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Is there a correlation between culture and the COVID-19 pandemic?
This is a question we’ve posed before in previous blogs.
I recently penned some musings about the privitization of cultural diversity in a blog post; the central theme being that politics and politicians don't know how to handle the boiling hot potato that is multiculturalism. The result, I predict, will be the private sector championing cultural diversity and multiculturalism with the politicians glady handing responsibility over.
To summarise the blog, I believe the private sector see the failings of politicians to positively engage and counteract the harmful anti-difference agenda as bad for business.
CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ will "Improve Corporate Performance, Drive Growth, and Enhance Employee Engagement" says founding companies
In a sign of the growing importance of diversity issues within the workplace, a group of more than 150 CEOs from some of the world’s leading companies have put their names againt CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion™ - the largest ever CEO-driven commitment to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace.