I was recently at a dinner party in London for notable vultures and found myself speaking to a lovely vulture based in Wales who had flown down for the evening. Conversation led to work and what I do here at Commisceo, and what we do as a company, i.e cultural training.
“That’s different”, he said, "...but who on earth needs that?".
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Price Waterhouse Cooper predicts that as many as 70,000 British employees will relocate to alternative European locations between now and 2020 following the vite to Brexit vote. This is not counting the thousands of non-British that could also leave.
We are already seeing signs and it is slowly becoming a reality for a number of employees. As a number of companies seek to retain access to European skills, initiatives and pan EU licensing & tax arrangements, relocation of key staff has become central to their contingency planning.
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As part of an effort to help immigrants settle into life in Norway, cultural awareness courses have been made compulsory.
Watching some of the footage of the content in a short video piece on The Guardian website left me cringing - it really exposed a rather shallow approach to cultural understanding in many senses.
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I’ve recently come across a totally awesome database – it’s a treasure trove of statistical information about cultures, societies, language, places and environments; something I thought I had to share with my fellow culture vultures.
What am I talking about?
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Britain’s impending exit from the EU has rallied a host of cries from its European brethren, encouraging businesses to continue accessing European skills and resources by relocating elsewhere.
These rallying calls have been heard. Whilst some UK based internationals wait to see the EU exit deal, others are charging ahead with the steam and energy of a power boosted intercity train; reviewing both the landscape and their options, should they choose to exit.
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If one thing is certain in this time of post-Brexit uncertainty, it’s that the Great British Pound is down the pan and looks like it might stay there for a while.
Although this isn’t great news if you’re taking your family of 4 on holiday abroad, it is great news if you have something to sell overseas. With the Pound so weak, now is the time to try and entice foreign customers through export.
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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.
Why? I can pick holes and point to the lies all day but nothing is going to change. The only thing that will change is the future.
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‘Mindfulness’ is an increasingly common term. We hear it bandied around by ‘celebs’ who have discovered mindfulness meditation as the means to a stress free life and we have heard the term used by people who try to practice ‘living in the moment’ whilst shrugging off stresses of the past or unrealised anxieties of the future.
Mindfulness also has its own unique meaning in the cultural training world.
The Public Relations (PR) industry is responsible for creating and maintaining relationships between clients and customers. Through areas such as brand management, advertising, media relations and crisis management, PR practitioners seek to foster interest, trust and belief in a product or company.
PR practitioners are aware of how best to carry this out when dealing within their own nations and cultures, however, when dealing with a foreign audience it is critical that cross cultural differences are recognised.
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In this article, we look at some examples from the retail industry where cultural differences or cultural issues have resulted in business success and failure.
This article will attempt to show the significance of the cross-cultural factors in international retail success. Through understanding the cultural reasons behind success or failure, it is then easy to apply the same principles to any business sector.
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Want to discover how organisational culture, cross-cultural issues and cultural differences shape the success or failure of mergers and acquisitions?
In today’s global economy more people are paying attention to the impact of culture on the international business environment.
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"Guanxi" (pronounced (jwan-see) is one of the most powerful forces in Chinese culture.
Though the direct translation of "guanxi" is "relationships", the concept as it is used and applied in Chinese culture is much richer and encompassing.
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Status exists in all societies but varies in fundamental ways. Cross cultural differences in they way in which we perceive status, gain status and react to status differ from culture to culture.
In this article we examine the cross cultural differences with relation to status and analyse how they manifest in certain areas in the workplace. For the sake of simplicity we identify two types of status; 'ascribed-status' and 'achieved-status'.
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Having a poor understanding of the influence of cross cultural differences in areas such as management, PR, advertising and negotiations can eventually lead to blunders that can have damaging consequences.
It is crucial for today's business personnel to understand the impact of cross cultural differences on business, trade and internal company organisation. The success or failure of a company, venture, merger or acquisition is essentially in the hands of people. If these people are not cross culturally aware then misunderstandings, offence and a break down in communication can occur.
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"Education is the mother of leadership."
Wendell Willkie
With the march of globalisation and internationalisation growing louder and stronger, few successful businesses can now escape the need to work across cultures.
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The role of a manager is evolving in response to the needs of companies operating on the international stage.
The complexities of globalisation and international systems require today's manager to adapt in order to offer modern solutions to modern problems.
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'The art of communication is the language of leadership'
James Humes
Today's businesses are complex entities. However, one fundamental principle of success remains constant - the need for communication.
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Many people question what culture is. How can it be defined? What analogies can be used to describe it?
In intercultural training one of the questions that is often asked of participants is to think what culture means to them. What picture can they draw to describe it?
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One element of this complexity is the mixing of different cultures, languages and faiths.
Within the business world intercultural communication is vital for success.
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Working across cultures is a new experience for many people.
Intercultural communication can be a dynamic and creative affair but occasionally due to the inability to interpret people correctly it can be a challenge.
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