Business etiquette is essentially about building relationships with colleagues, clients or customers.
In the business world, it is these people that can influence your success or failure.
Blogs for Culture Vultures
Cross-Cultural Tips for Remote and Virtual Teams
With the fall out of Coronavirus making itself known on a grand scale, it's fair to say that the development of competent remote and virtual teams is now a big priority for most training departments. Adapting to a world in which &n
How the Coronavirus is Changing Global Greeting Etiquette
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing havoc across the globe. Markets are in meltdown, flights have been grounded, gatherings banned and whole countries on lock down as the world tries to slow down its spread. Of the many areas of everyday life hit by the
3 Real-life Examples of Cultural Misunderstandings in Business
Need examples of cultural misunderstandings in business? In this blog, we are going to share real-life examples of cultural misunderstandings from our cross-cultural training work. We have picked 3 examples which highlight the most common challenges
8 Bonkers Aspects of the British Communication Style
The British communication style can be tricky for some foreigners. Their complex use of indirect messages, suggestion and insinuation can be confusing – in fact, it can drive you bonkers! So, in this blog we’re going to be looking at 8 things about t
What is Cross Cultural Training?
With culturally aware professionals having a distinct advantage over their peers, cross cultural training is an essential part of any professional person's development. International businesses increasingly cite cultural competence as a core re
10 Very Cool Facts About South Korean Culture
Discover some of the more unknown aspects of South Korean culture and society! Sometimes it's the quirky things a country or culture does that really gives us insights into the people. We've picked what we believe to be some of the more the co
When doing business abroad it is important to understand the local culture.
Culture includes areas such as a country's norms, values, behaviours, food, architecture, fashion and art. However, one area of culture that is important for the international business person is etiquette.
Understanding business etiquette allows you to feel comfortable in your dealings with foreign friends, colleagues, customers or clients. Knowing what to do and say in the right places will help build trust and open lines of communication.
4 Fab Ways Cultural Training Helps
Intercultural training has become of increasing importance in the past 10 years.
Companies and organizations that are working on the international stage are starting to realise that working in or with foreign countries is not like working at home.
Doing business in the Middle East or Arab world?
Then this blog is for you!
Find out why relationship buiding is integral to success in the region.
There are many approaches to training. Some sum these up as 'heavy' and 'light' approaches. What does this mean and how does it apply to business training?
Well, cultural awareness training (or any other training in fact) is a little like body building – one needs to know what their mind and body is capable of, what it enjoys and then set realistic goals for achieving that perfect body.
When learning about culture, really we are learning to look beyond surface deep. Cutural awareness you could argue is about possibilities not limits.
It is this very same thinking picked up by a piece in Scientific American entitled, "How Cultural Differences Affect Autism Diagnoses".
Many people love learning languages or would like to learn a language and use their language skills in a job.
In today's global economy the demand for language skills continues to grow as governments, businesses and organisations build relationships with foreign interests.
Zoroastrianism is one the oldest religions in the world.
It is definitely one of the first monotheist religions. It was founded by Zoroaster and it believes in one God, Ahura Mazda.
There are very few Zoroastrians in the world today but it still holds an important place. A large part of their population is divided between Iran and India. The Zoroastrians living in India are called Parsis.
Background and Information
Sikhism was founded in the 16th century in the Punjab, India.
The Sikh religion was established around 500 years ago by Guru Nanak Dev Ji, who promulgated a message of devotion and emphasised the importance of remembering God at all times. Sikh means ‘disciple’, therefore Sikhs are seen as the disciples of God who follow the teachings within the Guru Granth Sahib (Sikh holy book).
Shinto is regarded as the religion indigenous to Japan and is thought to predate all reliable historical records.
Literally translated the word 'Shinto' is composed of two words from the original Chinese Shêntao: 'shin' meaning gods or spirits and 'to' meaning the philosophical way or path.
Shinto has no fixed dogma, moral precepts or sacred scriptures but many shrines ('jinja') around the country which have often been bases of power with ties to Imperial and Shogunal rule throughout the ages.
Rastafarianism is a religious movement born out of the black slums of Jamaica which harnessed the teachings of the Jamaican born black nationalist, Marcus Garvey and conditionally uses selective Old Testament Christian writings to support its teachings and practices.
Born in 1887, Garvey’s influence on the poor black slave descendants in Jamaica came to its peak in the 1920’s where his message of encouragement and calling on black people to take pride in themselves won some fanatical supporters.
Judaism is the religion commonly linked to Jewish people.
Jainism is an ancient religion, which originates from Eastern India.
Its advent in the 6th century BC was expected as many people were beginning to oppose the hierarchical organisation and formalised rituals of Hinduism, the dominant religion in India.
The word 'Islam' means submission to Allah’s will; a Muslim is one who submits to Allah’s will and is at peace.
Islam is a simple religion although from the outside it can sometimes appear confusing.
Islam is the name of the religion established by the Prophet Muhammad. One who follows Islam is a Muslim.
Hinduism is a religion that originated in the Indian subcontinent.
Purists refer to it more as Sanātana Dharma (the eternal path/law) rather than a religion, as it is believed to be a virtuous way of life.
It is the oldest practised religion in the world and has the third largest following after Christianity and Islam.
Christianity is the largest world religion at the moment.
It has over 2 billion followers, who classify themselves under 34,000 different denominations.
Initially, Christianity was derived from Judaism. Why? Because Jesus Christ was a Jew, and so were his twelve disciples. The religion is based principally around the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. With Christians believing in a only one God, the religion is also monotheistic.
Buddhism, in its natural form, is not a religion; rather it is a tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development.
Buddhists strive for a deep insight into the true nature of life and do not worship gods or deities.
The Bahai faith is the youngest independent religion of the word, which was founded in the mid 19th century by Mirza Husayn Ali (1817-1892), son of a government minister in Tehran (Iran). Mirza Husayn Ali is known to the world as ‘Baha Ullah’ and regarded by Bahais as the most recent in the line of Messengers of God.
For those of you who follow our social media accounts, you would have come across our 15 predictions about business & corporate training for 2015. For those that missed them - this is for you!
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.