Details

20 mins, 1992

As more and more businesses become international, so the risk increases of cultural misunderstandings. And it’s not just a question of the language barrier: many other problems can arise.

RESULTS V RELATIONSHIPS: In the west people believe in “getting down to business”; elsewhere it’s more important to first establish a relationship.

TIME: Across the world there are widely different attitudes to time and what it means to be late.

BODY LANGUAGE: The simplest gesture can cause great offence. Attitudes to women: different cultural attitudes can make doing business difficult for the unwary.

YES MEANS NO: People in some cultures hate to say no even when they want to say no.