I was recently sent an email with some amusing photos
comparing overcrowded trains in India and Pakistan (as pictured on the right) with slick, modern trains in other parts of the world. I began to wonder just how stereotypical were these pictures and whether any of them depicted a true-to-life view of train travel around the world. My investigation led to some interesting blogs and some stunning pictures.

Holocaust Memorial Day is commemorated internationally on
27th January each year. On this day in 1945  the Soviet Army liberated the largest Nazi concentration camp – Auschwitz-Birkenau – and the world began to truly understand what took place. When I was a teenager, I remember interviewing my local doctor – Dr. Norman – for a school project about the holocasut. Dr Norman was with the first contingent of the British military that entered the camp and he then had to travel to other concentration camps to make a report for the British Government. An experience that haunted him for the rest of his life.   HMD Trust.

Louis Braille’s birth day. This day celebrates the contribution
that Louis Braille has made to the lives of those who are blind, deafblind or living with vision loss. In 1829, Louis Braille published the Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Song by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged by Them. Today, this method – braille – is used in virtually every language as the standard form of reading and writing for the blind or poorly sighted.  This has become the annual opportunity for blindness organizations to promote braille literacy, showcase their work and raise public awareness of blindness issues.

Reformation Day is observed in Germany and Slovenia.

Reformation Day is a religious holiday, which is celebrated in many countries of the world with a largely Christian population. It is celebrated on the last day of October every year and celebrate one of the most important and crucial Reformations to have occurred in the history of Christianity, the Protestant Reformation.

Read more about Reformation Day

There is a deepening and increasing inequality between men and women
in Italy. The cause of the probelm is being firmly laid at the feet of the Italian Prime Minister, Belusconi.  Equality campaigners have suggested that the continual portrail of women in the media in a demeaning and  sexualised fashion has set back their cause by at least 150 years.

 Having been brought up in the UK and witnessed (albeit I was very young at the time) the women’s liberation movement and bra burning antics of young female students, I thought Britain had a gender-equal society.  It wasn’t until I went to work in Finland, about 15 years ago, that I realised how unequal British society was. It therefore came as no surprise when I heard that the top places in the Global Gender Gap Index went to Norway, Finland, Sweden and Iceland.  However, finding Italy in 67th position (lagging behind Chile and Azerbaijan) was quite a shock!   Why not check out where your country fits in the league table?   You may be in for a few surprises.

An Emotional Appeal

Have you ever negotiated with an Italian?  The experience I had was very much like attending an opera.  Of course there is always a tragic story that you need to know before the negotiation starts. And the person you are negotiating with is the victim …. Unless you help.  The overture starts and the scene is set.  He rises before you, the room is dark, the people sombre. The first act will begin. The negotiator expresses his heartfelt sorrow over the situation, his despair; he shows you pictures of his children, and tells you how they will suffer if things do not work out for him in his work.  Only you can help. He then goes into his second act with a higher-pitched voice, and his arms starting to swing as he shows you their agony through his voice and face and intonations. Then the negotiation story reaches a climax with his needs or plea to you, however outrageous it may be. He stops, checks to see if he has totally lost you, and then slowly lets you down to rest. The story is over. He sits down. He pulls out a cigarette and takes a long draw from it. He wipes his brow. And you are left to ponder his tragic case.”

  Excerpt from Dr. Tracy Willen’s book
“International Business: A basic guide for women”

My previous two blogs have focused on the etiquette and rituals
surrounding (or not) the exchange of business cards in the Far East and in passing cards with cultural fluency. This blog focuses on How and when to offer your business card when you do business in the Anglo-Saxon countries.

It seems a really strange topic for someone in the UK to read/write about it because we almost don’t care and aren’t bothered – we just ‘toss’ them around and ’dish’ them out as and when required without much thought. It’s a very informal gesture – but – that informality has a MUCH deeper meaning…

I got the following story from David Willoughby, a freelance writer now living in Tokyo:

Whilst in Japan, I happened to find myself seated next to another foreigner who recognised me from the gallery event we had both just attended. We chatted amicably for a while … A little while later, he stood up to leave. “If you like art,” he said to me, almost as an afterthought, “you might be interested in this.” And he nonchalantly tossed onto my table his business card on which he had biro’d the details of some upcoming event he was attending.

It wasn’t just the contrived nature of his networking spiel that made the exchange so unforgettable, it was in the small details. It was in the way in which he dealt his card onto the table rather than to me directly, minimising the chance that it might be rejected. It was in the fact that he waited until the final seconds of our encounter to produce it so that neither of us would have to endure the awkwardness of the moment. Before I had a chance to digest what was written on the card he had vanished.

The exchange would have been amusing for any watching Japanese who are, of course, far more comfortable with the use of business cards, or ‘meishi’. In the West, business cards are strictly for networking and careful consideration must be made about if and when to proffer the card – not so in Japan.

www.tokyoartbeat.com

Find more information about cross cultural differences in the exchange of business cards by clicking on the following links:

Top Ten Tips on passing business cards with cultural fluency

Japan: everything you need to know about business card ‘meishi’ etiquette

U.S.,  Britain, Australia: Business Card Etiquette

The art of business card giving: an East West perspective

Watch a Video on Chinese Business Etiquette

Europe is now generally defined by it’s 47 countries though
only 27 of them are European Union members and even fewer are in the Euro Zone. Ancient Greece is considered to be the birthplace of Western Civilisation and its legacy has influenced ‘The West’.  However, Europe has its own cultural divides as mentioned below.

So far in this section you’ll find the  Top Ten Tips for doing business, along with opening times, holiday dates and festivities for the following countries: Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, France, Germany, Greece, Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, and Hungary.

The North/South Divide

There is a distinct difference between the southern countries of Europe and the Northern ones. In the south, the pace of business is much slower and unpredictable. Time is to be enjoyed. Relationships and emotions play a large part in influencing the success of business deals. Both Italy and Spain have adopted a more time-efficient/’professional’ approach to business to compete in a globalised world, so cannot be defined by the old stereotype of  ‘maňana.  However, the pace of life is much slower than in Northern Europe. The southern countries are sometimes regarded as not being completely trustworthy; this is because their values-system is about pleasing you and is very different from the rule-bounded north. August is the holiday month.

The Nordic Countries

The Nordic Countries are very different from the rest of Europe in their attitudes and behaviour and it is useful to mention this at the outset. The Nordic region comprises Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Iceland and their associated territories. (Scandanavia comprises Norway, Sweden and Denmark). They are all driven by a strong work ethic, are exceptionally honest, and are very tolerant of people who are different from them. The two things they deplore are bribery/corruption (dishonest) and tardiness (disrespectful). They believe in working towards the common good and looking after those who are more unfortunate than themselves. However, they are ‘straight’ talkers and this can be seen as being very brusque. July is the holiday month.

Eastern Europe and the Balkans

The speed of thinking and working is a lot, lot slower than in Western Europe.  Although people use e-mail, their use of technology may not be as frequent. It is difficult to get a firm commitment to a meeting; this is a power play. You will be asked to phone on the day, then again later in the morning, and again in the afternoon. A typical response is: “I may be busy, so I can’t tell you now”. Business activity grinds to a near halt during the latter part of July and most of August for extended summer holidays. You need to know how to get around the gatekeepers. Bribing is common place and people are suspicious of you if you do not participate. Don’t get frustrated at the amount of time spent drinking coffee during the working day.