Presentation Guidelines

1. You must give your group mate all the important information they will need to be more comfortable and successful on their business trip.

2. Introduce information about the business culture as well as the country’s basic data and information (e.g.: size of the country, economy, major exports and imports)

3. Be sure your presentation to be well referenced by doing one or more of the following:

a) contacting one of the information centers;

b) talking to actual business people from your country;

c) reading articles from magazines or books about the country;

d) surfing the Internet.

A successful international businessperson must have many personal qualities that reflect his or her commitment to cultural awareness and understanding. How exactly can be the qualities listed below help an international businessperson in relationships and experiences with people from other countries?

Adaptability: being at ease and comfortable in different environments.

Flexibility: being able and willing to change your ideas or plans even on very short notice.

Tolerance for ambiguity: being able to work in a situation where you feel information is not always complete and clear.

Internationalism: having a commitment to learning about and exploring other cultures.

For student’s independent work (SIW) we ask them to write an essay (250 words) discussing the importance of each of the qualities and give an example of a business situation where relevant.

With globalisation on the rise, more international educational exchange and cross-cultural interacions are being encouraged. This has led to cross-cultural training to become a discipline in recent times. Traditionally, multinational corporations used to concentrate their training efforts solely on expatriate managers. This resulted in assumptions of how business should be carried out internationally.

For an instance, multinational corporations felt that replicating the exsiting staff in foreign lands, including the same perspectives and technical knowledge would keep the company going smoothly. That business culture had a typical top-down management structure whereby major decisions were made at headquarters level. Line-managers were supposed to manage the daily operations by abiding with the rules of the firm without involving in matters pertaining to cross-cultural issues.

That was then. Today, the international business environment is different. With aggressive competition going all around, multinational corporations around the globe has identified the increasing need for international managers to be equipped with skills on working hand in hand with people from various cultural backgrounds. It is also becoming of increasing importance to train all possible employees so that highly proficient staff are available upon demand.

While many companies now offer training in the different cultures where the company conducts business, it is important that employees communicating across cultures practice patience and work to increase their knowledge and understanding of these cultures. This requires the ability to see that a person's own behaviors and reactions are oftentimes culturally driven and that while they may not match are own, they are culturally appropriate.

If a leader or manager of a team that is working across cultures or incorporates individuals who speak different languages, practice different religions, or are members of a society that requires a new understanding, he or she needs to work to convey this.

Consider any special needs the individuals on your team may have. For instance, they may observe different holidays, or even have different hours of operation. Be mindful of time zone differences and work to keep everyone involved aware and respectful of such differences.

Generally speaking, patience, courtesy and a bit of curiosity go a long way. And, if you are unsure of any differences that may exist, simply ask team members. Again, this may best be done in a one-on-one setting so that no one feels " put on the spot" or self-conscious, perhaps even embarrassed, about discussing their own needs or differences or needs.