A Rich Tapestry of Cultural Contrasts

Overview/Description
 If you were invited to a barbie in the arvo by a guy who had kangaroos in his top paddock, in what country would you be enjoying your afternoon barbecue with your crazy host? Australia, with its colorful use of language, enjoys a relatively classless society whose foundations came from the rough and tumble world of penal colonies. The American business traveler will find the Australian environment refreshingly informal and easygoing. An Arab leader once explained that an Arab is "whoever lives in our country, speaks our language, is brought up in our culture, and takes pride in our glory." Arabs are not so much an ethnic group as a community that shares a common state of mind. Predominantly Muslim, the people are strongly influenced by the Koran in both their culture and their business dealings. American business travelers will find Arab culture to be an alien world, requiring a deeper understanding of how the Western and Arab mindsets differ in order to enter into successful business negotiations. Not many areas of the world can match the upheavals in government, business, and social structure recently experienced by the former USSR. As this region of the world struggles for its new identity, business opportunities are at the same time promising and risky. Another area in a state of profound transition is Africa. It is a land of great diversity, contrasting between primitive and ultramodern, sporting 2,000 language groups, culturally centered around the tribe rather than unified governments, and in a state of political and social chaos. This course focuses on four very diverse cultures. Developing insights and understanding prepares the business traveler with rich contrasts in cultural awareness.

Target Audience
 International business travelers, managers, directors, project managers, project team managers, other personnel conducting business with other cultures

Expected Duration
2.5 hours

Lesson Objectives:

Australia

  • recognize the benefits of developing a cultural understanding of Australians.
  • identify the cultural traits of Australians.
  • select tips for public behavior in Australia.
  • choose tips for conducting business in Australia.

    • Arab Countries

  • recognize the importance of developing a cultural understanding of Arab people.
  • identify the cultural traits of Arabs.
  • select tips for public behavior in Arab countries.
  • choose tips for doing business with Arabs.

    • Russia

  • recognize the importance of developing a cultural understanding of Russian people.
  • identify the cultural characteristics of Russians.
  • select tips for public behavior in Russia.
  • choose tips for doing business with Russians.

    • Africa

  • recognize the importance of developing a cultural understanding of African people.
  • identify the cultural characteristics of Africans.
  • choose tips for conducting business with Nigerians.
  • select tips for doing business with South Africans.

    • Course Number: COMM0606