Cultural issues

Culture – the customs, institutions and achievements of a particular nation, people or group.

Cultural awareness – the ability to understand the culture of the people you are meeting and behave appropriately.

I How important is it for business people to have good cultural awareness?

Read the following statements and decide which you agree with more.

“ I don’t think that studying different cultures is very important any more. The world is a much smaller place than it was fifty years ago. English has become an international language, and many brands are known all over the world. Cultural differences have become smaller and people have become more similar to each other.”

“The fact that the world has become smaller means that it is more important to know about other cultures, not less. People still grow up within a particular culture and they are still greatly influenced by it. That hasn’t changed just because we now have international brands and an international language.’

II This is the kind of advice that you’ll often find in books on doing business in other cultures. Look at the advice and then talk about the questions below.

1 In Russia it’s bad manners to ask where the toilet is.

2 Remember that people often nod their head for “No” in Bulgaria.

3 Don’t eat food with your left hand when in the Arab world.

4 When you finish a meal in China, always leave some food on your plate. A completely empty plate is a sign that you want more.

1. Would you like to be given this kind of information before a business trip? Why/Why not?

b) Can you think of any customs or traditions that are typical for our country? If a foreign businessperson didn’t know about them, how important would it be?

III Read and translate the text. A Brief Survival Guide for Visitors to Russia

" The French are polite, but it is often mere ceremonious politeness. A Russian imbues his polite things with a heartiness, both of phrase and expression, that compels belief in their sincerity".

Mark Twain

The Innocents Abroad

My move to Russia many years ago was a surprise most of all to me. I had no real familiarity with its culture, its people or even the environment (for example, when told that bears were occasionally spotted on Red Square, I unhesitatingly swallowed the tale, as do most Americans; although with the rise of the United Russia party, there is some truth now to this bit of nonsense) before booking a flight here. In other words, i was a stranger in a strange land. Sometimes i still feel this way, but i am making progress. I am even confident enough to present a very brief summary of important things any new visitor to Russia should know.

The Handshake: It is amazing how such a simple gesture could be so different around the world. In America, a firm handshake is taken very literally. We clench the hand of our opponent and shake his arm in a rather fierce up-and-down motion, kind of what you would expect to see from a person attempting to strangle a rattlesnake. This signifies things like trust, firmness and perhaps judo lessons. The Russians will not understand what you are trying to do. So while in the Motherland, grasp the hand firmly (do not attempt to crush bone) and hold it steady there for about two seconds without shaking. It takes a lot of practice, but the Russians will appreciate it.

Meals (at home): In America, it seems to be the general rule that all of the food is served at once, besides the dessert. In other words, you can see the challenge before you sit down. In Russia, there will be four to five different dishes brought out at intervals, starting with the cold foods and moving on to the hot dishes. I have seen the greatest eaters collapse from over-consumption at the second course because they thought it was the last dish. Here's some advice: If you think you are eating the main course, you aren't. That's just practice, a little warm up to get the gastronomical juices flowing. Better advice: pace yourself.

Eating Out: In Russian restaurant, the waitresses will never try to make you leave. There could be one hundred people waiting outside in freezing rain and it won't matter. In America, the bill is placed on your table the moment you have finished your last bite, and there is a subtle pressure to vacate the premises (not the more expensive venues, of course). Eating in America has become more of a necessary task that we must perform in order to get back to what we were doing - which is usually work. That is why so many fast food meals are handed to us through a drive-thru window, and so many accidents occur from people trying to apply ketchup on their French fries while driving at 100 kph. Fortunately, eating in Russia is not such a hurried affair.

National Spirits: This could comprise a wide variety of things, some of which are to be found in a bottle. And more often than not one may adorn the dinner table. Russians appreciate a hearty, emotional toast every bit as much as what follows thereafter. It is very difficult to decline the national drink when a beautiful, tear-jerking toast has just been made in your honor.

Shoes: In America, it is our rather crude national habit of tromping through our homes in the same shoes that we wear outside (dairy farmers and park rangers included). I have no idea why this is so, it just is. Russians habitually remove their shoes upon entering their households, and they will appreciate it if you removed yours as well - unless they tell you otherwise. Slippers will probably be provided. Avoid unnecessary embarrassment and make sure there are no gaping holes in your socks.

Names: Russians have a very formal method for addressing each other. While in many situations it is appropriate to simply use the person's first name, in other cases it is not. If a person is your senior, or holds a distinguished position, you are expected to call them by their first name followed by their patronymic ( a version of their father's first name). For example, if you meet a woman who would require this formal address, she may be called something like Olga Vladimirovna or Anna Yuryevna. Note the second name is a variation of her father's name and ends with the 'vna' suffix. The same rule applies for the males, although their patronymic name will end with - 'vich'. For example, Yuri Nikolayevich, Sergei Alexandrovich, ect. The Russian people, like most people, enjoy hearing their names, especially when they are said correctly. Take a pen and piece of paper with you and make a note to memorize them.

Superstitions: Besides the internationally known favorites - such as a black cat crossing your path and the number 13 - the Russians have added their own to this house of horrors. Don't shake hands across the threshold of a door. Politely step inside, or outside, and, well, shake (see above).

The second one involves the purchase of flowers. Make sure that the total number of flowers comes out to be an odd number. Therefore, avoid buying those teeny-tiny flowers that are impossible to count. A bouquet of a dozen red roses will quickly terminate the most hopeful evening. Thirteen may do the same. Try seven.

And never, I mean never, present any sharp objects - knives, scissors, axes, things like that - as a gift to somebody. For example, I knew a guy who gave his mother-in-law a twelve-piece, German-crafted cutlery set, and it almost ended his otherwise happy marriage. (He should have sold it to the lady for a ruble. Standard procedure in these situations, and everybody appreciates the joke. - Ed.)

Finally. no whistling indoors. Besides being annoying, this brings bad luck - you are whistling away all the money there is in the house.

Good luck!