As you all know, our company, ECAPS FURNITURE EXPORT has recently merged with three other export companies from Italy, Russia, and Sweden. Since its establishment, our company has experienced a rapid expansion. It has now taken a leading place among the European furniture market. It is thus time to think bigger, merge with other European countries. We believe that, even if it might not always be easy at the beginning, such a merger is a good decision and a great opportunity for us. Consequently, a lot of changes will probably occur and this is why we recently took the initiative to prepare a "Handbook for Intercultural Activities" in order to help you to get used to our new way of working. We believe that if we train you in intercultural communication, you will be able to communicate more efficiently and cooperate better. We thus hope that you will read this handbook carefully and that it will help you in your future interactions with your new foreign colleagues.
[...] It doesn't only mean a success of deal but simply friendliness. ▪ Small talks are common before dealing with business. ▪ “Don't as the Russian proverb states 'hurry to reply', but 'hurry to listen'."[11] ▪ Rewarding someone in public might not be well viewed or cause jealousy and envy Sweden Swedish Values One of the most dominant Swedish social value is egalitarism. Hierarchies and social status are not as important as in other European countries. But compromise and consensus are part of everyday's life. [...]
[...] ▪ Gifts are not usually given in business in Belgium, but a small, good quality gift is appropriate if you are invited to someone's home Italy Italian Values Italians are described as individualists; this means that they attach a lot of importance to individual responsibility and family. In this way, they will usually tend to first take care of them and their families. Another aspect of Italian culture is the importance of appearance and the opinion other people have about them. Italians are also known for their openly expressed feelings and are tend to be guided by them. [...]
[...] Interruptions are also common and are to be expected. In this way, being patient is very important since putting pressure or rushing can be viewed as a sign of weakness. Other tips ▪ Since they have a developed body language, pay attention to your gestures, it could be misinterpreted. ▪ Don't forget to try to make a ”Bella figura”. ▪ Eye contact is important to them. ▪ First names are usually not used, but might. If it is the case, wait until they start calling you by your first name. [...]
[...] Culture is the way humans solve problems of adapting to the environment or living together. Culture consists of patterned and interrelated ideas, symbols, or behaviours.”[2] Another explanation of culture could be the following: “Culture is everything. Culture is the way we dress, the way we carry our heads, the way we walk, the way we tie our ties it is not only the fact of writing books or building houses. Aime Cesair, Martiniquen writer, speaking to the World Congress of Black Writers and Artists in Paris [source: Petras and Petras]”[3] 2. [...]
[...] As this is our objective, this is the reason why we wrote this handbook. We hope you've read it carefully and will, in the future, take into account what you have learned throughout your reading. It might seem a little bit too theoretic but will certainly help you in your work. Today, cultural diversity in a company is a great advantage when it is well manage, and we will do our best, with your cooperation, to reach the optimal efficiency of our team. [...]
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