Resource Desk
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Culture
Centre for Intercultural Learning
The Centre for Intercultural Learning (Canada Foreign Affairs) focuses on fine-tuning intercultural skills vital to a successful international experience. The Centre has created over one hundred “Cultural Insights” providing a local and Canadian prospective on culture for countries all over the world.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Focusing on country-specific business customs and etiquette, Executive Planet features information on negotiating, business entertaining, and communication across cultural barriers in a business environment. Along with basic cross-cultural business protocol, it also provides information regarding business dress, international business culture, gift-giving, and more in a series of country profiles.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
A collection of "adherent statistics and religious geography citations," Adherents provides statistical information for over 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements, ultimate concerns, etc. worldwide.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
ASIA & MIDDLE EAST: Arabian Business and Cultural Guide
A series of excerpts from the book of the same title, this website gives some insights into the business culture of the Arabian countries. It includes information on Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, and Yemen.
Tags: Regional, Asia & Middle East, Regions
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Business Etiquette Around the World
The site provides cultural information for a number of different countries around the world. It rates each country using Hofstede's 5 key indicators of culture: Power Distance, Uncertainty Avoidance, Masculinity, Individualism, and Long-Term Orientation.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Business Netiquette International
Hosted by the Business Start Page, this site focuses on email and internet etiquette. It provides some common pitfalls regarding cross-cultural electronic communication, as well as hints for avoiding them. It is geared toward the IB professional who will be doing business cross-culturally.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
China-Window.com provides three culture guides including China Business Culture Guide, Doing Business in China, and China Business Tips. The Business Culture Guide offers information on conversation, gift-giving, and business dress, among others.
Tags: Countries, China, Country Specific
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
This is a sub-section of City Mayors website, an independent non-for-profit organization promoting the worldwide development of cities. It provides news and featured articles on the culture of various cities throughout the world. It also describes diverse cultural events, as well as the cultural history of some major cities.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Colombia: Getting Through Customs
Getting Through Customs uses Colombia as a sample cultural guide from their book "Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands: the Expanded Edition." This guide covers business practices, cognitive styles, political conditions, the effect of religion/society on business, cultural tips etc. in Colombia.
Tags: Countries, Country Specific, Colombia
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Cultural Interviews: Latin American & Spanish Executives
A compilation of over 200 brief cultural interviews with Latin American and Spanish executives, this site is geared toward the IB professional. These Spanish speaking executives discuss cultural issues that are of interest for businessmen dealing with Latin American entities. The interviews are divided into the following categories: Negotiation, Language, Social Situations, Time & Schedules, and Spain Interviews.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 29, 2009
Offered by Citizenship and Immigration of Canada, there are approximately one hundred countries for whom cultural insight is provided. Each country's cultural profile provides a general summary of the culture, customs, and other country specific background information. Also available in French.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Provides assistance to clients on becoming culturally savvy of tips on business culture for a variety of countries, as well as offering related articles. This site is a helpful resource for the international business professional.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Culture Briefings provides information on the customs, culture, traditions, and ways of life of people in various countries worldwide. Although the site provides some free articles, the actual briefings are available for purchase or via a fee-based subscription.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Culture, Communication and Intercultural Communication
As a collection of project reports and papers from Stephan Dahl, a lecturer at Middlesex University in London, this site covers topics including communication, cultural transformation, and cultural values in business advertising. Also listed under "Paper Depositories" in the Academy section.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Czech Republic: Bohemica.com: Czech Culture
The Czech Culture page of Bohemica.com provides input on the following topics: cultural values, history, art, geography, culture essays. The website also provides daily facts about the Czech culture and "Dos and Don'ts of the Day".
Tags: Countries, Czech Rep., Country Specific
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
A virtual forum for those professionally interested or involved in intercultural business and management communication. The site provides opportunities for contacting and communicating with people all over the world with similar professional interests through a personal homepage; personally facilitated asynchronous and live discussion forums (chat) and email; community-wide noticeboards, asynchronous and live discussion forums facilitated by guest experts; virtual education and training services for those who want to learn more about intercultural business and management communication. The site requires registration, which is currently free.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
A site focusing on the cultural aspects of Europe, Europublic publishes articles which highlight the cultural differences between European countries. It also focuses on intercultural communication between Europeans, global marketing, and cultural tips.
Tags: Regional, Europe, Regions
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
The Culture module offers one a general understanding of the following: what is meant by culture, why it is important to learn about other cultures, and the different levels of culture in society; various dimensions of and approaches to understanding culture; the implications of cultural differences in conducting international business; the impact of culture on business negotiations and how to conduct business successfully in a foreign culture.
Tags: Online Course Modules, Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
gE Modules: International Negotiations
The International Negotiations module offers information on: the importance of negotiations; the basics of international negotiations; cultural influences on negotiations; culture-specific strategies and tactics used in the negotiation process; and qualities that an international negotiator must possess.
Tags: Global, Online Course Modules
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
The World Religions module informs on the following religious insights: the basic history and ideas of religion; the relationship between religion and ethics; the major ideas of Christianity and the economic implications of that religion; the main tenets of Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism and the economic implications of doing business in an Islamic, Buddhist, or Hindu country; and the economic implications of the Confucian way of life.
Tags: Online Course Modules, Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Geert Hofstede Resource Center
This site provides detailed information about Geert Hofstede's work on management culture around the world. In addition to the raw Hofstede scores for 56 countries, the site also provides value-added analysis through charts and comparisons.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Germany: Tips for Business Professionals Visiting Germany
This site produces a vast amount of German cultural information with a simple guide of what to and what not to do while conducting business in Germany. A comprehensive list of basic etiquette as well as a list of blunders that a business professional should avoid are provided.
Tags: Country Specific, Germany, Countries
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
GlobalWorkshop provides numerous reports "designed to facilitate your business and social activity worldwide", published by mid- or late- career professionals. This site targets global business professionals with information classified by country that cover business practices, cross-cultural negotiation, business protocol, and trade regulations. Information is only available for a fee.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 21, 2009
Hungary: The Hungarian Business Culture
This sub-section of filolog.com, a website promoting the awareness of Hungary, provides detailed information on the business culture of Hungary. In addition, it also talks about the history, geography, ethnicity, communication, and personal relationships in Hungary.
Tags: Hungary, Country Specific, Countries
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
Dedicated to the advancement of better working relationships between North Americans and Latin Americans, the site provides information comparing and contrasting business practices in these two cultures. It features a number of published articles concerning Inter-American understanding.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
In this japan-guide.com provided site, the user can find information on the various etiquettes in Japan, including house rules, table manners, use of chopsticks, dining manners, sitting techniques, exchanging gifts, addressing names, and superstition. In addition, the website also talks about the entertainment, art, food, history, and religion of Japan.
Tags: Country Specific, Japan, Countries
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands - Expanded Edition
This database of intercultural information for the business traveler includes global business practices, cultural overviews, political information, religious and societal influences on business protocol and more. With a paid subscription, the user has access to a information like gift giving and cultural tips listed by country. The site offers a demo of the service for the country of Malaysia. A Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands: Expanded Edition site license provides unlimited usage, download, and print capacity for entire companies. For more information on how to subscribe, contact information for the author is provided.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
Kwintessential Language and Culture Specialists
This website provides cultural profiles, language background, and etiquette information for a number of countries in addition to other resources available off their site. A few points of interest are the Country Profiles, providing country specific cultural information, and the Intercultural Business Communication tool, a great resource comparing home to host cultures for those looking for intercultural business communication tips.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
LATIN AMERICA: Cultural Interviews
A compilation of over 200 brief cultural interviews with Latin American and Spanish executives, this site is geared toward the IB professional. These Spanish speaking executives discuss cultural issues that are of interest for businessmen dealing with Latin American entities. The interviews are divided into the following categories: Negotiation, Language, Social Situations, Time & Schedules, and Spain Interviews.
Tags: Regional, Regions, Latin America
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 26, 2009
This resource provides books, a Culture Compass, "Culture-Guides-To-Go," cultural quizzes and articles on international business and general culture. It is published by Dean Foster Associates, a consultancy focused on cultural information, training, and research. Some content is only available for a fee.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
Mexico: Mexperience: Business Etiquette in Mexico
The site provides a wealth of cultural information about conducting business within Mexico or with people from Mexico. Business hours, meals, communication, punctuality, dress code, greetings, negotiations and more are explained in-depth on the website.
Tags: Countries, Country Specific, Mexico
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
Nepal: Nepal Customs and Etiquette
This subsection of Nepalvista provides a list of points on Nepal customs & etiquette. There is also a section that includes quick facts on the culture of Nepal.
Tags: Nepal, Country Specific, Countries
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 29, 2009
Hosted by Discover Abroad, this site is targeted to the expatriate worker. It gives practical information for working and living in Singapore. Topics covered include general and business culture, etiquette, money, housing and career issues.
Tags: Countries, Country Specific, Singapore
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
United States: U.S. Business Culture
Hosted by Discover Abroad, this site features articles, guides, and hints on the American social and business culture. Topics covered include communication systems, social and formal events, business dress, and guidelines on business procedures like business financing, marketing, etc.
Tags: United States, Country Specific, Countries
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
United States: U.S. Commercial Service
This is the official website of U.S. Commercial Service, an affiliate of the U.S. Commerce Department. It provides information on business opportunities for U.S. companies throughout the world. The Business Travel Information section for each specific country provides detailed information on many facets of business culture and etiquette for the country.
Tags: Countries, Country Specific, United States
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
World Business Culture provides culture-focused country profiles for 39 countries for use in global organizations or in studying international trade. Each profile covers a wide range of topics such as communication styles, dress code, management style and top tips for the particular country.
Tags: Global
Last reviewed by globalEDGE on: October 25, 2009
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