CASES FROM BUSINESS PRACTICE
Why can a multi-billion merger founder on cultural differences? Why does a talented employee strike their manager as lacking initiative? We examine real business situations and show the role intercultural differences play in them.
2026/10/14
From Real-World Business Practice: Microsoft & Nokia. A Partnership Built to Win, Destined to Fail. How a $7 Billion Deal Failed to Save Two Tech Giants’ Smartphone Ambitions.
What was meant to be a strategic partnership between two technology giants turned into one of the most notorious acquisition failures in corporate history. In 2013, Microsoft announced its acquisition of Nokia’s mobile phone business for $7.2 billion, hoping to strengthen its position in the smartphone market. Yet within just a few years, the partnership had collapsed: Microsoft wrote off nearly the entire value of the deal, laid off thousands of employees, and effectively abandoned its smartphone business.
Check yourself before you sit down at the negotiating table
WHO THIS PROJECT IS FOR
Students
and educators
For those interested in the topic of cross-cultural differences
Read Ask a Question
Personnel of organizations
For those involved in the development of cooperation programs with foreign countries
Read Ask a QuestionFREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
During the greeting
In a number of cultures a firm Russian handshake is not accepted, for example, in India and Iraq. How should you greet your partner?
When contacting
It can be difficult to determine where on a business card is the first name and last name, and when it is possible to switch to "you".
Giving a business card
What language should the business card be in? What is important to remember when passing it on?
Starting conversation
What topics are considered dangerous? And what is the best way to engage in conversation?
Manners
Pauses in conversation, loud expressive speech, violent gesticulation? What is common in my partner's culture?
The answers to these and many other questions can be found on this site:
- business etiquette — in the intercultural navigator
- business practice — in-depth country information Order
- business situations, problematic issues — trainings, consultations Order
ARTICLES ON BUSINESS CULTURE
Why are decisions made quickly in some cultures and over weeks in others? What lies behind a partner's silence — or their unexpected “yes”? Our articles offer observations and practical advice for working with foreign partners.
2024/07/27
A greeting is just a greeting...
How important can it be if you want to win a potential partner or customer? It must really be the right greeting! Let's compare: a greeting in Chinese business practice and a greeting in European cultures described above.
Check yourself before you sit down at the negotiating table
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Contact us if you have any questions, can't find the right training or need more information.
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