Foreign partner — who he is, what it is important to know about the first meeting, how to build a relationship and other useful information

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Qatar
Personal Space

The comfortable distance for communication varies depending on the gender of the participants. Men tend to stand quite close to each other during conversations, but this distance increases significantly when a woman is involved in the discussion.

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Finland
Introduction

During the first business meeting with a potential partner, Finns shake hands and introduce themselves at the same time. They first give their first name and then their surname.

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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.

2026/10/11

When American and Japanese Work Cultures Clash An American Manager at a Japanese Company: Who Should Linda Safari Punish, and Why Won’t Anyone Say Who Made the Mistake?

A new employee's mistake disrupts production and costs the company a lot of money. The American manager wants to know who's to blame. But her Japanese colleagues refuse to point fingers.

Why won't they name the person responsible? Should one employee take the blame, or is the whole team accountable? And what does this clash reveal about how American and Japanese managers deal with mistakes?

Japan United States

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WHO THIS PROJECT IS FOR

Entrepreneurs

For those who develop business contacts with foreign partners

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Students
and educators

For those interested in the topic of cross-cultural differences

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Personnel of organizations

For those involved in the development of cooperation programs with foreign countries

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How to make communication with a foreign partner effective? Cultural profiles of countries — in the public domain

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FREQUENTLY 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:

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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.

2024/06/17

French vs Austrian

I am going to post info about different cultures. I hope it will be interesting AND useful, as many of you are already working with partners, suppliers and colleagues from different countries. If you have any specific questions about how to deal with in this or that cross-cultural situation, please let me know. I will try to help.

Let's start with Europe...

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Check yourself before you sit down at the negotiating table

Checklist «8 mistakes»

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