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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Nigeria
Small Talk: Overview

Nigerians are generally friendly and sociable conversationalists. During small talk, they may bring up a wide range of topics that matter to them.

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Saudi Arabia
Introduction

In situations of official, formal, and business communication—especially during initial contacts—the accepted form of address is “Mr” or “Mrs” followed by the person's first name (not last name), for example, Mr Ali. The same applies to women: Mrs Maryam.

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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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Check yourself before you sit down at the negotiating table

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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.

2024/07/27

Humor in business communication

Let's talk about humor in business communication.

It's a universal category, but definitely culturally specific. Both in the East and the West people love to make jokes and laugh at them. A good sense of humour is an admired quality in many cultures, even if the type of humor may vary. Just see how different it can be:

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Check yourself before you sit down at the negotiating table

Checklist «8 mistakes»

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