Luxembourg is a small, proud, tradition-conscious country, but also a cosmopolitan and very European country. Almost half of the population comes from 163 different countries. In addition, there are about 177,000 border crossers who live in neighbouring France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. All in all, 370,000 foreigners work in Luxembourg every day. In Luxembourg, you […]
Modesty is a must when dealing with Danes. This is how you will make the best impression on your Danish business partners. Introduce yourself very briefly and don’t attempt to show off with your titles and positions. Danes are very conscious of equality. It is much more important to be personable, warm and friendly. Long […]
Meetings rarely start on time. In particular, decision-makers often do not appear until the meeting is already in full swing. An appropriate strategy for dealing with this is to use the first half an hour or so simply to chat to the other participants. This offers the advantage of allowing you to get to know […]
US-Americans often have little knowledge of the guest country and its inhabitants. They have a tendency to be not particularly good in dealing with foreign ways of behavior, and they expect to have everywhere the standards they are used to. That of course varies from one US-American to another, depending on their personality, experience in […]
Geographical proximity to Sweden leads many people in Europe to underestimate the cultural differences. Sweden is a modern Western country, a democracy, a free market, and has many internationally successful companies. Thus, there shouldn’t be that many differences. But there are: there are many internationally successful companies throughout Europe as well as in Sweden, but […]
With understatement and an easy-going manner you can win over Dutch business people instantly. Therefore, short and concise presentations are a must at a first meeting. Product details and figures can be offered at a later stage and in more informal discussions. Until then, and before the facts are the focus, the Dutch want to […]
A paramount point in the German business culture is task-orientation. The business matter is central and even determines the style of communication. This is the main reason for the German communication style being so upfront and direct, some may even perceive it as blunt. While doing business in Germany, it’s crucial to be able to […]
In Asian cultures, once you have lost face, it’s not easily undone. One usually avoids publicly exposing people, i.e. causing their loss of face by emphasizing their mistakes and misfortunes and openly criticizing them. By the same principle, you yourself could lose face and thus damage the image of your team or even the entire […]
When you meet previously unknown business partners for the first time, wait until your Brazilian host introduces them to you. Only then should you greet them. It is quite normal to very swiftly move to using first names even in a business context. In contrast to most other Latin American countries, family names are rarely […]
Enjoying a good meal In France not only tourists like to enjoy a good meal. Businessmen also have the chance to gourmandise to their heart’s content when visiting French companies. The reason for this is that in France the starting point for negotiations is a cultivated conversation during an extensive meal. Only if the French […]
To enjoy life is a recognized basic attitude in Australia as well as general optimism. All are equal Another important value in the Australian culture and which certainly contributes to the general Australian relaxation is that all should be treated fairly and equally. Hierarchies in companies are therefore flat, and employees and supervisors almost always […]
Saudi Arabia is based on a social system marked by a sense of community and tradition. In the center stands the family. All values that play an important role in social life are decisive in the business world as well. Generosity, reciprocal caretaking, and respect are therefore characteristics which you definitely should display in business […]
