Posts Tagged ‘business’
Cultural differences in the Chinese and American workplaces
Much has been written about the differences between the cultures of the United States and China, but what in practical terms do these differences mean? Hannah Seligson just wrote a business article for the NY Times about the growing trend of young Americans taking jobs in China, and about the cultural challenges that arise when people from two [...]
The innovation challenge in India
India has made tremendous economic strides in recent years on the strength of its outsourcing businesses, but many Indians fret that the nation will not be able to take the next step forward until the culture develops a more innovative nature. The NY Times just ran an interesting business feature on this topic. Even as the [...]
The (slowly) changing role of women in Saudi Arabia
National culture changes very slowly, but there is no doubt that it is something that constantly evolves. Sometimes in small ways over centuries, and sometimes in bigger ways over shorter periods of time. One example of this is the role of women in the Middle East, and particularly in the conservative nation of Saudi Arabia. [...]
Culture in the news – flowers and stock markets
Some more examples of culture in the news: In Washington, D.C., the retirement of the White House florist, Nancy Clarke, sheds light on the fact that even flowers have different meanings across cultures: In addition to providing flowers for the occupants of the White House, Mrs. Clarke has also ended up becoming something of an expert [...]
Re-thinking Islamic banking
As the global financial system tries to right itself after staggering to the brink of collapse, one banking sector finds itself in somewhat better shape than most of the world. That would be the Islamic banking system, which credits its steadiness to practices that are unique to Islamic finance, such as banning interest and shying away from excessive [...]
KFC (sort of) in Afghanistan
No, it’s not the KFC you were probably expecting. Although it’s close. In Afghanistan, Kentucky Fried Chicken has been transformed into Kabul Fried Chicken by an Afghan expatriate who has returned to his home country with his sights set on an emerging market for fast foods. Time magazine has the story. As the sun sets in [...]
Risk, innovation and U.S. culture
The United States is renowned for having a culture that rewards risk-taking and innovation. This is so ingrained into the culture that it’s easy to forget it’s actually a somewhat unique trait that is not always so easily replicated elsewhere. Here’s a reminder of that, buried in a NY Times profile of scientist-businessman John Kao. Before long he had written [...]
Thai business, European football & culture clashes
What happens when a prominent Thai businessman takes over a British football team that is managed by a Swede? Perhaps a clash of cultures was inevitable. Regardless of your interest in sports, there is a fascinating recent article in the Financial Times that illuminates many of the cultural differences between Thailand and northern Europe. The [...]
Meshing Chinese and Western business cultures
There was an interesting column by Joe Nocera in the New York Times business section a few days ago. It started by looking at the relative lack of MBA-type skills among Chinese managers, but then diverted into an examination of Chinese and Western business cultures and the difficulties that companies have in meshing the two. An excerpt: [...]
Even law research can now be outsourced
It sometimes seems as if there is no end to the type of work that can be outsourced these days. Businesses have been outsourcing labor for years, and individuals have figured out how to outsource personal tasks, nursing home care and even pregnancies. Now comes word of the latest work that is being outsourced – legal research. [...]
Relationship-building and emerging markets
There was an article in the NY Times this week about the challenges and the allure of doing business in emerging markets around the globe. Or, more accurately, “emerging emerging markets.” Buried within the story was a fascinating account of just how business gets transacted in some cultures. First, the overview of these markets: Forget [...]
Cultural lessons, from Peru to Iraq
Cultural lessons also apply to the military, as evidenced by this interesting piece in Newsweek, which shows how one soldier took cultural lessons learned as a youngster in Peru and applied them to some of his dealings with locals in Iraq. For Capt. Jim Marckwardt, coming to Iraq in 2005 was like being a kid again. [...]
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Bob Riel is a writer and a traveler. Go here to read more about Bob, his work and the Travels in the Riel World blog.
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