Dealing with Cultural Differences

       Dealing with Cultural Differences   
           

   How then do you deal with different customs in the business setting? Well, first of all you need to do your very own research on personal and business etiquette in the country you will be travelling to. You can use the Internet or buy a book, whichever you feel is most convenient. Before leaving for your business trip, make sure that you leave your attitude in your home country. Remember that even if you are superior at home, interacting with foreign cultures should always be on a humbled point of view for best results. It is also very important that you try to blend into the culture. Do not resist their food just because you do not like sushi, hold your negative feedback, and try to reach out to them the best that you can. 
Do not be surprised about how people conduct business in other countries. Germans, for example, discuss businesses strictly inside the meeting room, and never during meals. Japanese people exchange business cards, a process which seems almost ceremonial; the more you read the card, the more respectful you are. While you can never drink alcohol during negotiations in Australia, social drinking is encouraged in Russia.

Conclusion

It is true how largely different one country's customs are with another. However, in international business, you should go past these differences and move on to your common goals and aspirations. Going past the differences does not mean you ignore the countries traditions or their customs. It means you respect their culture, not because you need to deal with them at the end of the day. It should be because they deserve the respect for their own set of tradition as everybody else in the world does.