As you head to the airport for holiday and business travel, it’s important to keep in mind the cultural differences in locations you haven’t done much research on. Dining etiquette could be diverse, along with tipping rules and other general customs. Mashable posted a great story from their International Business Series sponsored by UPS.
Here are the five business travel apps for learning about customs and cultures of different countries on the fly.
1. Business Practices by the Brannen Group breaks down what you need to know about conducting business in different countries and provides in-depth explanations. What may seem as an obvious part of business etiquette is then broken down by what is expected by the culture.
“‘Be Punctual,’ for instance, might seem like obvious advice for conducting business anywhere, but the in-depth explanation in the Japan app also explains that if you are late, you need only apologize — not provide details — and that due to long commutes, it’s best not to schedule meetings before 9 a.m.,” according to the article.
2. CultureGPS Lite follows the thought process behind Dutch social psychologist Dr. Geert Hofstede and that there are five dimensions that differentiate cultures: how society handles inequalities among people (power distance); to what extent people look after only themselves and their families (individualism); how focused on achievement the culture is (masculinity); the extent to which people feel threatened by uncertainty and try to avoid it (uncertainty avoidance); and long term orientation, which is the extent a society shows a future-oriented perspective rather than a historical or short-term point of view.
The app provides these scores of cultures and the professional version allows for comparison of two countries and recommendations related to the differences.
3. Business Traveler’s Passport Series is a general database about travel needs such as how to tip taxi drivers, how to greet someone in a business setting, and what women’s roles are at the destination.
4. World Customs & Cultures is a free app and covers many of the cultural differences that you’ll come across when traveling for business, such as personal space, eye contact, gender issues, and important laws.
5. International Business Etiquette provides an online etiquette guide powered by translation company, Kwintessential, and is especially useful when you don’t have your laptop handy.
Written by WhiteDigitalMedia
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