British Business Culture

1. Introduction

When we traveling in the United Kingdom or doing business with British people we must to know the differences in business culture that we encounter in areas such as:

- Business etiquette;

- Communication style;

- Problem solving and decision making;

- Meetings and presentation style.

In this paper I will present ways to improve our success in the global marketplace by understanding cultural differences, how to do business and how to communicate with British people.

Successful international companies are able to adapt to the business styles acceptable in other countries and by other nationalities, based on their knowledge and awareness of key cultural differences. These differences, if not acknowledged and addressed, can interfere in successful communication and can adversely affect the success of any business attempting to expend internationally.

Identifying appropriate behavior in one’s own culture can make it easier to adapt to that of the country with which you are doing business.

2. The Global Marketplace

The global business environment today is a multicultural one. While general business considerations are essentially the same the world over, business styles differ greatly from country to country. What is customary and appropriate in one country may be considered unusual or even offensive in another. The increasingly competitive environment calls for an individual approach to each national market. The success of your venture outside your home market depends largely upon preparation. Yet we send our employees, executives, salespeople, technicians to negotiate or carry out contracts with little or no understanding of the cultural differences in the ways people communicate and do business with each other and for this reason many business deals have been lost.

3. Doing Business in a Global Market

The importance of the influence of one’s native culture on the way one approaches life cannot be overstated. Each country’s cultural beliefs and values are reflected in its people’s idea of the “right” way to live and behave.

Knowing what your company wants to achieve and also understanding the objectives of the other party and helping to accommodate them in the business transaction is necessary for the developing long-term, international business relationships.

Often representatives from big companies have difficulty doing business with each other, even when they speak the same language and share a common culture. Consider how much more difficult it is to do business with people different cultures who speak different languages.

Success in the international business arena will not be easy for nobody who does not take steps to gain the skills necessary to be a global player. The language barrier is an obvious problem.

Equally important will be negotiation skills, as well as an understanding of an adaptation to the social and business etiquette of the foreign country. British have a reputation for failing to appreciate this. In other words, British businessmen doing business abroad will get off to a good start if they remember to do the following:

- Listen closely; understand the verbal and non verbal communications.

- Focus on mutual interests, not differences.

- Keep long-term relationships.

- Emphasize quality. Be prepared to defend the quality of your products and services, and the quality of your business relationship.