The Chinese Business Tangram

Chinese culture presents several unique challenges for foreign professionals. Just like tangram puzzles, it helps to understand the game in order to find the perfect solutions.

Faire La Bise: The French Kiss

Part of forming strong business relationships is understanding cultural greetings. In France, that means learning to “Faire La Bise.”

The Chinese Social Credit System: Foreign Entities

The Chinese Social Credit System might seem like a large step in the right direction for Chinese officials. But, how will foreign investors react? Will ingrained cultural norms prove a deterrent?

The Chinese Social Credit System: Domestic Business

The Chinese Social Credit System will reward compliant businesses and penalize outliers. This heavily incentivizes local businesses to jump through hoops. Just how different is this from American norms?

Chinese Social Credit System: the People

The Chinese Social Credit System is a pilot a program that rewards citizens for their behavior. The rewards make life convenient, but the consequences can appear extreme. Will it prove an effective incentive?

Kimchi Country Quirk

If you want to understand Koreans better, you should try kimchi. It’s deliciously representative of how Koreans express emotion, speak with higher context, and respect elders.

South Africa: The Real ‘El Dorado’

For centuries, many excursionists and teams of adventurers traveled to South America in search of a land filled with gold, jewels, and other rare natural commodities. They claimed to be...

Be Local, Buy Local

Is buying local a priority to you? In the Nigerian oil industry, the Local Content Act makes the decision for you.

Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way: The Brazilian Jeitinho

Whether in business, government, or their personal lives, Brazilians have a knack for getting around difficult situations. They do this so often that there is even a word in Portuguese to describe it—jeitinho. Jeitinho literally means “little way.”

The Indian Nod – Yes, No, Maybe So

In the United States, we don't use head movement in our gestures very much. In India, however, head movement conveys important information.