WELCOME!!!

CROSS CULTURAL TRAINING

What do you see?

Other people saw

A woman giving a man money and hes claiming he wants more A woman trying to bribe a man A woman asking the way and a man orienting her

A discussion among friends A violent discussion A quarrel. She has insulted him in some way

EVERYONE IS RIGHT!

WHY EVERYONE IS RIGHT?

Because

everyone is looking at the picture from their own cultural lenses. To everyone their culture is the norm.
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So what?
We need to respect others culture because; Lack of intercultural awareness may:

adversely affect relationships lead to long-term misunderstanding and mistrust of another culture result in lost opportunities in business/professional life

Notes on Culture
There is no right or wrong or better culture only differences between cultures People think of their culture as the norm

Ethnocentrism belief that ones culture is superior Sub-cultures, regional differences, individuality
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CULTURAL DIFFERENCES AND PERCEPTIONS

Anthropologists discovered that, when faced by interaction that we do not understand, people tend to interpret the others involved as "abnormal", "weird or "wrong." Awareness of cultural differences and recognizing where cultural differences are at work is the first step toward understanding each other and establishing a positive working environment. Use these differences to challenge your own assumptions.

CULTURAL INTELLIGENCE
Cultural

intelligence refers to a persons capability to adapt effectively to new cultural contexts. This definition is not at all at odds with existing definitions of general or cognitive intelligence.
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Country
The Federation of Malaysia comprises Peninsula Malaysia and the states of Sabah and Sarawak on the island of Borneo.
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MAP OF MALAYSIA

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Facts and Climate

Country Name: State of Malaysia
Area: 329,750 sq km(204,445 sq mi) Capital City: Kuala Lumpur (pop 1.2 million) Climate: hot and humid year round
Average 90% humidity

Population: 27.17 million

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Religion & Language

Islam is official religion
Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism

Bahasa Malaysia is national language

English, Chinese and Indian dialects

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Malaysia: behaviors

Only do business with people you know No contact between sexes except for handshakes or a Salam Use of titles for superiors English is the language of business except for with government officials Making eye contact and being polite Typically O.K. to ask personal questions Appointments are to be scheduled a minimum of 2 weeks in advance
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01/01/2014

Malaysia: expectations

Establishing a productive business relationship requires long term commitment Negotiations are slow and protracted Several visits and discussions with Malaysians needed before decision making phase Developing personal relationship with Malaysian counterpart Never assume that a signed contract is a final agreement Negotiations continue after a contract has been signed Take religious differences into account Difficult to enter in in-depth discussion Appropriate follow-up is crucial to the success of a business visit
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