1. CROSS CULTURE
“The collective programming
of the mind which distinguishes
the members of one group or category
from those of another”

2. UNITED KINGDOM
STATS.docx

3. Etiquette in England
Do:
£ Stand in line
£ Take off your hat when indoors
£ Cover your mouth when yawning or coughing
£ Shake hands
£ Drive on the left side of the road
Don’ts:
£ Greet people with a kiss unless it’s family or close friends
£ Talk loudly in public
£ Stare at others
£ Ask personal and intimate questions

4. FESTIVALS
 May Day Celebrations: Maypole Dancing
£ Origin: the Roman festival of Flora, goddess of fruit
and flowers
£ Celebrate the coming of summer after a long winter
£ A time for love and romance

5. SUPERSTITIONS
Good Luck:
£ Lucky to meet a black cat
£ Lucky to touch wood
£ Lucky to find a clover plant with four leaves.
£ A right way up horseshoe over the door brings good luck (like a “U”)
£ Catch falling leaves in Autumn and you're have good luck.
Bad Luck:
£ Unlucky to walk underneath a ladder
£ Seven years bad luck to break a mirror
£ Unlucky to spill salt. If you do, you must throw it over your shoulder to
counteract the bad luck
£ Unlucky to open an umbrella in doors.
£ The number thirteen is unlucky
£ Friday the thirteenth is a double unlucky day because Jesus was crucified
on a Friday.
£ Unlucky to put new shoes on the table
£ Unlucky to pass someone on the stairs

6. TEA CUSTOMS
 Afternoon Tea:
£ Served at 4 in the afternoon
£ Tea, coffee, freshly baked scones, tea sandwiches,
and assorted pastries
£ This became popular about one hundred and fifty
years ago when rich ladies invited their friends to
their houses for an afternoon cup of tea
 High Tea:
£ Served at 6 in the evening
£ Scones, cakes, buns or tea breads, cheese on toast,
toasted crumpets, cold meats and pickles or poached
eggs on toast
£ British working population did not have afternoon
tea, only a midday meal and a meal after work a.k.a
dinner or supper

7. Food
Traditional English
Breakfast (Full English)
£ eggs, bacon, sausages,
fried bread, baked beans
and mushrooms
Traditional English Dinner
£ meat and 2 vegetables
with hot brown gravy
Sunday Roast Dinner
£ roast meat, two
vegetables and potatoes
Lunch – dinner (the main meal)
with a Yorkshire pudding Dinner – tea, supper

8. INDIRECTNESS
£ The English are renowned for their politeness and
courtesy This is a key element of British culture and is a
fundamental aspect of British communication style.
£ When doing business in the UK you generally find that
direct questions often receive evasive responses and
conversations may be ambiguous and full of subtleties .
£ It is important to pay attention to tone of voice and facial
expression , as this may be an indication of what is really
meant.

9. STIFF UPPER LIP
£ To describe the traditionally British portrayal of
reserve and restraint when faced with difficult
situations.
£ Open displays of emotion , positive or negative are
rare and should be avoided .
£ During meetings, Hosts will approach business with an
air of formality and detachment

10. HUMOUR
£ A vital element is the renowned sense of humour.
£ The importance of humour in all situations,
including business contexts, cannot be
overestimated.
£ Humour is frequently used as a defence
mechanism , often in the form of self-depreciation
or irony .
£ It can be highly implicit and in this sense is related
to indirect communication style.

11. PUNCTUALITY
£ Punctuality is essential at any business meeting or
social event. Make it a point to be punctual - the English
are very particular about time keeping.
£ To be late is considered inconsiderate and
discourteous.

12. GREETINGS
£ DO remember to shake hands on first meetings.£
Greet your business associate with a firm handshake ;
this is acceptable for both business and social
occasions.
£ If your associate is a woman , wait for her to extend
her hand first. Women do not necessarily shake
hands.
£ DO make direct eye-contact with your British
counterpart, however remember to keep it to a
minimum or it could be considered impolite or rude.

13. DRESS CODE
£ Dress as conservatively as you can. A suit is always
appropriate. Men in Britain should wear laced shoes,
not loafers. Wear shirts with no pockets. If you must
have pockets, make sure they are empty. Avoid striped
ties; many British regimental ties are striped, and yours
may look like an imitation.
£ Women should wear either a business suit or a
conservative dress.

14. FORM OF ADDRESS
£ Only medical doctors and the clergy in the UK use
their professional or academic titles in business.
£ Most people use the courtesy titles or Mr, Mrs or Miss
and their surname . (Mr and Mrs are words in the United
Kingdom and do not require a period after them as they are
not abbreviations.)
£ If someone has been knighted, they are called 'Sir'
followed by their first and surnames or 'Sir' followed
simply by their first name.
£ First names are used almost immediately with all
colleagues. Exceptions are very senior managers. Wait
until invited before moving to a first-name basis . People
under the age of 35 may make this move more rapidly than
older British.

15. Business cards
£ Business card etiquette is relaxed and involves little
ceremony .
£ Business cards are exchanged at the initial introduction
without formal ritual.
£ It is not considered bad etiquette to keep cards in a pocket
Do not feel obliged to hand out a business card to everyone
you meet as it is not expected.
£ The business card may be put away with only a cursory
glance.

16. PERSONAL SPACE
£ DO respect personal space. The British value
their space and keeping an acceptable distance is
advised.

17. GIFTS
£ Do not carry gifts with you; they are not part of doing
business Instead of gifts, invite your hosts out for a meal or a
show. Anything else is considered inappropriate.
£ If you choose to give a gift, make certain it is small and
tasteful.
£ Good gifts include desk accessories, a paperweight with your
company logo, or a book about your home country .
£ Business meetings take place in a cafe in a pub -- the meal
itself will be light. Senior executives, however, typically dine at
the finest restaurants or in the company's executive dining room.
Dinner is from 7 to 11 p.m. in most restaurants.