Passport to Trade 2.0 project leader. My research interests are in the area of disruptive innovation using information technology (IT) and the use of IT in business management. Topics include: enterprise 2.0; web 2.0, international business culture, search engine optimisation, and social media marketing.
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I want to congratulate the Passport to Trade 2.0 project team for giving me the chance to have such valuable information for my stay in Portugal. It couldn’t have come at a better time because I will be going there as an Erasmus student next semester at the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém. As a country in the Southern region, I found that the Portuguese have many similarities with the Greeks and I was very happy about that. When reading the sections on punctuality, business communication, business meals, I thought I was reading the Greek guide. I am really looking forward to spending time in Portugal and the Passport to Trade website will be my guide.
As a student studying business administration at the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, I think the website www.businessculture.org is an essential tool for everyone who would like to do business in these countries. I liked the videos as well because they give a quick snapshot of the country.
I was happy to see that social media is being used in companies and is expanding in many countries as part of their communication strategy. The website gives small and medium sized companies the opportunity to expand their business relationships with other European countries.
There are some very helpful cultural hints in the Greek business guide that can surely open doors for doing business in Greece. Greek people are friendly and welcome foreigners but, it would be great to also know what to avoid and how you can make your communication easier. I found it not only informing but fun to read as well.
by Dimitra Koukouseli
Student, University of Macedonia Thessaloniki. Department of Business Administration
I have just come back home from Portugal where I have had a work placement.
Before leaving on my work placement, I have only had limited knowledge and expectations about the country and people I would meet.
Reading the guide of Portugal developed by the Passport to Trade project, I found interesting and useful information about the country in general, but, in particular, about the cultural context and the business attitudes and etiquette.
I worked as a receptionist in an hotel in Lisbon and I had the opportunity to meet many people from different places.
The knowledge of business culture and business communication, which I gained from P2T2.0, has helped me to develop good relationships both with my colleagues and clients.
Personal relationships have priority in Portugal
As regards to the work experience I had, I can confirm that Portuguese are friendly and warm but they are also formal, precise and clear.
Trust is very important, so Portuguese people like to get to know you well and establish a personal relation, this allows long-term work collaborations.
Thanks to the advice received on Passport to Trade 2.0 website on student placement resources in Portugal, I have also had fewer difficulties in finding accommodation and in managing other practical issues. My work placement experience has been more relaxed and successful.
Our agency deals with communication and knows the complexity of interactions among different cultures. Sometimes just giving a simple business card can create misunderstanding.
For example, the Japanese view the business card as an extension of a person, while Americans view it as a business formality and a convenience. Consequently, while the Japanese handle business cards with great care, making certain to put them in a safe places, Americans are quick to put them away and thus often end up insulting the Japanese.
A good communication focuses not only on languages but also on many aspects often neglected. Gestures, objects, rituals, status symbol, interpersonal distances are a great part of the act of communication. People don’t exchange words but messages. This is the reason why an attentive analysis and knowledge of the intrinsic values of every interaction are of prime importance in order to avoid misunderstandings, especially in a working environment.
Communication through Social Media in Italy is not so different as in other European countries, in terms of netiquette. Thanks to Passport to Trade 2.0 project, we learnt that these tools are not well adopted by SMEs. In Italy and in the majority of Europe, companies understand the value of Social Media marketing to communicate with their clients, but they are not yet able to capitalise the potential in their business.
As a student of Erasmus Mundus advanced master programme, EGEI, I experienced two foreign studying destinations. First country was People’s Republic of China (see also our Chinese Business Culture guide) and the second one was Belgium. Both of these cultures differ a lot from either Slovak or Czech culture, where I have grown up and currently live.
China, Xiamen University campusChinese delicacy (chicken feet) that could be found almost in every grocery or restaurant
When I visited China for four months my impressions were very mixed. I was in a group of students from the Czech Republic and I could barely find a person who could speak English, that complicated our situation in substantial way since none of us from our group could read Chinese characters. Moreover, if we were lucky and we met a Chinese person who spoke English, there was a high probability that they did not talk to us even if we asked them kindly, because Chinese people tend to be very shy. This made our trip much more adventurous!
In the academic environment I found that my Chinese classmates were very hardworking, even more than hardworking! I could see that these students experience high pressure in relation to their academic results caused by their parents and economic situation.
Overall, I would characterize my stay in China as a powerful experience, it made me realise why China has such a powerful economy since it is driven by people who have hard work and determination which is not often seen in other European countries.
Belgium was a “different kettle of fish” when compared to China.
The country was much more familiar to me, since it is still in Europe! But, I observed that people in Belgium had different ways of thinking. For example in school, they approached their study more responsibly when compared to the Czech schools, they also rejected any form of cheating. I like this approach of honestly and responsibility.
In Antwerpen, Belgium
Personally, I found Belgian people as masters of compromises, since due to their multi cultural society they were able to accommodate all differences and took their time to understand each other’s points of view. Also, they seem to me to be on the one hand very noble on the other hand somewhat conceited.
Business Culture guide as part of the https://businessculture.org describes Belgian behaviour with a lot of details and I can simply agree with the description provided according my experience. In particular, making extravagant physical gestures such as hugging is very inappropriate for Belgians at the first meeting.
In Brussels, BelgiumUniversity of Antwerpen campus, Belgium
I think I benefited tremendously from both study trips. By engaging in international study, it helped me to be more able to get along with foreign people from various countries. Based on my experience I realized that it would have been very useful for me to know prior to the trips information such as – where should I look for accommodation, what kind of transportation is the most suitable, what to expect from academic environment, what facilities for studying can I expect, cost of living in the specific area, language matters such as whether most people speak English and so on. Therefore, when I discovered the Business Culture guides for the 31 European countries, which includes all this information and much more, I think that businessculture.org would have been a great practical tool prior to my trips.
For my future trips I will be more prepared since this business culture website gives me a brief overview of a specific country. In addition, I can find information that is most necessary to have before you go abroad. Especially, I find good hyperlinks provided in these web pages that give more information if you need, so you do not have to browse somewhere else and you have it all in one “place”. On the other hand, I would have like businessculture.org to have extended to more countries not only Europe!
By Peter Víťazka,
Slovak student studying in Czech Republic. Currently student at Erasmus Mundus advanced master programme “Economics of Globalisation and European Integration”
My name is Roxana Matei and I have been on a mobility programme for a semester as an Erasmus student at the University of Castilla-La Mancha in Ciudad Real, Spain.
When I become an Erasmus student, I realized that before you go to another country you need some basic information about the culture, people, city or region you are visiting. If you are lucky, it is also helpful to have a friend who will be willing to help you in finding an accommodation and, in general advice on how to integrate more easily into your host country life – which in my case was Spain.
Once I arrived in Spain, I had to familiarise myself with my new rented flat, which was shared with four other flat mates from different countries, also Erasmus students, and of course, participate in the classes, introduce myself to the professors and to the Erasmus coordinator. The beginning was unusual with a lot of new things, new people and different kinds of life and attitudes, but I managed to adapt to it very easily thanks to my new colleagues, who were very friendly and willing to help in everything they could.
I heard about this website https://businessculture.org from the coordinator of this project from the Valahia University of Targoviste, Romania, Mrs. Adriana Grigorescu.
I think it is a real help for those who want to work, study or visit another country. For a better country integration, information on work-life-balance, geographical notions and basic knowledge about the culture of the country are always very useful.
When your first contact with a new culture and mentality is based on this basic information, it is easier to adapt and make a good impression at the outset of your visit, especially for those who participate in the work and travel program. Otherwise, your experiences will not be as positive as it could be.
Now I´m working in a Spanish-Romanian Association which is helping Erasmus students, tourists or other people who go to Romania for studying, working etc. and also those who are going with the same purpose to Spain. I help them with their cultural adjustment and I am always suggesting to them to use student placement and social media facilities as mentioned on the https://businessculture.org website resource.
Social Media platforms are a very simple and functional way to find new friends, opinions, information about the place you go to and, in general, enjoy your experience of your new country from the moment you join the local social network.
I want to congratulate the Passport to Trade 2.0 project team for giving me the chance to have such valuable information for my stay in Portugal. It couldn’t have come at a better time because I will be going there as an Erasmus student next semester at the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém. As a country in the Southern region, I found that the Portuguese have many similarities with the Greeks and I was very happy about that. When reading the sections on punctuality, business communication, business meals, I thought I was reading the Greek guide. I am really looking forward to spending time in Portugal and the Passport to Trade website will be my guide.
