TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Executive Summary 1

2. Introduction 2

3. Cultural aspect to Communication 3

3.1. Cultural Contexts 3

3.2. Assessing Cultures through Hofstede’s Framework 4

4. Codes of Communication 6

4.1. Verbal Communication 6

4.1.1. Welcome topics of conversation 7

4.1.2. Topics to avoid 8

4.2. Non-Verbal Communication 9

5. Gift Giving 10

6. Causes of Cross-Cultural Communication Conflicts 12

7. Conclusion 13

8. Recommendations 14

9. References 15

Executive Summary

Today’s world has gone global. This globalization has led to the collaboration among manufacturers of products, suppliers of materials and service providers situated across the globe. The markets are no more restricted to a specific region or a country. The boundaries and distances between the markets have vanished. Saturation in developed markets has led to exploration and exploitation of emerging markets. The expansion of geographic footprint is not happening only to meet business needs, but this is happening also to promote social causes (Education, Health Awareness) and to mitigate global risks (Global Warming). Therefore, for the purpose of effective functioning, there is a strong need to learn about Cross-Cultural Communication.

It is true that any usage of an inappropriate word, an impression or a gesture can lead to serious business or social implications. These cross-cultural communication blunders can then lead to lost customers, failed relationships and lost opportunities. To become an effective communicator worldwide, one should anticipate and identify cultural differences, draw clues and cues from non-verbal communication styles and be respectful to other cultures. To learn other’s cultures, one can extract information from experiences of friends, relatives and professional