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Looking through English Eyes

Group 71311034 Pritam Saha1311055 Siddhant Mishra1311083 Deepika1311159 Gopi G1311218 Arun K B

United KingdomYear of EU entry: 1973Capital city: LondonTotal area: 244 820 km²Population: 61.7 millionCurrency: pound sterling (£)Schengen area: Not a member of

81%

6%

3%

2%

2%

2%

1%

1% 1%

1%

0%

6%

UK Population Breakdown by Ethnicity 2011

Sources: 2011 Census: KS201UK Ethnic group, local authorities in the United Kingdom, Accessed 21 February 2014

England

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• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland = Great Britain + Northern Ireland

• Great Britain = England + Scotland + Wales• England is the most populous country of the

United Kingdom, accounting for 84% of the combined total

87.90%

5.90%

2.90%

1.60%

1.30%

0.40%

3.30%

England Population Breakdown by Ethnicity

2009

White Asian or Asian British Black or Black British

Other ethnic group Mixed Chinese

Sources: Population Estimates by Ethnic Group 2002 – 2009, Office of National Statistics

Hofstede’s Dimensions

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35

89

66

35

51

69

77

48

56

40

51

26

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Power Distance Individualism Masculinity Uncertainty

Avoidance

Pragmatism Indulgence

United Kingdom India

Business Etiquette

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Business

- Punctuality

- Different from social gathering

- Early appointments

- Structured meetings

- Direct communication

Greeting

- Firm handshake

- Gender neutral

- Use titles

- No first names unless asked to

- No personal questions

- Biz. card exchange not compulsory

Dressing

- Dressing well & nicely grooming

- Conservative dark suits

- Men: Shirts & ties

- Women: trousers, skirts & blouses

- over-dressed rather than poorly

Behavioral

- Politeness & subtle humour

- Stiff upper lip

- Eye contact

- Gift norms

- No animated expressions

- Gestures have strong meanings

Eating

- Continental food

- seat shown by host

- Fork on left & knife on right hand

- How cutleries are laid down has a meaning

- Arriving 15 minutes late

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Firework Night

• Celebrated annually on 5th November• Commemorate the failure of gun powder plot• Guy Fawkes caught guarding explosives

Cultural Traits

• Fireworks, Bonfire & burning effigies• Special dishes cooked• Recent times – symbol of revolt against tyranny

Business Impact

• Largest selling mask on Amazon• Warner Bros. earns royalty on every mask sold (100,000+ annually)• The movie V for Vendetta grossed over $132 Mn worldwide

Do’s & Don’ts

• Take part in the tradition of walking the “Guy” across the street• Remember to sing the rhymes “ Remember remember the 5th of Nov..”• Be sensitized about the context; avoid labels of anarchist etcetera

Popular Festival - Guy Fawkes’ Night

Guy Fawkes’ Night – Cultural Aspects

• The Mask

• The Fireworks

• The Bon-fire

• Effigy burning

• The story

• Movies, music, art

Tangible Aspects

• Conspiracy theories

• Anti-establishment stand

• Parliamentary bombings

• Pro-protestant view

• Call for transparency

• Rebel sub-culture

Intangible Aspects

9

1

DI Insights: Expatriation

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Setting up shop & meeting collaborators

Exercising transparency

Building relationships

Mannerism

Leading new business

2

5

4

3

Acculturation6

They listen well and draw clear agenda before meetings

Temples, festivities, lingua franca, schools activities

Result orientation >> Charm

They expect people to dress as per the weather

Biz dev people are more relationship focused

Anti-bribery law, strong legal recourse

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DI Insights: Human Resources

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Hiring

Pay

Role definition

Managerial demeanor

Conflict resolution

2

5

4

3

Growth and career progression

6

They hire for the longer term

Upwards or sideways policy

Managers intervene only when work suffers

Politeness, come what may; British always try smiling

Individual modules and ownership to people

Uniform pay to senior members

Recommendations

• Direct communication

• Calmer tone and demeanor

• Individualistic role definition

• Time sanctity

• Agenda driven discussions

• Impersonal conflict resolution

• Lower power distance

• Multi-ethnic demographics

• Longer term job mindset

• Adaptability

• Team-oriented leadership

• Up or sideways philosophy

Complementing the Indian Way! (deploy the best from home country)

Leverage high context understanding

Use it for building relationships

Benefit from higher accountability

Ensure work life balance

Practice leaner project management

Export collectivistic viewpoints

Eliminate bureaucracy in host offices

Hire right mix; foster acculturation

Lower employee training costs

Handle market dynamics well

Spread responsibilities among heads

Invest in learning with lower churn

Style

Structure

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