Culture Smart! The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
1 primary work • 3 total works
Book 0
Cool Britannia is alive and well today. British culture is at the top of its game--in fashion, popular music, art and entertainment, science and technology, new inventions, and in the rediscovered skills and excellence in engineering that make it Germany's leading trading partner in Europe. As a family of nations, the British are inventive, reflective, good humored, funny, focused, and tenacious. Today's multicultural Britain is managing the challenges of integrating minorities in a way that remains true to its fundamental values and beliefs as a fair and open society, one that continues to see itself as a model for others to follow. Since the first edition of this guide appeared, Britain has faced huge and accelerated change in its cultural, economic, and political life. In ten years immigration has added a further five million to its population. Confidence in its banks and regulatory structures was shaken by the global financial crisis. The very unity of the United Kingdom was tested in 2014 in the referendum on Scottish independence, and although those wishing to retain the Union triumphed, it prompted a debate about national identities and rights, and the prospect of a new fairer settlement for the English. While the desire of Scottish nationalists for independence remains as strong as ever, the surge in support for the UK Independence Party (which wants Britain to leave the EU) may well result in a new form of power sharing in parliament. This revised and updated edition of Culture Smart! Britain examines the impact of these issues on British society and guides the reader through the quirks, customs, values, and changing ways of British life. It is a must-read for the record-breaking numbers of visitors coming to these islands.
Culture Smart! Japan will guide you through modern Japan's shifting social and cultural maze. It provides invaluable insights into people's attitudes and behavior, and practical tips to help make your visit to this complex, rich, and dynamic society a mutually rewarding experience. Today Japan is at a crossroads. The postwar economic miracle is over and the balance of power in Asia is shifting as new players enter the field. The bedrock of traditional Japanese culture its remarkable resilience, coherence, and consensus-based philosophy, underpinned by many protocols until recently regarded by some as a hindrance, is starting to look like a virtue in a world of accelerating change. Japan remains the world's third-largest economy and one of the most attractive and secure destinations for investment. The younger generation is outward-looking, Japanese women have a new confidence, and the country's technical and scientific research capability is as good as it gets. Japan continues to excel at innovation in technology and the "new" sciences, and is among the world's largest funders in research as a percentage of GDP.
Japan - Culture Smart! The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
by Paul Norbury
Published 8 April 2011
Culture Smart! Japan explains how to avoid cultural gaffes when out and about in the country. Giving the historical, political and cultural background, the guide reveals how to read body language and be aware of potential pitfalls in communication, and at the same time provide the cultural essentials business travellers need to successfully develop working relations in Japan. Culture Smart! Japan enables the reader to get the most out of trip, whether on business, or pleasure. Culture Smart! provides rare insights, and practical guidance, into cultures. The values, behaviour and customs of peoples have been formed over centuries which is why the unique information in Culture Smart! guides do not date in the same way as ordinary travel guides. Culture Smart! enables you to step into a world untouched by other guidebooks.