Group#4

.
Nouman
Ali
Mina Ali
Sidra
Shafqat
Noshaba
Nargis

Aoun
Muhamma
d
Quart-ulAin
Numeera
h Yousaf

AUSTRALIA

Business Entertaining

Business lunches
business and pleasure do not mix in
Australia.
They do not use social occasions
Once a social relationship has been
established, a businessperson may get
frank with his/her contact.

negotiation

Negotiating means Persuading

Fast and direct; will let negotiation
partner know openly if they think that
the outcome is unfavorable.

Dealings and contract

Approach used

Direct, individualized, and solution oriented

Deadlines and overtime

Task oriented, with realistic deadlines;

Working overtime is the exception, not the norm. If
overtime work is required, people want to be notified
upfront.

Nature of contracts

Objective, based on target and outcome.

Completion rewards

Keeping a healthy work/life balance (work to live).

Not necessarily motivated by monetary reward or
promotion. Often prefer getting time off instead.

Decision making

They decide with consensus

Input from subordinates to help form
decisions
Decisions can be disputed if not
deemed agreeable by constituency.
Decision maker may concede without
losing face and respect.

conflict

Superior/Subordinate Relationships

Differences are minimized and

hierarchy not displayed openly.

Discrimination

In Australia, national and state laws

cover equal employment opportunity
and anti-discrimination in the
workplace

Leadership
an authoritarian style of leadership is received
very badly by most Australians.
Participative style is the most prevailing

Australian Team

Australian do not try to make themselves

better than their colleagues nor does
anyone wishes to be successful at the
expense of a colleague.

A competitive edge should be directed

towards the other team (the competition)
rather than being internally focused.

CrossCultural Analysis

Specific Cultural Differences

SAUDI ARABIA

AUSTRALIA

Inequality of gender

Equality of gender

Conservative dress

Informal dress

Relaxed about time

Punctuality expected

Little nightlife

Nightlife important part of culture

Forbidden to eat pork

Meat dishes popular

Alcohol forbidden

Alcohol very common

Small gifts acceptable in business Gift-giving uncommon

Friday holy day (day of rest)

Normal weekend

Ramadan and hajj

No significant religious holidays

High and LowContext Cultures

SAUDI ARABIA

AUSTRALIA

High Context Culture

Low Context Culture

Responsibility for organisational

error taken by highest level

Responsibility for organisational

error pushed to lowest level

Polychronic culture:
everything in life must be dealt
with in terms of its own time
people able to multi-task

Monochronic culture:
time is money
time is linear
people do one thing at a time

Negotiations are lengthy

Negotiations proceed quickly

Source: Hall and Hall (1990)

Hofstedes Dimensions

Source: Hofstede (1980) - cited in Alexakis (2003)

Power Distance
SAUDI ARABIA

High Power Distance:

- Autocratic management style
- Acceptance of status differences
- Hierarchical structures

AUSTRALIA

Low Power Distance:

- Democratic management style:
- Consultative relationships
- Consensus-building philosophy

Source: Hofstede (1980) - cited in Alexakis (2003)

Individualism / Collectivism

SAUDI ARABIA

Low Individualism:
- Collectivist, group-oriented culture
- Close relationships between
individuals

AUSTRALIA
High Individualism:
- Individualistic society
- Loose relationships between
Source: Hofstede (1980) - cited in Alexakis (2003)
individuals

Masculinity / Femininity

Both countries are quite similar in

respect of masculinity and have
mid-ranking scores
- Evidence of assertiveness,
achievement-orientation, ambition,
competitiveness and aggression,
yet able and willing to compromise
when required
- Combination of people-oriented,
task-oriented and process-oriented
practices
Source:management
Hofstede (1980)
- cited in Alexakis (2003)

Uncertainty Avoidance

SAUDI ARABIA

High Uncertainty Avoidance:

- Low tolerance of risk and ambiguity
- Rule-oriented society
- People expected to conform

AUSTRALIA
Medium Uncertainty Avoidance:
- Uncertainty and ambiguity tolerated
- Willingness to take some risks
Non-conformity
Source:- Hofstede
(1980) - accepted
cited in Alexakis (2003)

Suggestions to work
with Australians

Suggestions cont..

If you are a Manager try to develop a

'matey' relationship with colleagues.
Take input into decision making process
by everybody.
While in Australia try to build teams but
keep individual reference as well. only
then Australian will try hard to play the
role.
Go for written contracts

Suggestions cont..

Be punctual.
Be informal, but courteous.
Dont be afraid to use humor.
Patience is another often-used
Australian tactic.

Suggestions cont..

Make presentations detailed and

factual.

Negotiations move quickly.

Keep your administrative

requirements to a minimum.

Suggestions cont..

Stress the practical over the

conceptual.
Australian

negotiators are pragmatic

and profit-oriented.

Make the opening offer fairly close

to your desired final position.
Australians do not tend to be bluesky bargainers (haggling for long
periods from very high initial
offers).