Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Etiquette, Language, Culture & Business in Australia

Language
    Australia is a home of 160 nations by 5 million immigrants, that’s why they are rich in cultural diversity. Australians are a laid-back type of a person, direct and they value equality in the community, so everything they say towards you is from what they saw. Australian English spelling, accent, and grammar are closer to British spelling than to American spelling.


Names
    Naming in Australia is same with the format of UK (United Kingdom): first names, middle name (optional), and surname. Commonly, an Australian child follows the surname of the father but it is not necessary for them to follow that format. Usually, the married couples in Australia still have options on doing this. For the unmarried couple, the child should be registered with the mother surname unless both parents agree to use the father surname.

Clothing
    How they dress is influenced by their activities such as surfing, swimming, and beach culture. As their national code, they have adopted board shorts, thongs and colorful shirts for both male and female but females also adopted the Indonesia loose-flowing “Sarong”. Children wear long-sleeved tops and sunhat, for protection from the heat of the sun.

Religion
    Australia has a neutral belief in religion or should I say that they are free from any religious teaching even from the imposition of the government of religious practices from its people. Religious organizations played an important role in the community of developing health, education and welfare services. Roman Catholic is the biggest religious group in Australia and they are also the largest non-government provider of health and educational services.

First Meeting
    For business practices or not, shaking hands with a person that you only meet someone for the first time in Australia is also polite for them. It is also polite to them, not to ask personal matters, that you only met for a few times. Australians is more likely informal in their casual interactions and it is accepted in their community to call a person by their first name only. You can call someone by their surname or by their title but it is unnecessary or formal for most situations. Business meetings or any business activities are exceptional to these things.

Business meetings
    Business time is usually Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm. As what I said above Australians are direct and straightforward. They don’t acknowledge “hard sell” but instead they acknowledge accurate information and humility that delivers or approach in a friendly way that prevents from self-importance. Decision making in Australia takes time because top management in Australia consults with subordinates before making big decisions, patience is also acknowledged.

Socialization
    They have also gift giving during birthdays and Christmas. Gifts are opened immediately in front of the giver. It is the Australian culture to give a tip to your worker with a small amount of cash, a 6 pack of beer or a bottle of wine. It is hard to imagine an Aussie, not holding a cold beer in their hands because in Australia there will be lots of invite to their homes for such occasions, it’s common to them bring to bring your own alcoholic drinks with you.

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