Britain - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

148 Pages·2015·3.03 MB·English

by  Norbury

Copyright © 2015 Kuperard
Revised and updated edition 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission in
writing from the publishers.
Culture Smart!® is a registered trademark of Bravo Ltd.
ISBN 978 1 85733 715 0
eBook ISBN: 978-1-85733716-7
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue entry for this book is available from the British Library
First published in Great Britain
by Kuperard, an imprint of Bravo Ltd
59 Hutton Grove, London N12 8DS
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]
www.culturesmart.co.uk
Inquiries: [email protected]
Series Editor Geoffrey Chesler
Design Bobby Birchall
Cover image: Trooping the Colour on the Queen’s “official birthday,” Horse Guards Parade, London.
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About the Author
PAUL NORBURY is a publisher, editor, and author who has written on
international business practice and procedure, with particular reference
to Japan and East Asia. He has specialized in publishing books on
intercultural communications. Whereas previously he has focused on
explaining Asian culture to Westerners (he is the author of the best-
selling guide Culture Smart! Japan), in this book he draws on his
experience as a mediator and interpreter to introduce his native Britain
to visitors from abroad.
The Culture Smart! series is continuing to expand.
For further information and latest titles visit
www.culturesmart.co.uk
The publishers would like to thank CultureSmart!Consulting for its
help in researching and developing the concept for this series.
CultureSmart!Consulting creates tailor-made seminars and
consultancy programs to meet a wide range of corporate, public-
sector, and individual needs. Whether delivering courses on
multicultural team building in the USA, preparing Chinese
engineers for a posting in Europe, training call-center staff in India,
or raising the awareness of police forces to the needs of diverse
ethnic communities, it provides essential, practical, and powerful
skills worldwide to an increasingly international workforce.
For details, visit www.culturesmartconsulting.com
CultureSmart!Consulting and CultureSmart! guides have both
contributed to and featured regularly in the weekly travel program
“Fast Track” on BBC World TV.
contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
About the Author
Map of Britain
Introduction
Key Facts
Chapter 1: LAND AND PEOPLE
• What Is “Britain”?
• Climate
• Who Are the British?
• The Sounds of Britain
• Historical Landmarks
• Some Key Dates
Chapter 2: SCOTLAND, WALES, AND NORTHERN IRELAND
• INTRODUCING SCOTLAND
• The People
• Historical Perspectives
• The Scottish Economy
• The Bagpipes
• Clans and Tartans
• Golf
• Food and Home
• Education,
• Gaelic
• INTRODUCING WALES
• Geography
• Some History
• Coal and Iron
• The Welsh Economy
• The People and the Language
• INTRODUCING NORTHERN IRELAND
• Glimpses of History
• Today’s Political Landscape
• The Northern Irish Economy
Chapter 3: VALUES AND ATTITUDES
• A Sense of Irony
• A Sense of Trust
• A Sense of Fair Play
• Keeping Order
• A Sense of Identity
• A Sense of Fairness and Compromise
• Royalty, Class, and “Honours”
• Religion
• A Sense of Duty
• High Culture or Low Culture?
• Drink and the Work Ethic
• Humor as Entertainment
Chapter 4: THE MONARCHY, POLITICS, AND GOVERNMENT
• A Bird’s-Eye View
• The Queen’s Role
• Political Parties
• Etiquette of the “House”
Chapter 5: FOOD AND DRINK
• Meals of the Day
• Invitations
• Table Manners
• Eating Out
• The Pub
• Wine Bars
Chapter 6: TIME OUT
• Pomp and Pageantry
• Where to Go and What to Do
• “Casual” Is Good
• Shopping
• Sporting Life
• The Season
• DIY and Gardening
• Travel and Transportation
Chapter 7: FRIENDSHIP, FAMILY, AND SOCIAL LIFE
• Informality and Friendship
• Manners—Formal and Informal
• The New Familiarity
• The Family
• The Class System
• Taboo Subjects
Chapter 8: BUSINESS BRIEFING
• Britain’s Economy
• Business Formalities
• Written Communications
• Formal Meetings and Dress Code
• Smoking in Offices/Public Places
• Gift Giving
• Businesspeople
• Negotiation Styles
• Trade Unionism
• Vacations
• Conclusion
Further Reading
Map of Britain