Business Practice in Australia

Some rural communities will not have the same exposure to immigrants and international visitors, although the popularity of Australia as a budget traveler destination has affected that. Generally variety is accepted and people of many cultures will be seen in the workplace and are accepted. (Source 3) Source 3: Cultural Dimension and Concept Hoofed Background to Business in Australia Book Author: Egger The country is very large with smallest amount of population compared to land area though has equally states of USA relatively has a population half the size of California.

Due to lack of domestic market in size compared to geographic isolation which means Australian business increasingly recognize the need of international market to ensure their future country income as well as well being of country. Indeed, a criticism that has been leveled against Australian business organizations has been their slowness to take up the challenge of international. Source 4) Thus, Australia finds itself needing to become ever more international in its outlook both economically and politically.

The extremely successful economy is dependent upon trade with both the US and increasingly with key Asian countries such as China, Japan and India. Traditional British Commonwealth links have been declining in importance over several decades. ( Source 4) In short Australia is a small market with a highly educated, affluent population which realizes the importance of international trade - they are waiting to do business with you! ( Source 4) Australian Business Structures people do not give the impression that they 'think they are somebody'.

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It is much better to be seen as a 'good bloke' or a 'good mate' than somebody who is overtly proud of themselves and their achievements. Australian business thinking is based on US business modeling where people would have conflict with influence to be slavish with others who are in favor of US style entrepreneurial. ( Source 5) These dispute combination leads Australian organization to be fairly non-hierarchical in their structure. Attention is paid to titles and ranking with the organizations. Thus NY integration organization looking to set up operation in country should be well advised against their behavior of business structure.

Similarly, do not be too surprised if Australian business contacts seem willfully disrespectful of hierarchy when working internationally - they are not being rude, merely acting in a consistent Australian manner. ( Source 5) (Source 4 & 5: Horticulturalists. Com/ Australian Business Structure. HTML) Australian Management Style It is believe in Australia that in work everyone is Just having different Jobs not as in terms of different position, therefore manages are not expected to see themselves as n any way superior to their colleagues.

Such approach may provoke outright hostility. Challenging the idea of boss in open meeting is not at all consider as rude or disrespectful on contrary it is found as committed or an professional approach, therefore it is compulsory to adopt consultative style of management which is inclusive of person's opinions or an open debate of ideas. In keeping with the Australian direct style of communication, debates between senior and Junior executives may appear from the outside as confrontational and occasionally they rarely are.

This style of interaction is merely viewed as the most acrimonious ? effective way of attaining the end goal. ( Source 6) Australian managers to not remain aloof from members of their team ? they usually want to be 'one of the boys' and be seen as 'a good bloke'. The idea of managers only socializing with other managers would be viewed as very affected and would be likely to result in alienation. ( Source & 6: Horticulturalists. Com/Australian Management Style) Australian Meetings Australian do considered punctuality as virtue, however meeting often start five or ten minutes late.

In addition, it has tradition to go through few minutes of small talk fore getting down to serious discussion of meeting where sport is considered as common theme of discussions. Post planning culture is very well known in Australia prior to client facing meetings where little preparation is done before to attend such meetings. As an egalitarian approach, Australian are often set as an forum for open debate of an issue during meeting and found professional in doing so.

Being 'over- prepared' for meetings can result in certain negative feelings towards those who have prepared in advance as they can be seen to be trying to dictate and force their ideas on other people. If something important arises during the open debate it will not be excluded simply because it does not occur on the agenda. ( Source 7) Source 7 : Horticulturalists. Com/Australian Meetings Australian Team Australian looks for those who are very good as team player and has extreme importance according to their psyche where as Loner or invariable person not considered as good team person.

Food and drinks are actively encouraged during make themselves out to be better than their colleagues in workplace does not make a good team player. A competitive edge should be directed towards the other am' (the competition) rather than being internally focused. ( Source 8: Horticulturalist. Com/ Australian Team) Australian Communication Styles Although Australia is resided with many different people from parts of world with over 100 languages being spoken by those population who have emigrated there, English is the official and by far most commonly spoken language.

Directness is cherished in Australia and failure to say what you mean and mean what you say can be mistaken for evasiveness and even hypocrisy. ( Source 9) It is important not to be too self-promotional when presenting to Australians. A hard sell approach can often be misconstrued as bragging and can provoke a very negative response. Remember that people do not like to make out that they are better than others ? the same probably applies to products and services. A factual description of issues will be far better received than a more hyperbolic approach. Source 9) First names are invariably used in all business situations in Australia. It would be very unusual to call a business contact by their surname. Similarly, educational titles play relatively little part in business situations. (Source 9: Horticulturalists. Mom/Australian Communication style) Women in Business in Australia Women currently make up a large percentage of the workforce but as in many other countries are often found in lower paid and part-time Jobs. Whilst progress is being made, statistics will show that women are still paid comparatively less for doing the same Job as a man.

On the other hand, women have made more progress in attaining managerial positions than in many other leading industrialists nations and more and more women are reaching the highest levels of Australian organizations. (Source 10) :horticulturalists. Mom/ Women in business in Australia Australian Dress Code In corporate Australia, standard business dress is still very much the norm. Dark suits and ties are the standard dress for management level businessmen with women wearing business suits with either skirts or trousers.

Remember that, for much of the year, Australia is a very hot country - so make sure that your clothing is lightweight and cool during those periods. Try to avoid excessive Jewelry and accessories which may be viewed as too 'flashy' and therefore unprofessional. ( Source 1 1 : Horticulturalists. Mom/Australian dress code. HTML) Australian Etiquette & Customs ( Source 12) Meeting Etiquette Australians are not very formal so greetings are casual and relaxed. A handshake and smile suffices. While an Australian may say, 'Giddy' or 'Giddy, mate', this may sound patronizing from a foreigner.

Visitors should simply say, 'Hello' or 'Hello, how are you? ' Gussies prefer to use first names, even at the initial meeting Gift Giving Etiquette Small gifts are commonly exchanged with family members, close friends, and neighbors on birthdays and Christmas. Trades people such as sanitation workers ay be given a small amount of cash, or more likely, a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer! If invited to someone's home for dinner, it is polite to bring a box of chocolates are opened when received. Dining Etiquette Many invitations to an Gussies home will be for a 'Barbie' (BBC).

Guests to a barbeques typically bring wine or beer for their personal consumption. In some cases, very informal barbecues may suggest that you bring your own meat! Arrive on time if invited to dinner; no more than 15 minutes late if invited too barbeques or a large party. (Source 12: Kiss, Bow, Shake hand , Page 25-26) Successful Entertaining in Australia There is no great tradition for business entertaining in Australia and it certainly shouldn't be viewed as the quick way to cement relationships with a new client or contact.

In fact, you are more likely to be asked out for lunch or dinner once a firm relationship has been established - in this way the meal can in no way be seen to have influenced a business decision. People will very often 'go Dutch' over a meal - this means that the bill is split equally amongst those present at the meal. If you wish to pay, make sure you make this clear before the meal to avoid any embarrassing abates when the bill is presented. ( Source 13) If invited to a pub or bar for a drink, it is very important to make sure you pay your 'shout' - that means that everybody is expected to pay for a round of drinks.

It is unadvisable to develop a reputation as someone who does not pay for his or her fair share of the drinks! Tipping is not always necessary but is usually expected at the better restaurants. Tips are usually for about 10% of the total bill. (Source 13 : Worldliness culture website- Entertaining in Australia. HTML ) Appendix Source: World Business Culture -Australia/ Tips to live and to do business in Australia . Although Australia is relatively geographically remote and has a small domestic market, it is economically successful and its citizens have a comparatively high standard of living. . Due to its small domestic market, Australia needs to trade actively on the international market place and Australians know this - they are open to new ideas from overseas. 3. Australians prize their egalitarian approach to life- people should not try to make out that they are better than others. 4. This egalitarian world view is mirrored in many aspects of Australian business culture from corporate truckers to management and communication style. 5. On the whole, Australian hierarchical approach tends to sit uneasily in egalitarian Australia. 6.

Managers try to develop a 'mate' relationship with their colleagues and would be viewed negatively if they tried to seem aloof from subordinates. 7. Everybody expects to have an input into the decision-making process even if, in the final analysis, the boss still makes the decision. If the boss makes the decision with no prior consultation, it unlikely that people will be very keen to ensure implementation. 8. Decision-making meetings can e quite animated and it is expected that people will say exactly what they think without necessarily having to defer automatically to the boss' viewpoint. . Although Australians will say that they value punctuality as a professional necessity, do not be surprised if people appear five to ten minutes late for a meeting. 10. Some small talk is usually engaged in before the meeting proper starts. This stage of the meeting is, however, rarely protracted (five minutes or less. ) 1 1 . Australians tend to plan in less detail than certain other countries 12. The object of a meeting is often to explore the arioso possibilities available at that time, in order to determine what detailed actions may need to be taken after the meeting 13.

Agendas are often produced at meetings but will not, necessarily, be strictly adhered to. Some deviation is allowed if it is felt to be constructive deviation. This is viewed as pragmatic. 14. Australians like to be viewed as good team players and will try very hard to play the role. 15. Teams are best managed by somebody who wants to be part of the team, rather than somebody who wished to be seen as apart from the team. 16. A team leader should IEEE themselves the 'first amongst equals'. 17. Australians like people to say exactly what is on their mind.

Hiding your views behind diplomatic language can be seen as evasiveness. 18. Never try to 'hard sell' things to Australians who will probably view such an approach as bragging. Such an approach will invariably backfire in Australia. 19. Humor is an oft-used communication device in Australian business circles. It is difficult to envisage many situations where the use of humor would be deemed inappropriate. 20. Business attire in Australia tends towards the formal with suits ND ties the norm for men in management positions in major cities.

Appendix II Australian Society & Culture Susie Modesty Australians are very down to earth and always mindful of not giving the impression that they think they are better than anyone else. They value authenticity, sincerity, and loathe pretentiousness. Australians prefer people who are modest, humble, self- deprecating and with a sense of humor. They do not draw attention to their academic or other achievements and tend to distrust people who do. They often downplay their own success, which may make them appear not to be achievement- oriented. Mates Australians place a high value on relationships.

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