AUSTRALIAN CULTURE - TEAM 3

GEOGRAPHY Surrounded by Indian and South Pacific Ocean Name means “Unknown Land of South” Land Area is approximately 7.6 million sq.km Smallest of the continents and also the driest Capital is Canberra Population is about million as of 2013 Language spoken is Mostly English Religion followed is Mostly Christianity

Largest Cities in Australia are Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide. Places of Interest can be Sydney Opera House, Great Barrier Reef, Warner Bros. Movie World, Melbourne City Centre. Australia is also famous for kangaroos and platypuses. Cricket and rugby are the famous sports.

INTERESTING FACTS Australia proudly claim to have invented the term “Selfie”. Canberra was chosen as the capital because of a strong argument between Sydney and Melbourne. In Australia there are more Kangaroos than people.

Australia has over 10,000 beaches. One could visit a new beach everyday for over 27 years. There is a book store in Australia where books are wrapped in paper with short descriptions so no can “Judge a book by its cover”. Melbourne topped 140 rivals to be crowned as the most liveable city 2 years in a row since 2011.

SOCIETY AND CULTURE Western culture influenced by aboriginals as well as by British colonisation and other migrants. Very down to earth and prefer people who are humble. Value authenticity and sincerity and loathe pretentiousness. Do not draw attention to their academics and tend to distrust people who do.

They have a high value for relationships. Getting along with everyone is important because of the scarce population. Most of the fruits and vegetables are grown in Australia. Almost 91% of this land is covered for vegetation. Mostly kangaroo, emu and lamb.

MULTI CULTURAL SOCIETY Initial population- Aborigines, British & Irish people After WW – II many Europeans migrated to Australia. To improve her work force, Australia has liberalised its immigration policies to South East Asians.

ACCENT It has a casual style. Word stress is more on vowels. A – ‘ayee’ or ‘or’ - stAY, AUtomatic E – ‘e’ without pronouncing r - nEEd I – ‘ear’ or ‘eye’ – pIErce, mIght O – ‘ew’ or ‘aw’ – shOO or Ought U – ‘uh’ - rOUgh

ETIQUETTE AND CUSTOMS The main etiquettes followed by Australians are, Meeting Etiquette Gift Giving Etiquette Dining Etiquette

MEETING ETIQUETTE Punctuality is important. So the person is expected to be before minimum of fifteen minutes. Aussies are not very formal. A handshake and a smile will suffice. Eye contact is important. They prefer first name even in initial meetings. Follow the queue and do not litter.

GIFTGIVING ETIQUETTE Not a common practice especially during first meetings. Small Gifts are commonly exchanged during birthdays and Christmas. It is polite to bring a box of chocolates or flowers when invited for dinner. Good quality of wine will always be appreciated. Gifts are always opened when received.

BODY GESTURES V Sign Thumbs up Do not sniff or blow your nose in public. Yawning

DINING ETIQUETTE The person who makes the invitation will pay the bill. So, don’t split Continental-style dining etiquette. The guest of honor is generally seated to the right of host. Soup should be eaten by moving the spoon away from you, not toward you. Lay knife/fork parallel on plate at 5:25 position when finished eating Hands above the table and elbows off the table. Offer to help. Do not say "I'm stuffed“ after the meal.

NEGOTIATION & DECISION MAKING Australians get down to business or work quickly with a minimum amount of small talk They are quiet direct and expect the same. Bargaining is not customary They appreciate brevity They don’t like high pressure techniques. They do work in simple and cool manner. Decision making they will take decisions slow protracted by discussing with subordinates

What to wear? Business Dress is conservative in Melbourne and Sydney. Men-Dark coloured, conservative business suit. Women-smart dress or business suit. Depends on the job function and company culture, men may wear shirts, ties and Bermuda shorts.

Business Cards Exchanged at the initial introduction without formal ritual. If you are not given a business card, it is not an insult. It means that the person may not have one.

INDIA VS AUSTRALIA British colonisation: India for economy and Australia for dumping its over population. Caste system: India-different group but in Australia people are not conscious. Most women tend to work even after their marriage and their child birth.

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