Girls dressing as boys is a hidden Afghan cultural tradition; not encouraged, yet, equally not taboo. 

Watching an excellent RT documentary last night, I was introduced to the incredible world of the ‘Bacha Posh’ (Persian: بچه پوش‎‎, literally "dressed up as a boy").

Executing your uncle is not a great move in any culture.  When Kim Jung-Un accused his uncle and former second in command of being ‘anti party’ and ‘political scum’, most of our global family – regardless of culture, would likely have considered sacking his uncle (and perhaps imprisonment) as an appropriate outcome. 

Having him killed by firing squad though, made even the hardiest of us wince.

Training business professionals prior to visiting Iran gives us an excellent insight into the misconceptions, stereotypes, fears and worries many foreigners hold.

We're going to share 10 of the most DEADLY!

I recently heard someone of North Korean origin say that you cannot refer to someone as simply 'Korean'. 

From a Korean’s perspective, there’s no such thing as ‘Korean,’ as people originating from Korea identify as either South or North Korean.

How would you describe or define culture?

What imagery would you use?

In this article, we look at how a lack of cultural awareness can have big cost implications for a business.

Western businesses that believe their approach to business is 'the only way', are losing out on contracts and productivity when it comes to interfacing with foreign companies.

Having received great feedback on my blog about the place of "tarof" in Persian culture, a few people have requested a brief guide to doing business in Iran for companies making the journey over.

So here goes....

Cultural differences have a long and rich history of ruining marketing campaigns!

Although a little cruel, cross cultural marketing fails are a humorous means of understanding the impact poor cultural awareness can have when selling or working abroad.

Welcome to our quick intro to the religion of Jainism.

In it you'll learn some of the basics around the religion.

Culture impacts almost everything we do - including interior design! 

As such, regardless of the business we work in, one should always be aware of cultural differences. 

According to new research, the cultural divide between the West and the East can be explained by the type of farming methods used between the regions.

As rice requires more human labour, researchers say it’s no wonder that people in the East are more interdependent.

Have you ever wondered how other cultures celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Does everyone give gifts?

Always wanted to know more about the Swazi language and culture but found plane tickets a tad too expensive?

With the new SiSwApp that is to be launched in February next year, the culture of the beautiful African country will unfold itself before your very eyes!

You may have seen this amazing graphic going viral in the past couple of days.

How did such a simple and funny representation of stereotype become viral so quickly?

We focus a lot on this website about cultural differences in business; however for us it's all about culture and understanding that culture influences who we are and what we do.

Only when you understand your own "self" and the cultural programming your have received, can you move towards understanding the "other".

Has the adoption of western education, management and leadership paradigms killed off local and national management styles across the world?

Voices in the UAE are claiming this is unhealthy and unsustainable as foreign principles can never 100% fit in with local cultural needs.

Different perspectives = different priorities.

This is true of anything in life and especially in global business.

You can read as many books about cultural awareness as you like; you will only become successful when working with other cultures when you put your knowledge into action.

When working on a cross-cultural basis, cultural awareness training often isn’t enough says Andy Molinsky.

Do you question how important culture is to our daily lives?

Well many do. In reality however culture is at play moulding the world around us every minute of every day; sometimes in ways we don't understand.

From companies to government institutions, managers are now realising that innovation and creativity is the way to make money and positively evolve.

Soren Peterson has investigated what creative professionals believe are the ingredients for a booming creative economy.