HSBC Expat today announces the official launch of its annual Expat Explorer Survey. With a brand new look and feel for 2012, the Expat Explorer survey promises to be bigger and better to mark the 5th year of the largest global survey for expats.

2011 saw nearly 3,400 expats participate from over 100 countries across the globe to have their say about their experiences working and living overseas. This year, HSBC Expat is calling for expats everywhere to take part in the survey to ensure that their current country of residence features in the league tables published on the interactive online tool.

“The survey has grown from strength to strength. This is the 5th year we’ve run Expat Explorer and we wanted to celebrate this important milestone with a revitalised look to keep it fresh and engaging for expats when they visit the survey,” said Dean Blackburn, Head of HSBC Expat.

“We’ve listened to feedback from the community and we are committed to ensuring that the findings are topical and relevant. 2012 should be an interesting year and we want its story to be told by expats across the globe. This year, we’ll be focusing on new, emerging and important issues which matter and asking expats how they’ve fared after the global economic turmoil and social unrest faced in some countries. On the more practical side, we’ll be asking for hints and tips on what life is like on the ground to provide the most comprehensive picture, and help the Expat Explorer survey continue to be a valued resource for the expat community.”

The 2012 survey will track trends and discover how expats’ lifestyles, economic outlook and experience of raising a family abroad have changed following their move to a new country. Last year’s survey revealed that expat wealth remained widely immune to global economic troubles, even in countries which have experienced significant turbulence in 2010. Expat finances in countries such as Egypt, Bahrain and Japan were resilient to the wider turmoil.

Other key findings from the 2011 research included:

• Expats in the Middle East were the most likely to head home as a result of economic conditions
• UK performed well economically against EU counterparts
• Thailand offered great quality of life for expats, scoring top in the 2011 Expat Experience league table
• Singapore offered the best of both worlds for career prospects and quality of life
• France led the way as the best country for raising children abroad

“The Expat Explorer survey offers a fascinating look into what it’s like to live and work abroad, and provides us as a business invaluable insight into expat life. Last year, the survey revealed that expat finances remain robust in spite of global economic conditions. We’re keen to track how this trend has evolved and developed over the past year. That’s why we’re asking for expats to not only complete the survey themselves, but also encourage them to share it with friends, family and colleagues to help us capture those unique expat insights,” said Dean.

If you’re an expat and want to find out how your country performs, how your fellow expats are coping or even where your next trip might take you, make sure your voice is heard so get involved today.

Check out the new look survey and share your experience of life abroad by filling in the Expat Explorer 2012 survey here.

Follow the updates and join the debate online:
Tweet at: http://twitter.com/expatexplorer
Share your experiences: http://expatexplorer.blogspot.com/
Visit the tool: http://www.expatexplorer.hsbc.com/

Media enquiries to:
Katy Ringsdore
PR Manager
HSBC Expat
+44 (0)1534 606865
katy.ringsdore@hsbc.com

Karen Butcher/Joey Ng
Hill+Knowlton Strategies
+ 44 (0) 207 413 3181/(0) 207 973 5941
Karen.Butcher@hkstrategies.com
Joey.Ng@hkstrategies.com

Notes to editors:

About the Expat Explorer survey
The Expat Explorer survey, now in its fifth year, is the largest global survey of expats. Commissioned by HSBC Bank International and conducted by a third party research company, nearly 3,400 expats took part in 2011.
Individuals from four continents described the opportunities and challenges they experienced living away from home. The survey provided an insight into how expat life differs from country to country, continent to continent and from an expats’ country of origin.

An expat is defined as someone over the age of 18 years old and currently living away from their home country (country of origin). The survey was designed to capture the views of the internationally representative expat population.

HSBC Holdings plc
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of the HSBC Group, is headquartered in London. The Group serves customers worldwide from around 7,500 offices in 87 countries and territories in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, North America, Latin America and the Middle East. With assets of US$2,418 billion at 30 June 2010, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations. HSBC is marketed worldwide as ‘the world’s local bank’

HSBC Expat
HSBC Expat is a trading name of HSBC Bank International Limited. HSBC Expat is an award winning provider of offshore financial services, with its head office based in Jersey, Channel Islands. It also has representation in the Isle of Man, Dubai, Hong Kong, South Africa, and an affiliate office in London. As part of HSBC Holdings plc, HSBC Expat has the experience to offer customers living and working abroad, tailored offshore financial solutions. For more information visit: www.expat.hsbc.com

Because eating and conversing with friends is a social occasion, the waiter will not give you the bill until you ask. Raise your hand with the index finger extended or raise your right hand and pretend your thumb or forefinger are a pen, and sign the air to indicate a desire for the check. You may hear locals make kissing noises, but this is rude.

Mexico – Wave or raise your hand, but don’t motion with your index finger (this is an obscene gesture). Or, motion to the waiter by pretending to write in the air.

Japan – Extend your arm slightly upwards, palm facing down and flutter your fingers.

Malaysia / Singapore – Use the beckoning gesture with your entire right hand moving towards your body.

Philippines - Move your thumb and index finger in the shape of a rectangle.

Thailand – Say “Khun Khap” (for waiter) or “Khun Ka” (for waitress).

Clap your hands once or twice and make eye contact. Waving your hand or fingers is extremely rude.

Pakistan – Raise your right hand.

Baltic Countries – Make eye contact and raise your right hand.

France – Despite what Hollywood portrays, do not snap your fingers and say “Garçon!”. The waiter will wait for you to request the bill. Flag the waiter by saying, “Si’l vous plait, Monsieur?” or make a writing gesture in the air.

Germany - Raise your hand and say, “Herr Ober” (for a waiter) or “Fräulein” (for a waitress).

Netherlands – Make eye contact and raise your right hand. You may say, “Ober” or “Meneer” (for a waiter) or “Mevrouw” (for a waitress). Finger snapping is extremely rude.

Slovakia – Snapping your fingers is rude, but it can also be the only way to get the waiter’s attention in a country still struggling with the concept of customer service.

Spain - Signal in the air the signing of a receipt.

Sweden - Make eye contact or say “excuse me Sir / Madam”.

Switzerland - In German cantons, say “Herr Ober” or “Fräulein”. It’s rude to wave your hand.

United Kingdom – Make eye contact, signal / raise your hand, and then say “Excuse me, sir”.

North and West Africa – Subtly raise your right hand and make eye contact. Waving your hand is rude. Locals may make a loud, directed “PSSSST!” sound, but it’s best not to emulate this.

Cameroon & Nigeria – The local custom is to hiss. You may also say loudly, “Excuse me”. Do not call the waiter “Garçon”.

Ghana – Say loudly, “Sir”, “Madam” or “Excuse me”.

Kenya – Say “Excuse me”, “Bwana” or beckon with the palm facing downward.

Mali – Say “Chef” (which literally means chief) or “Teri kay” (friend).

Senegal – Say “Garçon”.

South Africa – Raise your hand or make eye contact.

Tanzania – Say “Rafiki” (friend) or say “Psst” with the palm of your right hand facing upwards.

Carrie
RW3 CultureWizard

Indirect communication is common in Asia, the Middle East, Latin / South America and many Mediterranean and African countries. Direct communication is the norm in Western Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other parts typically considered “The West”.

People from direct communication cultures strive to quickly relate information with great clarity when conversing, so as to not waste the listener’s time – a precious commodity valued by many direct communication cultures. Individuals from indirect communication cultures strive to maintain the honor and face of both the speaker and listener. Therefore, the speaker says what s/he thinks the listener wants to hear, even if this is not the unadulterated truth. Such face-saving is considered kind, polite and respectful.

This can be confusing for those of us who are direct communicators because we expect communication to be clear and precise, where what is said is what is meant. For direct communicators, their word is their bond.

Indirect communication relies on context, particularly eye contact, facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language rather than the spoken word. By paying attention to non-verbal language, listeners can decipher the true message. If you come from a direct culture, it may take time to understand the nuances of indirect communication where what is not said can be as important as what is said. People from direct cultures must learn to listen hard to avoid missing the subtleties. They may also need to temper their speech pattern to not appear overly blunt and rude.

Clues to help you decipher indirect communication:

• In Azerbaijan, people apologize for saying no to a request. They may add phrases such as “I wish it were possible”, “If it were possible I would do it” or “In the future it may be possible.”
• Be on the lookout for the word “maybe” because it can be used to make a direct statement indirect. Rather than tell me this blog needs to be edited, a Chinese publisher might say, “Maybe this blog should be edited.”
• If you hear phrases such as “I will see”, “I will try” or “It may be difficult,” you’ve probably been given a negative response.
• If there is a long pause or other non-verbal cues such as avoiding the eyes or evasive responses, you’ve probably just been told no.
• Rather than accept assurances or agreements on face value, ask for specifics. It can be difficult to get definite answers to questions if the response would be negative. Therefore, watch for evasions or half statements.

There are times when bad news must be given. That’s not a problem to the direct communicator, but presents a real challenge to the indirect communicator. In many Asian countries, bad news is handled by a third-party so that both sides can retain face. Negative questions are another interesting quirk of indirect communication since the response may differ depending upon which language is used.

• In response to the question “Isn’t this document ready?”, the English response would be “no”, meaning the document is not ready, while the Japanese response would be “yes”, meaning “yes, the document is not ready.”
• Russians often ask negative questions such as “Did you not know?”, so that the person responding may give a positive response to indicate a negative answer.

If you are from a culture with a more direct communication style, you may need to train your ear and mind to catch indirectness before responding to questions, or else your response may confuse the listener.

How do you ensure you’re getting the correct answer?

• Ask open-ended questions and ask the same question several ways (re-phrase) to make certain you understood the response.
• Learn to phrase questions so that the desired response is not obvious. Instead of asking, “Will the report be finished by Friday?” you might ask, “When will the report be finished?”

For those of us who have been raised in direct cultures, it is important that we learn to understand the signals we receive from indirect communicators. Otherwise, we create our own baffling towers of Babel.

Carrie
RW3 CultureWizard

What would you add to this list of Brazilianisms? What would you say about regional differences in Brazil?

Read Sean Dubberke’s MOBILITY magazine article by clicking here.

All employees of global organizations are candidates for intercultural training, and the article highlights the methods and strategies experts use today to build the global business skills required to perform internationally.

RW3 CultureWizard

Gonzalez starts by citing how the issue has been perceived in Mexico, with little surprise and little attention from the Mexican authorities, who took 50 hours to respond to the information revealed by the New York Times. This timing may be tied to a cultural norm where waiting for the right response – and securing the facts – is better than prematurely issuing a statement, erroneous or not. The Ministry of Economics has already said the matter has nothing to do with the federal government, which illustrates the divide between the federal system and the way foreign corporate bodies operate with local level authorities, vendors and business partners in Mexico.

The key point Gonzalez makes is that there’s a country-wide ethical standard upheld in the US, but when it comes to US-based companies operating in foreign countries, there’s a lack of structure to enforce compliance. The question he poses is: “¿Por qué Walmart hace cosas en México que no haría en Estados Unidos?” Why does Wal-Mart do things in Mexico it wouldn’t do in the US? This is especially poignant considering the existence of anti-corruption laws in Mexico, and the clout an organization as large as Wal-Mart should have to operate by the books no matter where they do business.

It’s important to note that bribery and venality are not directly linked to Mexican cultural values, but an anxious tolerance for corruption in the name of development, among other things. Afterall, Wal-Mart employs several hundred thousand people and generates a huge sum of tax revenue in Mexico. Hierarchy and rank are also extremely important to the business environment in Mexico (and many Latin American countries). The power vested in leaders to make decisions without consensus provides a convenient channel through which bribery can play a role to enable business dealings. How do you see hierarchy, the highly stratified nature of Mexican culture, playing a role in this story?

The Huffington Post quotes both Wal-Mart ad Eduardo Bohorquez, the director of Transparency Mexico, denying the connection between their cultures and bribery.

In a statement, Wal-Mart said the bribery accusations, ‘if they are true, do not reflect the culture of Wal-Mart Mexico and Central America.’

Bohorquez said bribery is not necessarily part of Mexico’s culture, noting laws against the practice exist on both sides of the border. The difference is real enforcement and the lack of a truly nationwide anticorruption policy in Mexico, he said.

‘This is not in the genetic code of Mexicans, nor is it a cultural attribute,’ he said. ‘The explanation of culture and genetics doesn’t apply in this case.’

What are your thoughts on the connection between culture, business and corruption? How do you view bribery in developing economies where gift-giving (although not at the level of this case) is a completely normal and expected part of the business process? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

Sean
RW3 CultureWizard