French Culture and Business

French CultureRecommendations for foreign students

Outline

1. Hofstede Matrix

2. Everyday Life

3. Campus Life

4. Working with French

5. Recommendations

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1. Hofstede Matrix

Basics and general understanding

Hofstede Matrix

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Comparison: France / Germany / South Korea

2. Everyday Life

Living in France

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Do’s and Dont’s

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Dining Etiquette

Even when it’s still

3. Campus Life

French university life on campus

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O Timetable: limited choice

O Section A,B,C,D (Small class)

O French / English Track

Campus Life

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O Communication: Active participation encouraged

O Evaluation ‘Continuous Assessment’

Campus Life

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O Frequent use of laptop in the class

O No need to buy textbooks

O Prepared booklets

Campus Life

4. Working with French

Group work and work attitude

Group Work

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Group Work

O No need for group meeting

O Independency

O Lack of communication / motivation

O No urgency to hurry

O Constant / long breaks

Finish task the day before due date

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French and Team work:

"The education system fosters … rivalry and

competition from an early age {…} a sense of

team working is not encouraged {…} People

prefer to have definable, personal sets of

objectives rather than to work in more general

team roles.”

Source: http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Business-Teams-in-

France.html

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French and Customer Service:

“Customer service is poor in the eyes of all

those Anglo-Saxons who believe that the

customer is king: Not in France. The French

{…} expect respect for what they do, after

which they are very much willing to serve you

well.”

Source: http://geert-hofstede.com/france.html

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5. RecommendationsRecommendations to succeed

Recommendations

1. Visit Germany and South Korea

2. Greet people

3. Be active in class

4. Structure and proper planning

5. Customer is not King

6. Be open minded

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Recommendations

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Bon courage!Thank you for your attention