Cultural Diversity

Knoxville, like other mid-sized metropolitan cities is becoming a more culturally diverse community. As a result, we must all become more understanding of our differences and embrace each other’s uniqueness. One of the goals of the Knoxville Area Association of  Realtors ® Cultural Diversity Committee is to inform, promote and advocate Cultural Diversity. Each month, the Cultural Diversity Committee will publish a “Did You Know?” article in our monthly newsletter.

Black History Month - Did You Know?

Black History Month is a remembrance of important people and events in the history of the African diaspora, which was the movement of people of African origin and their descendants to places throughout the world – predominantly to the Americas, then later to Europe, the Middle East and other places around the globe. The term has been historically applied in particular to the descendants of the Africans who were enslaved and shipped to the Americas by way of the Atlantic slave trade. Since 1976, it is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February and the United Kingdom in the month of October. In the U.S., Black History Month is also referred to as African – American History Month. [1]

Black History Month actually started as Negro History Week in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson. The goal of Black History Week was to educate Blacks about their cultural background, and to instill in them a sense of pride in their race. [2]  [1], [2] from Wikipedia

Chinese & Japanese - Did You Know?

The Chinese have the world’s oldest civilization with over 4000 years of recorded history. Early rule was by Dynasties until 1911. In 1949, the Communist government took control. The official language is Chinese, which is spoken by 70% of the population.

Business Do’s & Don’ts:

1.  Do - Be punctual.

2.  Do - Be patient.

3.  Do – Bow or nod slightly when greeting.

4.  Don’t place business card in wallet and put wallet in your back pocket. 

The Japanese Dynasty of the current Emperor has been around since 660 BC.

Business Do’s & Don’ts:

1. Do – Be punctual. Tardiness is looked at as being rude.
2. Do – Remember age is equal to rank (Respect elders and acknowledge them first)
3. Do – Remember that initial meetings are used to get to know a person, not for discussing just business.
4. Do – Bow when greeting (lower eyes, place palms against thigh). The depth of the bow is indicative of the person’s status. A person of higher status is expected to receive a lower bow during a greeting.
5. Do – Wear conservative suits (clothing) when meeting.
6. Don’t – Place business card in back pocket
7. Avoid – Unusual facial expressions, hand gestures

Taken from Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands by Terri Morrison & Wayne Conaway.

Middle Eastern Cultures & Islam - Did You Know?

You cannot talk about Middle Eastern cultures (Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, etc…) without mentioning Islam. The religion of Islam provides guidance, values and rules for personal life, community relations and ways of doing business. It is one of the most talked about and misunderstood religions in today’s Western society.

A typical greeting in Islam would be “As-salum -alaikim”, which means “Peace be upon you”. The response to this greeting would be “Wa alaikum as salam”, which means “Upon you be peace”. Muslims are obliged to pray five (5) times a day. This obligation means that daily routines, appointments and meetings must be fit in appropriately around these prayer times. Also know that Fridays are considered to be a Muslim “Holy Day” and that a typical work week is from Saturday through Wednesday.

Doing business revolves much more around personal relationships, family ties, trust and honor. It is crucial that business relationships are built on mutual friendship and trust. Initial meetings are all about relationship building. Remember that trust and compatibility are the key requisites for any business deal. Always engage in conversation and try to get to know the “person you are doing business with”.

Business Do’s & Don’ts:

1. Do – Always shake using right hand. Etiquette recommends that one waits for      the other to withdraw their hand first before doing the same.

2.  Do – Accept business cards with right hand.

3.  Do – Establish eye contact when talking (IMPORTANT).

4.  Don’t – Use left hand

5.  Don’t – Cross legs and expose sole of foot to someone

Taken from www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-middleeast.html and Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands by Terri Morrison & Wayne Conaway.