Country Overview
Situated in the southern hemisphere, Australia is the sixth-largest country in the world with an area of 7,617,930 square kilometers. The population of Australia according to the 2006 census was 19,855,288 which grew to 22,877,861 in 2012. Even though Canberra is the capital city of Australia, the largest city is Sydney. There is no official language as such but the national language is English. Christianity is the main religion followed by Australians. The per capita income (GDP, nominal) according to 2011 estimates was $66,984. The currency used in Australia is the Australian Dollar (AUD) that has a current value of 0.963 (as of 15/04/2012) as compared to 1USD.
The traffic drives on the left. Means of transportation available in Australia:
- There are Federal and State Highways and Local Roads on which people can travel from one place to another.
- Very good network of public transport is available. There are inter-city and intra-city public transport available.
- There are Metros, Cane railways, and Mining Railways that take people from one place to another.
- Airway is also a preferred way of travelling due to the vast distances between cities.
The time zone is different in different parts of the country, varying from UTC+8 to UTC+10.5. During summers, the time zone varies from UTC+8 to UTC+11.5. To be more specific on the current time zones, Western Australia has a time zone of UTC+8, Northern and Southern Australia have a time zone of UTC+9.5, and Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria have a time zone of UTC+10.
Initially, Australia had its own indigenous culture but during the years, there has been a great impact on the American and Western culture over the Australians. There has also been a noticeable change in the culture due to the neighboring countries of Asia.
The Australian cuisine includes its local food as well as dishes adopted from foreign cultures. Seafood is one of the main dishes in Australia. The others include Bush Tucker, delicacies from Asian countries and Western countries.
The most commonly used greeting in Australia is ‘G’day mate!’ It means a good day my friend. Another greeting is ‘How is ya going?’ It means how do you do? If an Australian wants to say ‘See you later on’, he/she will say ‘See yar on’. So it is understood that the Australians are not concerned with the grammatical part of the speech. As far as the gifting culture is concerned, the main idea of a gift is a pack of wine and chocolates.
As elsewhere in the world, the local dressing sense of Australians is different from the prevailing fashion. The local dresses are derived keeping in view the climatic conditions and the leisure activities that the Australians are engaged in. Cotton is the main fabric used due to the high atmospheric temperatures. People don’t pay much attention to the kind of dress one wears. “If you wanted to, you could go to the opera in jeans, and no one would give you a second look, although this is one of the few activities for which some people like to dress up” (Rivera).
Business Environment
The main businesses in Australia are agriculture, fishing, mining, solar energy, and hunting. In addition to all these, Australia is credited to be one of the few countries that have the expertise to indigenously manufacture a car from scratch. Australians have proved to be a race with an urge to work hard and that too in a disciplined manner.
There have been instances in the past when Australians have shown defiance to various natural calamities. “The Australian pioneers were often faced with ruin and forced to start again. Often it was that no matter how hard he toiled and no matter how diligently he forethought, the free settler would be beaten in the end by the harsh Australian elements” (Cooray).
Business Entertaining
The Australians don’t have the tradition of entertaining their business counterparts unless any deal is finalized. Moreover, the Australians follow the Dutch system of meals where all the parties have to share the bill. “There is no great tradition for business entertaining in Australia and it certainly shouldn’t be viewed as the quick way to cement relationships with a new client or contact.” (WorldBusinessCulture). Giving tips is not encouraged, however, in high-end hotels and restaurants, tips are given so as not to defy the customary practice.
Works Cited
Cooray, Mark. Australia Built by Work Ethic and Discipline. n.d. Web.
Rivera, Larry. What to Wear in Australia. n.d. Web.
WorldBusinessCulture. Successful Entertaining in Australia. n.d. Web.