Penny, do you think that business travellers are more or less likely to make social and cultural mistakes these days?

Well, I think that’s difficult to say. These cross-cultural situations are increasing in frequency as part of the globalisation process, not only for travelling executives and CEO’s, but factory workers, receptionists and technology specialists are all coming into contact with people from different cultures.
On the other hand, people's awareness may also have been raised in training sessions at work. So awareness of cultural differences is increasing all the time.

Are there any cultural aspects that business travellers should particularly be aware of?

People forget that a lot of cultural differences are not easy to see. Culture is like an iceberg, the differences you see and identify are only the top of the iceberg.
In fact a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. If you are aware of small differences in behaviour, it might be assumed that you understand the target culture's different systems of priorities, assumptions and ethics.
For example, you may know all the religious holidays of a certain country, and also whether to bow or shake hands, but this does not help you decide how to react in more complicated and unfamiliar situations.

Business cards are very popular in some cultures, aren’t they? For example, in Islamic countries I know you don’t hand them over with your left hand, while visiting Chinese cultures you present cards with both hands, and with local language translations on them. Are there any other aspects to be aware of?

To translate a business card you have to know both languages fluently and the corporate structure of the company. Do they talk about "Project Manager" or "Project Leader", for instance, and how do you show the difference if there is not a specific word for "manager" in that particular language? There is no special word for this in Swedish, for example.
Incorrect translations can give a bad impression, so it’s common now to use only English for business cards.
Be careful of local languages and dialects. If you are translating your card into Chinese, make sure it is Mandarin Chinese if it is designed for use in mainland China. The Chinese characters used in Taiwan and Hong Kong are different. In Hong Kong Cantonese is more common. In Japan you should have a card case (in dark leather, not metal) to keep all the cards you are going to be given in order.

What about business meetings overseas? Have you got any advice?

At any business meeting, in any culture, remember to switch off your mobile phone before the meeting starts. If you answer your mobile in the middle of a meeting, you are really saying that your caller is more important than the person or people you are with.
Mobile phones with cameras can be a problem from a security point of view, and you may not be allowed to take them into some offices in many countries.
In some cultures it’s better not to try to fit in too many things in the available time, so rushing and being too direct can have a negative effect particularly at meetings in Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, Indonesia and Mexico.

Any thoughts on developing business relationships overseas?

Before you rush into doing business, figure out how the target culture operates: do relationships drive deals, or do deals drive relationships? In the U.S. and Russia, successfully negotiating a transaction often leads to social friendship. In the Netherlands, it is the reverse, you will generally only deal with someone after you become friends.
It is all about trust. In the U.S. trust between people is regarded as less important than rules and contracts. In cultures where there is a lot of trust between individuals such as Japan and the Scandinavian countries, there has traditionally been less emphasis on a written contract. You believe people will do what they say. This is because populations have traditionally been quite homogenous, and people generally stay with the same company for long periods of time or most of their lives.
North Americans, on the other hand, are often perceived as taking the short-term view and as not having the time to build trust-based relationships. They are regarded as having lots of agreements and a very fast way of doing business which is more focused on contracts and lawyers.
In some cultures, like Greece and China, people prefer to do business with friends or family as they know they will not be cheated. In these types of cultures you must not risk a long-term relationship for a fast buck.