‘BIG BROTHER’ IN ARABIA
Cross cultural experts concentrate on the application of cross cultural communication in all business related activities. The television show ‘Big Brother’, launched recently shows the neglect of cultural sensitivity. Arab TV channel MBC decided to show their version of the movie in Bahrain.  They had to cancel the show after strong protest from the public. The Channel failed to recognize the cross cultural implications. However the failure gave rise to take care of the importance of cross cultural understanding in transferring of concepts across cultures.
Working with diverse cultures is a matter of skill. Cultural education is necessary. What is Culture?  Culture describes origins and values of a set of people. Everyone has a culture.
Cultural competency is necessary for managing cross-cultural activities between groups of different cultures. Competency helps in developing effective communications. Cultural competency helps each culture to contribute its values and behaviors to the benefit of society. Cultural literacy throws light on individual culture. You can determine how one culture an affect the other.  Diversity entail changing the way things are done to know differences in groups. It must be understood that communication and trust can over ride actions. Achieving cultural literacy and cultural competency will take some time to establish.
Cultural differences: Children are made to understand that Culture is their social heritage. Study of cultural differences helps individuals communicate effectively.
Cultural norms are strongly embedded in the daily life of individuals. Usually, our own culture is invisible until it comes into contact with another culture.  Following patterns of cultural norms affect the relations between cultures:
Communication styles: Communicating between cultures must focus on proper use of language. The aim should be to effectively convey matters in simple language. One of the most effective communication tools is ‘pictures’.  The statement “a picture is worth a thousand words.” is indeed true.
Attitudes toward conflict: For some, conflict is acceptable and for some others it is something to be avoided. In the United States, conflict is not acceptable. An open discussion is the normal way to solve the problems. In many Eastern countries, conflict is considered embarrassing.
Approaches to completing tasks: From culture to culture, people have different ways of completing tasks based on their different access to resources.
Decision-making styles: The roles, individuals play in decision making vary. In USA the decision is delegated. But in many Western countries, decision-making is left entirely to the individual. .
Attitudes toward personal disclosure: In some cultures people do not like to disclose their   personal information. But for some others it is welcome.
Approaches to knowing: Some might want to conduct research to understand a problem and get a solution. Others might prefer to visit places and   learn from people who have experienced same problems.
Cultural expertise takes time. Cultural literacy and competency skills will enable to deal with any circumstance of cultural difference. Religion, tribal cultures and nationalism cause cultural differences. Cultural education is a growing concern among major businesses across the globe, though plenty of study materials are available.