Great Britain refers to the island of Great Britain and surrounding smaller islands. It has a population of around 61 million and is part of the United Kingdom. The main languages spoken in Great Britain are English, Welsh, and Scottish Gaelic. Some cultural aspects discussed in the document include British greetings like handshakes, British currency, British food, festivals and holidays celebrated, and the importance of sports in British culture. The document also provides information on British government, cities, jobs, marriage customs, and general superstitions in Great Britain.

1. International HRM
By
Ashif Kanniyath

2. The Great Britain

3. • England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Great Britain
• UK
• British Isles

4. Introduction
•
Great Britain,also known as Britain, is an
island in the Atlantic Ocean, off the northwestern coast of continental Europe.
• It is the ninth largest island in the world and the
largest island in Europe
• Politically, Great Britain refers to the island
together with a number of surrounding islands,
which constitute the territory of England,
Scotland and Wales. The island of Ireland lies
to its west
Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain

5. Cont…
• Population of about 61 million people in 2011
• It is the third most populous island in the world, after Java
(Indonesia) and Honshū (Japan).
• It is surrounded by over 1,000 smaller islands and islets..
• The island is part of the sovereign state of the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, constituting
most of its territory: most of England, Scotland and Wales are
on the island of Great Britain, with their respective capital
cities, London, Edinburgh and Cardiff.

6. The British Government
• The two Houses of the Parliament of the United
Kingdom (the House of Lords and the House of
Commons) are based at The Palace of Westminster,
also known as the Houses of Parliament, in London.
The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) where the UK
Government sits

7. Currency
GBP = Great British Pound
• 1 penny, 2 pence, 5 pence, 10 pence, 20 pence, 50
pence, 1 pound, and 2 pounds.
Current bank notes are:
• The 5 pound note, the 10 pound note, the 20 pound
note and the 50 pound note.
• 1GBP=105.14INR

8. About culture

10. British family life

11. Houses
•
•
•
•
Detached (a house not joined to another house)
Semi-detached (two houses joined together)
Terrace (several houses joined together)
Flats (apartments)

12. Language/ Greetings
Language
• In Britain, the main language is English (British English)
Greetings
• The Handshake
A Handshake is the most common form of greeting among the English
and British people. and is customary when you are introduced to
somebody new.
• The Kiss
It is only when you meet friends, whom you haven't seen for a long time,
that you would kiss the cheek of the opposite sex. In Britain one kiss is
generally enough.

13. In England Do's...










Do stand in line.
Do say "Excuse Me".
Do Pay as you Go.
Do say "Please" and "Thank you".
Do cover your mouth.
Do shake hands.
Do say sorry.
Do smile.
Do drive on the left side of the road.
Do open doors for other people.

14. In England Don'ts






Don't greet people with a kiss.
Don't ask a lady her age.
Don't pick your nose in public.
Don't spit.
Don't burp in public.
Don't pass wind in public.

15. Social customs



Time:
British people place considerable value on
punctuality.
Since Britons are so time conscious, the pace of life
may seem very rushed. In Britain, people make
great effort to arrive on time.

16. Food
• British food has traditionally been based on beef,
lamb, pork, chicken and fish and generally served
with potatoes and one other vegetable. The most
common and typical foods eaten in Britain include
the sandwich, fish and chips, pies like the cornish
pasty, trifle and roasts dinners. Some of our main
dishes have strange names like Bubble & Squeak
and Toad-in-the-Hole.

17. Dressing
• Some people think men in England wear suits and bowler hats, but it is
very unusual these days to see anyone wearing a bowler hat.
• An English National Costume group are trying to make England's national
dress be the clothes worn by the Anglo Saxons during the 7th century.
The Anglo-Saxons were warrior-farmers and came from north-western
Europe. They began to invade Britain during 450 A.D.
• A far better choice for an English national dress would be to choose from
our many customs and traditions we have in England. There are a wide
variety of costumes from the spectacular ceremonies associated with
monarchy to the traditional costumes worn by morris dancers and others
at English country fairs.

19. Work
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
About 3.7 million businesses in the UK.
About 75% of British jobs are in service industries - hotels, restaurants, travel, shopping,
and computer and finances. It is our fastest growing business and employs over twenty
million people.
The usual working day starts at 9am and finishes by 5pm. Most people work a five-day
week.
British employers must give their workers 24 days paid holiday a year.
The main rate for workers aged 22 and over increased on 1 October 2007 to £5.52 an hour
from £5.35 an hour in 2006.
The report shows that anyone earning less than £6.25 an hour in London is at or below the
poverty level, after taking tax credits and benefits into account, because of the higher cost of
living in the capital.
Children are not legally allowed to work until they are 13. Under-15s can work up to five
hours on Saturdays (and weekdays in the summer holidays), to a maximum of 25 hours a
week during school holidays. They can only work two hours maximum on schooldays and
Sundays. Over-15s can work eight hours maximum on Saturdays and school holiday
weekdays, and up to 35 hours a week during the holidays.

20. Dating and Marriage Customs in Britain
Dating
•
•
Dating usually starts in the teenage years, although some kids at primary school
age are now having boy and girl friends from the age of 8 years and upwards.
Traditionally, girls used to wait for the lads to make the first move, but these days
equality rules.
Marriage
•
•
•
•
•
•
In England and Wales people cannot marry if they are aged 16 or 17 and do not
have parental consent.
In Scotland both parties must be at least 16 years of age (parental consent is not
required).
A marriage can take place in:-a Register Office
a church of the Church of England, Church in Wales, Church of Ireland,
Presbyterian or Roman Catholic Church in N. Ireland
a synagogue or any other private place if both partners are Jewish
any other religious building provided that the person marrying the couple is
registered by the Registrar General

21. Cont..
•
•
•
•
The trend nowadays is to marry later. Many couples are living together first for all
sorts of reasons such as finance.
Brides have 'Hen' nights and bridegrooms have 'Stag' parties (similar to
bachelor/bachelorette parties).
For couples getting married in a church, 'banns' announcing the proposed
wedding are read aloud in the church three Sundays before the wedding.
The groom chooses a Best Man who will look after the couple rings during the
wedding ceremony.
The Wedding Day
•
•
•
•
It is unlucky for the groom to see the bride on the wedding day before the service.
Traditionally the bride wears a white dress and the groom wears a suit (top hat
and tails).
The groom and the bride say their vows.
They give each other rings
After the wedding ceremony
•
After the wedding ceremony guests are invited to attend a meal and further

22. Festivals and /Special Days by Season
January
•
New Year
February
•
•
Candlemas Day (1st)
St Valentines Day (14th)
March
•
•
•
•
•
•
St David's Day (1st) (Wales)
St Patrick's Day (17th) (Ireland)
Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day)
Lent
Mothering Sunday
(UK Mothers Day)
Easter
April
•
•
April Fool's Day (1st)
St George's Day (23rd)
(England)
May
November
•
•
•
May Day (1st)
•
Rochester Sweeps Festival •
Whistun
•
•
June
•
•
•
Trooping of the Colour
Fathers' Day
Wimbledon Tennis
Championship
August
•
•
Edinburgh Festival
Notting Hill Carnival
September
•
Harvest Festival
October
•
Halloween (31st)
Bonfire Night (5th)
Remembrance Day (11th)
St Andrew's Day (30th)
Advent
December
•
•
•
Advent
Christmas (25th)
Boxing Day (26th)

23. General Superstitions
Good Luck
• Lucky to meet a black cat. Black Cats are featured on many good luck greetings
cards and birthday cards in England.
• Lucky to touch wood. We touch; knock on wood, to make something come true.
• Lucky to find a clover plant with four leaves.
• White heather is lucky.
• A horseshoe over the door brings good luck. But the horseshoe needs to be the
right way up. The luck runs out of the horseshoe if it is upside down.
• Horseshoes are generally a sign of good luck and feature on many good luck
cards.
• On the first day of the month it is lucky to say "white rabbits, white rabbits white
rabbits," before uttering your first word of the day.
• Catch falling leaves in Autumn and you will have good luck. Every leaf means a
lucky month next year.
• Cut your hair when the moon is waxing and you will have good luck.
• Putting money in the pocket of new clothes brings good luck.

24. Cont..
Bad Luck
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Unlucky to walk underneath a ladder.
Seven years bad luck to break a mirror. The superstition is supposed to have
originated in ancient times, when mirrors were considered to be tools of the gods.
Unlucky to see one magpie, lucky to see two, etc..
Unlucky to spill salt. If you do, you must throw it over your shoulder to counteract
the bad luck.
Unlucky to open an umbrella in doors.
The number thirteen is unlucky. Friday the thirteenth is a very unlucky day.
Friday is considered to be an unlucky day because Jesus was crucified on a
Friday.
Unlucky to put new shoes on the table.
Unlucky to pass someone on the stairs.
Reference: http://projectbritain.com

25. sports
• Sports play an important part in the life in Britain and
is a popular leisure activity
• Many of the world's famous sports began in Britain,
including cricket, football, lawn tennis, golf and
rugby
• England's national sport is cricket

26. Hofstede's model

27. THANK YOU