A site visitor was curios and pondered:

I belong to a global organization. Is there a source that gives cultural guidelines for sending e-mails to team members (or customers) of different elasticities and nationalities? Or, in our global electronic age, does the culture element matter? I often wonder how a recipient would react to a different greeting or closing from his or her unique cultural perspective. Thanks for your help.

Email etiquette is email etiquette. Any differences that would apply on business letterhead, would certainly apply in email — although I cannot think of any specifics in that regard. Where the cultural difference comes into play in email is reflecting the proper level of formality as a sign of respect.

How a recipient would react based on his or her unique cultural perspective is where the level of formality is involved. One cannot assume that the entire globe is as informal as most here in the United States assume  when it comes to their business email practices. That is why, when it comes to business, I advise to maintain the highest level of formalities until which time the other side reflects otherwise.

With that being said, when forming global relationships it behooves businessmen and women to become familiar with the cultures of those they intend on doing business with. That’s simply smart business and helps to ensure they don’t use any terms or phrases that may cause misconceptions or reflect a lack of understanding or respect for others culture.

Some More Info for You:

1. Business E-mail Courtesy and Politeness
2. Business Email Etiquette Resistance
3. The Three P’s of Business E-mail Etiquette
4. Email Sign-off Considerations
5. Business E-mail Etiquette: The One Thing That Matters