| |
| |
|
Book Reviews Information |
|
|
|
Book Review: Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands {How To Do Business In Sixty Countries}
Kiss, Bow, Or Shake Hands:
How To Do Business In Sixty Countries ? While in Germany, on business, you meet with your local counterpart. Between your broken German and his textbook English you are able to carry on a fairly well understood conversation. You reach a lull in your talk and to keep the conversation going you ask your friend about his spouse and children. Suddenly, he grows very quiet and a look of anger sweeps across his face. You ask yourself, "Did I mispronounce something? Did I say something wrong?" ? In Ecuador, you engage a street vendor in a lively negotiation for one of the Indian artifacts that he is selling. You grow increasingly uncomfortable as you realize that not even a foot separates you from him; you take that to mean he is interested in you personally. Whenever you took a step backward, he takes one step towards you to close the gap. Alarmed, you break off the conversation suddenly and head back to your hotel hoping that the merchant is not following after you. ? On the streets of Copenhagen, you wait for traffic to thin out so that you may cross the road. A driver slows down and signals for you to proceed. You smile and flash an okay gesture (thumb and forefinger forming a circle) at her and then are surprised by the glaring look of disgust from her. Each of the above examples shows cultural differences that can occur when traveling outside the United States. "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries," is a helpful reference for travelers. From Argentina to Greece to Japan, the authors present a work that is both serious and funny, practical and helpful, to assist business travelers as they navigate the cultural maze in the land(s) they are visiting. ? Country Background -- History, Type of Government, Language, Religion, and Demographics. ? Cultural Orientation -- Particular Value Systems and Negotiation Strategies. ? Business Practices -- Appointments (When to be punctual and when to be purposely late), Negotiating, and Business Entertainment. Interspersed throughout are cultural notes that are meant to inform travelers how to present their best foot forward and avoid mistakes like those listed earlier. Now, let's take a look at the examples mentioned earlier and see what went wrong: ? For Germans, family life and business life are kept separate. Germans will find a way to work family into their conversation if they want to share that information with you (see page 131). ? Ecuadorians, like many South Americans, traditionally stand close to one another when conversing. If you move back, they often will close the gap to maintain their close proximity. In the U.S., we are accustomed to at least a two foot gap between people and consider anything closer as threatening (see page 92). ? Danes, as well as many cultures around the world, take the American "o.k." gesture to be an obscene or insulting response. Be careful what hand gestures you use abroad -- you may get a very unwelcome response (see page 87). Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is published by Adams Media Corporation, 1994, Holbrook, Mass. Matt is the webmaster for the Corporate Flight Attendant Community at http://www.corporateflyer.net and http://www.cabinmanagers.com
MORE RESOURCES:
Book-Reviews - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
A Ghost in Cornwall This land is my memories. For two thousand years this valley has been mine alone. Fun Works - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review Fun Works: Creating Places Where People Love to Work by Leslie YerkesBooks on this subject have been around for decades. I have many of them on my own bookshelves and have seldom referred to any of them in the spirit of research, study or bench marking. Book Review: The NEW Game Of Business If you think you've seen and heard everything there is to say, The NEW Game of Business brings new distinctions and a fresh perspective to the world of business.This slim, easy-to-read soft cover book is so good that it should be required reading in business schools around the world. Call Me Mommy - Book Review Retired police captain, Marshall Frank, has written another excellent read in his latest work, Call Me Mommy. Marshall is definitely a prolific writer - he has authored five books and hundreds of short stories and essays to date. The Bible Code II: The Countdown, by Michael Drosnin Sir Isaac Newton knew about the Bible code 300 hundred years ago when he described it as "a cryptogram set by the Almighty?.The riddle of the God-head, the riddle of past and future events divinely fore-ordained. Cancer Can be Defeated: Hope, Courage, and a Strong Willpower Tony F. Powell is the author of a new book based on his 30 years as Bush Pilot, guide and prospector in Labrador, Canada. Reality Checked - Book Review Reality Checked - Life through Death, is a moving saga about finding meaning in a world of suffering and pointless hate based on the color of skin. Former school teacher and Theologist, Victor Waller has incorporated many of life's issues through the lives of his characters who were forced to make decisions in hopeless situations. The Bubblegum Babes Guide to Sixth Grade - Review This is one book that I would have cherished as a little girl. The Bubblegum Babes' Guide to Sixth Grade is the first in a series designed for young people growing up in today's fast-paced and high-pressure world. Metaphorically Selling The Big IdeaA lot of people consider selling a very difficult task. Unfortunately for them, selling is an activity that forms part of everyone's daily routine. Kashmir: Behind the Vale Kashmir has been a reason for at least three wars between India and Pakistan. Over the past 15 years, the name Kashmir has become synonymous with violence and terrorism. Bury My Heart at Redtree Title: Bury My Heart at Redtree Author: Patrick Chalfant Genre: Suspense/Thriller ISBN: 1-930709-53-6Patrick Chalfant weaves a tale that is a mixture of psychological suspense, Native American mysticism and revenge in his sophomore novel Bury My Heart at Redtree. Redtree follows Taylor, a promising young psychology student as he builds his masters thesis around the revenge he has planned for those who are responsible for his parent's death. The Storyteller - Fiction Books! Review by Jessica Dearborn Tolucan Times / Canyon Crier - California"The Storyteller, Volume I" by Martha Whittington AuthorHouse, Paperback, 514 Pages, $24When inspiration hits, it is usually followed closely by desire. A willingness to do whatever it takes to explain your inspiration, to create a picture. FISH! Tales - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review FISH! Tales: Real-Life Stories to Help You Transform Your Workplace and Your Life by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, John Christensen, Philip StrandIf you're reading this book review, you have at least heard about the book from which FISH! Tales evolved. Review of Alicia Maldonado: A Mother Lost by Ardain Isma This modern, aristocratic book portrays real-life events and how hard it is to deal with them, overcome them, or even struggle with them. Such is life, anywhere you put it, in the Caribbean or otherwise. The Wal-Mart Decade - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review The Wal-Mart Decade: How a New Generation of Leaders Turned Sam Walton's Legacy into the World's #1 Company was destined for publication. It was simply a matter of when it would be written and by whom. How Would You Move Mount Fuji? - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review For a number of reasons, today's hiring managers from Wall Street to the Silicon Valley are totally restructuring their approach to interviewing job prospects. Few will admit it has anything to do with the fact that our litigious society makes it very difficult to ask almost any personal question of today's job applicant. King Bartholomew and the Jesters Riddle - Review King Bartholomew and the Jester's Riddle by Pina Mastromonaco is a wonderful, fun book with a humor level perfect for children aged four to eight. Entertaining riddles entice readers to try to guess the answer while enjoying the tale. Enron Debacle: Review Of Kurt Eichenwalds Conspiracy Of Fools A True Story Title: Conspiracy Of Fools: A True Story Author: Kurt Eichenwald Publisher: Broadway Books (A division of Random House) ISBN: 0767911784As I reached the end of the 675 - pages of Kurt Eichenwald's saga of Enron recounted in Conspiracy of Fools A True Story, I walked away shaking my head in disgust and at the same time shock!Award winning journalist, Eichenwald, has written for the New York Times for more than seventeen years. Letting the facts tell the story, Conspiracy of Fools, A True Story, is based on the author's more than one thousand hours of interviews he conducted with over a hundred participants. Book Release: Ginas Poems - Adventures in Love Book Release: Gina's Poems -- Adventures in Love Written & illustrated by Siegfried J. Heger ISBN 0-9763503-0-0 Perfect Bound, 72 pages, (8. Book Summary: Good To Great Explore what goes into a company's transformation from mediocre to excellent. Based on hard evidence and volumes of data, the book author (Jim Collins) and his team uncover timeless principles on how the good-to-great companies like Abbott, Circuit City, Fannie Mae, Gillette, Kimberly-Clark, Kroger, Nucor, Philip Morris, Pitney Bowes, Walgreens, and Wells Fargo produced sustained great results and achieved enduring greatness, evolving into companies that were indeed 'Built to Last'.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
