Publisher's Synopsis
So you jump off the plane ready to meet your foreign counterpart and close that big business deal. You are too far away to shake hands so you make a circle with your thumb and forefinger up into the air for all to see, meaning "OKAY!" -- to you. There is a problem. We hope you are not in France where it means, "You are a zero", or in Japan where it is a blatant symbol for money, or in Brazil where it is just plain vulgar. Avoiding cultural gaffes such as these is critical to success in international business. Lack of familiarity with the business practices, social customs, and etiquette of any country can weaken your firm's position in the market, prevent it from accomplishing its objectives, and ultimately lead to failure. There are many nuances in communicating with people in other countries, just as there are in America. This new book will be the next best thing to living in a foreign country. It will introduce you to some of the more important cultural differences, based upon a country-by-country break down following an introduction offering insights from the author s own world travel experiences. You will find country-specific information about business customs and protocol in fifty nations world-wide. You will understand business culture, successful communication, and social etiquette; what to expect at the dinner table, and how food relates to conducting business. With this book, you can proceed confidently through business deals that involve foreign travel, social contact, and negotiations. Find out about proper gift-giving, business entertainment, and much more. Some of the cultural pitfalls detailed are stereotypes, personal space, forms of address, demeanour, restroom customs, tipping, social and business visits, greetings and introductions, names and titles, proper manners, proper conversations, business dress, clothing, telephone and computer use, dining, gift giving, smoking, gestures, numbers, calendar dates, time and temperature, holidays, religious information, developing relationships, being on time, and addressing women in business.
