Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

In a global economy, it is crucial for business people to be sensitive to cultural differences. And although the best reason for doing so may be ethical, it's great for business as well! This is an invaluable book for "doing well while doing good" in your intercultural relations, covering the protocols of appointments, business entertaining, greetings, forms of address, gestures, dress, and gifts in 60 of the nations you're most likely to be doing business. Some interesting excerpts:

• Australia: The "thumbs-up" sign, which in the U.S. indicates "O.K." is considered rude.
  
• Brazil: The colors of the Brazilian flag are green and yellow, so avoid wearing this combination in any fashion.
  
• China: Avoid making exaggerated gestures or using dramatic facial expressions. The Chinese do not generally use their hands when speaking, and become distracted by a speaker who does.
  
• Indonesia: Since it is impolite to disagree with someone, Indonesians rarely say "no"...a clear way to indicate "no" is to suck in air through the teeth.

The authors are very aware that no generalizations apply to all residents of a nation, and are careful not to stereotype or judge. Highly recommended to any business traveler--or any student of the diversity of human cultures.

(Note: a great companion volume for this book is Gestures, which is devoted entirely to explaining the varieties of hand gestures in 82 countries!) -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.

With GATT, NAFTA, and the globalization of business, there is a growing interest in the way cultural differences affect business transactions. A few guides do exist, notably Roger Axtell's Do's and Taboos around the World (1993) and The Do's and Taboos of International Trade (1994), but usually the information must be compiled or searched for country by country, and it is not always conveniently or consistently classified. The authors of this encyclopedic resource have put together "cultural" profiles for 60 countries that will be of value to anyone involved with international business. Brief information regarding the history of the country, the type of government, languages, religions, and demographics are included. The authors then provide what they call a cultural orientation for each country, identifying "cognitive styles, negotiation strategies, and value systems." A summary of business practices (appointment scheduling, negotiating do's and don'ts, business entertaining, and time zone information) follows. Finally, "protocol" considerations, such as greetings, titles and forms of address, gestures, gift giving, and appropriate dress, are offered. Although often running the risk of being stereotypical, observations regarding unique cultural differences are highlighted throughout. David Rouse -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.

Written by executives who prepare other executives for international travel and one Fulbright scholar in cross-cultural communication, this work is a godsend for rapidly growing international collections. It is affordable, to-the-point, and easily understood book by those who as yet have no stamps on their passports. The introduction discusses cognitive styles, value systems, and negotiation strategies in different cultures, explaining how delicate they make the process of intercultural relations. Sixty countries are examined in terms of background, cultural orientation, business practices (e.g., negotiating, entertaining), and protocol (e.g., gestures, dress). Morrison and cohorts cover some countries not included by more costly "Doing Business In" publications by Business International and Price Waterhouse. The average entry length is five pages-more than Brigham Young University's Culturgrams (Garrett Park Pr., 1993. 2d ed.). Recommended for all business and international studies collections.
Lisa K. Miller, Paradise Valley Community Coll. Lib., Phoenix
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.

More than a decade after establishing itself as the number-one book on international business etiquette, "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands" has been fully revised to reflect the profound global transformation that has occurred since its debut. In this new edition, author Terri Morrison - the leading expert in this field - has included: comprehensive updates for each of the book's 60-plus country chapters; several brand-new sections, including Cultural IQ tests, "Know Before You Go" tips and alerts on international security; and additional chapters on Austria, Belize, Ireland, South Africa, Vietnam and the Vatican. The most comprehensive, authoritative text of its kind, the first edition of this invaluable reference guide has won a following among high-ranking military officials, influential corporate executives and business school professors alike. This new edition, with its wealth of revised material and discussions of current hot topics, is proof that such a classic only gets better with time.

More than a decade after establishing itself as the number-one book on international business etiquette, "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands" has been fully revised to reflect the profound global transformation that has occurred since its debut. In this new edition, author Terri Morrison - the leading expert in this field - has included: comprehensive updates for each of the book's 60-plus country chapters; several brand-new sections, including Cultural IQ tests, "Know Before You Go" tips and alerts on international security; and additional chapters on Austria, Belize, Ireland, South Africa, Vietnam and the Vatican. The most comprehensive, authoritative text of its kind, the first edition of this invaluable reference guide has won a following among high-ranking military officials, influential corporate executives and business school professors alike. This new edition, with its wealth of revised material and discussions of current hot topics, is proof that such a classic only gets better with time.

The purpose of "Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands"
Why should executives bother studying other cultures?Well, I can think of endless reasons, but here are the top 3. 1) T & E. Travel & Entertainment is generally the 4th highest operating cost in Fortune 500s. The average trip to Europe is 5K/week; to Asia, 9K/week. Add in the glitzy presentation materials you take with you, as well as the 250K it takes to relocate each executive to the new country, and a bit of research into the local culture is definitely worthwhile. 2) Many U.S. corporations have an annual goal to increase their revenues by 10º If they can't make it, they downsize. Many can't make it in the USA, because their markets are saturated, therefore, the only viable long- term option is to globalize. However, the majority of the world will not or can not imitate U.S. mannerisms, habits or tastes. Can you afford to leave them out of your plans for globalization? 3) Even though many international executives (Good old "Ernst") may act and sound like one of "us", he isn't. He probably isn't even thinking in English; he is thinking in German (or Japanese, or Saudi). And these thought patterns, or cognitive styles, are deeply ingrained in all of us. Knowing how executives from other cultures arrive at decisions gives you an edge. And don't we all need every business advantage we can get? -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.

Terri Morrison is president of Getting Through Customs, a highly successful Internet product and training firm for global business travellers. Her clients include American Airlines, AEP, Carnival Cruise Lines and Hewlett Packard. She conducts many seminars, has written for many publications and has appeared on numerous TV shows. Wayne A. Conaway is the coauthor of several books on cross-cultural communications, including Dun & Bradstreet's Guide to Doing Business Around the World (written with Terri Morrison).