Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty 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!)

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

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.

In today's rapidly expanding global marketplace, business people must understand the distinctive customs of the major nations. This guide helps them do exactly that. It's filled with important facts about business customs, behavioral styles, social customs, gift giving, and much more.

Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands explores how people from various cultures perceive information and negotiate business deals. The sections relating to Cognitive Styles, Negotiation Techniques and Value Systems are truly unique.

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?