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Kiss, Bow,

or

Shake Hands

Second Edition

The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries

Terri Morrison

and

Wayne A. Conaway

Avon, Massachusetts

To Nica, Brendan, and Alex

Forever Wise, Forever True, Forever Loved

And to Tony

Forever

—Terri M.

To my Parents

I hope I was a good long-term investment.

—Wayne A. Conaway

And to the late George A. Borden, Ph.D., a gifted friend.

Copyright 1995, 2006, Terri Morrison.

All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.

Published by Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company 57 Littlefield Street

Avon, MA 02322 www.adamsmedia.com

ISBN 10: 1-59337-368-6

ISBN 13: 978-1-59337-368-9 (paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-1-60550-820-7 (EPUB)

Printed in the United States of America

J  I  H  G  F  E  D  C  BA

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Morrison, Terri.

Kiss, bow, or shake hands / by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway. -- 2nd ed. p. cm.

Includes index. ISBN 1-59337-368-6

1.Business etiquette. 2. Corporate culture. 3. Business communication.

4.Negotiation in business. I. Conaway, Wayne A. II. Title.

HF5389.M67 2006 395.5’2--dc22

2006013587

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

—From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their product are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Interior design and composition by Electronic Publishing Services, Inc. Tennessee.

Maps © Map Resources.

This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.

For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.

“In this global economy, ANYONE who leaves the United States is a fool if they don’t read up on their destination’s customs. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is THE definitive authority on how to conduct yourself around the world. You can easily offend your prospects and there is no faster way to kill the most lucrative business deal. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands has been immeasurably helpful over the years.”

—Louis Altman, President, New Hampshire International Trade Association (NHITA), and President, GlobaFone

“Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is the one book on international culture and customs that our students couldn’t do without. And the new edition is even more impressive.”

—Kris Swank, Pima Community College, Librarian and International Business instructor

Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is recommended reading in each of our six international real estate education courses. This book has helped REALTORS® throughout the world understand how to serve their international clients.”

—Heidi Hennig, Manager, International Education and

Membership, National Association of REALTORS®

Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is a great resource of cultural and business-related information. The material is concise and easy to read. The cultural information is unique, educational, and fun! It’s a book that can be enjoyed by a great number of people, from a student, to a leisure traveler, to the most sophisticated business person.”

—Joanna Savvides, President, World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia

“In my work, I train employees of multinational corporations on how to manage the intercultural aspects of an international assignment. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is a tremendous resource for the growing number of individuals in today’s global workforce who find themselves working across international borders and on assignment outside their home country.” —Carolyn Ryffel, Senior Manager of Intercultural Services, Cartus, Chicago, IL

Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is a smart, authoritative source of good, useful information. Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of recommending this treasure to students, business travelers, and friends who love travel. They’ve all emerged with a better understanding of how to interact with other citizens of our varied and wonderful planet.”

—Joanne St. John, President, International Academy at

Santa Barbara and the University Club of Santa Barbara

“Terri Morrison’s book Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands has been an invaluable asset over the years when used by our transferees and travelers. The expertly written chapters give our business people an edge when dealing with people in other countries, helping them gain insight into such topics as negotiation strategies, cognitive styles, country history, and even what to bring as a gift. I highly recommend this book to anyone visiting a new country on business.”

—Nancy Linwood, Staff Information Specialist, DuPont Central Research and Development Information and Computing Technologies

Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands has enabled us to accelerate our efforts to become a truly global organization. The material fits our training paradigm of ‘just in time, just enough, and just for me,’ and allows our international travelers to quickly review exactly the information they need, whenever they need it.”

—Darryl Carson, Director of Education and Training, Cypress University, Cypress Semiconductor

Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands will appeal to a wide readership of those seeking concise and intelligently presented data on multicultural awareness. The book is a classic cultural read. If you wish to understand your customer . . . this is the book to keep as a reference.”

—John J. Gerace, Ph.D., PE, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Business Department, Chestnut Hill College

“Whether I am traveling for business or pleasure, Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands helps me avoid others’ gaffes and my own faux pas around the world. Terri Morrison fills gaps in the traveler’s fund of knowledge that most don’t discover until it’s too late. The cost of not knowing local custom and practice varies from unexpectedly poor accommodations to lost business deals, making the net present value of this book extremely high. I’ve recommended it to grateful friends and relatives—it’s even fun to read!”

—David Reiter, M.D., M.B.A, Medical Director, Clinical Effectiveness and Medical Informatics, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA

Contents

Preface, vi

Introduction, vii

Cultural Orientation, ix

The Countries

Argentina, 1

Guatemala, 197

Romania, 407

Austria, 10

Honduras, 205

Russia, 415

Australia, 19

Hungary, 213

Saudi Arabia, 426

Belarus, 28

India, 222

Singapore, 437

Belgium, 38

Indonesia, 233

South Africa, 448

Belize, 46

Ireland, 247

South Korea, 457

Bolivia, 54

Israel, 256

Spain, 469

Brazil, 63

Italy, 267

Sweden, 477

Canada, 71

Japan, 276

Switzerland, 486

Chile, 80

Kuwait, 288

Taiwan, 495

China, 89

Malaysia, 299

Thailand, 506

Hong Kong, 100

Mexico, 313

Turkey, 514

Colombia, 104

The Netherlands, 322

Ukraine, 525

Costa Rica, 113

New Zealand, 332

United Kingdom, 534

Czech Republic, 121

Norway, 340

United States, 544

Denmark, 131

Pakistan, 349

Uruguay, 555

Ecuador, 140

Panama, 357

Venezuela, 563

Egypt, 148

Paraguay, 364

Vietnam, 571

Finland, 159

Peru, 371

 

France, 168

Philippines, 379

 

Germany , 177

Poland, 390

 

Greece, 189

Portugal, 400

 

Appendix A: Titles and Forms of Address, 580

Appendix B: Contacts and Resources, 584

Appendix C: Holidays, 586

Appendix D: International Electrical Adaptors, 587

Index, 590

vi

Preface

In the dozen years since Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands was originally published, the world has changed in remarkable ways. Several countries have dissolved (such as the Soviet Union), others have been absorbed (East Germany), and some have emerged (Azerbaijan). Trade barriers have been lifted (note the addition of South Africa and Vietnam to this edition) and economies have shifted (Ireland and India).

The interesting thing is that over twelve years—throughout all of the massive political and economic changes—the cultures, values, and belief systems of major ethnic groups have remained constant.

For example, many Hong Kong executives relocated to Vancouver prior to the return of Hong Kong (a former British Crown Colony) to China in 1997. These senior Chinese managers have successfully adapted to North American business practices, yet they clearly appreciate some knowledge of their negotiating styles and cultural values. Just understanding Chinese name order and titles will give you an advantage over other executives who do no research. As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “There is nothing more terrible than ignorance in action” (Es ist nichts schrecklicher als eine tätige Unwissenheit).

During my life, I have seen World War, reconstruction, terrorism, and tremendous advances in technology. On this increasingly interconnected planet, businesses need to acknowledge that people are not alike all over the world—the more you respect local attitudes toward families, work, and religion, the more successful you will be in those locales. Priorities in Warsaw are not equivalent to those on Wall Street.

Once again, it is a pleasure to introduce you to this important book. Review it before you embark on your international trips. Gain the information you need on business practices, cognitive styles, negotiation techniques, and social customs. Give the right gift; make the right gesture. Read Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands.

—Hans H. B. Koehler, the former Director of the Wharton Export Network

“There is no conceivable human action which custom has not at one time justified and at another condemned.”

—Joseph Wood Crutch (1929)

vii

viii

Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands

Introduction

What will you need to know in 2010 or 2020 to work internationally? As Hans Koehler pointed out in the Preface, we live in changing times. But many of the cultural tenets presented in Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands took hundreds of years to develop. These stable precepts help us understand why people behave differently around the world, and they will help you to avoid global marketing faux pas like these:

McDonald’s Corporation settled a group of lawsuits for $10 million in 2002. Why were they sued? Because of their French fries and hash browns. After 1990, McDonald’s stated that only pure vegetable oil was used to cook their fries, implying that they were prepared in a “vegetarian” manner. However, the oil contained the essence of beef flavor, which is an anathema to Hindus and vegetarians worldwide. Most of the money from the lawsuit was donated to Hindu and other vegetarian causes.

Nike was forced to recall thousands of pairs of Air Bakin, Air BBQ, Air Grill, and Air Melt shoes because of a decoration intended to resemble fire on the back of the sneakers. Unfortunately, when viewed from right to left (which is the way Arabic is read), the flames resembled the Arabic word for Allah. Muslims saw this as a desecration on two levels: 1) the name of Allah may not

be used on a product, and 2) Arabic tradition deems that the foot is unclean. Facing worldwide protests and boycotts, Nike implemented an enormous recall of the expensive sneakers.

As these examples show, an unintentional misstep can destroy your costly international marketing efforts. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is organized to help you easily find the data you need to avoid many of the errors others have made before you.

For this revision, we consulted with over sixty embassies, hundreds of representatives from private and public sectors, and many institutions of higher education. The work resulted in not only this volume, but much additional information that is available on our Web site at www.kissboworshakehands.com. The Web site also contains information on official world holidays, foreign language phrases, country histories, gift-giving suggestions, legal data, and hundreds of articles like “Subtle Gestures,” and “Lie To Me.” Kiss, Bow is now part of a larger electronic database as well—Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Expanded Edition. Data on all our books, seminars, and electronic

viii

products is on our three Web sites: www.getcustoms.com, www.kissboworshakehands

.com, and www.TerriMorrison.com. You are also welcome to contact us at 610-725- 1040 or e-mail TerriMorrison@getcustoms.com with your questions or comments.

Each chapter in this new edition focuses on a single country, and all are organized into sections, such as in the following example for Ireland:

What’s Your Cultural IQ?

Three quick questions to gauge your knowledge

Tips on Doing Business

Three business-related highlights

in Ireland

 

Country Background

History, Type of Government, Language, and

 

The Irish View (perspectives from the country’s

 

viewpoint)

Know Before You Go

Natural and human hazards

Cultural Orientation

A cultural anthropologist’s view. This section is

 

described in detail in the introductory chapter.

Business Practices

Punctuality, Appointments, and Local Time;

 

Negotiating; Business Entertaining

Protocol

Greetings, Titles/Forms of Address*, Gestures,

 

Gifts, and Dress

And, as in the previous edition, many Cultural Notes are scattered throughout the chapters.

*For more details on Titles/Forms of Address, Mailing Addresses, etc., we also recommend an excellent book called Merriam-Webster’s Guide to International Business Communications, by Toby D. Atkinson.

Please remember that you will work with individuals, and there are always exceptions to every rule. For example, Kiss, Bow suggests that many Japanese executives are reserved, polite, quiet, and rarely display emotion. Somewhere there is probably a loud, boisterous, gesticulating Japanese manager who is as emotional and imperious as any prima donna. Just because we haven’t met him (or her) doesn’t mean that no such person exists.

The process of communication is fluid, not static. The success of your intercultural interactions depends upon you, and the quality of your information. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands provides you with the best and most current data possible on what foreign business and social practices to expect in your efforts at globalization.

“The most universal quality is diversity.”

—Michel de Montaigne, 1580

ix