2. International Business

1.Try this quiz with your partner.

1. If a businessman wearing jeans and a T-shirt comes into your office, he ...

1. isn't correctly dressed;

2. can't be important;

3. is quite normal;

1. must be someone who has come to fix the phone or some­thing.

2. If a Canadian businessman keeps stepping backwards while he's talking to a Mexican businessman, this means that ...

1. he doesn't like Mexicans;

2. the Mexican is trying to be too friendly;

1. Northern people don't feel comfortable standing as close to another person as southern people do;

3. Canadians are less friendly than Mexicans.

3. If a Japanese person gives you his business card, you should hold it ...

1. in your left hand;

2. in your right hand;

3. without reading it;

4. in both hands.

Respond to the following questions.

1. Why is it important to understand cultural differences when you do business with people in other countries?

2. How can businessmen develop understanding doing business with people from other countries?

3. It is necessary to learn the principles of international communi­cation and apply them globally. However, we face cultural dif­ferences in different countries.

Ex. 2. Read the following point of view, agree or disagree with it, more comments while expressing your own opinion on the topic.

Cultural differences influence business strategies and operations. Understanding them is difficult to overestimate.

Many of these cultures are complex and different from ours. To be successful in international business means to be good citizens of international community.

We should learn to honour and respect our own cultures and to develop tolerance and respect for other cultures.

No one can learn all there is to know about a foreign culture. But to show an interest means to create a climate of understanding and respect. The mere willingness to accept differences is of great impor­tance.

Ex. 3. Read, translate and comment on each of five items.

Cultural differences. Body language

1. Standing with your hands on your hips is a gesture of defiance in Indonesia.

2. Carrying on a conversation with your hands in your pockets makes a poor impression in France, Belgium, Finland and Sweden.

3. When you shake your head from side to side, that means «yes» in Bulgaria and Sri Lanka.

4. Crossing your legs to expose the sole of your shoe is really taboo in Muslim countries. In fact, to call a person a «shoe» is a deep insult.

Physical Contact

5. Putting a child on the head is a grave offence in Thailand or Singapore, since the head is revered as the location of the soul.

6. In an Oriental culture, touching another person is considered an invasion of privacy, while in Southern European and Arabic countries it is a sign of warmth and friendship.

Promptness

7. Be on time when invited for dinner in Denmark or in China.

8. In Latin countries your host a business associate would be surprised if you arrived at the appointed hour.

Eating and Cooking

9. It is rude to leave anything on your plate when eating in Norway, Malaysia, or Singapore.

10. In Egypt, it is rude not to leave something. 1 1. In Italy and Spain, cooking is done with oil. 1 2. In Germany and Great Britain, margarine and butter are used.

Other Social Customs

13. In Spain, there is a very negative attitude toward life insurance. By receiving insurance benefits, a wife feels that she is profiting from her husband's death.

14. In Western European countries, many consumers are still reluctant to buy anything (other than a house) on credit. Even for an automobile, they will pay cash having saved for some time.

Discussion Points:

1. What nationality do you think easier to communicate with? Say, it is easier for you to communicate with British people than with French people. Explain why.

2. How can we avoid making culturally related business blunders?

3. Give some examples of cultural differences between two cultures you are familiar with. How could these differences lead to problems in business relationship?