Book Review: Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands {How To Do Business In Sixty Countries}

Kiss, Bow, Or Shake Hands:How To Do Business In Sixty Countries
By Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway, George A. Borden, and Hans Koehler

? While in Germany, on business, you meet with your local counterpart. Between your broken German and histextbook English you are able to carry on a fairly well understood conversation. You reach a lull in your talkand to keep the conversation going you ask your friend about his spouse and children. Suddenly, he grows very quiet and a look of anger sweeps across his face. You ask yourself, "Did I mispronounce something? Did I say something wrong?"

? In Ecuador, you engage a street vendor in a lively negotiation for one of the Indian artifacts that he is selling. You grow increasingly uncomfortable as you realize that not even a foot separates you from him; you take that to mean he is interested in you personally. Whenever you took a step backward, he takes one step towards you to close the gap. Alarmed, you break off the conversation suddenly and head back to your hotel hoping that the merchant is not following after you.

? On the streets of Copenhagen, you wait for traffic to thin out so that you may cross the road. A driver slows down and signals for you to proceed. You smile and flash an okay gesture (thumb and forefinger forming a circle) at her and then are surprised by the glaring look of disgust from her.

Each of the above examples shows cultural differences that can occur when traveling outside the United States. "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: How to Do Business in Sixty Countries," is a helpful reference for travelers. From Argentina to Greece to Japan, the authors present a work that is both serious and funny, practical and helpful, to assist business travelers as they navigate the cultural maze in the land(s) they are visiting.

The book is a helpful tool that will enhance the globetrotter in brushing up on what to expect before his/her trip abroad. Each featured country has its own chapter and contains the following information:

? Country Background -- History, Type of Government, Language, Religion, and Demographics.

? Cultural Orientation -- Particular Value Systems and Negotiation Strategies.

? Business Practices -- Appointments (When to be punctual and when to be purposely late), Negotiating, and Business Entertainment.

Interspersed throughout are cultural notes that are meant to inform travelers how to present their best foot forward and avoid mistakes like those listed earlier. Now, let's take a look at the examples mentioned earlier and see what went wrong:

? For Germans, family life and business life are kept separate. Germans will find a way to work family into their conversation if they want to share that information with you (see page 131).

? Ecuadorians, like many South Americans, traditionally stand close to one another when conversing. If you move back, they often will close the gap to maintain their close proximity. In the U.S., we are accustomed to at least a two foot gap between people and consider anything closer as threatening (see page 92).

? Danes, as well as many cultures around the world, take the American "o.k." gesture to be an obscene or insulting response. Be careful what hand gestures you use abroad -- you may get a very unwelcome response (see page 87).

Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is published by Adams Media Corporation, 1994, Holbrook, Mass.

Matt is the webmaster for the Corporate Flight Attendant Community at http://www.corporateflyer.net and http://www.cabinmanagers.com

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Book Reviews Information:

Related Articles

Book Excerpt: Give Me a Home Where the Dairy Cows Roam
When I reached the top of the driveway after getting off the school bus one April afternoon, I couldn't help but wonder why Dad was standing on the stepladder next to the tractor.I had never seen my father use a stepladder to fix a tractor.
Kashmir: Behind the Vale
Kashmir has been a reason for at least three wars between India and Pakistan. Over the past 15 years, the name Kashmir has become synonymous with violence and terrorism.
Alison's Journey: Book Review
"The dedication in this book is a work of poetry in itself. I had a distinct recollection of 'Sleeping with the Enemy' when reading this book, but this story has some very unique twists and turns.
Shattered Memories, Scattered Emotion - Review
Betty Woodrum released her first book of poetry entitled Shattered Memories, Scattered Emotions in on July 16, 2005. Her poetry is clean and simple and extremely honest.
The Hushed Willow - A review by Amanda Evans
The Hushed Willow by Lorna Joy Knox nee Ramsamugh is a collection of poetry that will stir your emotions as you embark on a rollercoaster ride through life. As the title suggests the poetry contained in The Hushed Willow is that of emotions and feelings that are kept silent, feelings of sadness, loss, betrayal and hurt.
Book Review - Which is More Round, the World or Your Tummy? Offbeat Reflection on Serious Living
When was the last time your mind danced when you read a book?
Story Structure - Classic Hero's Journey
The Classical Hero's Journey is one of the most detailed story structures containing 106 sequences overall and 32 in Act III alone.A descendant of Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces and containing references to all the normal and less usual Archetypes: Peer Brothers, the Failed Hero and more, it allows the screen or story writer to quickly map out a step outline, template or first draft screenplay.
The Bubblegum Babes Guide to Sixth Grade - Review
This is one book that I would have cherished as a little girl. The Bubblegum Babes' Guide to Sixth Grade is the first in a series designed for young people growing up in today's fast-paced and high-pressure world.
Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review
Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life is another book focusing on the obvious. We've heard it all before.
Mathew and the Highland Rescue - Book Review
"A stimulating adventure! Sabine Muir has written a wonderful children's story that can be read many, many times. This is a time-travel, Christian fantasy novel that reminds me a little bit of one of my favorite childhood books, 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'.
How Would You Move Mount Fuji? - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review
For a number of reasons, today's hiring managers from Wall Street to the Silicon Valley are totally restructuring their approach to interviewing job prospects. Few will admit it has anything to do with the fact that our litigious society makes it very difficult to ask almost any personal question of today's job applicant.
Kmarts Ten Deadly Sins - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review
Kmart's Ten Deadly Sins: How Incompetence Tainted an American Icon was begging to be written. It probably would have surfaced much earlier if not for the fear of many authors that publishing too soon would result in the omission of who knows how many future bewildering tactics by the forever transforming retail giant, K-mart.
Hug Your Customers - AchieveMax® Top Ten Book Review
Don't panic. Jack Mitchell, the author of Hug Your Customers: The Proven Way to Personalize Sales and Achieve Astounding Results, isn't suggesting that you take his title literally.
Undercurrent Blues Has A Rhythm of Its Own - Poetry Book Review
On July 17, 2005 Cahuenga Press released Undercurrent Blues by James Cushing (Cahuenga is a cooperative press and Undercurrent Blues is the 14th book they have published since their inception in 1989). The collection includes poems written from 1989 through 1991 and 1997 through 2002.
Book Review: Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands {How To Do Business In Sixty Countries}
Kiss, Bow, Or Shake Hands:How To Do Business In Sixty CountriesBy Terri Morrison, Wayne A. Conaway, George A.
Fading Towards Enlightenment - Book Review
Fading Toward Enlightenment by Wayne Wirs is definitely a well made book of excellent quality - it will certainly endure multiple readings. I loved the feel of the pages as I turned them.
Amazing Holy Grail Discovery
In a profound and provocative work of scholarly detection, best-selling UK author Philip Gardiner shakes the foundations of modern belief by at last revealing the true origins of The Holy Grail, Elixir of Life and Philosopher's Stone. Shrouded in mystery, these highly enigmatic symbols have long been revered and The Serpent Grail proves, without doubt, that all three are inextricably linked, originating from the same ancient source.
Book Summary: What Is The Emperor Wearing?
This article is based on the following book:What Is The Emperor Wearing?Truth-Telling In Business RelationshipsButterworth-HeinnemanISBN 0-7506-9872-1217 pagesThis book is inspired by the popular tale "The Emperor's New Clothes". It provides stories of ordinary individuals in the workplace who are in the predicament of confronting the unlikely benefits of "deception" and steering away from the risks and dangers of "truth-telling".
Putting it on Paper - Book Review
"Dawn Josephson, author of 14 books, has written a fantastic author resource with her latest book Putting it on Paper - The ground rules for creating promotional pieces that sell books. This book discusses the development and use of contents within a media kit, and other marketing materials.
Amapola - Book Review
Alan Heywood writes a stimulating, though sometimes improbable, adventure novel in Amapola. What I mean by this is that the characters are seemingly very lucky or were simply at the right place, at the right time.