Dean Foster

THE GLOBAL GUIDE TO

In this age of globalization and promising inter- more than one each. The range of topics for national opportunities, Asia is the region West- each major country includes an introductory erners are most interested in - and usually background briefing, fundamental cultural ori- know the least about. There is much about entations, greetings and introductions, com- Asian cultures that an unprepared business munication styles, protocol in public, dress, traveler can find baffling or distressing. Busi- dining and drinking, being a guest or host, gift ness success in an giving, special holidays and celebrations, and Asian country, as in business culture. any other unfamiliar culture, requires three The Global Etiquette Guide to Asia is one in a levels of know-how: series of four books by the same author (the understanding funda- others are about Europe, and Af- mental values and rica, and Mexico and Latin America). Sadly, preferences, learning each of them suffers from similar shortcom- about factors that criti- ings: the information provided is frequently too cally impact the way simplistic. Occasionally, it is dangerously in- business is being con- complete or plain wrong. For example, the ducted, and familiariz- critical need to use proper titles in (“Di- ing oneself with ex- rector Wang”, even if the person is only a dep- pected behaviors and uty director) finds no mention at all. Those ex- etiquette. This book aims to deliver across all perienced in doing business in will be of these levels. astonished to learn that “price is often secon- dary”. Also, the value of the book suffers a lot Just as customs and preferences vary greatly from Foster’s tendency to use pre-fabricated between Asia and the West, so do they vary text blocks: lengthy passages are identical to among the many and diverse nations of Asia. the letter between such diverse countries as Author Dean Foster, formerly managing direc- Japan and Pakistan, meaning that many im- tor of Berlitz International’s Cross-Cultural Ser- portant nuances are lost. vices, includes all of the major (and most of the minor) countries of the , Central The Global Etiquette series is therefore a Asia, , Southwest Asia, and the Asian mixed blessing: there are countless helpful Arab world. His approach is to extensively hints and valuable insights, some of which cover a major culture in each sub-region and cannot be found anywhere else. And yet, ex- then briefly discuss “related” cultures, only clusively relying on these books when prepar- highlighting major differences. As an example, ing an international business trip cannot be while China receives thirty pages of in-depth recommended with a good conscience. That is coverage, Hong Kong and Taiwan get a little too bad.

TM Leadership Crossroads 10865-B Hazelhurst Dr. #11793, Houston, TX 77043 This book review solely represents the opinions and conclusions of its author. 469-522-3389 It does not claim to be accurate, complete, or objective. TM [email protected] www.leadershipcrossroads.com © Leadership Crossroads , 2005

Lothar Katz is the founder of Leadership Crossroads. He has a wealth of experi- ence in achieving productive cooperation across cultures and driving business success on a global scale. A seasoned former executive of a Fortune 500 company, he regularly interacted with employees, customers, outsourcing partners, and third parties in more than 25 countries around the world. These included many parts of Asia, e.g., China, , and Japan. Originally from Germany, he has lived and worked both in the United States and in Europe.