Activity 3. Read the article and decide if the statements are true or false.

1. You can stand close to an American when you speak to him or her.

2. It is normal to shake hands briefly when you meet for the first time.

3. Most Americans smile and look at each other when they greet.

4. It is offensive to wink in America.

5. It is not unusual for an American to ask a stranger about their job.

The SmartTraveller guide to

AMERICA

Americans tend to need more personal space than other cultures. If you try to get too near an American during a conversation, they will feel uncomfortable. If an American steps back, then you are standing too close to them.

Men tend to avoid hugging and even women do not hug and kiss as much as many Europeans.

Formal greetings in America involve a quick firm handshake and there isn’t much physical contact.

However, people smile at each other and make eye contact. Winking is relatively common and means friendliness, or ‘I’m kidding’.

When Americans meet for the first time they often ask ‘what do you do?’ This is a normal question and is not considered intrusive or personal.

Activity 4. Work in pars. Compare the information above with your own culture.

Activity 5. Here is an article from website www.TrainingZone.co.uk where an expert in intercultural communication gives her advice on doing business in Russia, on how to avoid misunderstandings and mitigate conflict. Predict its content. Read the article and compare your ideas with those of the author.

Coming in from the cold: Top tips for doing business in Russia

Posted by TrainingZone in Strategy on Wed, 22/10/2008 - 22:12

Russia is not only the largest country in the world, but also has one of the most promising economies, giving it huge potential to get ahead of the current leading industrialised nations. Cathy Wellings, a culture and communication manager, provides advice on how to avoid a frosty reception when doing business in Russia.

The Russian Federation spans 10 time zones and has around 142 million people, making it the ninth largest population in the world. Greater political stability and the diversification of Russia’s economy, combined with increased foreign investment flows, higher domestic consumption and rising oil prices have contributed to the energy superpower’s continuous economic growth over recent years.

Russia’s work ethic is increasingly influenced by Western culture, but the Russians still have a unique set of values and attitudes and a different approach to communication, negotiation and decision making which could affect cross-cultural cooperation.

The following tips will help to ensure that you maximise your opportunities for doing business in Russia:

· Address colleagues using their 'patronymic' name, based on the first name of their father. Addressing new contacts with their given name is considered impolite.

· Since personal and informal contact is crucial when doing business in Russia, be ready to spend some time establishing a rapport before discussing business. Getting past the initial formality and reticence shown by your Russian colleagues might take time, but those who open meetings with talk of pricing have found to their cost that this approach results in failure.

· Russians are very patriotic. Avoid criticising any aspects of Russian history, culture or politics. Good neutral discussion topics are sports (especially winter sports) and family.

· In meetings, Russians prefer the direct approach. Therefore your presentations should be straightforward and comprehensible.

· Compromise is seen as a sign of weakness in business negotiations.

· Russians are very status conscious and prefer to have meetings with those of equal status. Decisions tend to be made by the most senior person.

· Don’t praise or reward anyone in public. This may be viewed with suspicion and can cause envy and jealousy.

· Never shake hands across a doorway or threshold, as Russians believe this will bring very bad luck.

Fashion conscious – тот, кто следит за новинками моды

Status conscious - тот, кто заботится о своем общественном положении, престиже

Activity 6. Project. Choose a country or region where you would like to work. Go online and find out how to behave in a business environment. Write a short report giving advice to people working there.

Unit 4

Дата добавления: 2015-09-03