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50 of 54 found the following review helpful:
 Full of mistakes - Swedish exampleMar 02, 2005
By Oskar Lindström
"Oskar"
This book is a complete joke. It was recently ridiculed in a Swedish business weekly for its description of Sweden. According to the book's authors:
1. The indigenous population in the north of the country are called lapps. The expression sami is somewhat derogatory. In fact it's the opposite! This is as if a European guide book on doing business in the US suggested their readers use the word "negro" instead of "african-american." Also, the Sami number some 20,000 persons, not really vital information if you are visiting a country of 9 million people. Moreover, comparing them to American indians or Australian aborigines is somewhat misleading, the non-sami population groups began to settle what is today Sweden sometime 2000 BC.
2. According to the book English is spoken in the major cities but if they plan to do business outside of the urban centres, they should speak German! This may have been true fifty years ago. A visiting US business person would should definately stick to English, German (with a US accent as well, I presume) will not get you very far.
In short, this book seems as if it's been written based on what the authors could find from a quick scan on the internet.
2. Most people in Sweden speak English.
44 of 50 found the following review helpful:
Don't Leave Home Without ItDec 16, 1999
By A. C. Shellhase
For we who live in the US, our knowledge of the geography, language, and customs of other countries is sometimes appalling.So, it's a good thing there are books like this to help relieve our gauche-ness and keep the egg off our faces whether traveling or putting our businesses out on the Internet. An alphabetical listing from Argentina through Venezuela, each country section has a small line map with the name of the capital city located inside. They all begin with a short cultural note, followed by: => Country Background: Short history; Type of government; Language; Religion; Demographics. => Cultural Orientation: Cognitive styles; Negotiation style; Value Systems. => Business Practices: Appointments; Negotiating; Business entertainment; Time (in relation to Greenwich Mean Time). => Protocol: Greetings; Titles/forms of address; Gestures; Dress; Gifts. Things you might not know include: => more than 14 major languages are spoken in India => in Ecuador, make appointments about 2 weeks in advance => literacy is almost 100% in Russia => Danes tend to get down to business right away, with a minimum of small talk => in Malaysia, one who expresses anger in public has shamefully lost face => nearly all Egyptians speak Arabic. Most business people who deal with foreigners speak English, French, or both The appendix contains interesting & valuable information, too. I especially liked the pictures of phone, electrical, & ground adaptors. There's an entire page of metric equivalents for those who don't use them daily. Morrison includes a page about travel medical insurance, too. What's missing? Information about African countries is nearly non-existent. Other than Egypt, no other country is covered, not even South Africa. And, if you're looking for in-depth information about online courtesies, you'll have to dig deep to find them. There are few.
21 of 23 found the following review helpful:
It should include more countries and be updatedOct 04, 2001
By Justo S.
I compared the information in this book about my own country and the one I'm living and it is almost correct; at least, if you follow what it says, you would not have problems when dealing with people from those places. I have met people from several countries and so I know much of the information in the book is right and useful, as well. In 4 to 10 pages per country, you'll learn the basis of history, language, people's way to handle information, and so on. It's a very good starting point. Moreover, I liked very much the political correctness of this book: The style is very respectful of cultures and people (in most cases). Two problems: 1) It should include more countries. It would be a nice resource of data about the places the people you meet come from. 2) The information should be updated, let's say, in a web page, since the world changes continuosly. However, you'll get a very nice picture about the places and people described in the book.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Good for the traveler, but not the on-line world,Nov 14, 1998
Overall its a pretty good reference and will provide useful insights. However, its focus is on persons travelling to these countries. If you are looking for help in how to deal with people using E-Mail, phone, etc. it is lacking. For instance, it needs more coverage of how names and titles and should be dealt with. If you are contacted via E-Mail by someone naned Gu Wing-Dang you might ask: is this a woman or man? If you're not sure, what's the best address? The book covers some of these topics but it is spotty and depends on the specific country you are looking for information on.
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
 Indespensible tool for conducting business outside the US.Jul 09, 1998
By roger@sonance.com
I searched for a book like this for several years after becoming an international sales manager, and had almost decided to write a similar text when I happened across Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands. It's now a reference guide for everyone in our office who travels to, purchases from or sells to international vendors or customers. Great information in an easily understood format. Some statements are by necessity generalizations, but if you follow the guidelines in the book, you'll never offend a potential international business partner. I've given K,B or SH to several business associates - but never to competitors.
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