Marketing

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First post:

Business customs per country vary based on the culture of the country overall. It is particularly important to recognize the miniscule business customs each country has. It is expected that a foreign businessperson will make a few mistakes when first entering a foreign business partnership. As the book says, most sensible businesspeople will make the allowances for the occasional misstep. But the fewer you make, the smoother the relationship will be. (pg. 133). Business customs in a country can be as small as calling someone a compadre and still be able to form trusting relationships; I was not aware that this word could be symbolic of that as I use it in a casual sense. The book offers many examples of the slight differences in business customs. An interesting custom I found was the way Business cards are exchanged in Japan. The book mentions the Japanese ritual of bowing, and states that Japanese, do not expect a Westerner to bow and to understand the ritual of boxing among Japanese, (pg. 132), yet bowing is only the first part in exchanging a business card for them; the ritual is shown as a form of respect both for the person giving and the person receiving the business card. It consists of bowing and giving the card to the receiver with both hands, in which the receiver must carefully analyze the card as a sign of respect; it is also important for the receiver to refrain from playing with or bending the card as it is a sign of disrespect to the other businessperson. The best way for U.S. Firms to deal with a custom like this would be to practice the ritual through watching online videos or finding a Japanese person who would be willing to help them practice this ritual. Proper training of customs of a foreign business is essential for strong relationships with those businesses.

Second post:

In Chapter 5 of the textbook, it states that, "adaptation does not require business executives to change to local customs; rather they must be willing to accommodate those differences that can cause misunderstandings" (Page 131). Meaning if you travel to a foreign country, that does not mean you have to change the way you are. You just simply have to know the cultures and beliefs of other foreign countries, in order to understand what is acceptable and unacceptable in that country. For example, in Argentina punctuality is valued. I have always believed that it is better to leave early than to be late. I consider punctuality is important and says a lot about a person.Additionally, in Chapter 5 it mentions, "when different cultures meet, open tolerance and a willingness to accommodate each other's differences are necessary" (Page 131). In Argentina, exchanging gifts between each other is rare. Gifts are not anticipated until a close relationship is formed. In my opinion, I consider this is a great idea that Argentina believes. Some countries may consider gifts are shown as an appreciation, but other countries believe it may be determined as a bribery. In the end, it is always better to understand a foreign country's business customs. We might consider some customs may be acceptable in our country, while other countries consider some customs are unacceptable.