Please read the article below and Develop your own three original discussion questions in relation to the case scenario above.

An article titled, "Culture blunders dog international trading,"* relates a story told by Dr. Cheryl Rivers of Queensland University of Technology [Australia]: The story is about an Australian businesswoman with a non-gender-specific first name who had been negotiating with a Japanese firm for months by fax and email.

Finally, the Japanese buyer decided to travel to Australia to meet face-to-face. On the day of arrival, the Australian businesswoman went to the airport to meet the Japanese buyer. It turned out that he was an older Japanese gentleman. She had heard that in the older generation in Japan they tend not to be comfortable dealing with women as peers in a business relationship.

The Australian businesswoman knew something of business etiquette in Japan, so when she spotted the client in the arrival area at the airport, she went up to him and bowed. When she introduced herself, the gentleman looked startled. In fact, he seemed to lose his composure for a moment, because he realized now for the first time that he had been dealing with a woman all the while.

The businesswoman could not help noticing the older gentleman's reaction. Making a quick decision, she bowed again, deeper this time, and introduced her husband who she said runs the company. Then she backed off and let the husband do the talking.

But in fact, the husband did not run the company. He had nothing to do with the company. The businesswoman had decided that there was this impenetrable cultural barrier, so she made a choice on the spot. Apparently, in the end, her husband did quite a good job. The client signed the purchase order.

Your original three questions:

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