Presenting practical strategies for managing in today's multicultural workplace, this book is intended particularly for business leaders in organizations that are seeking increased market expansion through acquisition, mergers and joint ventures, as well as for those with overseas subsidiaries. Within this book, the American, Japanese and Arab cultures have been targeted to provide cultural contrast, and to show the special skills needed to successfully negotiate differences within these cultures. Several specific cross-cultural business situations are presented in each chapter. Following these examples, the cultural contrasts are explored, examining how people from different cultural backgrounds would respond to the given situation. Detailed tables give the reader a deeper understanding of the cultural differences discussed. While the contrasting cultural entities of North America, Asia and the Middle East were chosen to demonstrate the challenges and complexities in multicultural interactions everywhere, the techniques learned from this book can be easily applied to many other cultures.
The country or company whose citizens have the greatest cultural competency will gain the competitive edge in the coming years, and this book should be a useful tool in learning the skills needed to succeed.