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A
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Entertainment and hospitality
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Alexandra Adler continues
her seminar on cross-cultural issues. Entertaining and hospitality vary a
lot in different cultures.
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•
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In
Alphaland, entertaining is important. There are long business lunches
in restaurants, where deals are discussed. Professional and private
life are separate, and clients are never invited home.
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•
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In
Betatania, evenings are spent drinking and singing in bars with
colleagues and clients.
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•
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In
Gammaria, lunch can be important, but less so than in Alphaland. Important
contacts may be invited to dinner at home. Corporate hospitality is a
big industry, with clients invited to big sports events.
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•
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In
Deltatonia, restaurants are rare outside the capital. Some entertainment
takes place when important clients are invited to people’s houses for
dinner, or go sailing or to country houses for the weekend, etc.
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B
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Time
Attitudes
towards time can be very enormously.
In Busyville
, people start work at eight and officially finish at six, though many
managers stay much longer. there is a culture of presenteeism: being at
work when you don’t need to be.
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C
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Cross-cultural communication
Here are some other areas of
potential cultural misunderstanding:
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a. distance when talking to
people: what is comfortable?
b. eye contact: how much of
the time do people look directly at each other?
c. gesture: do people make
lots of facial gestures? How much do they move their arms and hands?
d. greetings/ goodbyes: do
people shake hands every time? Are there fixed phrases to say?
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EXERCISES
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47.1
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In which country from A opposite might you hear these things?
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1. How about a trip out
tomorrow afternoon? We could see some horse racing and have a glass of
champagne?
2. Do come out with us this
evening! I know some great bars. How’s your singing?
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47.2
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Look at B
opposite. Tick (√) the things this visitor to Busyville does right, and put
a cross (X) by her mistakes.
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I phoned my contact in her
office at 7.30 pm. (1___) I suggested working breakfast the next morning.
(2___) She wasn’t keen, so I suggested lunch. (3___) We arranged to meet
at her office at 12.30. I arrived at 12.45 (4___) and we went to a
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47.3
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Which points
in C opposite are referred to in this story?
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Sally, a
student, is working for a company abroad for work experience. The company
has employees from all over the world. The head of the company, Henrik,
invites Sally to a barbecue for his employees at his home, at 3 pm on
Saturday.
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