B A S IC S O F C O R P O R A T E C

. . 2008
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.. Basics of Corporate Culture. : . .: . .. , 2007. 45 .

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1. WHAT IS CORPORATE CULTURE? Well answer that question with a story. When Larry was in college, he shared a dorm room with a student who raised tropical fish. Halfway through the spring semester, the roommate dropped out of school to join the army, and since he couldnt take the fish to basic training, he left them to Larry as a gift. Larry, a lifelong dog person, had no experience caring for fish, but he did his best to follow the feeding instructions his roommate had left behind. For a while, the fish did fine, but after several months of Larrys fish-ignorant, college-distracted care, the tank became so clouded with algae and used fish food you could hardly see the little guys swimming around. So, with the best of intentions, Larry set out to clean the aquarium. After transferring the fish to a small container, he dumped the dirty water from the aquarium, scrubbed the glass inside and out with Windex, and then rinsed and refilled the aquarium. Finally, he put the fish back into their sparkling clean home and watched proudly as they swam back and forth across the tank. This happy display didnt last long, however; within an hour, all the fish were dead. A friend who knew something about tropical fish guessed that the fish had died from either the shock of the change in water temperature, the residue of Windex that may have been on the glass, or both. In other words, it was the environment that killed the fish. In organisations, we call the social and political environment in which people work the corporate culture. Like the water in the fish tank, corporate culture is the medium in which the business of the company takes place. Its reflected in everything that occurs in the organisation from the way people greet each other in the morning to the way they behave in meetings to the way decisions are made and it affects every aspect of the business. Fail to attend to it and algae-like strands of indifference and inertia will grow, making the atmosphere murky and inhospitable. Introduce a toxic presence, and it will cause the spirit of the company to sicken, and even die. Change it too abruptly, and it will throw everyone into a shock from which the business may never recover. Before you transform your own organisational culture into one of absolute honesty, it is helpful to have a clear and complete picture of the culture currently in place. You can form that picture by observing and analysing your organisation from three perspectives: (1) common behaviour patterns, (2) organisational values and beliefs, and (3) personal attitudes and assumptions. 2. ENGLISH: THE LANGUAGE OF MILLIONS Job advertisements in quality European newspapers sometimes ask for a good working knowledge of English. Nowadays, large international companies often use English to communicate between offices and subsidiaries in different countries. 75% of all letters and telexes are in English and 80% of all the information in the worlds computers is in English, so organisations need employees who speak good English. European professionals feel that English sometimes helps them to get a new job. It is usually a passport to more money, more travel, and more interest in their work.
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Why is English so important as an international language? The statistics answer the question. About 350 million people speak English as a first language and another 300 million use English as a second language. It is the official or semi-official language in more than 60 countries and of many international organisations. The International Olympic Committee, for example, always holds meetings in English. Air traffic control and ommunication at sea around the world is always in English. International English has a rich and growing vocabulary. Many everyday words come from other languages. Umbrella, for example, comes from ombra, the Italian word for shade. English speakers get their breakfast marmalade from the Portuguese word marmelada. There are many Spanish words in English including cargo, flotilla, and macho; German gives the English language the words hamburger, waltz, and quartz; and French provides liaison, lite, and caf. English helps the business world to communicate across national borders. Many international companies provide language training programmes for employees. They know that English is a passport to a successful future. It is the language of millions. 3. TITLES AND NAMES In English-speaking countries, use Mr plus the last name for men. There are two titles for women, Ms [mIz, mqz] or Mrs ['mIsIz]. The latter is used before the surnames (family names) of married women. Its best to use Ms if you arent sure which title to use. Miss is usually not used as a title for women. What name do you use with a title? In most Western countries, the order of names is first (given) name, then last (family) name, for example, Alice Harper, Clarita Marcos. Use the family name when you meet someone. For example, say Ms Harper to Alice Harper, or Ms Marcos to Clarita Marcos. People use the family name with titles in China, Japan, and Korea, too. But the order of names is different family name, then first name(s). Chen Jihai is Mr Chen, not Mr Jihai. What about first names? In the USA and Canada, first names are OK when you first meet. If someone says, Please call me Tony, use the first name. Its polite and friendly. Now you are on first name terms with him. 4. GREETINGS AROUND THE WORLD In international business, shaking hands is the usual greeting. But people shake hands in different ways. In France, hand-shakes are very quick, but in Brazil people take more time to shake hands. However, in both Brazil and France, its customary to shake hands with people in a room when you arrive and leave. People do not shake hands as often in North America. When shaking hands in English-speaking countries, remember: Look at the persons eyes, Shake hands firmly (but not strongly), Shake hands for only 2 or 3 seconds.

5. WORKING AND EATING AROUND THE WORLD The work week in Argentina is Monday to Friday, but executives in Argentina have very long days. Sometimes business meetings start at 8 p.m., so dinner in Argentina usually starts after 10 p.m. In Argentina, business people finish work very late, but executives in the United States often start work very early. The usual business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but many companies have power breakfast meetings early in the morning, at 6 or 7 a.m. These breakfast meetings are popular because managers can meet new clients and customers before the start of the usual business day. In South Korea, the usual business hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. Managers often have business dinners after work, sometimes just in a local coffee shop, but they rarely have business breakfasts. 6. THE ART OF THE BUSINESS LUNCH The business lunch is an excellent way to improve a relationship with a client. However, since eating is a very social thing, its easy to get distracted. So plan what you would like to discuss, just like a business meeting. It helps to think of the business lunch as having a specific beginning, middle, and end. Begin with a minute or two of small talk, and then talk about business until the food arrives. During the meal, put away the paperwork and focus on getting to know your client. Avoid food that is messy or difficult to eat. The person who does the inviting should pay for the meal. If you think your clients will insist on paying, pay the bill in advance. Arrive earlier than your guests. Do not order anything while you are waiting for them. When the guests arrive, stand up and shake hands. If they are late, wait about 15 minutes before you telephone their office. The three-hour power lunch has largely disappeared in North America. Nowadays, the appropriate length for the business lunch is about 1 hours: a shorter, more productive meeting that still leaves time for work afterwards. 7. BEING ON TIME When will the 10 a.m. meeting start? People from different cultures might give different answers: at 9:30 or 9:45, around 10 or 10:30, at exactly ten oclock, when everyone is here and ready. In Australia, being on time means arriving at the scheduled time. If youre late, an Australian executive might think youre careless or not serious. Things are different in Chile. Chileans expect foreigners to arrive at the scheduled time. But Chilean managers may be late when they go to a meeting. However, for social occasions at someones home, such as dinner or a party, everyone should arrive at least 30 minutes after the scheduled time. In China, it is very bad manners to make someone wait or cancel a meeting. Everyone should be on time for business and social meetings. In fact, Chinese managers will often arrive 15 to 30 minutes early for a business meeting. (If you are there before its over, you are on time.)
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8. BUSINESS DRESS CODES Dress codes are rapidly changing in the world of business. In companies across the United States, the business suit and tie are disappearing from the workplace, and casual office wear slacks and a sports jacket for men, pants or a skirt and a jacket for women is becoming more and more popular. Dress down Friday (a day when employees are permitted to wear casual clothes) is spreading to the other weekdays, and this trend will probably continue. In a poll of 3,700 executives by Management Recruiters International of Cleveland, Ohio, 40 percent believed that the business suit is becoming a thing of the past. Many executives believe that business people will not wear suits at all ten years from now, not even to job interviews. 9. WHERE IS YOUR OMFORT ZONE? Where we sit, or how close we stand to other people when we talk, can be very different from one culture to another. This is because people have different comfort zones. American business people usually like to sit across from each other. They also have a lot of eye contact when speaking. Many Japanese, on the other hand, prefer to sit next to each other, but with less eye contact than Americans. Comfortable talking space for Latin Americans is about one and a half feet away from the other person. However, for many Northern Europeans, this is too close. They prefer about three feet between speakers. If you stand too close or too far away from someone, you might give the wrong idea. For example, some people might stand back to make more space. They are only moving into their comfort zone. But the other person might think this is unfriendly. What can you do? If you dont know about someones customs, follow your own. But watch how the other person moves. It probably wont be very long before you can get an idea about that persons comfort zone. 10. BODY LANGUAGE Understanding the body language of different nationalities the way they use gestures, eye-contact, and touching to communicate without words is an important part of communicating across cultures. In his book Foreign Bodies, Oxford University research psychologist, Dr Peter Collett, examines some of the differences among Europeans. Gesture Dr Collett suggests that if we compare the way different European nations use gestures, they fall into three groups. In the first group are the Nordic nations the Swedes, Finns, Norwegians, and Danes who use gestures very little. The second group includes nations such as the British, Germans, Dutch, Belgians, and Russians. They use some gestures, for example, when they are excited, or want to communicate over long distances, or to insult each other. The third group includes the Italians, Greeks, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. They use gestures a lot, to emphasize what they are saying, and to hold the other persons attention. Even when they are silent, says Dr Collett, their hands are often busy sending messages through the medium of manual semaphore.
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Personal space Peoples sense of personal space the distance that separates them from another person also varies between people of different nationalities. What feels right for one nationality may feel uncomfortable for another. British zoologist, Desmond Morris, has identified three personal space zones in Europe. In countries such as Spain, France, Italy, and Greece, people stand close enough to touch each other easily. Morris calls this the elbow zone. In East European countries such as Poland, Hungary, and Romania, people stand a little more distant. Morris calls this the wrist zone because they are close enough to touch wrists. In Britain, Holland, Belgium, Germany, and the Scandinavian countries, people prefer to stand further away from each other, and they do not generally touch. This he calls the fingertip zone. Eye-contact Another cultural difference between nationalities is the amount of eye-contact between people. In countries where people stand close to each other, in Morriss elbow zone, eye-contact is more frequent and lasts longer. Mediterranean countries, says Dr Collett, are high-look cultures whereas north European countries are lowlook cultures. Children who grow up in a low-look culture learn that it is rude to look too long at another person. In a high-look culture, eye-contact, like physical contact and gestures, is a natural way of expressing your feelings and relating to other people. This explains why, for example, north Europeans visiting south European countries may feel uncomfortable at the way people look at them.

11. TIPPING In the USA and Canada, its normal to give tips to people in service jobs, such as taxi drivers, airport and hotel porters, bartenders, and restaurant servers. How much you give differs from city to city, but its usual to tip taxi drivers 10 to 15% of the fare and porters one or two dollars for each bag or suitcase. Tip bartenders about 10 to 20% for each order, or a large tip the first time you order. Leave restaurant servers a 15 to 20% tip at dinner. Lunch tips can be less, depending on the type of restaurant and the service. Most restaurants in Canada and the USA dont include a service charge on the check. If a service charge is included, it isnt necessary to pay an extra tip. A service charge is often included in the check in many European countries, and servers often expect extra for good service. On the other hand, few restaurants in Japan and China include a service charge, and servers dont expect any tip at all! Since tipping customs are so different from country to country, the best advice is to ask your foreign colleagues or customers about tipping in their country. 12. GIVING GIFTS Giving gifts is an important part of business and culture all around the world. However, there are many different customs and practices from country to country. In the USA and Canada, most business gifts are not expensive usually twentyfive dollars or less. Some popular gifts are company calendars, pens, diaries, or golf
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caps. In Japan, business gifts are sometimes more expensive, but the price of a gift isnt the most important thing. The thought behind a gift is very important. Gifts that show you thought about a persons interests or experiences are best. Choosing a gift from your country is often a good idea. However, there are some gifts you should not give in some countries. In China, dont give a clock, and dont give four gifts to a person in Japan or Korea. Clocks and the word four can mean death or bad luck. Dont give handkerchiefs to Middle Easterners or a set of knives to Latin Americans. These things mean sadness and the cutting of relationships. Flowers are often nice gifts, but check about colors first. For example, dont give red roses to executives in Germany. Red roses are symbols of romance. 13. GIFT GIVING IN THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONTEXT In Great Britain and the United States corporate gift giving is not a very popular custom; people can spend their entire working lives without ever receiving a corporate gift. However, gift giving is sometimes an integral part of the negotiation process when doing business abroad. It is important to learn about the etiquette of gift giving before sending or taking a gift to an international client or business partner, or you may find that your gesture appears offensive. It is also interesting to note that the receiver never opens a gift in front of the giver as that would signify that the content was more important than the act of giving. Waiting for the person to open your gift would show that you were not sensitive to Chinese culture. In France, dont give something with your company logo, as they find items like this impersonal and in bad taste. Giving knives in Italy, Russia or Argentina could lead to problems in establishing a deal as this signifies cutting off the relationship! Giving flowers is another possible minefield. In England, Australia and Canada, some people see white lilies as a symbol of death while in Germany, yellow and white chrysanthemums could be seen this way. 14. BUSINESS CULTURES In the United States, executives like to be direct in business dealings. The expressions Time is money and Lets get to the point are part of the business culture. So in the USA, managers like direct discussions, including open disagreement and quick decisions. Having detailed plans and good technical knowledge are also keys to successful business relationships. In Latin American countries, good plans and technical knowledge are important too, but you should make strong social relationships first. Executives do business with individuals, not companies. In other words, managers like to do business with people they know and like, so making non-business small talk during meetings and going to social events are important from Mexico to Argentina. In East Asian countries, politeness and respect for age and rank are very important for good business relationships. Perhaps the most important thing to remember in East Asia is never disagree openly with someone in a meeting. This can embarrass the other people and they will probably not trust you as a business partner.

15. CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT Managing a truly global multinational company would obviously be much simpler if it required only one set of corporate objectives, goals, policies, practices, products and services. But local differences often make this impossible. Companies that want to be successful in foreign markets have to be aware of the local cultural characteristics that affect the way business is done. A fairly obvious cultural divide that has been much studied is the one between, on the one hand, the countries of North America and north-west Europe, where management is largely based on analysis, rationality, logic and systems, and, on the other, the Latin cultures of southern Europe and South America, where personal relations, intuition, emotion and sensitivity are of much greater importance. The largely Protestant cultures n both sides of the North Atlantic (Canada, the USA, Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Scandinavia) are essentially individualist. In such cultures, status has to be achieved. You don't automatically respect people just because they have been in a company for 30 years. A young, dynamic, aggressive manager with an MBA (a Master in Business Administration degree) can quickly rise in the hierarchy. In most Latin and Asian cultures, on the contrary, status is automatically accorded to the boss, who is more likely to be in his fifties or sixties than in his thirties. This is particularly true in Japan, where companies traditionally have a policy of promotion by seniority. A 50-year-old Japanese manager, or a Greek or Italian or Chilean one, would quite simply be offended by having to negotiate with an aggressive, well-educated, but inexperienced American or German 20 years his junior. A Japanese would also want to take the time to get to know the person with whom he was negotiating, and would not appreciate an assertive American who wanted to sign a deal immediately and take the next plane home. In northern cultures, the principle of pay-for-performance often successfully motivates sales people. The more you sell, the more you get paid. But the principle might well be resisted in more collectivist cultures, and in countries where rewards and promotion are expected to come with age and experience. A Dutch researcher, Fons Trompenaars gives the sample of a sales rep in an Italian subsidiary of a US multinational company who was given a huge quarterly bonus under a new policy imposed by head office. His sales which had been high for years declined dramatically during the following three months. It was later discovered that he was deliberately trying not to sell more than any of his colleagues, so as not to reveal their inadequacies. He was also desperate not to earn more than his boss, which he thought would be an unthinkable humiliation that would force the boss to resign immediately. Trompenaars also reports that Singaporean and Indonesian managers objected that pay-for-performance caused salesmen to pressure customers into buying products they didn't really need, which was not only bad for long term business relations, but quite simply unfair and ethically wrong.

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16. MARKETING ACROSS CULTURES The story is often told about General Motors trying to sell their Nova model car in Latin America and finding out that no va literally means it doesnt go in Spanish. But cultural awareness in marketing is a lot more than careful translation. There are many more subtle differences between cultures. For example, colors that seem attractive in one culture may be unattractive or tasteless in another. Schedules, transportation, and everyday routines differ widely. And the simplest cultural differences can upset the greatest plans. In Japan, for example, a US household products company spent millions of dollars on a marketing campaign to introduce its laundry detergent. Nevertheless, sales were very low. In fact, few stores even stocked the soap. The reason? The typically American large, economy-sized boxes were far too big for the Japanese market. The product required too much space to stock and the boxes were very heavy to carry. In Europe and in much of Asia, product comparisons in advertising are not accepted or allowed. Declaring that one soft drink tastes better than another, or that one automobile is more dependable than another, could be met with distaste or even legal action. Many cultures prefer a more humble approach and consider American advertising too loud and aggressive. US companies doing business overseas may find that an approach that emphasizes company longevity and reputation may work better 17. LEARNING TO COPE WITH CORPORATE CULTURE CLASHES The dos and donts of travelling abroad are a potential minefield for the unprepared traveller. If you spit in some countries, you could end up in prison. In others, spitting is a competitive sport. The Centre for International Briefing has spent 40 years preparing the wary traveller for such pitfalls. Though it may sound like a covert operation for aspiring secret agents, what the Centre does is prepare travellers for encounters with new social and business customs worldwide. To date, over 50,000 people have passed through its headquarters at Farnham Castle in Surrey. There are two broad tracks to our training programme, explains Jeff Toms, Marketing Director. One covers business needs, the other social etiquette. For example, business travellers need to know how decision-making works. In Asian cultures most of it takes place behind the scenes. In China, it may be necessary to have government involved in any decisions taken. And in India, people are sometimes late for a scheduled appointment. Greetings, gestures and terms of address are all potential hazards abroad. While we are familiar with the short firm handshake in this part of the world, in the Middle East the hand is held in a loose grip for a longer time. In Islamic cultures, showing the soles of your feet is a sign of disrespect and the reason crossing your legs is seen as offensive. The difference between understanding a culture and ignoring its conventions can be the measure of success or failure abroad. Jeff Toms tells the story of a British employee asked to post a letter by her Indonesian employer. She knew the letter was too late for the six oclock post, so she decided to hold it until the eight oclock one. Her boss saw the letter on her desk and sacked her for not posting it immediately. In
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Western cultures, we believe in empowering people and rewarding them for using initiative, but other cultures operate on the basis of obeying direct orders. John Doherty, International Marketing Director with he Irish Industrial Development Authority, explains how you can easily talk yourself into trouble at a business meeting in Japan: For them, the most senior person at the meeting will say very little, and the person doing most of the talking is not very important. Doherty has spent 12 of his 16 years with the IDA working abroad in the USA, Germany, South-East Asia and Japan. In a country like Japan, the notion of personal space which we value so much simply has no meaning, he says. With a population of 125 million condensed into a narrow strip of land, private space for the Japanese is virtually non-existent. You cant worry about your personal space in a packed train when people are standing on your feet. 18. TIPTOEING THROUGH THE MINEFIELD D Show an interest in, and at least an elementary knowledge of the country you are visiting; Learn a few words of the language it will be seen as a compliment; Be sensitive to countries who have bigger and better-known neigh-bours, and try not to confuse Canadians with Americans, New Zealanders with Australians, Belgians with French, Danes with Dutch. Familiarise yourself with the basics of business and social etiquette. As a starting point, learning how to greet people is very important. Don't Assume you wont meet any communication problems because you speak English. You may think you are paying somebody a compliment by telling them their business is going a bomb, Americans will infer you think it is failing. Appear too reserved. As Americans are generally more exuberant than their European colleagues, they may equate reserve with lack of enthusiasm. 19. MINIMIZING YOUR LUGGAGE LOSS RISKS If possible, fly direct. If that's not possible, then make sure connections are not too tight so that baggage handlers have enough time to get your luggage from one airplane to the next. Arriving on time, or even early, all but ensures that your luggage will get onto the airplane with you. If you plan to use a lock, make sure it is one that is approved by luggage-handling security. Remove all old luggage tags these can be confusing to baggage handlers. Make sure that the three-letter airport code is clear. Use a unique suitcase to prevent others from mistaking it for theirs. If this is not an option, then tie on a colorful piece of string or something else that grabs your eye. Do not send valuables such as cameras, laptops, cash or expensive jewelry in
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your checked luggage. Airlines warn that they are not responsible for the loss of any such item. Know the contents of your bag so that if it goes missing, you can itemize it more easily. If you have receipts for the items you pack in your luggage, all the better. Include your name and contact information inside the bag as well as on the outside. That way, if the luggage tag falls off, the airline can still find you. 20. THEORY X AND THEORY Y In The Human Side of Enterprise, Douglas McGregor outlined two opposing theories of work and motivation. What he calls Theory X is the traditional approach to workers and working which assumes that people are lazy and dislike work, and that they have to be both threatened (for example, with losing their job) and rewarded. It assumes that most people are incapable of taking responsibility for themselves and have to be looked after. Theory Y, on the contrary, assumes that people have a psychological need to work and want achievement and responsibility. Later theorists argued that Theory Y makes much greater demands on both workers and managers than McGregor realized. Abraham Maslow, for example, spent a year studying a Californian company that used Theory Y, and concluded that its demands for responsibility and achievement are excessive for many people. He pointed out that there are always weak and vulnerable people, with little self-discipline, who need protection against the burden of responsibility. Even strong and healthy people need the security of order and direction. Managers cannot simply substitute Theory Y for Theory X. They have to replace the security provided by Theory X with a different structure of security and certainty 21. EARLY PROMOTION AND ITS PROBLEMS Since privatisation, the National Transport Company has gone from strength to strength. It now employs more than thirty-three thousand people worldwide and the numbers are still rising. Moreover, without doubt the quality, interest and skill of the jobs have improved. A young man joining the company today and anxious for promotion must have a far wider range of skills. People of real talent are moving up at a faster rate. For example, the last two appointees to the board of directors were in their late thirties, a full decade younger than the previous generation of board promotions This can cause problems for the next generation. It will be fifteen to twenty years before these new men are ready to retire. Promotion will be blocked unless earlier retirement of board members is encouraged. The retirement age for management must get progressively younger. Senior managers must be able to leave at 55 perhaps to start a new, less taxing business career. They must be provided with enough capital, through profit-sharing and share ownership, to ensure they can begin again if they wish or even should they choose to do nothing at all in comfort. 22. FAST-TRACKING EMPLOYEES The appointment of Carly Fiorina as president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard is
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an example of two major trends in corporate America. First, female executives are gradually rising to the top. Second, companies tend to hire top managers from outside rather than promote from within the company. Very few American companies train employees well enough to become leaders of the company, says William . Byham, author of the book Grow Your Own Leaders. Some companies do have a list of possible employees for top jobs, but they fear that these people do not have the skills or training to take over if a key person leaves. Others have great hopes for some employees, but dont tell them. Byham says that upper management must be strongly committed to developing its own leaders. That in itself can be a problem because some managers dont want to train people to take their place. According to Byham, it is important to identify several people for the fast track, and give them assignments that will develop their management skills. And finally, it is important to make sure that people who are on the fast track know that they have a place in the organizations future. 23. THE CHANGING FACE OF WORK In the 70s and 80s, most managers expected to continue working until retirement at sixty or sixty-five. But now, the situation is changing. Since the beginning of the 1990s, many managers in their forties and fifties have lost their jobs. Sometimes, the reason for making managers redundant is a company buy-out or restructuring. Also, the recession of the late 1980s and early 1990s caused many redundancies. But it is also true that fixed-term contracts are becoming more popular, and many companies prefer younger managers. The result is that large numbers of unemployed managers are still looking for work now. And, for those who are over fifty years old, its not certain that they will find full-time employment again. What can a manager do in this situation? One important lesson is that every manager must be ready for change. You know that you are going to the office tomorrow morning, but you cant be certain that your job will exist a year from now. 24. THE MANAGEMENT STYLE AT IBM. Every IBM employee's ambition is apparently to become a manager, and the company helps them out m this area by making management the company's single biggest business. IBM executives dont design products and write software; they manage the design and writing of software. They go to meetings. So much effort, in fact, is put into managing all the managers who are managing things that hardly anyone is left over to do the real work. This means that most IBM hardware and nearly all IBM software is written or designed by the lowest level of people in the company trainees. Everyone else is too busy going to meetings, managing, or learning to be a manager, so there is little chance to include any of their technical expertise in IBM products. Go back and read that last paragraph over again, because that's why IBM products often arent very competitive. IBM has layers and layers of management to check and verify each decision as it
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is made and amended. The safety net is so big at IBM that it is hard to make a bad decision. In fact, it is hard to make any decision at all, which turns out to be the company's greatest problem and the source of its ultimate downfall. 25. A PART OF THE APPLE CULTURE Somehow, early on, reorganizations reorgs became part of the Apple culture. They happen every three to six months and come from Apple's basic lack of understanding that people need stability in order to be able to work together. [...] The problem with reorgs is that they seem to happen overnight, and many times they are handled by groups being demolished and people being told to go to Human Resources and find a new job at Apple. And so the sense is at Apple that if you don't like where you are, don't worry, because three to six months from now everything is going to be different. At the same time, though, the continual reorganizations mean that nobody has long-term responsibility for anything. Make a bad decision? Who cares! By the time the bad news arrives, you'll be gone and someone else will have to handle the problems. If you do like your job at Apple, watch it, because unless you are in some backwater that no one cares about and is severely under-staffed, your job may be gone in a second, and you may be on the street with one or two months to find a job at Apple. Today, the sense of anomie alienation, disconnectedness at Apple is major. The difference between the old Apple, which was crazy, and the new Apple is anomie. People are alienated. Apple still gets the bright young people. They come into Apple, and instead of getting all fired up about something, they go through one or two reorgs and get disorientated. I don't hear people who are really happy to be at Apple any more. They wonder why they are there, because they've had two bosses in six months, and their job has changed twice. Its easy to mix up groups and end up not knowing anyone. That's a real problem. 26. RAISING THE TITANIC When Fernando Pinto became CEO of Varig Airlines in January 1996, the job of turning the company around was compared to raising the Titanic. The company was behind in every way, and employee morale was at an all-time low. Pintos office did not even have a computer, just a typewriter. Pinto immediately announced a plan to revolutionize the company. Focusing first on customer satisfaction, he gave bonuses to employees who met company goals of improved service. As a result, customer satisfaction improved from 80 to 95 percent during Pintos first 18 months. To change the image of the company, he redesigned the old 1945 logo to a more modern-looking image. To increase Varigs profitability, Pinto had to sell aircraft, lay off 2,000 workers, and discontinue unprofitable routes. Finally, Pinto brought Varig into the modern era by purchasing 5,500 new computers, and he invested $30 million in software programmes to increase efficiency. Although Varig continued to have problems, the turnaround was considered a success. In 1999, Pinto was elected Businessman of the Year by Brazils National Commerce Federation. Varig also won the World Travel Award for the best airline in
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Latin America that year. 27. HOW TO BE A GREAT MANAGER At the most general level, successful managers tend to have four characteristics: they take enormous pleasure and pride in the growth of their people; they are basically cheerful optimists someone has to keep up morale when setbacks occur; they dont promise more than they can deliver; when they move on from a job, they always leave the situation a little better than it was when they arrived. The following is a list of some essential tasks at which a manager must excel to be truly effective. Great managers accept blame: When the big wheel from head office visits and expresses displeasure, the great manager immediately accepts full responsibility. In everyday working life, the best managers are constantly aware that they selected and should have developed their people. Errors made by team members are in a very real sense their responsibility. Great managers give praise: Praise is probably the most under-used management tool. Great managers are forever trying to catch their people doing something right, and congratulating them on it. And when praise comes from outside, they are swift not merely to publicize the fact, but to make clear who has earned it. Managers who regularly give praise are in a much stronger position to criticize or reprimand poor performance. Great managers make blue sky: Very few people are comfortable with the idea that they will be doing exactly what they are doing today in 10 years time. Great managers anticipate peoples dissatisfaction. Great managers put themselves about: Most managers now accept the need to find out not merely what their team is thinking, but what the rest of the world, including their customers, is saying. So MBWA (management by walking about) is an excellent thing, though it has to be distinguished from MBWAWP (management by walking about without purpose), where senior management wander aimlessly, annoying customers, worrying staff and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Great managers judge on merit: A great deal more difficult than it sounds. Its virtually impossible to divorce your feelings about some-one whether you like or dislike them from how you view their actions. But suspicions of discrimination or favouritism are fatal to the smooth running of any team, so the great manager accepts this as an aspect of the game that really needs to be worked on. Great managers exploit strengths, not weaknesses, in them- selves and in their people: Weak managers feel threatened by other peoples strengths. They also revel in the discovery of weakness and regard it as something to be exploited rather than remedied. Great managers have no truck with this destructive thinking. They see strengths, in themselves as well as in other people, as things to be built on, and weakness as something to be accommodated, worked around and, if possible, eliminated. Great managers make things happen: The old-fashioned approach to management was rather like the old-fashioned approach to child-rearing: Go and see what the children are doing and tell them to stop it! Great managers have confidence that
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their people will be working in their interests and do everything they can to create an environment in which people feel free to express themselves. Great managers make themselves redundant: Not as drastic as it sounds! What great managers do is learn new skills and acquire useful information from the outside world, and then immediately pass them on, to ensure that if they were to be run down by a bus, the team would still have the benefit of the new information. No one in an organization should be doing work that could be accomplished equally effectively by someone less well paid than themselves. So great managers are perpetually on the look-out for higher-level activities to occupy their own time, while constantly passing on tasks that they have already mastered. 28. THE NEW LEADERSHIP In the twenty-first century, managers looking to get ahead will need a completely different set of skills. Technology, products, markets, and customers are changing fast, and corporations will need managers that can handle uncertainty. These leaders will also need the ability to work as part of a team, have concerns for the needs of employees, and also have a sense of humour. In order to survive, corporations will have to establish an increasing number of partnerships with suppliers, distributors, and their most important customers. Leaders will have to rely more than ever on their staff to act independently to maintain these relationships. As a result, they will also need to build a different kind of relationship with the people who work for them: one based on trust, rather than seniority. The best leaders will favour a team-based approach to management. In addition, skilled employees will be more in demand, so they will be freer to come and go as they please. Managers will have to make more of an effort to attract new talent and to respond to the needs of their existing employees. Listening skills and a desire to help people could well become important qualities in a successful manager. Also, increased globalization will require sensitivity to other peoples traditions and languages. 29. MALE AND FEMALE STYLES IN THE WORKPLACE Men and women do things differently. There are, of course, exceptions to every generalization, including this one. Cristina Stuart is a managing director of Speakeasy Training, a consul-tancy that runs courses for men and women working together. Here she describes a few key differences between the sexes in the workplace. Working together The male approach to business is competitive, direct and confrontational. The end justifies the means. Personal status and a focus on the individual are important. The female method is collaborative. Collective action and responsibility are more important than personal achievement. Lateral thinking, as well as goodwill and the well-being of the individual, are also of great importance. Tackling problems The male approach is to go to the heart of the problem, without taking into account secondary considerations. The female preference is to look at various options.
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 Body language Male body language tends to be challenging. Female body language tends towards self-protection. A stereotypical female pose is sitting crosslegged; the male sits with legs apart to give an impression that he is in control. Male behaviour can include forceful gestures, for example banging a fist on the desk for effect. The female style does not usually include aggressive gestures. Language The male way of speaking does not encourage discussion. Women tend to welcome others opinions and contributions more. Conversation Men like to talk about their personal experiences and achievements or discuss masculine topics such as cars or sport. Women tend to talk about staff problems and personal matters. Meetings If a woman does not copy the male confrontational style, she is often ignored. Self-promotion Men find it easy to tell others about their successes. Women tend to share or pass on the credit for a success. Humour Mens humour can be cruel a mans joke usually has a victim. Female humour is less hurtful. A woman often jokes against herself. CAVEAT Many men have a female style of working. Equally many women have a male approach. As Ms Stuart says many of the current management theorems flatter organizations, empowerment, managing by consensus have a female style to them. 30. JOB SATISFACTION What is more important to you? Higher pay or fewer working hours? More challenging work or less stress? A survey of Canadian workers asked these questions to find the reasons that make jobs good or bad for employees. Of course, good pay was important to the workers surveyed, but pay was only fourth on the list. A balance between work and personal life, chances for improving job skills, and the belief that the company satisfies customers were all more important than pay. Next, too much stress was a major point. More than 35% of workers said they had too much stress in their jobs, but levels of stress were different across industries. For example, government employees had a higher percentage (44%) of stress than insurance and finance industry employees (32%). Finally employees wanted managers who listen to workers opinions and ideas. As one company vice-president said, Employees want to be more involved, and they need more two-way communication in making workplace decisions. So, managers who communicate well with employees can make a big difference in job satisfaction. 31. E-COMMERCE IS HERE TO STAY The Internet is changing the way business is done worldwide. Everyone from property developers in Hong Kong to banks in Argentina is doing business online. In business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce, companies use the Internet to conduct business with each other. This offers tremendous opportunities for all types of businesses. For smaller manufacturers and exporters, the Internet is an equalizer. It allows them to compete with much bigger businesses for buyers anywhere in the world, just for the cost of setting up and maintaining a website.
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Today, most banks provide online services to businesses as well as to individual customers. Businesses can now complete bank transactions, such as collection and payments on the Web. This avoids an endless paper trail of invoices and receipts. The Internet also gives manufacturers and suppliers greater access to each other. At TSMC, Taiwans integrated circuit chip manufacturer, buyers use the Internet to check manufacturing schedules, inform the company when they need supplies, and follow the order process through the manufacturing cycle. At TSMC, the company can share important information with its suppliers, transmit orders, and even notify their salespeople on their pagers when an order is ready. 32. STRATEGIC OUTSOURCING Nowadays more and more companies are outsourcing parts of their operations in order to become more flexible in a changing business environment. In the practice of outsourcing, companies hire outside businesses to handle parts of their internal operations. In the past decade, outsourcing has helped many companies focus on the most important parts of their business: growth and profitability. Companies such as General Electric, Nike, Xerox, and Microsoft use outsourcing in different ways. Organizations have outsourced such functions as information technology, real estate management, human resources, and finance. A big advantage of outsourcing is that it allows an enterprise to concentrate on the business it does best. For example, a bank may outsource its real estate management, but it would never outsource the core of its business: financial transactions. Of course, before contracting out internal functions, a company must first carefully examine which processes are less essential. 33. QUALITY MEANS SERVICE, TOO In the past, quality control was seen primarily as a manufacturing problem. But what makes a company stand out today is the quality of the service it provides to the customer. This has encouraged the trend towards total quality management, or TQM. TQM has redefined quality to mean what feels right to the customer. For Ford, that means a toll-free number to respond to customer complaints quickly. For Federal Express, it means an online tracking system that allows customers to know where their packages are at any time. For IBM, its a system that automatically recognizes trouble and alerts technicians sometimes before the clients know they have a problem. From the customers perspective, everything has to run smoothly from technical support to personal service. Hotel clerks may be polite and attentive, but if the computer system is down, their politeness isnt going to be enough. The aim of total quality management is to get everyone working together, while keeping the customer in focus. A serious TQM effort requires a considerable investment in training, consultants, and most difficult of all top management attention. But some CEOs, like Fred Smith of Federal Express, are obsessive on the subject of quality. It really has to be the be-all and end-all, Smith declares. 34. SOMETIMES HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY In more than 40 years as a salesperson, Jacques Werth has accomplished at least two things: Hes made a lot of money and learned a lot about sales, enough to write a
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book entitled High Probability Selling. Werths view of selling is simple but unusual: just be honest. The following is from an interview with Werth. Q: What is the biggest mistake that salespeople make? A: Most people think that its important to be aggressive in sales, but the opposite is true. Aggressive people are too pushy. They try to persuade people to convince them to buy. Q: Why? Arent salespeople supposed to persuade people? A: Most people dislike being persuaded. Its much better to find consumers who want to buy your product and arrive at an agreement that makes everybody happy. Q: How do you do that? A: You find out quickly who isnt going to buy your product, and move on. People may be interested, but theyre not necessarily going to buy. They just waste your time. Q: So what kind of person makes the best salesperson? A: Honest people who will listen to the customer and tell the truth. 35. COMPANY MERGERS In the late 1990s, many large companies joined to form new mega companies. American financial-services companies Citicorp and Travelers merged and became Citigroup. Swiss drug companies Sandoz and Ciba Geigy joined to form Novartis. And automobile makers Daimler-Benz of Germany and Chrysler of the USA merged to form Daimler-Chrysler. In many cases, mergers are successful. But there are also many difficulties. In the Daimler-Chrysler merger, executives face two major management culture differences. First, Chrysler managers receive higher salaries than Daimler-Benz managers. So an American manager working in Germany might have a much higher salary than his German boss. Second, Chrysler engineers, designers and marketing people work together to build and market cars. But at Daimler-Benz, engineers are in charge, and designers and marketing people dont work together as much. Balancing differences is not easy, and many people are watching how DaimlerChrysler solves its management culture differences. 36. ENDORSEMENTS Manufacturers of sports goods often use sports personalities to help sell their products. Sportsmen and women who agree to endorse a companys range of products usually sign a contract outlining the exact terms of their agreement. Contracts vary depending on how well-known the personality is and the nature of the endorsement. Typically, a company might expect a personality to: make promotional appearances in person, e.g. in-store, at trade fairs or other events; wear a companys product or logo when in action in their sport; appear in advertising and/or mail order catalogues; personalize products with their signature or photograph.
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In return, a company might offer: fees in the form of e.g. lump sums, retainers, stage payments; free products; bonuses, e.g. for winning, setting a new record etc.; royalties on product sales. Endorsements can be very profitable, both for the sporting personalities and for the companies which sign them. Take the case of the famous American basketball player, Michael Jordan, one of the most graceful and charismatic players ever to appear on a basketball court. In one year alone, his endorsement of Nike helped sell one and a half million pairs of shoes and earned him an estimated $20 million. 37. PROTECTING OUR WORLD Protecting the worlds environment is important to us all. At Shell, we believe this is part of our business, and we are doing our best to take care of our environment when we do business. As an energy company, cleaner air is an important goal for us. So were working hard to make our air cleaner in many ways. Were playing a major part in the move from oil to gas. Were planting trees. Were building clean energy plants. Were studying solar and wind energy. Were also working together with groups around the world. Were telling them about our business in their area. And were asking for their ideas and advice. We know that the protection of the worlds environment is difficult and expensive. But at Shell, we are trying to balance profits and environmental concerns. Because do we really profit if the world doesnt? 38. THE TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION Business is in a technology revolution these days. The Internet is changing the way we do business, and everyone is talking about techno-logy companies such as Microsoft and Amazon.com. But at present, many ordinary, non-tech companies and their customers are the big winners in the technology revolution. For example, instead of selling products through stores or agents, producers can sell directly to customers on the Internet. This saves producers a lot of money because they need fewer stores and agents to sell their products. But producers also have more competition because customers can see and buy products from around the world on the Internet. So, fast delivery and high-quality products and services are the keys to profitable business. This is just the beginning of the technology revolution in business. Companies that can change and move quickly are going to be very successful in the Internet economy. 39. IT'S TIME TO TRY VIDEOCONFERENCING Thanks to videoconferencing, attorneys Fred Parnon and George Pratt have become virtual partners in Parnons office. Two years ago, Parnon set up a videoconferencing system between his New York City office and Pratts suburban home, so that Pratt could avoid the long commute into the city. The partners keep the system
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on all the time. Its as if were in the same office with our desks touching, says Parnon. I miss him when its turned off. The technology lets us see each others face and hand gestures, which gives us much better communication than we would have just talking on the phone, says Parnon. More and more small business CEOs are using this increasingly affordable and available business tool. Apart from reducing travel, videoconferencing systems have other useful features. For example, using a function called a shared whiteboard, participants at great distances can work on the same document at the same time, or see the results instantly on their computer screens. While videoconferencing is not yet as quick and easy as a telephone call analysts say the day is coming. So along with your cell phone and beeper numbers, email address, and fax number, you might also need to put your videoconferencing station number on your business card. 40. THE CELL PHONE CONNECTION When customers call you on the phone they often arent calling you from a telephone on their office desk. More and more, people are calling you when theyre walking down the street or riding in a car. And theyre making their calls on cell phones. In the early 1990s, the cell (mobile) phone market was small. Makers sold 10 million units. Personal computer makers sold about 40 million units in the same period. In 1997, the picture changed. Consumers bought 100 million cell phones, compared to 80 million PCs. In 1998, over 160 million cell phones were sold. By 1999, about 300 million people owned PCs, but 400 million had cell phones. Sales of cell phones are continuing to grow each year. Cell phone makers Nokia and Motorola believe that at present over one billion people own at least one cell phone. And the cell phone now is more than a mobile telephone. It is a pocket-sized computer that can do almost everything a personal computer can do. In fact, Nokia thinks that soon more people will connect to the Internet by cell phones than from PCs. Besides, a lot of cell phones have a built-in photo or movie camera, an organizer, a calculator etc. 41. INFORMATION OVERLOAD Theres the fax, voice mail, and e-mail. Then theres the telephone, the cell phone, the car phone, and the pager. A recent study found that workers receive an astonishing number of messages from computerized devices. Employees who were surveyed received an average of 190 messages each day. Most of the messages require some form of response. Forty percent of the workers said they are interrupted by incoming messages six or more times an hour. Economist Paula Rayman, director of the Radcliffe Public Policy Institute, said that people are frustrated because they are working longer hours to handle all the requests for information and communication. People are treated like they are machines that are on all the time, she said.
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Many experts believe that the growth of information technology is making people work more efficiently. But not everybody agrees that it has a positive effect on productivity. New technology eliminates some of the old, boring tasks and gives many more people access to data. But workers need to learn to manage the flow of information. For example, they need to be strict about deleting unnecessary telephone messages and moving unimportant e-mail straight to the trash. Employees also need strategies to deal with interruptions. As Rayman points out, If you are constantly bombarded with messages, you never get your real work done. 42. TELEWORKING (TELECOMMUTING) Would you like to be a teleworker? Teleworkers are people who work for companies, but not in companies. That is to say, they do company work at home, usually on computers. Teleworkers communicate with their supervisors by telephone, fax or e-mail. They usually transfer information from their own computer to the office computer by electronic means. Some companies also give video phones to their home workers so they can see colleagues when they speak to them. Teleworking is becoming more and more popular in Britain and in the USA (in the USA, it is called telecommuting). A growing number of the working population employed by companies work at home. There are many reasons for this increase. The biggest advantage for companies is that teleworking reduces their running costs. Fewer employees at work means less office space. Also, computers are now quicker and easier to use, and the price has fallen considerably. For a company which needs more manpower, one of the cheapest solutions can be to train employees in computer skills and to give them a personal computer to use at home. But before you apply for a job as a teleworker, you shuld as yourself if it is really the best situation for you. Bill Foster, who works for a big paper-recycling company, hasnt enjoyed his last three months at home. I often fall asleep at the computer because I dont have anybody to talk to, he says. So, at lunchtimes, I often go to the nearest bar which is just at the end of my road and then the afternoon is gone! Next week, hes starting a new job in a company where there are five people in one small office. I cant wait, he says: 43. WORKING FROM HOME COULD SAVE BILLIONS Strategic Workstyles 2000, an Oxford forecasting unit, says that industry could make huge financial savings by allowing their staff to work from home. Noel Hodson, the report's author, says that the effects of allowing 15 per cent of Britains 22 million workforce to work in their own homes using telephones, facsimile machines and computers would be enormous. London would feel the biggest benefits with 526,000 fewer drivers on the roads. More than 11,000 commuters would not need to enter central London daily. Commuters would benefit from seeing their families more, saving up to four hours a day travelling to work. Companies would have a fresher workforce which did not need to be transported into a central, expensive location daily. A study for a big financial institution planning to allow 20 people to
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telecommute calculated that the company would save more than 430,000 per year. The study examines the reasons why telecommuting has not achieved the advantages of time saved and cost cutting. It says the managers are often nervous about leaving staff unattended and out of sight of the office. For the teleworker, working from home might bring unforeseen hazards, such as a partner who does not want the house invaded by machinery and office paperwork. A number of car commuters thoroughly enjoy the total isolation and privacy available to them in their cars, the report says. 44. SOME HINTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION PREPARATION Planning Plan your presentation carefully. Thorough preparation will make you more confident and help you to overcome your nervousness. Objectives Think about what you want to achieve. Are you aiming to inform, persuade, train or entertain your audience? Audience Whom exactly will you be addressing? How many people will be attending? What do they need to know? What do they already know? What will they expect in terms of content and approach? Content Brainstorm your ideas first. Then decide which are most relevant and appropriate to your audience and to your objectives and carry out any research that is necessary. Be selective! Dont try to cram too much into your presentation. Approach A good rule of thumb is to tell your audience what youre going to say, say it, then tell the audience what youve said. Try to develop your key points in an interesting and varied way, drawing on relevant examples, figures etc. for support as appropriate. You might also like to include one or two anecdotes for additional variety and humour. Organization Think about how you will organize your content. Your presentation should have a clear, coherent structure and cover the points you wish to make in a logical order. Most presentations start with a brief introduction and end with a brief conclusion. Use the introduction to welcome your audience, introduce your topic/subject, outline the structure of your talk, and provide guidelines on questions. Use the conclusion to summarize the main points of your presentation, thank your audience for their attention, and invite questions. Visual aids If you have a lot of complex information to explain, think about using some charts, diagrams, graph etc., on an overhead projector or flipchart. Visual aids can make a presentation more interesting and easier to understand, but make sure they are appropriate and clear dont try to put too much information on each one. Rehearsal Allow time to practice your presentation this will give you a chance to identify any weak points or gaps. You will also be able to check the timing, and make sure you can pronounce any figures and proper names correctly and confidently. LANGUAGE Simplicity Use short words and sentences that you are comfortable with. There is no benefit in using difficult language. Clarity Active verbs and concrete words are much clearer and easier to understand than passive verbs and abstract concepts. Avoid jargon unless you are sure
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all your audience will understand it. Signalling Indicate when youve completed one point or section in your presentation and are moving on to the next. Give your audience clear signals as to the direction your presentation is taking. DELIVERY Nerves! You will probably be nervous at the beginning of your presentation. Dont worry most people are nervous in this situation. Try not to speak too fast during the first couple of minutes this is the time you establish your rapport with the audience and the first impressions are very important. You may find it helpful to memorize your introduction. Audience rapport Try to be enthusiastic your interest in the subject matter will carry your audience along. Look around your audience as you speak eye-contact is essential for maintaining a good rapport. You will also be able to pick up signals of boredom or disinterest in which case you can cut your presentation short. Body language Stand rather than sit when you are delivering your presentation and try to be aware of any repetitive hand gestures or awkward mannerisms that might irritate your audience. Voice quality You must be clearly audible at all times dont let your voice drop at the end of sentences. If you vary your intonation, your voice will be more interesting to listen to and you will be able to make your points more effectively. Visual aids Use your visual aids confidently, making sure you allow your audience time to absorb information from flip-charts and transparencies. Audience reaction Be ready to deal with any hostile questions. Polite, diplomatic answers are a good disarming tactic, but if you should find yourself under fire, suggest that the audience keeps any further questions until the end of the presentation and continue with your next point. 45. PREPARING FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS Whether youre introducing a new company to investors or updating management on an important project, a well-planned presentation will make you look good. Presenting as a group is challenging. Here are some guidelines for planning and presenting as a team. Develop outlines. For each section of the presentation, identify key points to make. Focus on clarity. In general, simpler is better. Plan your time well. Allow enough time for each speaker and for questions at the end. Put background information or data on a separate handout. This will help listeners focus on your key points. Remember your listeners needs. How long will people be sitting? You may decide to stop and take a break in the presentation at a mid-point. Use visuals. Visuals add variety to a presentation. But dont use too many, and avoid turning down the lights for too long, especially after lunch! Practice the presentation as a team several times. Each member needs to be familiar with everyone elses content. Pay attention to transition points. For example, how will a presenter introduce the next speaker?
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 Plan to arrive early and check your equipment. Make sure that video screens and projectors are well-placed, plugged in, and working. 46. MAKING MEETINGS MORE PRODUCTIVE Many managers and workers complain about unproductive meetings. White-collar workers spend on average one to one and a half days each week in meetings, according to a survey last year by 3M Meeting Network, an online resource for running effective meetings. Managers spend as much as 33 hours a week in conferences. And meetings are increasing as more employees work in teams. How do you ensure that your meetings are productive? First, decide whether a meeting is really necessary. If you just need to give information to workers, its better to use e-mail or a memo. Its also a lot cheaper than pulling employees away from work. Second, invite only those who really need to attend. Third, send out the agenda and reading materials before the meeting so that people attending can do their homework. Lack of preparation is one of the top complaints about meetings, according to the 3M survey. The most productive meetings are those done in small groups of four or five. Small meetings tend to be more focused than large ones. They also force participants to be prepared. You cant hide in a small meeting. Start the meeting on time, and dont let it run on too long. One way to do this is to schedule it just before the end of the workday. And if people still want to sit and chat for too long, some experts have a dramatic solution: Take away the chairs and hold short meetings standing up! 47. MAKE MEETINGS WORK FOR YOU Do you dread meetings more than Monday mornings? Do you find them boring, unproductive and far too long? Meetings are central to most organisations; people need to know what their colleagues are doing and then take decisions based on shared information and opinions. How well you present yourself and your ideas, and how well you work with other people, is crucial to your career. RUNNING A MEETING Only call a meeting if you (and your colleagues) are quite clear about its purpose. Once you are certain of your objective, ask yourself whether it could be better achieved through alternative means, such as a memo. Meetings called on a routine basis tend to lose their point. Its better to wait until a situation or problem requires a meeting. If in doubt, dont waste time having one. If youre sure a meeting is the solution, circulate a memo several days in advance specifying the time and place, objectives, issues to be discussed, other participants and preparation expected. Meetings should be held in the morning, if possible, when people are usually more alert, and should last no more than an hour. Six is the optimum number of participants for a good working meeting. Inviting the whole department (more than 10) increases emotional undercurrents such as, Will my suggestions be taken seriously? Larger meetings can be productive as brainstorming sessions for ideas, provided participants can speak freely without feeling they will be judged. A successful meeting always leads to action. Decisions should take up the bulk
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of the meeting minutes, including the name of the person delegated to each task, and a deadline for its completion. Circulate the minutes after the meeting and again just before the next one. Draw out quieter members of the group. Encouragement helps create a relaxed and productive atmosphere. Do not single out any individual for personal criticism they will either silently withdraw, upset and humiliated, or try to come up with excuses rather than focusing on the problems in hand. Save critical comments for a private occasion. If youre talking for more than 50 per cent of the time, you're dominating the meeting. ATTENDING A MEETING However informal the meeting, it always pays to prepare a few key points in note form to put across or discuss. If youre unprepared, you will not be able to concentrate on what your colleagues are saying and others are less likely to listen to you because you will either waffle or sound hesitant. Dont memorise notes or read them out like a sermon. This inhibits your natural gestures: the eye contact and body language that is essential to effective communication. If you cannot answer a question, dont be afraid to say, I don't know but Ill find out and get back to you by... (give a definite date). Phrase your criticisms and proposals positively. Seek to offer solutions rather than to complain. Arrive early and sit close to the chairperson to ensure that you arent ignored. If youre late, apologise and find a seat quickly and quietly. Dont try to sneak in as if youre invisible. 48. WHAT MAKES A GOOD INTERVIEW? First, good preparation before the interview. Prepare yourself by following three simple guidelines. Guideline number one is find out as much as possible about the company. For example, you can get a lot of useful information from the companys brochures, annual reports, catalogues and so on. Two, find out if the interview is with one person or with a group of people, and what their jobs are. Its very useful to know something about the interviewers before you meet them. And three, make a checklist of the questions you want to ask at the interview. Remember: an interview is a two-way process. The company finds out as much as possible about you, and you find out as much as possible about the company. So, thats what you need to do before the interview. Now, the interview itself. There are seven more guidelines to remember here. Guideline number four, dress smartly. A suit or something formal is best. Five, arrive in good time. Arriving late for the interview is the worst thing you can do. Rule number six, create a good first impression. Remember: first impressions are very important. Start the interview with a smile, a firm handshake, and a friendly manner. Guideline number seven. Try to stay positive and relaxed during the interview. Thats difficult. People dont usually feel relaxed during an interview, but remember, your body language gives the interviewer a lot of information about you. You want that information to be positive, not negative. Number eight dont give only Yes or
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No answers. Talk freely about yourself, give reasons for your opinions, and explain why youre interested in the job. Nine ask questions. Remember the checklist of questions you prepared before the interview. Show youre interested! Finally, guideline number ten: learn from the interview. Analyse your performance afterwards and think how you can improve the next time!

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Appendix A COLLECTION OF GOOFY ADS, NOTICES, SIGNS, HEADLINES, ETC. A. For sale Diesel engine for sale, has not worked since complete overhaul. GE automatic blanket ensure sound sleep with our authorized dealer. We have the same eggs for sale that we had last winter. Dresses sold for ridiculous figures. Twin beds, everything included. $130 Houses for sale $160.000, $120.000, $100.000. Better buy one of these now. Will look very cheap in a few years. Everybodys buying our turkeys, geese and fowl because they know no better. Mandolin, owned by young man in good condition except for loose peg in the head. At these prices, these TV sets wont last long. Used secretary, in good condition. Try our Cough Drops youll never get any better. Bulldog for sale. Will eat anything. Very fond of children. For sale white spitz puppies. Call at Hot Dog Stand, Barker Street. New doghouse, $50. Suitable for a large dog or small husband. For sale Bitches and sons of Complete 30-volume set of Encyclopedia Americana. New. Never used my wife knows everything. Her costumes are not just ordinary ones, but are designed and knit to bring out a womans best points. The Toggery shop: Collarless Shirts, $30. Give your neck a break! Mothers Helper, cage for two-year-old boy. Mens Shirts, $5.50! Just by looking at them you can tell they wont last long. B. Sale information Mens summer pants way down. The Three Little Brothers Boys Trousers will be open on Saturday 11 to 18. Womens Hose coming down. C. For rent Nice 2-bedroom home in shady neighbourhood. Apartment furnished. Couple, and no children. Clean, comfortably furnished apartment. Suitable for man and wife. Also place to keep chickens. Large room, adjoining bath nice for man and wife or stenographer. Sleeping room, $4. With cook, $7. Gentleman preferred. Sign on trailer: Room for Rent; Must be Willing to Travel. For rent Apartment furnished. Large enough to keep young wife from going home to mother. Small enough to keep mother from coming here. Widow desires girl to share home or gentleman.
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D. Want ads Lady wants a partner in bathhouse. Good proposition. Man to manage Accounting Department in charge of 20 girls. Must like figures. Woman wanted as housekeeper. No clothing. Solicitors have vacancy for girl; experience preferred, not necessarily legal. Wanted Hiking partner, with car. Wanted: Someone to stay with my wife, mostly at night. Good wages. Two mature ladies for solicitation. Women, married, part time. Reporter, male or female, must be able to read and write. Cowboy wanted for resort ranch; must be able to sing and play guitar. Well teach you to ride. Farmhand Wanted No work to do; must be able to sit in rocking chair on cool, south porch and come to meals unassisted. E. Various services (laundry, cleaners, restaurant, etc) Dont kill your wife! Our washing machines will do your dirty work. We dont tear your clothes with machinery. We do it carefully by hand. Drop your trousers here for the best results. Leave your clothes here, ladies, and spend the afternoon having a good time. Cooking and cleaning. A-1 experience. Honest, all or part-time. Man, honest, will take anything. Typist, good experience, some figure. Lady, shorthand typist, desires change; experience with criminal solicitor. Vacationing stenographer beaching daytimes would like to be occupied nights to earn vacation money. Am fast and make no errors. Middle-aged woman who enjoys boys by the hour, mostly at night. (Baby-sitting adv.) Bring Your Bedroom Problems To Me. Pants Off Pressers experienced. Still serving the same Home-Cooked Turkey Dinner we have served for 50 years. Take out an accident insurance policy. One customer broke her arm the other day and we paid her $ 500. You may be the lucky one tomorrow. Nurse may be best for sleeping problems. Ski conditions ideal, only 10 injured Marriage Licence Bureau the second floor. Watch your step. Have a Baby? Read How to Get Father to Help.
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Advertisement of monument firm: THERE IS STILL TIME TO GET UNDER THE DEADLINE Previously, most of these patients died without the aid of an operation. For 50 years Dr T. practiced medicine, being responsible for most of the babies in this community. Owner of 1970 Ford would like to correspond with widow who owns two tyres. Object, matrimony. Send pictures of tyres. F. Lost and found Tabby cat. Answers to Jack. Reward, one black eye. Picture of bathing girl with expensive frame. G. Theatrical ads Black Eyes. With strong cast. The Respectable Prostitute. Professional cast. A lot of people enjoy Mating. Theres good fun in Sleeping Car. Because of a lack of interest, tomorrow has been cancelled. (Notice outside a theatre) Will sell one Opera Seat, subscription, second row stalls; very accessible to exit. H. Miscellaneous headlines and ads Attorney General Urges a Closer Look at Nudist Colony Crocodiles End Canoe Trip on African River NUDISTS TAKE OFF FOR CONVENTION Egg-laying Contest Won by Local Man Father of 11 fined $100 for Failing to Stop (info from Traffic Police) The Father of Two Daughters Presented with a Shotgun by his Firm Bill Foster Becomes Bloc Head (Bloc Populair, Canada) Young Republicans Elect Bone Head Ad in a matrimonial weekly: Help wanted male. Signed: Female. Be A Wife First, Then A Mother. June Babies Flood Town Hospital. GIRLS TAKE OVER IN LOCAL BIRTHS. Let us keep your wife in hot water. (Plumbers adv.) ANTIQUE LOVER REACHES 97 Antiques made and repaired Twenty-three Fire Engines Sent to Blazes. Motorman Well, Autopsy Reveals N.S. Fulfils his Last Duty to his City, Dies Cain To Appear If He Is Able May 25 to Be Exposing Day of Ministers
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Rev. Bovey resigns, attendance doubles MAN HERE TO SEE WIFE ROBBED AND BEATEN Avoid having children at your wedding Roy G. Blank dies After Funeral In the obituary: HUMPH! ITS ABOUT TIME. John Smith Marries, Receives Check US POPULATION BROKEN DOWN BY AGE AND SEX (Census Bureau Report) Adultery With Wife Caused Pastors Death Mother of 12 Puts Off Marriage Honeymoon Heaven... Try a Weekend First. Balloon Race Seven Competitors Fall Out New Autos May Hit 5 Million 23 Governers To Hang In Rotonda Three Nuts Bolted Asylum Miss Boozer Wins Temperance Prize MISS CONNOLLY WINS LOVE MATCH AT WIMBLEDON Brighton will be well lit for Christmas DR. STOUT TO ADDRESS OVER-WEIGHT WOMEN Rooms with Board: Vacancy for gentlemen, both single and double. Also lady to share room. References exchanged. Burglar Gets $1000 in Womens Underwear M.J. runs a caf in town and feeds hogs Women in Japans Diet Continue to Decrease Mr and Mrs Hill Had Mr and Mrs Foster for Thanksgiving Dinner Doctor Compiles List of Poisons That Children May Drink at Home U.N. Bodies To Get New Heads AFTER THE ACCIDENT, X-RAY PICTURES OF HIS HEAD SHOWED NOTHING Vice-Admiral X. Chosen Vice Chief of Navy The senator is tight on his job in Washington Senate Group Eats Chickens Cabinet Wives, Sweetbreads Senate Pages To Drop Short Pants Seniors Barbecue Guests Take care to print your name and address so that nobody could make them out. See the bulletin board for the list of officers to shoot for target practice. (From the police day book) Couple breaking up home; friends helping The shooting match will last as long as there is anyone left around to shoot. Girl Passenger Says She Was Not Being Kissed. Driver Fined For Carelessness. Eastlands Population Will Be 10,000 by 2015, If We All Do Something Autos Killing 110 a Day, Lets Resolve to Do Better Modern Bedrooms More Than a Place to Sleep All Oak Chairs For Secretaries With Built-in Padding Match Company Out On Strike
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Ickes Lauds Women Employees, But Says Theyre Hard To Get. Male, old enough to know better, wishes correspondence with female not quite that old. Agnes McPhail Bust Unveiled Blondes Best In Dark Bare Rioting In Girls School GIS SLAYER GIVEN 15 YEARS AT PRINCETON (Jail or university?) Clean And Decent Dancing Every Night Except Sunday During the royal tour, one New Zealand village posted a huge welcome sign: God bless the Queen and keep an eye on Prince Philip I. Observations, quotations, opinions Mrs Blank left Sunday to join her husband in Ann harbor. Her mother-in-law drove her there. The couple was married last Wednesday, thus ending friendship which began in their school days. Cpl Bradley spent the weekend with his wife. He was awarded the good conduct medal. Romance lasted longer in the old days because a bride looked the same after washing her face. Following a brief honeymoon in the East, the Browns will make their home in Washington, where he is to report on his findings to the government. (After the Antarctic Expedition) The marksmanship of the headquarters company is highly satisfactory and the shooting of the regimental sergeant-major was especially praiseworthy. Holiday Shoppers Invade Downtown District and Scurry Home Loaded. Last nights hostesses were second and third grade mothers. The sixth grade mothers will serve refreshment tonight. Mrs C. Left Today For Harte and the Brook zoo to Visit her Relatives. The Home Bureau held its annual picnic last Friday. No program was planned, so the group talked about members who were not present. During the storm on Saturday, Mrs Hammer slipped on ice and hurt her somewhat. The adult is not necessarily a parent, not necessarily a man or a woman. Two women fined for throwing stones at Mr John Burns residence, and missing. 11 patients escaped from Eastern State Hospital. 13 patients were returned. Mr and Mrs Joe Dookes are the parents of a baby girl, following an accident in the apartment. Women who are cooperative and good sports are more likely to have large families. Following her marriage, Miss Mills will continue her work on biological research. There is a temporary rise in IQ at the time of puberty in girls and gives them more intelligence than boys during their teens. But in another year or so the boys catch up with the girls, and from then on it is neck-and-neck. Avoid having children at your wedding. Mrs Scully, wife of the author of the best-seller Fun in Bed, today gave birth
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to a seven-pound daughter. Friends of Miss Blank will be glad to learn that she is at St Josephs Hospital for surgery Sign in factory: Ladies if you wear loose clothing, beware of the machinery. If you wear tight clothing, beware of the machinists. More and more women are making their own clothes and there are plenty of figures to prove it. Report on skating accident: Miss Brown and Mr Collins were taken home immediately and put to bed where they remained for 24 hours. Neither suffered ill effects from the experience. The first thing he bought was an 8.000 pound engagement ring. There is a picnic during the two-day outing which practically doubles the population of the town each year. The school auditorium was filled with expectant mothers, eagerly awaiting the appearance of their offspring. Mingling of sexes in college is favoured, 18:7, by girls at Boston lying-in hospital. Change Your Wife Through Prayer will be the sermon subject on Sunday. He is the father of five children and his wife is expecting a sixth. His job keeps him hopping all day and he is not one to spend his nights sitting around the house doing nothing. Make sure your kitchen range is level; if its not, the foods cooked in the oven wont burn as evenly as they should. Newport police officer was notified yesterday of the arrival of a son at the Newport Hospital. It came by the police radio system. Young men are doing their choosing these days, and a good way to scare them away, they admit, is to look expectant. The old excuse that nice guys are hard to find is unmitigated malarkey. Boston has hordes of them. The reason why you are still single is because you havent exposed yourself in the right places. A first child and second son was born in May to Mr and Mrs Butler. Bishop Codman surprised the congregation of the Episcopal Church last Sunday. The bishop preached a fine sermon. Farmer Hentz wishes to thank sincerely all those assisted in the burning of his barn. Mr X. has been elected a vice president and will be quartered in Denver. Miss Virginia Jones, 23 Maple Street, accuses neighbour of annoying her. I have never been molested so badly before, she charges. Caf Brittany has loyal employees. Some have left to open similar restaurants in New York. Fred Gants has withdrawn his application for admission to the County poor house, having discovered that there in no garage out there for his car. A truck had backed into a barrel, turning it over and spilling out some alcohol. Firemen washed it down. The management reserves the right to exclude any lady they think proper. The operator of the other car, charged with drunken driving, crashed into Miss Millers rear end which was sticking out into the road. The cold war will ease still further. The East and the West are sure
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to get closer together, or less far apart. John Lancing returned Wednesday from where he went Tuesday. She points to advantages of not having a husband more time for bath salts. Toolmaker desires connection with an intelligent employer; must give names of former employees of past ten years as references. Average American Is Growing Older, Census Bureau Reports. J. From all over the world (By non-native English speakers and writers) Sign in Bombay, India: Buy our bread. We are No. 1 loafers, best in whole town. On the menu of a village restaurant in Switzerland: Do not leave without trying the tart of this house. She is strongly recommended. In an East Berlin hotel cloakroom: Hang yourself here. In an Istanbul hotel: To call the room service open the door and call Room Service! In a Mexican hotel: Please hang your order before retiring on your doorknob. In a Yugoslavian hotel: All rooms have hot and cold flying water. In a Japanese hotel: Sports jackets may be worn, but no trousers. In a Belgian hotel: Guests are requested not to remove the furniture. In a Japanese hotel bedroom: No smoking in bed, nor other disgusting behaviour. In a Swiss hotel: If you have any desires during the night, ring for the chambermaid. Sign outside a doctors surgery in Israel: Specialist in women and other diseases. In a Dutch catalogue: We promise customers a speedy execution. In a Tokyo bar: Special cocktails for the ladies with nuts. In a Tokyo hotel: Is forbidden to steal towels please. If you are not a person to do such a thing is please not to read notis. Two signs from a shop in Majorka: English well speaking. Here speeching American. In a Bucharest hotel lobby: The lift is being fixed for the next day. During that time we regret that you will be unbearable. In a Leipzig elevator: Do not enter lift backwards, and only when lit up. In a Paris hotel elevator: Please leave your values at the front desk. In a Yugoslavian hotel: The flattening of underwear with pleasure is the job of the chambermaid. In a Cairo hotel: You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid. In the lobby of a Moscow hotel across from an Orthodox monastery: You are welcome to visit the cemetery where famous Russian and Soviet composers, artists, and writers
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are buried daily except Thursday. On the menu of a Swiss restaurant: Our wines leave you nothing to hope for. Outside a Hong Kong tailor shop: Ladies may have a fit upstairs. In an Austrian hotel catering to skiers: Not to perambulate the corridors during the hours of repose in boots of ascension. In a Rhodes tailor shop (Greece): Order you summer suit. Because is big rush we execute customers in strict rotation. In a Zurich hotel: Because of the impropriety of entertaining guest of the opposite sex in the bedroom, it is suggested that the lobby be used for this purpose. A sign posted in Germanys Black Forest (Schwarzwald): It is strictly forbidden on our black forest camping site that people of different sex, for instance, men and women, live together in one tent unless they are married with each other for that purpose. In a Czech tourist agency: Take one of our horse-driven city tours we guarantee no miscarriages. Advertisement for donkey rides in Thailand: Would you like to ride on your own ass? In a Bangkok temple: It is forbidden to enter a woman even a foreigner if dressed as a man. In a Copenhagen airline ticket office: We take your bags and send them in all directions. In an Oslo cocktail lounge: Ladies are requested not to have children in the bar. In a Budapest zoo: Please do not feed the animals. If you have any suitable food, give it to the guard on duty.

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Content
1. WHAT IS CORPORATE CULTURE?....................................................................................... 2. ENGLISH: THE LANGUAGE OF MILLIONS.............................................................................. 3. TITLES AND NAMES.......................................................................................................... 4. GREETINGS AROUND THE WORLD....................................................................................... 5. WORKING AND EATING AROUND THE WORLD...................................................................... 6. THE ART OF THE BUSINESS LUNCH.................................................................................... 7. BEING ON TIME........................................................................................................... 8. BUSINESS DRESS CODES................................................................................................... 9. WHERE IS YOUR OMFORT ZONE?................................................................................... 10. BODY LANGUAGE.......................................................................................................... 11. TIPPING........................................................................................................................ 12. GIVING GIFTS............................................................................................................... 13. GIFT GIVING IN THE INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS CONTEXT.................................................... 14. BUSINESS CULTURES...................................................................................................... 15. CROSS-CULTURAL MANAGEMENT..................................................................................... 16. MARKETING ACROSS CULTURES....................................................................................... 17. LEARNING TO COPE WITH CORPORATE CULTURE CLASHES................................................... 18. TIPTOEING THROUGH THE MINEFIELD................................................................................ 19. MINIMIZING YOUR LUGGAGE LOSS RISKS.......................................................................... 20. THEORY X AND THEORY Y............................................................................................. 21. EARLY PROMOTION AND ITS PROBLEMS............................................................................. 22. FAST-TRACKING EMPLOYEES........................................................................................ 23. THE CHANGING FACE OF WORK...................................................................................... 24. THE MANAGEMENT STYLE AT IBM................................................................................. 25. A PART OF THE APPLE CULTURE..................................................................................... 26. RAISING THE TITANIC..................................................................................................... 27. HOW TO BE A GREAT MANAGER..................................................................................... 28. THE NEW LEADERSHIP................................................................................................... 29. MALE AND FEMALE STYLES IN THE WORKPLACE............................................................... 30. JOB SATISFACTION......................................................................................................... 31. E-COMMERCE IS HERE TO STAY....................................................................................... 32. STRATEGIC OUTSOURCING............................................................................................... 33. QUALITY MEANS SERVICE, TOO...................................................................................... 34. SOMETIMES HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY........................................................................ 35. COMPANY MERGERS...................................................................................................... 36. ENDORSEMENTS............................................................................................................. 37. PROTECTING OUR WORLD............................................................................................... 38. THE TECHNOLOGY REVOLUTION...................................................................................... 39. IT'S TIME TO TRY VIDEOCONFERENCING............................................................................ 40. THE CELL PHONE CONNECTION....................................................................................... 41. INFORMATION OVERLOAD................................................................................................ 42. TELEWORKING (TELECOMMUTING).................................................................................... 43. WORKING FROM HOME COULD SAVE BILLIONS...............................................................
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44. SOME HINTS FOR A SUCCESSFUL PRESENTATION................................................................. 45. PREPARING FOR GROUP PRESENTATIONS............................................................................ 46. MAKING MEETINGS MORE PRODUCTIVE........................................................................... 47. MAKE MEETINGS WORK FOR YOU................................................................................... 48. WHAT MAKES A GOOD INTERVIEW?................................................................................ Appendix..........................................................................................................................

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