Passport to Success: The Essential Guide to Business Culture and Customs in America’s Largest Trading Partners

Like it or not, every business--even one conducted from the kitchen table--is global. No matter the industry, employees now routinely travel to other countries or interact with foreign customers, vendors, or fellow employees. Or they conduct business over the phone, via e-mail, or through video links. As a result, they have to understand international customs and etiquette or risk losing customers or botching business relations. And understanding business customs in other cultures isn’t merely playing good defense--it often leads to new products or service enhancements that help an enterprise grow. In Passport to Success, Jeanette Martin and Lillian Chaney apply their expertise in business etiquette, training, and intercultural communications to present a practical guide to conducting business successfully around the world.

Each chapter in this book presents in-depth information on the business environment and culture in the top twenty trading partners of the United States: Canada, Mexico, Japan, China, United Kingdom, Germany, South Korea, Netherlands, France, Singapore, Taiwan, Belgium, Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Malaysia, Italy, India, and Israel. Chapters contain both practical tips and illustrative examples, and the book concludes with a listing of resources (books, magazines, organizations, and Web sites) for additional information. In addition, Passport to Success contains useful overview material that will help business people plan a trip abroad or a campaign to win customers in another country. Besides trade statistics and information on global trade agreements, readers will find information on using the Internet productively to conduct or seek business, how women can succeed in countries with traditional, male-oriented business cultures, how to build cross-cultural relationships, and ways language can enhance--or obstruct--business dealings. Every businessperson is now a player in the global market for goods and services. This book provides valuable tips that will help people avoid missteps and increase their sales and personal success when dealing with counterparts in other countries.

Jeanette S. Martin is Professor at the University of Mississippi School of Business. She has served as associate editor of the Journal of Business Communication and is the recipient of several national awards. The author of dozens of articles, book chapters, and conference presentations on intercultural business communication, emotional and cultural intelligence, and management information systems, she is co-author of Global Business Etiquette (Praeger, 2006) and The Essential Guide to Business Etiquette (Praeger, 2007).

Lillian H. Chaney is Professor of Management Emeritus at The University of Memphis. She is the author of over 100 articles and presentations, with a specialty in intercultural business communication, and she has received many teaching and research awards in the field. An active consultant, she has conducted training programs on communication and international and U.S. business etiquette for corporations, educational institutions, and government agencies. She is co-author of Global Business Etiquette (Praeger, 2006) and The Essential Guide to Business Etiquette (Praeger, 2007).