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Bridging the Culture Gap
Book

Bridging the Culture Gap

A Practical Guide to International Business Communication

Chris Fox and Penny Carté
Kogan Page, 2004

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Editorial Rating

5

Qualities

  • For Beginners
  • Engaging

Recommendation

This book is a very anecdotal, informal, easy-to-read tour of the culture gap. It is neither systematic nor particularly deep, but it might well be a useful addition to the briefcase of a manager posted to another country or involved in any way with people from other cultures. Authors Penny Carté and Chris Fox offer several pieces of advice, and emphasize them by repeating them quite frequently. Their most notable counsel is to ask questions and keep an open mind. For people with any degree of international business experience, this may seem quite basic and, of course, it is. Therefore, getAbstract recommends it to neophytes for its basic utility and good nature. The authors illustrate their advice with anecdotes that have something of the appeal of a bowl of salted nuts. They aren't particularly substantive or nutritious, yet you can't help but keep reaching for another one.

Take-Aways

  • Cultures differ in their approach to almost everything.
  • Never assume that you know what someone else is thinking.
  • Ask open questions to gather information, and ask "yes" or "no" questions to confirm that your understanding is correct.

About the Authors

Penny Carte is a modern languages graduate who has been Canning's Research and Development Director since 1988. Chris Fox joined Canning in 1999, has published articles on political and cultural theory, and writes regularly on Welsh rugby.

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