Text 2 

Read the articles and summarize the content of it in 8-10 sentences. 

1. Allow me to Introduce Myself. Some hints on business card usage 

around the world 

9 Take your time. It's impossible to convey respect if you fling your card at 

someone.

9 Remember that the left hand is considered unclean in the Islamic world. 

Even in many non-Islamic areas of Africa and Asia, the tradition has evolved of 

using the right hand in preference over the left. 

9 In some parts of Asia (notably Japan), presenting a card with two hands 

conveys respect. When using both hands, hold your card by the two upper corners. 

9 When you receive a business card, immediately take time to read it. This 

is a good time to repeat the person's name, especially if it is in a language you're 

not familiar with. 

9 While you may write on your own card, never write on someone else's 

business card. 

9 Ideally, you should store your business cards in a small case. If you don't 

have a card case with you, put your cards in a front or side pocket. 

9 It's only polite to have your card translated into the local language. One 

side of the card should be in your language, the opposite side in the local language. 

9 Bring plenty of cards. In some countries, you will need two for each one-

to-one visit, since the secretary will keep one card. 

2. Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands? Some general guidelines on greetings and 

terms of address. 

Physical greetings 

Businessmen in the United States and Britain rarely have to endure a kiss on 

each cheek from another man. Even in countries where such greetings are common 

(Italy and Russia, for example), a kiss is generally reserved for relatives or good 

friends. A foreign businessman will have to do a lot of relationship-building to 

reach the point at which he is greeted with a kiss. When that happens, the easiest 

thing to do is to stay still and let the kiss-initiating person move his head. Other-

wise your noses may collide! 

In Asia, Westerners rarely master all the intricacies of a bow. The basics 

usually suffice: bow from the waist, and the person with the lower status bows 

more deeply. When greeting Westerners, many Asians follow a bow with a hand-

shake. 

As any politician can attest, strong handshakes can hurt. North Americans 

and Australians should moderate their strong handshakes overseas. Many Asians 

who do shake hands actually perform a hand-clasp, with no pressure and very little 

pumping. To give emphasis to a handshake, it is permissible for each person to 

place their left hand over their clasped hands. 

Forms of address 

There are very few countries in which businesspeople address each other by 

first names after a short time. In Germany and Switzerland, for example, even 

longstanding business partners may choose to address each other by their sur-

names. North Americans commonly use first names, and are notorious for losing credibility by using first names overseas. 

Degrees of politeness 

Some Asian languages have several degrees of politeness. To know which 

level to use, Asian s need to know their counterpart's standing in society. Hence 

they often ask very personal questions of foreigners, such as how much they earn 

or how many employees they supervise, to determine the level of politeness re-

quired. If you find such questions too personal, simply decline to answer, or say 

that it is not something that is usually discussed in your culture.

1. What do you think is happening here? 

Sales representatives from Germany and Britain are in a difficult negotia-

tion. Things are getting tense. Franz Bauer sits upright and is disturbed as Jim 

Banks relaxes in his chair. Franz Bauer feels that Jim is not taking the negotiation 

seriously. Jim feels that Herr Bauer is getting more and more aggressive. 

Comments 

The German's upright position indicates the seriousness with which he is 

taking the situation, while Jim's posture in the chair indicates his wish to defuse the 

situation. The two people misinterpret each other's behaviour, and so the situation 

escalates. In some cultures travellers should be careful to avoid exposing certain 

parts of their body. In some Arab cultures, for example, the sole of the foot is con-

sidered dirty, and should never be shown, so anyone who adopts the local custom 

of sitting on the floor, for instance, has to take care to avoid doing this. 

2. What do you think is happening here? 

9 A British expatriate living in Germany complains about being stared at in 

the underground train. “They stare at me straight in the face as if I've come from 

another planet”, he said. 

9 A US manager reports problems with Japanese staff. “I asked them how 

the project was going and, of course, not much has been done. I was suspicious 

when they didn't even look me in the eye”, he said. 

Comments 

The length of time that it is acceptable to look directly at someone can also 

differ from one country to the next. In some cultures, looking someone in the eye is 

taken as a sign of interest and honesty. In others, however, this can be seen as a 

sign of disrespect. Visitors gradually learn nor to look too directly at the person

they are talking to, in case they are thought to be staring intrusively. 

3. What do you think is happening here? 

A European manager who came to work in the US subsidiary of an insur-

ance company was pleased to find that he had an excellent secretary. After she had 

completed yet another piece of work long before the deadline, he went up to her, 

tapped her on the shoulder, and said, “Pat, thanks again. It really is such a help that 

you are here.” Her response was to complain to the manager's boss. 

Comments 

Where, how, and how often people touch each other varies widely across 

cultures. Even in the business world there are large variations. In the USA, the ac-

tions of some male employees in touching female employees, whether innocently 

or otherwise, has given rise to law suits for sexual harassment. 

When and how often people shake hands varies widely, too. A group of Brit-

ish investment bankers felt that their German colleagues shook hands excessively, 

and advised a British colleague going to a meeting in Germany that they should 

shake hands with anything that moves'. In other cultures, hugging or kissing are 

more appropriate forms of greeting, even in a business context. 

4. What do you think is happening here? 

Julio, an Argentinean student, who is keen to improve his English, is attend-

ing a course in Business English. He often stays behind after the class to ask the 

British lecturer, Jim Ford, some questions. When Julio approaches, Mr Ford looks 

uneasy and begins to move away. Julio wonders whether Mr Ford doesn't like him, 

if he is asking too many questions, or whether students are not supposed to ask 

questions after class. 

Comments 

How close you get to another person when talking to them differs widely 

across cultures. Research has shown that in the USA the 'comfort zone' is about an 

arm's length. In Latin America, the tendency is for people to get closer to each oth-

er than people, for instance, in the UK. The fact that this is a tendency doesn't, of 

course, mean that all British people do this. Julio's explanations of Mr Ford's be-

haviour might be correct, but it could also be that the lecturer feels uneasy because 

the student is coming too close to him.

the immortality to a person who will do this tasks