KISS, BOW, OR SHAKE HANDS: ASIA How to Do Business in 12 Asian Countries • CULTURAL OVERVIEWS • TIPS FOR DOING BUSINESS • KNOW BEFORE YOU GO • NEGOTIATING STRATEGIES • PROTOCOL TERRI MORRISON AND WAYNE A. CONAWAY ASIA Terri Morrison, author of Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, 2nd Edition, resides in Newtown Square, PA and is president of Getting Through Customs, a highly successful Internet product and training rm for global business travelers. Her clients include American Airlines, AEP, Carnival Cruise Lines, Cypress Semiconductor, Deloitte & Touche, Dun & Bradstreet, Hewlett-Packard, and Lucent Technologies. She conducts seminars in intercultural communications, has written for many publications, has appeared on numerous TV shows, and has been pro led and quoted in national newspapers and magazines from the Wall Street Journal to Fortune. $14.95 (Canada $19.95) Business www.adamsmedia.com The defi nitive guide to international business and travel etiquette “To help achieve success in communicating globally about our business, there are critical tools never far from my reach: my laptop or BlackBerry, my phone, and Terri Morrison’s book Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands.” —Sherry Nebel, Vice President–Communications, Connexion by Boeing Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Asia reveals the subtleties of interaction, negotiation strategies, and professional skills you need to keep poised for success in your business travels. This comprehensive guide to Asia contains up-to-date information to lead you through social situations, business meetings, and understanding local culture. Americans must now consider how economies are continuously shifting all over Asia, and how Asian countries interact with the West and each other. Learn about business practices, cognitive styles, and social customs. Give the right gift; make the right gesture. Countries pro led are China (and Hong Kong), India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Includes: • Cultural IQ tests • “Know Before You Go” tips • Alerts on international security issues MORRISON and CONAWAY KISS, BOW, OR SHAKE HANDS: KISS, BOW, OR SHAKE HANDS: ASIA How to Do Business in 12 Asian Countries • CULTURAL OVERVIEWS • TIPS FOR DOING BUSINESS • KNOW BEFORE YOU GO • NEGOTIATING STRATEGIES • PROTOCOL TERRI MORRISON AND WAYNE A. CONAWAY Praise for the Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands series “In this global economy, ANYONE who leaves the U.S. is a fool if they don’t read up on their destination’s customs. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is THE denitive authority on how to conduct yourself around the world. You can easily oend your prospects and there is no faster way to kill the most lucra- tive business deal. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands has been immeasurably helpful over the years.” —Louis Altman, President, New Hampshire International Trade Association (NHITA), and President, GlobaFone “Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands has been an invaluable resource for international businesspeople for years. Don’t leave home without it.” —Joe Douress, Vice President, LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell “Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is a great resource of cultural and business- related information. e material is concise and easy to read. e cultural information is unique, educational, and fun! It’s a book that can be enjoyed by a great number of people, from a student, to a leisure traveler, to the most sophisticated business person.” —Joanna Savvides, President, World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia “In my work, I train employees of multinational corporations on how to manage the intercultural aspects of an international assignment. Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands is a tremendous resource for the growing number of indi- viduals in today’s global workforce who nd themselves working across international borders and on assignment outside their home country.” —Carolyn Ryel, Senior Manager of Intercultural Services, Cartus, Chicago, IL “To help achieve success in communicating globally about our business, there are critical tools never far from my reach: my laptop or BlackBerry, my phone, and Terri Morrison’s Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands.” —Sherry Nebel, Vice President–Communications, Connexion by Boeing KISS, BOW, OR SHAKE HANDS: ASIA How to Do Business in 12 Asian Countries • CULTURAL OVERVIEWS • TIPS FOR DOING BUSINESS • KNOW BEFORE YOU GO • NEGOTIATING STRATEGIES • PROTOCOL T M W A. C A, M To Nica, Brendan, and Alex Forever Wise, Forever True, Forever Loved And to Tony A chuisle mochroí —T M To my Parents I hope I was a good long-term investment. —W A. C And to the late George A. Borden, Ph.D., a gied friend. Copyright © 2007, Terri Morrison. All rights reserved. is book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews. is book includes material previously published in Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands by Terri Morrison, © 2006, F+W Publications, Inc. Published by Adams Media, an F+W Publications Company 57 Littleeld Street Avon, MA 02322 www.adamsmedia.com ISBN 10: 1-59869-216-X ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-216-7 (paperback) ISBN 13: 978-1-60550-852-8 (EPUB) Printed in the United States of America. J I H G F E D C B A Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from publisher. is publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the pub- lisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent profes- sional person should be sought. —From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their product are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Adams Media was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters. Maps © Map Resouces. is book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases. For information, please call 1-800-289-0963. v Contents vi Preface viii Introduction xi Cultural Orientation xviii Map of Asia 1 China 16 Hong Kong 21 India 35 Indonesia 56 Japan 74 Malaysia 94 Philippines 110 Singapore 125 South Korea 143 Sri Lanka 155 Taiwan 171 ailand 183 Vietnam 197 Appendix A Titles and Forms of Address in Asian Countries 202 Appendix B Why Learn a Foreign Language? 205 Appendix C Contacts and Resources 208 Appendix D Avoiding Fashion Faux Pas 210 Appendix E Holidays 212 Appendix F Equivalents 216 Appendix G International Electrical Adaptors 218 Index 221 About the Authors vi Preface I since the rst edition of Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands was originally published, Asia has changed in remarkable ways. Asian economies grew, collapsed, and recovered. e region coped with epidemics, earthquakes, and tsunamis. Indonesia went from one-party rule to democracy. Vietnam, once a pariah to the USA and its allies, transformed itself into a valued trading partner. India became the outsourcing capital of the world. e Soviet Union dissolved, leaving its Central Asian republics to nd a new path alone. Japan slowed, and China boomed. e interesting thing is that over twelve years—throughout all of the massive political and economic changes—the cultures, values, and belief systems of major ethnic groups have remained constant. For example, the former British Crown Colony of Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997. Aer decades under British rule, the businesspeople of Hong Kong had to adapt to the rules of the People’s Republic of China. Many multinationals will grapple with the written and unwritten rules of conduct in China as well (like Google, which was temporarily censored by the Chinese government for several days in 2006). Successful globalization will require that you, too, learn how to adapt to the cultural aspects of doing business in Asia. Just understanding Chinese name order and titles will give you an advantage over other executives who do no research. As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “ere is nothing more terrible than ignorance in action” (Es ist nichts schrecklicher als eine tätige Unwissenheit). During my life, I have seen World War, reconstruction, terror- ism, and tremendous advances in technology. On this increasingly interconnected planet, businesses need to acknowledge that people are not alike all over the world—the more you respect local attitudes toward families, work, and religion, the more successful you will be in those locales. Priorities in Mumbai are not necessarily equivalent to those in Milwaukee. It is a pleasure to introduce you to this important book. Review it before you embark on your international trips. Gain the informa- tion you need on business practices, cognitive styles, negotiation techniques, and social customs. Give the right gi; make the right gesture. Read Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Asia. —H H.B. K, the former Director of the Wharton Export Network “e reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour.” —J Preface vii viii Introduction W in 2010 or 2020 to work in Asia? As Hans Koehler pointed out in his Preface, we live in changing times. In this century China and India are changing the economic bal- ance of the world. But many of the cultural tenets presented in Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Asia took hundreds or thousands of years to develop. ese stable precepts help us understand why people behave dierently around the world, and they will help you to avoid global marketing faux pas like these: McDonald’s Corporation settled a group of lawsuits for $10 million in 2002. Why were they sued? Because of their French fries and hash browns. Aer 1990, McDonald’s stated that only pure vegetable oil was used to cook their fries, implying that they were prepared in a “vegetarian” manner. However, the oil contained the essence of beef avor, which is an anathema to Hindus and vegetarians worldwide. Most of the money from the lawsuit was donated to Hindu and other vegetarian causes. Nike was forced to recall thousands of pairs of Air Bakin, Air BBQ, Air Grill, and Air Melt shoes because of a decoration intended to resemble re on the back of the sneakers. Unfortunately, when viewed from right to le (which is the way Arabic is read), the ames resembled the Arabic word for Allah. Muslims saw this as a desecration on two levels: 1) the name of Allah may not be used on a product, and 2) Arabic tradition deems that the foot is unclean. Facing worldwide protests and boycotts, Nike implemented an enormous recall of the expensive sneakers. As these examples show, an unintentional misstep can threaten or destroy your costly international marketing eorts. It also illustrates [...]... that Cantonese-speaking Chinese audiences can understand the Mandarin-speaking actors, or vice versa The government of the PRC has begun investing in Chinese language training for foreigners Contributions to support Chinese language programs are being made to major trade partners worldwide Cultural Note Of all its trading partners, China’s relationship with Japan is one of its most contradictory The... one finger to point To beckon, turn the palm down and wave the fingers toward the body Do not put your hands in your mouth (biting your nails, dislodging food from your teeth); this is considered disgusting 14 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Asia Gifts Gift giving is a sensitive issue in China While often in violation of Chinese law, gift giving is widespread Avoid giving anything of... Language, and The Chinese View (perspectives from the country’s viewpoint) Know Before You Go Natural and human hazards Cultural Orientation A cultural anthropologist’s view This section is described in detail in an introductory chapter Business Practices Punctuality, Appointments, and Local Time; Negotiating; Business Entertaining Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Asia Protocol Greetings, Titles/Forms of Address,... English; he is thinking in Japanese Knowing how Japanese people tend to arrive at decisions gives you an edge And don’t we all need every business advantage we can get? xi xii Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Asia Following the cultural orientation section, there is a breakdown of the information contained therein Cognitive Styles: How We Organize and Process Information The word “cognitive” refers to thought,... Commerce can usually assist in arranging appointments with local Chinese business and government officials, and can identify importers, buyers, agents, distributors, and joint venture partners The best times to schedule business trips are April to June and September to October Do not plan business trips during the Chinese New Year, since many businesses close for a week before and after the festival The... by the PRC since 1950 Gao Xingjian was the first Chinese to win the Nobel for literature There have been many Nobel Prizes awarded to Chinese in Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Asia the sciences, although most of the recipients (like Chen Ning Yang) have done their most important scientific work in the West 3 There are many places in Asia where the People’s Republic of China finds itself in conflict...Introduction ix the benefits of learning the language of your target countries, and corroborating translations and design elements locally Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: Asia is organized in a clear, consistent manner to help you easily find the data you need to avoid many of the errors others have made before you The work to develop this volume resulted in not only this book, but much additional information... important in China, not only for business meetings, but for social occasions as well Lateness or a cancellation is a serious affront Remember that written Chinese does not have tenses, but there are many words to indicate the passage of time—tomorrow, now, etc Be sure to establish contacts in China before you invest in a trip Your government’s Department of Trade or Commerce can usually assist in arranging... Chinese associate all of the following gifts and colors with funerals—avoid them: ■ Straw sandals ■ Clocks China 15 A stork or crane (although the Western association of storks with births is known to many young Chinese) ■ Handkerchiefs (they symbolize sadness and weeping) ■ Gifts (or wrapping paper) in which the predominant color is white, black, or blue Do not wrap a gift before arriving in China;... When entering a business meeting, the highest-ranking member of your group should lead the way The Chinese expect the business conversation to be conducted by the senior officials of each side Subordinates may speak when they are asked to provide corroborating data, or a comment, but in general, they do not interrupt Familiarize yourself with all aspects of China before you arrive The Chinese appreciate . KISS, BOW, OR SHAKE HANDS: ASIA How to Do Business in 12 Asian Countries • CULTURAL OVERVIEWS • TIPS FOR DOING BUSINESS • KNOW BEFORE YOU GO • NEGOTIATING STRATEGIES • PROTOCOL TERRI MORRISON. “Know Before You Go” tips • Alerts on international security issues MORRISON and CONAWAY KISS, BOW, OR SHAKE HANDS: KISS, BOW, OR SHAKE HANDS: ASIA How to Do Business in 12 Asian Countries •. Shake Hands. ” —Sherry Nebel, Vice President–Communications, Connexion by Boeing KISS, BOW, OR SHAKE HANDS: ASIA How to Do Business in 12 Asian Countries • CULTURAL OVERVIEWS • TIPS FOR DOING