Напишите аннотацию (6-7 предложений) к данному тексту Successful communication is important in international business today, but very often communication is difficult because people in different jobs and companies or from other countries have different ways of looking at the world. Nobody actually wants to cause offence but, as business becomes ever more international, it is easy to get it wrong. This fact encourages the participants to find out about each other's culture and styles of communication.
Business etiquette plays an important role because it creates a professional, mutually respectful atmosphere and improves communication, which leads to higher productivity and efficiency.
The first issue to consider in international business etiquette is the use of names and professional titles. In Asia, you should call people by their surnames, while in the USA or the UK people prefer to use first names. In Germany and Italy, professional titles are of importance.
Starting a conversation with a new person can be awkward and difficult. And what you say when you meet someone new is extremely important because those opening words set the tone for the conversation.
To break the ice, you can comment on something interesting at the event or activity. You may also ask a question about a person’s job or company. In the US, for example, asking someone about their job is one of the most common things to do when meeting for the first time. But avoid asking about a person’s wages. This would be considered extremely rude. It is also not appropriate to talk about politics, religion, or their physical appearance.
The physical distance between people when greeting each other is also different. In many European countries, handshaking is a normal gesture. But its intensity differs between countries. For example, in Germany, the US, and Japan it is quite strong; in the UK it is softer; in France, it is light and fast. But Northern Europeans, such as the British and Scandinavians, are not so fond of physical contacts.
The most complex business etiquette occurs in Asia. Here, circumstances and attitude are more important than what is actually said. In Japan and South Korea, declining an offered cup of tea can mean an outright insult.
These cultural challenges exist together with the problems of doing business in a foreign language. But the more you know of the culture and business etiquette of the country you deal with, the less likely you will get into difficulties.
