Английский для социологов. Астафурова Т.Н. - 8 стр.

     THE SPANIARDS TRUST YOU
     The Spanish, on the other hand, are unimpressed by the most
meticulously prepared meeting and pay much more attention to people.
In this they are more like the Arabs or the Japanese. In the Middle
and Far East business is built on trust over a long period of time.
Spaniards may come to a decision about whether they trust you a little
sooner.
      ANIMATED ITALIANS
      Italians too tend to feel that the main purpose of meetings is to
assess the mood of those present and reinforce team-spirit. There may
well be a lot of animated discussion at a meeting in Italy, but the
majority of decisions will be made elsewhere and in secret.
      SCANDINAVIANS WANT RESULTS
      Strangely enough, Scandinavians are rather like Americans. They
value efficiency, novelty, systems and technology. They are firmly
profit-oriented. They want results yesterday.
      SUCCEED WITH THE GERMANS
      Don’t be surprised if the Germans start a meeting with all the
difficult questions. They want to be convinced you are as efficient and
quality-conscious as they are. They will be cautious about giving you
too much business until you have proved yourself. They will demand
prompt delivery and expect you to keep your competitive edge in the
most price-sensitive market in Europe. Succeed and you will enjoy a
long-term business relationshi p.
      ADVERSARIAL MEETINGS
      The French will give you their business much more readily. But
they will withdraw it just as fast if you fail to come up with the goods.
Meetings in France tend to be adversarial. Heated discussion is all part
of the game. Germans will be shocked to hear you question their
carefully prepared arguments. The Spanish will offer no opinion unless
sure of themselves, for fear of losing face. But French executives
prefer to meet disagreement head on, and the British tendency to
diffuse tension with humour doesn’t go down too well.
      PRISONERS OF OUR CULTURE
      Ask yourself whether meetings are opportunities to network or
get results. Is it more important to stick to the agenda or generate new
ideas? Is the main aim of a meeting to transmit or pool information?

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