The usa

Making Appointments. Prior appointments are necessary. Punctuality is very important for business occasions. If you are invited for a meal, you should arrive promptly. When invited to a cocktail party, it's usually permissible to arrive a few minutes late. On these occa­sions, you do not need to call ahead, even if you are 30 minutes late.

Let’s Make a Deal. This culture stresses individual initiative and achieve­ment. The concept "time is money" is taken se­riously in U.S. business culture. Businesspeople are used to making up their minds quickly and decisively. They value information that is straightforward and to the point. Money is a key priority and an issue that will be used to win most arguments. Status, protocol, and national honour play a smaller role.

American businesspeople are opportunistic and willing to take chances. Opportunism and risk taking often result in Americans going for the biggest possible slice of the business, 100% if possible. Americans tend to dislike peri­ods of silence during negotiations and in conversations, in general. They may continue to speak simply to avoid si­lence. Businesspeople are direct and will not hesi­tate to disagree with you. Persistence is another characteristic you will frequently encounter in American businesspeople; there is a prevailing belief that there is always a solution. Americans tend to be future orient­ed. Therefore, innovation often takes precedence over tradition. The United States tends to be an ethnocentric culture, so it is closed to a lot of "outside" information.

In a meeting, the participants will proceed with busi­ness usually after some brief, preliminary "small talk" about topics unrelated to the business at hand. Topics may range from sports, weather, or other smaller business topics. Personal matters should not be discussed during this time, or any time in the negotiation. Americans regard negotiating as problem-solving through "give and take" based on respective strengths. Therefore, they will often emphasize their fi­nancial strength and/or position of power.

Often American businesspeople try to extract an oral agreement at the first meeting. However, U.S. salespeo­ple sometimes bring final contracts to first meetings with prospective clients.

For a first meeting, you cannot go wrong if you dress conservatively. Afterwards, you may want to follow the example of your American counterparts. In U.S. busi­ness culture, dress tends to vary. In some parts of the country - the East in particular - most people wear business suits. In other areas, such as the West coast, a more relaxed approach to dressing is the norm in many workplaces. Executives in most regions of the country, however, usually dress quite formally.

Your business card will not be refused, but you may not always receive one in return. In many cases, business cards are not exchanged unless you want to contact the person later.

Presenting a gift is a thoughtful gesture, but it is not expected. Business gifts are often presented after the deal is closed. In most situations, gifts are usually un­wrapped immediately and shown to all assembled. In many cases, the best gifts are those that come from your country. During the Holiday season (late November through the first week of January), gifts are exchanged. For your business associates, you can give gifts such as useful items for the office, liquor or wine. Choose gifts with no religious connotations unless you are certain of the religious back­ground of your associates.

When you visit a home, it is not necessary to take a gift, although it is always appre­ciated. Flowers, a potted plant, or a bottle of wine are good gift choices. Taking someone out for a meal or other form of entertainment is another popular gift. Gifts for women such as perfume or cloth­ing are usually inappropriate.

1. Answer the questions:

1. How do British businessmen approach their work?

2. What modern practice does British business pre­fer?

3. How do attitudes to change and time vary in dif­ferent enterprises?

4. How do British businessmen behave during initial meetings?

5. When is gift giving encouraged? What gifts are given?

6. What does the concept "time is money" mean?

7. What are the traits of American business people?

8. What is practised in meetings to ease tensions before entering into business matters?

9. How do businessmen dress?

10. When are gifts presented in the USA? What gifts are presented?

2. Match the qualities with their definitions.

Optimistic	maintains one's stance- firmly in spite or opposi­tion of difficulty
enthusiastic	behaves rationally
consistent	practices taking advantage of any opportunity to achieve an end usually with little or no regard for moral principles.
Persistent	feels confident about the future
opportunistic	believes in the superiority of one's own ethnic group
ethnocentric	shows a lot of enthusiasm and energy
arrogant	is overly convinced of one's own superiority

3. Read each statement and decide whether it is true or false.

1. The English are demonstrative.

2. British Businessmen are generally interested in quick deals rather than in long-term relationships

3. Giving gifts is not a normal part of British business culture.

4. Business gifts are often exchanged at Christmas in the UK.

5. American businesspeople are opportunistic and willing to take chances.

6. Americans appreciate peri­ods of silence during negotiations and in conversations, in general.

7. Personal matters are usually discussed during the “small talk” before the meeting in the USA.

8. In the USA, the best gifts are those that come from your country.

4. Would you prefer to do business in the UK or in the USA? Give your reasons.