Reduce Misunderstandings— Generate Business

By learning about how Americans think, one can more easily avoid making costly mistakes and missing opportunities.

Major Learning Outcomes

Understand American Business Values

Understanding a culture is like peeling away layers of an onion except that one has to work through layers of meaning to get to the underlying values. Americans business values are quite different from those held by most people in the world. Since it is a unique culture, many business people find it easy to make mistakes. This includes things such as: the work ethic, equality, equity and fairness, role of law,the separation of business and family, the "melting pot,” the class structure, etc.

Develop Better Business Relationships

The way Americans go about establishing business relationships are very different than how the Chinese do so. So different in fact, that it often prevents business deals from closing and relationships from developing

Learn How To better Communicate

A number of differences occur between how Americans prefer to communicate and the way Chinese approach the same activity. Typical difficulties include: the logic of how an argument is presented,being direct or indirect, the use of idioms, metaphor; etc.

What to Do About Cultural Differences

There are number differences between business cultural values that can prevent each side from doing business with the other. Once one knows how to recognize them, their impact can be minimized.

Program Modules Choose from the following modules to define a program

_____ Module 1: Significant Events In American History

To understand where one is today, one must begin in the past.
Anonymous

To gain an initial understanding of a different culture, it's important to understand key events from it's history and how those events impact business today.

_____ Module 2: Key Values and Ideas Affecting Businesses

If one understands a cultures values, one understands a people.
Anonymous

Americans business values are quite different from those held by most people in the world. Since it is a unique culture, many business people find it easy to make mistakes. Unique areas include: the work ethic, equality, equity and fairness, role of law, the separation of business and family, the "melting pot,” the class structure, etc

_____ Module 3: The Classic Ideas Underlying Management

Be like the rock that parts the waves.
Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome, 121-180 AD

Some ideas have staying power and have become part of the way things are. Four giants of business and their ideas will be profiled to bring to light the critical assumptions held by American men.

_____ Module 4: Old and New Paradigms of Business

If past history was all there was to the game of business, the richest people would be librarians.
Warren Buffet, Financier and investor

The rules of business today are different than those used even ten years ago. Both China and America are in the middle of major changes in how to do business in each country and between each countries. Discover both the new and the old rules that impact international business.

_____ Module 5: Understand Differences Between American and Chinese Business Values

A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.
William Blake

Differences between business values prevent each side from working together. Because these values are hidden, we never actually "see" the values themselves. What we experience is the way these values manifest themselves: in opinions, actions, decision making, and so on. Discover the major differences between Chinese and American business values that impact the ability to make money together.

_____ Module 6: Techniques That Improve Communication and Reduce Misunderstanding

No one would talk much in society if they knew how often they misunderstood others.
Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

A number of differences occur between how Americans prefer to communicate and the way Chinese approach the same activity. Typical difficulties include: the logic of how an argument is presented,and being direct or indirect.

_____ Module 7: How To Develop Business Relationships With Americans

You can accomplish anything in life provided you do not mind who gets the credit.
Harry S. Truman

The way Americans go about establishing business relationships are very different than how the Chinese do so. So different in fact, that it often prevents business deals from closing and relationships from developing. Discover the major pitfalls, problems, and methods to more quickly develop the business relationship with the Americans.

_____ Module 8: Culture Clinic

A prudent question is one half of wisdom.
Francis Bacon

This segment focuses answering questions on business practices to convert on opportunity into real business. If you learn and apply these knowledge, strategies and techniques, you'll have more business and will spend less money and time getting it.

Learn How To Do Business With the Americans