"Weaving strength from differences"
Forty-one per cent of leading opinions-makers in the U.S.A., such as financial analysts and government officials, were unfamiliar with the names of the chief executives of Europe's ten largest companies, according to a study published recently in the U.S. by the consultants, Burson-Marsellers. More than 90% of top executives in Germany regularly communicate in a foreign language, according to a survey of 2,466 managers from 17 countries published by management consultants Dr. Heimeier & Partners. According to AsiaWeek, only 1/3 of major Japanese corporations will hire new college graduates in the year 2000 (March 17, 2000). Did you know that some experts say the Japanese language contains over 4000 English words (gairaigo, or foreign import words)? Similar to the import into the English language of Spanish-language words such as salsa, tortilla, lasso, ranch, peon, rodeo, canyon....some import words are close to the original, and some have either different pronunciations and/or different meanings from the original! An average of fourteen national cultures and 160 participants take part in conferences arranged by companies for their international managers, according to a survey of 500 major German companies published recently by Simon, Kucher and Partners. In their communication with investors and the media in the United States, German companies are frequently perceived as arrogant and lacking in transparency and shareholder-orientation, according to a recent study published by the German-American Chamber of Commerce. |
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