Moto Coming to America Essay Example

making a business deal. In the US, people often put these business cards in their pockets. Later, it will be thrown away together with some tissues and candy packaging, or they forget in their trouser pocket and it gets washed in the washing machine. In Japan, such behavior would show lots of disrespect. Moto started to tell Crowell that his company was very pleased to do business with Allmack and he began to talk about the history of the two companies, and also about the history and customs in America.

Moto had put a lot of effort preparing for the meeting, however, Crowell grew impatient as many American businessmen do believing that time is money, so he tried to speed up the process and sell Moto on the greatness of his company. Some communication problems that occurred between Moto and Crowell were that Moto was looking to build a friendship before the deal started. Moto was looking to get to know Crowell and find out what type of person he was. On the other hand, Crowell was anxious that Moto close the deal with Allmack in order to prevent Moto to look around some other companies.

There were many cultural and communication differences between them. Before going to America for meeting, Moto researched and learned about the culture and history of America but Crowell was not familiar with the culture of Japan. In Japan, people regard exchanging of business card as an important instrument to learn about their clients but Crowell was unaware of this and he did not make an attempt to look at the card given by Moto. Moto was also

hurt when he presented the gift of the dolls to Crowell because Crowell opened the present in front of him.

In Japan, opening gift in front of the person is considered rude. In Japanese culture when conducting a business meeting, Japanese will bring to gift with the purpose of wanting to build a relationship. Moto spent a lot of time choosing a gift that would be good for Crowell. When Crowell received the gift he did not show any gratitude and he did not inquire about the gift. Crowell only seemed interested in getting the business deal finalized. Moreover, Moto was hurt by the comment Crowell made about the gift.

Crowell said that the dolls look like “Russian dolls”. According to an article from Kimberley Roberts, “in Japan gift giving is an art form, representing friendship, respect, and gratitude. The ceremony is important; the gift is always in a gift box, or beautifully wrapped in quality paper, and given with great respect. Because the symbolism is what’s important, frequently the actual gift may be very modest”. In Japan, the ritual of gift giving is more important than the value of the gift.

To the Japanese, the value lies in the bringing of a gift and the effort that is made to bring it. The person bringing the gift hopes that the receiver has recognized this and appreciates that a gift was brought. The contents of the gift itself is not the primary concern for the Japanese. Crowell did not realize that in many cases, what may be considered to be acceptable by American standards may be unacceptable to the Japanese. According to

an article by Greg Rodgers, “even the exchanging of business cards follows a protocol in Japan.

Japanese business cards are treated with utmost respect”. After the greeting, the most common way to introduce yourself is through the exchange of business cards. This requires deliver the card and hold it with both hands so that the writing side is toward the receiver in order for the receiver to be able to read it. You must also receive the other party card with both hands and place it on the table during the time of the meeting, and then save it with care. In Japan, you are not professional in conducting business if you do not have a business card.

From my own point of view, if you make an appointment with a manager from another country different from the company, it is first important to know the protocol to be followed at meetings in this country, because as in this situation, Crowell made a business etiquette mistake by keeping Moto’s business card in his pocket. The way Crowell handled a Motto’s business card showed Motto how much Crowell did not really value a relationship with Motto. Crowell was so obvious that he only was interested in closing the deal. Crowell should never quickly shoved the card into his pocket.

On the other hand, it is also important to know the customs of that country, and that you cannot treat a person of a different country and different culture as any other person that lives in your country because they may feel displaced. it is essential that Americans aspiring to do business with Japanese

people make an effort to educate themselves and be understanding of the different cultural practices they might encounter, and that Japanese people hoping to make a business deal with Americans also do their part in being understanding that Americans may not be accustomed to spending so much on fun nights with coworkers.

Being sensitive to and respecting cultural differences is key not only in a corporate setting, but in all walks of life for people of different cultures to get along. Culture influences directly when conducting international negotiations, as not all countries negotiate the same way. Aspects such as core values, habits, customs, religion, morality, etc, are indispensable to know. It is important to behave appropriately when conducting business overseas in order to have better communication, therefore, to reach a better negotiation that could benefits both parties.