Product Description

The only book to look at the uniquely delicate situation that confronts every Western business-woman, whether traveling to Japan or meeting Japanese clients at her home office. Using real-life anecdotes, cultural explanations, and extensive lists of tactics and dos and don'ts, Doing Business with Japanese Men tells women how to quickly establish their authority and work effectively. Included are practical discussions of preparation, meeting protocol, socializing, and gift giving, as well as tips on wardrobe, make-up, special health and safety concerns, and fending off unwanted attention.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #794516 in Books
• Published on: 1993-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 176 pages

Review
"A must-read for businesswomen in any way associated with Japanese business." -William S. Meyers, Vice President, Time Inc. Magazine Company -- -William S. Meyers, Vice President, Time Inc. Magazine Company

"Thank you for sharing women's first-hand experiences with Japanese business. Your book offers pragmatic solutions for the experienced businessperson as well as the novice." -Linda Lawrence, Apple Computer, Inc., Pacific Division, Office of the President -- Review

About the Author
Christalyn Brannen, who grew up in Japan, is a partner in BLC Intercultural Business Consultants of Berkeley, California, a cross-cultural consulting firm, and author of Going to Japan on Business.

Tracey Wilen works on joint ventures for Cisco Systems.

Customer Reviews

Prepare for the worst! Japan is still male-dominated society
As a Japanese businesswoman working for some 20 years, I believe this book will help a lot for those women doing business with Japanese men. Especially those who are new to Japan. Unfortunately, Japanese business world is still male-oriented, and most of Japanese businessmen don't know how to deal with women in business. One of the Japanese businesswomen's complaints is, "Japanese men treat business women only in three manners. Treat them as their wives, daughters, or hostesses at the night bars. They just don't know how to treat them as a collogue or business partnerc" This book consists of actual experiences of many foreign women and how they dealt with. Those experiences are no exaggeration from my eyes. It will be a good preparation to know what you may confront in Japan.

Disappointing
I was so excited to see this title when I was sent to Tokyo (with 2 American men) on very short notice! I read this book cover-to-cover in preparation. When I got to Tokyo, I was surprised to experience a much more contemporary, advanced culture than had been described. For example, the attire suggestions were completely wrong (and sometimes contradictory). You won't go wrong with classic American business attire. I found that by paying close attention to your Japanese counterparts' mannerisms, being slightly more aggressive than usual (I live in NYC, that may be much more aggressive than I think!), and having someone well-respected introduce you to whomever you will be working with will be very helpful. It also would have been useful to learn more about the Japanese tendency to agree with you, when they really don't understand what you're talking about!

A must-have for any woman doing business with the Japanese
A friend loaned me this book, and within minutes, I knew I had to have a copy for myself. Particularly useful for the female executive, this book covers how to establish your authority (and how to handle Japanese men who ignore you and insist on talking to your male subordinates), how to dress, socializing, gift giving, the business card rituals, where the power seat is in the conference room, how to handle inappropriate behavior and sticky situations, communication and correspondence protocol, and numerous other subjects. I am appalled to discover how many mistakes I have made in my business relationships with Japanese companies, but now am sufficiently enlightened to avoid many in the future. If you are female and do business with the Japanese, whether in Japan or in your home country, you must have this book.