Managers' Forum ~ Book Reviews
 

I choose this book because I prefer it over Do's and Taboos of Humor Around the World which was very entertaining but I believe the author did not handle the topic in an educational manner. In addition, I thought several of the anecdotes were unrelated to international applications. I believe the third selection, Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, is a must for the library of anyone actively involved in international business. Although it's
probably not practical to read this book cover to cover, applicable sections (countries) can be reviewed prior to visiting those countries.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blunders in International Business was written by David A. Ricks, Vice President of Academic Affairs at Thunderbird - The American Graduate School of International Management where he have been a Professor of
International Business for over 22 years.  The author began his collection of blunders after he discovered how effectively they could be used to illustrate his messages during classroom lectures. Because students found the blunders entertaining, the messages were easier to remember and the students' interest in international business increased.

The author has categorized these blunders into seven categories.  Although I am familiar with several of the examples listed in chapters 2 through 5, which covered Production, Names, Marketing and Translation, respectively, I found the reading entertaining and informative. Armed with the knowledge presented, I cannot imagine a company introducing a product into an outside market without first investigating suitable packaging colors, labeling requirements, the meaning of the product name in the local language(s), etc.  Apparently, many companies have learned their lessons as most of the blunders sighted date back to the 50's, 60's and 70's. I believe this first half of the book "sets the hook" for the more informative, albeit in my opinion, less humorous, second half of the book.

This latter half covered the blunders related to Management, and Business which I believe requires a business to maintain a higher level of vigilance in order to prevent its own blunders. Lastly, had this book
been reduced to the single recommendation, backtranslate, listed in the chapter on Lessons Learned, the book would still have been worth its purchase price. Backtranslating refers to the practice of translating
the translated message back to the original language by an independent translator. This brings the message full circle and serves to confirm that the message has accurately survived the original translation.

David A. Ricks, Blunders in International Business, Blackwell Publishers (1997) ISBN 1-55786-414-4

Contact Us!