Test in Entertaining

 Entertaining

It has been said that when two American or European businesspeople meet, they are there to do a deal, but in Asia they are there to establish a relationship. Entertaining in Asia is often used to 'size up' a potential business partner - partner in the sense of future supplier or joint venture associate. Asians will want to know more about their guest, their background and their contacts before going ahead and doing business. This is an essential part of the business process, not just polite etiquette.

Relationship building takes different forms in different places - invitations to karaoke evenings in Japan or the yacht on the French Riviera are not to be refused. The demand for corporate hospitality in the UK has been criticised for making events such as Grand Prix racing or Wimbledon more expensive for ordinary people. But corporate sponsorship of sport and culture brings in large amounts of money, and many such events benefit from this overall.

Entertaining in the form of invitations to your host's home exists in some cultures but not others, where work and private life are kept entirely separate.

Cultural awareness of norms in these and other areas can lead to better communication and avoidance of misunderstandings. Companies are spending more time and money these days on cross-cultural training, often but not always in tandem with language training, in order to facilitate better social interaction.

Socialising in another language is not easy. There is more focus on the language itself than in business discussions. Students, rightly, demand formulaic expressions for particular situations. This is often called small talk. But to refer to it as 'small' undervalues its importance. Language learners see it as a minefield of potential problems and, inevitably, gaffes. People have their favourite stories about such mistakes, perhaps ones they made themselves. Telling these stories can be a useful form of ice-breaking activity in the classroom when working on this much-demanded social English.

Business Culture Test

Test your understanding of cross-cultural business communication

Task 1: Multiple Choice Questions

1. According to the text, what is the primary purpose of relationship-building in Asia before doing business?

a) To follow the rules of polite etiquette. b) To entertain with activities like karaoke. c) To size up a potential business partner and learn about them. d) To separate work life from private life.

2. What is stated about corporate hospitality in the UK?

a) It makes events like Wimbledon more accessible for ordinary people. b) It is criticized for making events more expensive for the general public. c) It does not bring in significant amounts of money. d) It is considered an essential part of the business process.

3. Why is "small talk" considered important in the context of social English, despite its name?

a) It is easy for language learners to master. b) It consists of simple, formulaic expressions. c) It is undervalued but crucial for social interaction, and seen as a potential minefield for mistakes. d) It is only used for ice-breaking activities in the classroom.

4. How do the text suggest companies are improving cross-cultural communication?

a) By focusing only on language training. b) By refusing invitations to corporate events. c) By investing more in cross-cultural training, often with language training. d) By keeping work and private life entirely separate.

Task 2: True/False/Not Stated

1. In Asia, entertaining is seen as an essential part of the business process, not just polite etiquette.

True False Not Stated

2. In all cultures, it is common to be invited to your host's home.

True False Not Stated

3. Corporate sponsorship only benefits the corporations, not the sporting or cultural events themselves.

True False Not Stated

4. The text recommends that students avoid learning formulaic expressions for social situations.

True False Not Stated

5. Telling stories about language mistakes can be a useful classroom activity.

True False Not Stated

Task 3: Matching

Match the concepts with their correct descriptions:

Relationship Building	Select description A. Can lead to better communication and avoid misunderstandings. B. Often used in Asia to 'size up' a potential partner. C. Its demand in the UK has been criticized for increasing ticket prices. D. Seen by language learners as a minefield of potential problems.
Corporate Hospitality	Select description A. Can lead to better communication and avoid misunderstandings. B. Often used in Asia to 'size up' a potential partner. C. Its demand in the UK has been criticized for increasing ticket prices. D. Seen by language learners as a minefield of potential problems.
Cultural Awareness	Select description A. Can lead to better communication and avoid misunderstandings. B. Often used in Asia to 'size up' a potential partner. C. Its demand in the UK has been criticized for increasing ticket prices. D. Seen by language learners as a minefield of potential problems.
Small Talk	Select description A. Can lead to better communication and avoid misunderstandings. B. Often used in Asia to 'size up' a potential partner. C. Its demand in the UK has been criticized for increasing ticket prices. D. Seen by language learners as a minefield of potential problems.

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