高級(jí)英語(yǔ)閱讀課文1

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TheCulturalDifferencesBetweentheEuropeanUnionandNorthAmericaandTheirImpactonTransatlanticBusinessByLionelLaroche,Ph.D.

Progressintelecommunicationsandtransportationtechnologieshasresultedinunprecedentedgrowthininternationaltradeingeneralandtransatlantictrade(betweentheEuropeanUnionandNorthAmerica)inparticular.Asaresult,EuropeansandNorthAmericansinteractroutinelytonegotiateandimplementbusinessagreements.ForNorthAmericansandEuropeans,doingbusinesswithoneanotherisconsideredeasierthandoingbusinesswiththethirdmajortradingblock,namelytheFarEast.Indeed,EuropeanUnionandNorthAmericancountriessharecommonhistoricalandreligiousroots;asaresult,mostNorthAmericanpeopletravelingthroughtheEuropeanUnionandmostEuropeanpeopletravelingthroughNorthAmericaexperiencecultureshocktoamuchlesserextentthanNorthAmericanorEuropeanpeopletravelingthroughtheFarEast.Unfortunately,theapparentsimilaritiesbetweencountriesoftheEuropeanUnionandNorthAmericamasksignificantculturaldifferences.BusinesspeoplefromeithersidemaybeluredintoafalsesenseoffamiliaritywhentheycrosstheAtlanticOcean.Takingtheseculturaldifferencesintoconsiderationincreasessignificantlytheprobabilityofsuccessofone'sprofessionalendeavors.

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TheweightandimportanceofhistoryareverydifferentdependingonwhichsideoftheAtlanticOceanyouare.OntheNorthAmericanside,historyismuchshorter:theU.S.A.starteditsexistenceasacountryin1776,Canadain1867.Bycontrast,thehistoryofmostEuropeannationsgoesbackmuchfurtherintime.Thisdifferencetranslatesinthebusinessworldintheamountofbackgroundinformationneededtointroduceacompanyorproject~.FormostNorthAmericans,eventsthattookplacemorethanthreetofiveyearsagoareconsideredirrelevanttothecurrentsituation,andbackgroundinformationonaprojectisusuallylimitedtothelatestdevelopments.Bycontrast,manyEuropeansgobackmuchfurtherintimeandoftenstartthedescriptionoftheircompanyorprojectattheconceptionstage,nomatterhowlongagothateventtookplace.Thisoftenresultsinmiscommunicationduringjointmeetingswherepeoplefrombothsidesmakepresentations:NorthAmericanaudiencesoftenfindEuropeanpresentationsuninteresting,becausetheycontainmuchsuperfluousbackgroundinformation(byNorthAmericanstandards),whileEuropeanaudiencesoftenfindthatNorthAmericanpresentationslackkeybackgroundinformation,makingthesepresentationsdifficulttofollow.

InNorthAmerica,Englishisthelanguageforbusiness.TheonlysignificantexceptionisQuebecwhere,whilemanyQuebecersspeakbothEnglishandFrench,theexclusiveuseofEnglishmaycreatesome

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difficulties.IntheEuropeanUnion,whileEnglishisgenerallyacceptedastheinternationallanguageofbusiness,theabilitytospeakEnglishisnotubiquitous.Furthermore,theabilitytospeakEnglishisnotuniformacrossgenerations.Indeed,theacceptanceofEnglishastheinternationallanguageofbusinessisrelativelyrecent.Asaresult,youmayfindthat,outsidetheBritishIsles,youngEuropeansspeakandunderstandEnglishmuchbetterthantheiroldercounterparts.Thisdifferencecancreatetension,particularlywhenthesepeoplecomefromcountrieswherehierarchyisimportant(suchasFrance,Italy,andSpain).Insomecases,goodcasesmayberejectedbecauseseniordecision-makersdonotunderstandthemandmaynotwanttoacknowledgetheirlackofunderstandinginfrontoftheiryoungercolleagues.

BoththeU.S.AandCanadawerebuiltontheassumptionthatland,energyandresources(suchaswater,minerals,wood,etc.)arealwaysavailable.Ifthereisnotenoughavailablewhereyouare,gosomewhereelse(west,inmostcases)andyouwillfindit.InNorthAmerica,energy,landandresourcesareconsideredavailableinvirtuallyunlimitedsupply;theonlycommoditythatiscontinuouslyinshortsupplyistime.Bycontrast,space,energyandresourcesareallinvisiblylimitedsupplyinEurope.TheneedtoconservethemisalwayspresentinEuropeanminds,particularlythosewhohaveexperiencedthedamagesofWorldWarII.Thisresultsinverysignificantbusinesspracticedifferencesbetweenthe

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EuropeanUnionandNorthAmerica:thesizeofcarsandequipment(fromrefrigeratorstoofficeequipment),theuseoflighting,theuseandwhitenessofpaper(NorthAmericandocumentsareoftensingle-sidedandcontainmuchblankspace,forexample)aredailyexamplesofthisdifferenceinapproach.Similarly,NorthAmericanbusinessestendtopreferbuildingnew,flatbuildingsonlargepiecesoflandratherthanrevampexistingbuildings.

OnecommonoversimplificationmadebypeopleonbothsidesoftheAtlanticOceanconsistsinviewingtheothersideasrelativelyhomogeneousfromaculturalstandpoint.Forexample,withthenotableexceptionofQuebec,manyEuropeanstendtoviewNorthAmericaasacontinuum,withlittledifferencefromonelocationtoanother.Similarly,manyNorthAmericanstendtothinkofEuropeastheBritishIslesandtherestofthecontinent.Europeitselfisverydiverse,andtheUKisculturallycloserinmanyrespectstotheU.S.A.andtoEnglishCanadathantoItalyorFrance.Similarly,therearemajorregionaldifferenceswithinNorthAmerica:EnglishCanadiansandAmericansholdverydifferentvaluesonmanysocialissues(includingguns,healthcare,andeducation).WithintheU.S.A.,therearesignificantdifferencesbetweentheNortheasternStates,theSouth,theMidwest,andtheSouthwest.CulturaldifferencesbetweenNorthAmericaandtheEuropeanUnioncanbequitesignificantandneedtobetakenintoconsideration

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whendoingbusinessw