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ERIC Number: ED404845
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1993
Pages: 22
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The French World of Business: Culture and Commerce. The Case of the Wharton School.
Slowinski, Betty J.
This paper discusses French and American cultural differences and their effect on the conduct of business in both countries, as well as the results of the Banque Indosuez survey of French and American attitudes towards each other. The French tend to be less committed to schedules, appointments, and deadlines than Americans, and are more circumspect in business communication and meetings. They still have some aversion to discussing money, and are less willing to take economic risks than Americans. The French education system is highly centralized and emphasizes logic, mathematics, and language skills, whereas the American system is decentralized and more pragmatic. The majority of French business executives and government officials are graduates of the Grandes Ecoles, forming a powerful elite that, in reality, run the country. French executives are seen as more cultured and better educated than their American counterparts, but with less practical experience. Although French society is highly centralized and regulated, many rules are routinely ignored. French attitudes toward sexual harassment in the workplace are more lax than in the United States, with 45 percent of French women believing that being asked to spend the weekend with a superior to discuss a possible promotion did not constitute sexual harassment. (MDM)
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: France; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A