Oksana Stefankiv
English 098-099
September 12, 2012
Paragraph 1 The way people greet each other when they meet for the first time varies from culture to culture. In some cultures, people bow, and in others, they shake hands. In English-speaking countries, shaking hands is the custom. A proper handshake has four ingredients: pressure, pumps, eye contact, and verbal message. If done properly, a handshake gives the impression of strength and honesty, and if done improperly, it conveys weakness and dishonesty. How one shakes hands sends an important message about one’s character.
Tape of introduction: surprising statistics.
Paragraph 2 Mr. X went to Mexico from England to manage a milk pasteurization plant. For eight months, he tried every way possible to convince his workers of the importance of punctuality and of checking every detail of their work. The response was always, “Yes, yes, we will do our best,” but nothing ever changed. The employees did most of the planning and draped the new unit with garlands. Then one day an impressive new pasteurization unit arrived and was installed. And so it was-neither punctuality nor quality checks were any longer needed. To celebrate the occasion, Mr. X decided to throw a big party at the plant. During the party one of Mr. X’s supervisors took him aside and said, “Now we see that you are buena gente; from now on I am sure everyone will really try to do their best for you.” The party was a great success, and everybody had a good time. This story illustrates the need to understand that doing business in a different culture demands an understanding of the culture.
Type of introduction: interesting story
Paragraph 3 Scientists keep trying to find ways to predict earthquakes-so far without much success. In 1976, an earthquake in Tangshan, China, killed over 250,000 people. Iran suffered more than 80,000 deaths in two