and decisions. However, in the Middle East and in the Muslim Far East, the
Five Pillars of Islam dominate life and business, including the concept of
mortgages and money-lending. In India business is not guided by Hinduism
or any of the country’s six other main religions but it is affected, as in China,
by superstition. Decisions to sign contracts, to travel and to get married are
taken on auspicious days. In China, decisions as to where to site buildings
may be made according to the principles of Feng Shui and there is
superstition, as in Japan, about the number four, which will affect the naming
of offices and floors in buildings. On Golden College Day in Shanghai, when
Chinese upper middle schools enrol pupils, taxis with the number four in
their registration plate were pulled off the streets, according to a BBC Radio
4 report. In China, philosophical tradition governs the culture of respect that
is so crucial in Chinese life. Respect for authority and age, frugality, the giving
of alms and a passion for education are the five principles of Confucianism.
History
History also affects how a country views foreigners and the rest of the world.
A huge example of this is the work that Central and Eastern European countries
are doing to rebuild their economies and financial and governmental
structures, after as much as 70 years of Communist rule. Banks and political
institutions are having to reach back before the Second World War and even
to the 19th century to discover their organizational roots. In countries where
such upheaval is taking place, business visitors who show an interest in this
vivid history and the way it affects people’s lives today are really appreciated.
In ancient civilizations such as those of China and India, events and
achievements from their long history crop up frequently in conversation, and
the foreigner who can contribute at least something to the debate will be
valued over one who remains sadly ignorant.
Media
The media has shrunk the world. From the internet, CNN, BBC World TV,
the financial channel Bloomberg, the Arabic TV channel and website Aljazeera,
as well as global news agencies such as Reuters, we learn of natural disasters,
conflicts and economic crises as they happen. What the media says about a
country can have an immediate effect on levels of business confidence and
stock market prices, and on the travel decisions of the business community
and holidaymakers. An isolated incident in one place can cause wholesale
THREE HOW PEOPLE THINK
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