146 Part 2 The Cultural Environment of Global Markets Haste and impatience are probably the most common mistakes of North Americans attempting to trade in the Middle East. Most Arabs do not like to embark on serious busi-ness discussions until after two or three opportunities to meet the individual they are deal-ing with; negotiations are likely to be prolonged. Arabs may make rapid decisions once they are prepared to do so, but they do not like to be rushed, and they do not like deadlines. The managing partner of the Kuwait office of KPMG Peat Marwick says of the “fly-in visit” approach of many American businesspeople, “What in the West might be regarded as dynamic activity—the ‘I’ve only got a day here’ approach—may well be regarded here as merely rude.” Marketers who expect maximum success have to deal with foreign executives in ways that are acceptable to the foreigner. Latin Americans depend greatly on friendships but establish these friendships only in the South American way: slowly, over a considerable period of time. A typical Latin American is highly formal until a genuine relationship of respect and friendship is established. Even then, the Latin American is slow to get down to business and will not be pushed. In keeping with the culture, man˜ ana (tomorrow) is good enough. How people perceive time helps explain some of the differences between U.S. managers and those from other cultures. Research has demonstrated that managers in Anglo cultures such as the United States tend to be more concerned with time management than managers from either Latin or Asian cultures.43 Our stereotype of Latin cultures, for example, is “they are always late,” and their view of us is “you are always prompt.” Neither statement is completely true, though both contain some truth. What is true, however, is that the United States is a very time-oriented society—time is money to us—whereas in many other cultures, time is to be savored, not spent. Edward T. Hall defines two time systems in the world: monochronic and polychronic time. M-time, or monochronic time, typifies most North Americans, Swiss, Germans, and Scan-dinavians. These Western cultures tend to concentrate on one thing at a time. They divide time into small units and are concerned with promptness. M-time is used in a linear way, and it is experienced as almost tangible, in that one saves time, wastes time, bides time, spends time, and loses time. Most low-context cultures operate on M-time. P-time, or polychronic time, is more dominant in high-context cultures, where the completion of a human transaction is emphasized more than holding to schedules. P-time is character-ized by the simultaneous occurrence of many things and by “a great involvement with people.” P-time allows for relationships to build and context to be absorbed as parts of high-context cultures. One study comparing perceptions of punctuality in the United States and Brazil found that Brazilian timepieces were less reliable and public clocks less available than in the United States. Researchers also found that Brazilians more often described themselves as late arrivers, allowed greater flexibility in defining early and late, were less concerned about being late, and were more likely to blame external factors for their lateness than were Americans.44 Please see comparisons of 31 countries in Exhibit 5.3. We note that one study has found the index useful as it well predicts the number of days necessary for obtaining a business license in the 31 countries.45 The American desire to get straight to the point and get down to business is a manifesta-tion of an M-time culture, as are other indications of directness. The P-time system gives rise to looser time schedules, deeper involvement with individuals, and a wait-and-see-what- develops attitude. For example, two Latin colleagues conversing would likely opt to P-Time versus M-Time 43Glen H. Brodowsky, Beverlee B. Anderson, Camille P. Schuster, Ofer Meilich, and M. Ven Venkatesan, “If Time Is Money Is It a Common Currency? Time in Anglo, Asian, and Latin Cultures,” Journal of Global Marketing 21, no. 4 (2008), pp. 245 –58. 44Robert Levine, The Geography of Time (New York: Basic Books, 1998). 45Runtian Jing and John L. Graham, “Regulation vs. Values: How Culture Plays Its Role,” Journal of Business Ethics 80, no. 4 (2008), pp. 791–806.
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