E-Book Overview
In Central and Eastern Europe, the 'Old Europe' of cobblestones co-exists with mobile phones, horse carts fight for road space with cars, and farmers' markets compete with mega-stores.Western business professionals hoping to expand or start up new ventures in this complex environment must possess knowledge that is both comprehensive and subtle. What is it like to live and work in Central and Eastern Europe? How is business conducted there? What happened in Central and Eastern Europe to make integration into the rest of Europe so difficult? What important social and cultural issues must be mastered by Westerners hoping to flourish in this region? 'Succeeding in Business in Central and Eastern Europe', the fourteenth title in the 'Managing Cultural Differences Series' answers these and many other questions. This book identifies a variety of factors, including an anti-business attitude and a resistance to Western-style change, that hinder some attempts at development within Central and Eastern Europe. It provides a frame of reference for understanding the "post-Soviet syndrome" - with its remnants of corruption and mistrust of managers and customers alike - that continues to haunt the countries of CEE. Dr. Sears and Ms. Tamulionyte-Lentz give readers solutions for overcoming the problems inherent in this region. They explain how Western executives can build relationships and find point of cultural "synthesis" with their Central and Eastern European counterparts and ultimately create a new and mutually beneficial work culture with their ventures.With understanding and insights on the cultural nuances of the region, 'Succeeding in Business in Central and Eastern Europe' can help all Western visitors, even tourists, who arrive at this increasingly popular destination.
E-Book Content
Copyright 0 2001 Butterworth-Heinemann fi& A member of the Reed Elsevier group
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval syseem, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written,
@ Elsevier prints its books on acid-free paper whenever possible. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sears, Woodrow H. Succeeding in business in Central and Eastern Europe: A guide to cultures, markets, and practices / Woodrow H. Sears and Audrone Tamulionyte-Lentz. p. cm.-(Managing cultural differences) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN- 13: 978-0-877 19-380-7
ISBN- 10: 0-877 19-3 80-0 (alk. paper)
1. Corporate culture-Europe, Eastern. 2. Business anthropology-Europe, Eastern. 3. Psychology, Industrial-Europe, Eastern. 4. Europe, EasternEconomic conditions-1989- 5. Post-communism-Europe, Eastern. I. Tamulionyte-Lentz, Audrone. II. Title. 111. Managing cultural differences series. HD58.7 .S4 2000 330.943-42 1
ISBN- 13: 978-0-877 19-380-7 ISBN-10: 0-87719-380-0
00-064651
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. The publisher offers special discounts on bulk orders of this book. For information, please contact: Manager of Special Sales Butterworth-Heinemann 225 Wildwood Avenue Woburn, MA 01801-2041 Tel: 781-904-2500 Fax: 781-904-2620 For information on all Butterworth-Heinemann publications available, contact our World Wide Web home page at: http://www.bh.com 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 Printed in the United States of America
We dedicate this book to our families in the United States and in Lithuania, especially to: Woody’s mother, Lillian Sears of Raleigh, NC, who has been a model of patience, duty, and dedication-and the life of every party; and Roma Sears of Vilnius who, with her