Editorial Reviews
Book Description
Click 'Additional Materials' for downloadable sample chapter
Understanding Global Cultures, Third Edition presents the cultural metaphor as a method for understanding the cultural mindsets of a nation, a cluster of nations, and even of a continent. This method involves identifying some phenomenon, activity or institution of a culture that all or most of its members consider important and with which they identify closely. Metaphors are not stereotypes; rather, they rely upon the features of one critical phenomenon of a culture to describe the entire culture. The characteristics of the metaphor then become the basis for describing and understanding the essential features of the culture. For example, the Italians invented the opera and love it passionately. Five key characteristics of the opera are the overture, spectacle and pageantry, voice, externalization, and the interaction between the lead singers and the chorus. These features are used to describe Italy and its cultural mindset. Thus the metaphor is a guide or map that helps such outsiders as students, travelers, and managers on short-term and long-term assignments understand quickly what members of a culture consider important.
New cultural metaphors for nations added to this edition:
- The Canadian Backpack and Flag
- The Danish Christmas Lunch
- French Wine
- China’s Great Wall and Cross-cultural Paradox
- The Singapore Hawker Centers
- Australian Outdoor Recreational Activities
- The Sub Saharan Bush Taxi
A unique feature of the third edition is that it develops a cultural metaphor for the base culture of China (the Great Wall), showing how it influenced both a unifying cultural metaphor among the large Chinese Expatriate communities living in various nations (the Chinese family altar) and the cultural metaphor for Singapore (the Hawker Centers). Another unique feature is the description of cultural metaphors for two continents, Africa and Australia. The Third Edition also groups these cultural metaphors by book parts into overriding themes or general types of cultures such as Authority Ranking, Equality matching, Market Pricing, Cleft, and Torn.
There is now a Web site that the instructor can use to obtain over 100 concepts, applications, and exercises that serve to enrich the learning experience associated with the third edition. It is tailored specifically to the Third Edition. Go to: ww.csusm.edu/mgannon
About the Author
Martin J. Gannon (Ph.D., Columbia University) is Professor of International Management and Strategy, College of Business Administration, California State University San Marcos. He is also Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland at College Park. At Maryland he held several administrative positions, including the Founding Directorship of the Center for Global Business, and received the University’s International Landmark Award. Professor Gannon is the author or co-author of 80 articles and 15 books, including Handbook of Cross Cultural Management, Dynamics of Competitive Strategy, Managing without Traditional Methods: International Innovations in Human Resource Management, and Ethical Dimensions of International Management.
Professor Gannon has been Senior Research Fulbright Professor at the Center for the Study of Work and Higher Education in Germany and the John F. Kennedy/Fulbright Professor at Thammasat University in Bangkok, and has served as a visiting professor at several Asian and European universities. He has also been a consultant to many companies and government agencies. Professor Gannon has lived and worked in over 25 nations for various periods of time as a visiting professor, consultant, and trainer. There are over 100 concepts, applications, and exercises designed to enrich the learning experience associated with Understanding Global Cultures, 3rd edition. Please go to Professor Gannon’s personal Webpages for them: http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/mao/mgannon/00_Home_Page.htm
Understanding Global Cultures : Metaphorical Journeys Through 28 Nations, Clusters of Nations, and Continents,Martin J. Gannon,Sage Publications, Inc,0761929800,Business & Economics,Business / Economics / Finance,Business/Economics,Cross-cultural orientation,Cross-cultural studies,Ethnic Studies - General,International - Economics,International - General,National characteristics,Business & Economics / International
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