■ The Big Idea
There are many factors to be considered in the operation and management of business. Capital and investment, employee performance, system efficiency and effective employee-employer relationships are just some of the many essential considerations in doing business. However, a lot of people dealing with business forget one important aspect that is deemed essential in business: culture.

Culture, as an interconnected system of meanings shared by one group, greatly affects the way people do business. Cultural orientation may vary depending on the ideas, meanings, and beliefs held upon by a group of people living together in a certain locus or situation. Hence, culture affects the way people do business in a particular location.

This book discusses the effect of cultural diversity in the way people do business. Since culture is not easily felt unless one is immersed thoroughly in the lives of the people around, it is important for businesses to carefully understand how the culture of partners and the location may optimize the operation of the business, and similarly enhance the way of interaction in business.

■ About the Author
Fons Trompenaars
Fons Trompenaars studied Economics at the Free University of Amsterdam and later earned a Ph. D. from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, with a dissertation on differences in conceptions of organizational structure in various cultures. He experienced cultural differences firsthand at home, where he grew up speaking both French and Dutch, and then later at work, with the Royal Dutch Shell Group in nine countries. He co-wrote Riding the Waves of Culture, Understanding Cultural Diversity in Business, published by Nicholas Brealey (1993). This book sold over 120.000 copies. He is also the co-author of Seven Cultures of Capitalism and Mastering the Infinite Game with C h a r l e s H a m p d e n -Tu r n e r.

Charles Hampden-Turner
Charles Hampden-Turner is a British national and is currently based at the University of Cambridge Judge Institute of Management Studies. He received his masters and doctorate degrees from the Harvard Business School and was the recipient of the Douglas McGregor Memorial Award, as well as the Columbia University Prize for the Study of the Corporation. He has conducted research throughout Europe and North America and is the author of nine books, including: Maps of the Mind, Charting the Corporate Mind, Corporate Culture: Vicious & Virtuous Circles.