Echos of Culture in the Corporate Environment by Ashraf Haggag- REVIEW

Title: Echos of Culture in the Corporate Environment: Culture’s Influence On; Business Negotiations, Communication, Creativity, Employees, and Buying Behavior

Author: Ashraf Haggag

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publications

Blurb: The world is more connected than ever before. When pondering the future of your business, you may be looking at international expansion—and through modern technology, any metropolis in the world is only a Skype call or e mail away.

This new sense of closeness brings new challenges as global businesses struggle to communicate effectively with each other. Each organization is influenced by the region it calls home—a business in Japan does things quite differently from one based in France. Workplace culture helps create a united front, but it can lead to unwanted tension and conflict.

This new guide to international business culture can help you avoid misunderstandings during negotiations and other important talks. Author and businessman Ashraf Haggag discusses a number of important issues, including

• the definition of culture as a driving force in business,
• the unique cultures of a variety of countries and global regions,
• the ways culture directs business negotiations,
• the influence of culture on business strategy,
• the effect of culture on business communications, and
• the role culture plays in consumer buying behavior.

Understanding the ideological foundation of an organization will help you better prepare for negotiations and accommodate its unique corporate environment with enhanced insight.

Review: So this is the second book that I am reading by Ashraf Haggag (and received via VInfluencers). The first was Legends Over Generations (review will be up soon). I have to say that this is certainly better than his previous work. Echoes of Culture in the Corporate Environment begins with a brief discussion on what actually a culture is. Then it slowly progresses to discuss the evolution of cultures in different societies like Italy, Germany,

Every chapter that discusses the culture of different countries is filled with colorful and rich history. It also discusses the effect it has had on the personalities of their citizens, commonly accepted etiquettes and even rules of being punctual (!) that you will find in these places. For instance, this book tells you that Russians are not very to being warm towards westerners and the French are very casual about punctuality. Interesting, isn’t it?

It discusses in length about the cultural traits in all places- Europe, Asia, America, the Middle East.  However, the one chapter that I amusingly find missing is the one on India, while it does find some mentions but they are far and in between.

The book then progresses to discuss the elements of Corporate Culture and its role in the corporate environment. If you are a management student or someone who is even remotely connected or interested in learning about the various dynamics in a workplace environment, you will find these chapters very insightful.

All in all, Echoes of Culture in the Corporate Environment is an aptly titled book that is well researched and extremely knowledgeable for people looking to get an overview as to how a corporation works. In a world that is increasingly growing closer and becoming multi-diverse, both in personal and professional relationships, this book is definitely a keeper. I recommend it as a must read for the same.

Rating: 4/5

Price: 997 INR

You can find the book on Amazon here.

-Mrinaal Datt

Follow me on Instagram here.

Read more about me here.