WHEN WORLDS COLLIDEentertainment and the subtext it sends out. They'll make sure
there's a bottle of champagne in the visitor's room—the nice little
amenities."
If a British businessperson has a nice home, he or she may
invite a visitor there for a drink before going out to dinner, or
maybe for dinner at home. "They like to show you their homes,
unlike the French or the Japanese."
Asking people to visit you for a weekend is still done after an
association has been established, according to Ian, but this usually
occurs only in the upper levels of society. The visiting person
must be of the same social class as the host. The invitation will
usually revolve around something they want to show you, like a
medieval church, or something they want you to watch, such as
a fox hunt or a race. Ian advises that it is good policy to accept
such an invitation. "The visit may interest you, but even if it
doesn't, it's part of the process of getting to know each other on
a nonbusiness level."
For all the social propriety, Ian feels that British businesspeople
may be quite ruthless. However, their approach is often determined
by the other person's attitude. "They regard Americans as pushy
for trying to get at a bottom line or a quick sense of direction in
a relationship. They're sensitive about that. They wonder why he
or she is in such a hurry. They won't come right out and say so,
but they read the subtext 'I am trying to put something over on
you,' into Americans' aggressiveness."
The British like to size up the Americans. "They will be interested
in your schooling, where you went to university. In your life-
style—though you should never pull out pictures of your wife
and kids. They'll assure you that they're very nice, but what they're
really thinking is, 'I wish you wouldn't start all this now!' They
are very reserved about their personal lives. In Great Britain you