Culture Quiz 253 Politely decline saying that in addition to not having
had time to prepare remarks, your language skills are
inadequate to make the speech in Chinese.
Offer one of your more junior colleagues sitting at a nearby
table to make the speech in your place.
Pretend your mobile phone has just vibrated, have an
animated discussion with a non-existent assistant, and
excuse yourself from the banquet saying that you have
an urgent emergency to attend to.
Comments
The appropriate response would be to gracefully accept to
give the speech, answer . Your host has invited you to sit
at the head table and give a speech not for the content that
you would provide, but because your presence will give him
‘face’, demonstrating his ties and support to key members of
the foreign investment community. Your remarks can be brief
but should give generous credit to the local government entity
and the support they have given you. Being adaptable in this
type of situation will earn you credit with the government and
build a stronger relationship that will be to your advantage
in the future.
SITUATION 5
You have been asked by your future landlord to put down
a deposit of US$ 1,000 in order to hold the gorgeous new
apartment that you have just identified after three months
of searching. Confident that you can have the money for her
tomorrow, you promise to deliver it in person at 4:00 pm.
You have withdrawn this amount of foreign currency from
your bank two other times and think that it will be a simple
transaction. When you show up at the bank the next day,
the clerk tells you that the regulations changed the first of
last month and that you are no longer allowed to withdraw
more than US$ 500 in any one day. Your future landlady has
been insistent that the only way you will get the apartment
is to give her the money by 4:00 pm tomorrow. She has
someone else interested that can have the money to her the
day after. After 15 minutes of heated debate about why you