Au Contraire!
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ISBN: 978-1-877864-82-7
Figuring out the French
Gilles Asselin & Ruth Mastron
Paperback - 308 pp. More details...
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Product Details
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When Coca-Cola entered the French market with a hard-core bottom-line management style, they were met with boycotts in cafes and supermarkets. At the launch of Euro Disney in Paris, Mickey Mouse was “greeted” by angry protesters hurling tomatoes and eggs. As a culture, the French are fiercely independent yet romantic, conservative yet avant-garde, rational yet emotional.
Written for anyone interested in or interacting with the French, Au Contraire!: Figuring Out the French unearths the often-invisible cultural forces that govern behavior. Gilles Asselin and Ruth Mastron draw upon their own experiences as consultants and trainers, as well as that of expatriate students and professionals, to offer the best and most useful analysis and advice on French-American intercultural relations. Going beyond the obvious, this bilingual and bicultural author team explores what lies behind what we see: the assumptions, attitudes, patterns of thought and beliefs that make the French so…French.
In a global world filled with multinational mergers and international partnerships, Au Contraire! provides context and perspective on what happens when Americans and the French come together at work, at home, and in any social setting, touching on issues like education, play, friendship, romance and politics. They highlight the dynamics of working and managing across the French and American cultural divide with an in-depth case study of how pharmaceutical giant Rhône-Poulenc Rorer overcame challenges by fostering cross-cultural teamwork. With a quick and useful guide to social etiquette and professional guidelines for managers working in the United States and in France, Au Contraire! provides critical tools to develop creative and appropriate responses to any situation, based on a deep understanding of the unique dynamics of these two cultures.
“Au Contraire! should be required reading for anybody planning to live in France…or interacting with French people on a regular basis, or any French expatriate who wants to make sense of what it is to be French. Companies should give it to the employee they transfer and their family. Actually, they should give it to all employees who have to deal with French counterparts. French-born people planning to live in the U.S. or working with U.S. counterparts will also appreciate it immensely but I wish the authors had a version made for them.”
—Customer review, Amazon.com
“This is a gem. This is THE reference. Don't leave home without it! Buy it. Read it, and enjoy the culture shock. You will get out of it transformed and stronger."
—Jean-Claude Balland, review on amazon.com
“Give it five Michelin stars for both nourishing the mind and charming the heart. Its flavors are bold; its presentation is stylish and colorful. Au Contraire! is the culture book on the French that Americans have been waiting for.”
—George Simons, Diversophy International
“A whole-picture view of French and American culture. The pictures painted are detailed and colorful enough to help any business manager or traveler, on either side of the Atlantic, understand why we are the way we are—both Americans and French—a useful tool for all managers confronted with the management of cross-cultural issues.”
—Michel de Rosen, former chairman and CEO Rhône-Poulenc Rorer
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreword
Introduction
1 Welcome to France
2 What Makes the French so French?
3 The Weight of the Past
4 They Drive Me Crazy!
Part II: Face to Face...
5 With the Self
6 With the Family
7 With the School
8 With Friends
9 With Romance
10 With work
11 With Politics
12 With Religion
13 With Society
14 Dialogue Between Two Worlds
Part III: Coming Together: For What-- And How?
15 Rhone-Poulenc Rorer: Case Study of a Successful French-American Merger
16 Working Across Cultures
17 Professional Guidelines
18 How to Succeed in an Expatriate Assignment: Insights and Guidelines
Appendices:
A The French School System
B Nuts and Bolts of Social Etiquette in France
C Sojourning: Start with an Empty Suitcase
References
Additional Readings
Internet Resources
Index
About the Authors
About the Authors
Gilles Asselin, founder and executive director of New Jersey-based SoCoCo Intercultural, is a program designer, trainer, and consultant who helps international executives and managers succeed when working across cultures.
Ruth Mastron is vice-president of SoCoCo Intercultural and was formerly a liaison for overseas operations for various international corporations.
T Translation Rights
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