Communications assistant professor Kenn Gaither (left) and Mary Gowan, dean of the Love School of BusinessTwo Elon faculty members were quoted Sept. 28 in a report by the Triad Business Journal, which devoted a special section to executive education and workplace training. Mary Gowan, dean of the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business, and Kenn Gaither, director of the journalism and communications fellows program, offered practical advice to people who conduct business overseas.
Gowan said that crossing legs and showing the bottom of shoes can be offensive in Middle Eastern cultures. And in many Middle Eastern cultures, Gowan said, women are expected to cover the heads with scarves.
Gaither said that in many Middle Eastern cultures, it is taboo to use the left hand in any social setting for any reason, since it is the left hand that is associated with bodily functions. And in South America, business is conducted much more casually than in the United States, and it is not uncommon for meetings to start anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes late.
