Confessions of a Corporate Centurion

Confessions of a Corporate Centurion, Gordon S. Riess, Four Continents Press, 2000

The author has spent a number of years as a senior executive in multi-national firms like Ford Motor Company and International Paper Company. He has lived in a number of countries, and been responsible for operations on five continents. This a look at some of his experiences and escapades as an international business executive.

When traveling to Sicily on business, one of the courtesy visits that must be made, after the local mayor and police chief, is to the local mafia don. By the time you have arrived at the local airport, he has been informed, so ignoring him would be a very bad idea. The amount of bureaucracy required for foreigners to get a driver's license ranges from almost overwhelming in Rome to almost nothing in Denmark.

When entering into a domestic business partnership, an American corporation will engage in all sorts of investigation of the potential partner, making sure of their financial stability. That logic tends to fly out the window when entering into a foreign partnership, simply because "everyone else is doing it." Sometimes, transactions, or "commissions," will be paid with suitcases full of cash. European governments, especially the tax authorities, tend to get very picky about such large amounts of money leaving the country. People can be found who specialize in transporting such bundles of cash from one country to another, no questions asked.

Much care must be taken when dubbing an American film into European languages. For example, the German spoken in Hamburg is coarser than that spoken in Hanover. Residents of Paris and Lyon look down their noses at the French spoken in Marseilles. To send a dubbed copy of a film to the "wrong" region would be disastrous. Last but not least, Americans working overseas should learn another language and be adaptable to local customs.

This book is excellent. The best business schools can give only a partial education. The rest of it, dealing with people who operate under a different set of customs, can only be gained on the job, or through books like this. Each chapter is a separate story, so it is meant for students and executives. Well worth reading.