Among the businesses visited in Brazil were Banco Pactual, Nortel, an Internet start-up company, General Motors and a wireless communications firm. In Japan, companies visited included Toyota, Asahi Breweries, Proctor and Gamble, IBM and Andersen Consulting. Comparing and Contrasting Cultures Group leader Chandra Wiggs and Megan Hotopp marveled at the kindness and generosity of their business contacts in Japan. The student group said they were warmly welcomed by the companies, given tours of plants and sometimes served lunch. Another interesting difference, Hotopp said, is how the Japanese approach employment.
Little privacy exists in the typical Japanese workplace.
The workday is also much longer. A lot of single people eat their dinners there because they work such long hours. Hotopp said she was impressed that many Japanese business contacts spoke English. But she said as many as two translators were with them to facilitate communication. While the professional atmosphere was intensely formal compared to that of American companies, Hotopp said she and her fellow travelers were amused at the cultural quirks they encountered in Japan.