Korean Way in Business - by Boye Lafayette De Mente (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Learn the ins and outs of conducting business in South Korea.

South Korean companies and technology have suddenly conquered the world. Samsung, Hyundai and LG are industry leaders and the global brands. Korean culture in the form of K-Pop music videos and "Korean Wave" films and TV dramas are watched everywhere from Tel Aviv to Singapore to Rio. Korean gourmet food trucks ply the streets of New York and LA, and kimchi has found a place on the shelves of well-stocked supermarkets around the world.

With just a fraction of Japan's land area, less than half its population, and no natural resources--how have Korean companies managed to conquer the world in such a short period of time? What is the "secret sauce" of Korean business practices and companies that make them so successful?

To find out, readers need more than statistics and company profiles. Learning the basics of Korean culture, about Korean social etiquette and Korean business culture, will enable you to understand for the first time how Koreans think and why they work so effectively to achieve their goals. This understanding will enhance your own effectiveness in doing business with Koreans, or in competing with them--whether in Korea or elsewhere. The Korean Way in Business is a must-read for business professionals who wish to know the secrets underlying the commercial practices and business success of modern-day Koreans.

Review Quotes

"...a riveting 192 page book that is indispensable for any westerner doing--or wishing to do--business in Korea. The book is replete with mistakes that have made by westerners and the means of correcting them, or better yet, not making them in the first place." --WowAsIs.com blog

"The Korean Way in Business is one of this author's several well-received volumes on Korea that should be pre-requisite reading for anyone intending to do business there." --Steve Herman, Veteran foreign correspondent in Asia

"A must read on Korean business from Boye Lafayette De Mente, a writer who has known Korea for more than five decades, and it shows in this book." --Glenn D. Davis, International Studies Department, Texas A&M, former head of UPI Tokyo Bureau

"Koreans are not like their neighbors China and Japan, they are unique in language, dress, food, and in the way they understand ow business should be conducted. If you want to have a chance, it is helpful to know the Korean way." --John E. Banta, CEO, Northshim Hotel Group

"Should be mandatory reading for all foreign CEOs in Korea..." --Joe Day, Vice President, EU Chamber of Commerce in Korea

"The author is no lightweight to commercial media on all things Korea and he does what does quite well. He's a respectable pioneer and has made some progress for countless foreign businesspeople." --TooPoorforGradSchool.blogspot.com

"This book is a 'must read' for any professional venturing into this complex but rewarding market." --Martin H. Sours, Professor, Global Studies, Thunderbird School of Global Management

"This book is a must-read for professionals seeking to do business in Korea, or with Koreans." --POP CLUB blog

About the Author

Boye Lafayette De Mente has been involved with Japan, China, and Korea since the late 1940s as a member of a U.S. intelligence agency, student, trade journalist, editor, and author working out of Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He is a graduate of Jochi University in Tokyo and The American Institute for Foreign Trade (now Thunderbird: The School of Global Management). His 70-plus books include Japan's Cultural Code Words, Business Guide to Japan, and Japan Unmasked.