Imagine this: you’re about to expatriate Brad, your star employee, to China to fulfill an assignment with a potential partner business. This will be Brad’s first time abroad and he’s nervous about living down to the stereotype of the “Ugly American.”
If you haven’t heard this term before, it was created for a certain breed of American, real or exaggerated, who brings a grandiose sense of entitlement with them across borders. Their assumed superiority leads them to remain blatantly ignorant of, or perhaps purposefully flout, local decorum. “The American Way” is the best way, and their exceptionalism smashes through cultural faux pas like a wrecking ball. The danger of unleashing such a specimen not only threatens local tourist traps but internationally diverse business offices as well.
Now, this stereotype may be entirely unfair and unearned, but perceptions and urban legends survive by inertia until met with a force that shatters them. Luckily, that’s what Brad plans to do! With the help of his learning and development department, he’ll be able to create a new perception of Americans that will make us all proud and forge a strong international business partnership.
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