United States

United States of America

Abbreviation: U.S. or USA
United States

Cultural Note
Things are big in the United Statestrophy houses, super-sized stores, Hummers, and of course, large people.
It is well-known that world obesity levels are highest in the United States, lending to the validity of the stereotype
overfed American. In foreign countries, one can often guess which tourists are Americans just from their girth. When
international visitors arrive in the United States, the size of things and people in America can be disorienting.

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Whats Your Cultural IQ?

1. When calling upon a prospect for the first time, what dont U.S. salespeople usually bring?
a. A contract
b. A product demonstration
c. A gift
ANSWER: c. U.S. executives do not generally exchange giftsparticularly between men.
However, demos are expected, and contracts can follow rapidly.
2. True or False: By the year 2020, it is expected that white males will be the minority in
the work force in the United States.
ANSWER: True. Attracting and training ethnically diverse employees in preparation for the
changes in the work force is a common practice within many Fortune 500s.
3. The United States attracts many great minds. They come for the well-funded research
positions, high-paying jobs, excellent universities, freedom of expression, etc. One of the
results of this intellectual prowess is that the United States has won the most Nobel Prizes
in all categories except for one. Which is it?
a. Peace d. Physics
b. Economics e. Chemistry
c. Literature f. Physiology or Medicine
ANSWER: c. As of this writing, French authors have been awarded the most Nobel Prizes
for literature.

Cultural Note
Executives from the United States are well-known for telling acquaintances to use their first names almost immediately.
This should not be interpreted as a request for intimacy, but rather as a cultural norm. Even people in positions of great
authority cultivate down-to-earth, accessible images by promoting the use of their first names, or nicknames.

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Tips on Doing Business in the United States
No one needs to know you, trust you, or even see you to do business with you in the
United States. Purchases for everything from books to cars to large-scale software sys-

United States
tems are commonly made remotely.
Never underestimate the speed at which business can be done in the United States. When
clients do actually visit with you in person, purchasing decisions are often accomplished in one
visit.
The United States is a youth-oriented culture. Plastic surgery has burgeoned, hair-recovery
systems proliferate, liposuction is common for men as well as women, and grotesque pro-
grams about these topics constantly draw high ratings on television. Be prepared.

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Country Background

History
Virtually all the land that is now the United States was previously occupied for thousands of
years by the indigenous people known as Native Americans (or Indians).
The first permanent European settlement (by Spaniards) was in St. Augustine, Florida, in
1565. English settlers subsequently established Jamestown colony, in Virginia, in 1607.
The United States was assembled out of colonies owned primarily by the British, French,
Russian, and Spanish empires. The Native Americans suffered greatly from this influx of
Europeans. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the slave trade thrived in
the colonies, with hundreds of thousands of Africans brought over to work on cotton and
tobacco plantations.
The United States was formed following its Declaration of Independence from England
in 1776. The constitution dates to 1787. The country has been a representative democracy
since its founding.
General George Washington was elected the first president. He established many prec-
edents, including a tradition of U.S. isolationism that continued until the middle of the
twentieth century.
Slavery was abolished in 1865, after a horrific civil war resulted in the defeat of the
Southern Confederacy.
The stock market crash of 1929 started the Great Depression, which continued until
President Franklin D. Roosevelt launched the New Deal in 1933. This federal program
generated jobs and provided social services.
The U.S. became involved in the First World War during 1917 and the Second World
War in 1941. In 1945, following the surrender of Nazi Germany, the United States dropped
atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This prompted the surrender of the Japanese
and marked the end of the Second World War.
 546  Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands

The 1960s was a period of social unrest. President John F. Kennedy, his brother Senator
Robert F. Kennedy, and African-American leaders Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm
X were all assassinated. Racial desegregation was implemented. The United States became
involved in the war in Vietnam, which would eventually cost the lives of untold Vietnam-
United States

ese and nearly 60,000 U.S. soldiers. U.S. involvement in Vietnam ended with a cease-fire in
1973. The next year, President Nixon resigned over the Watergate scandal.
The subsequent presidents were Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George
Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. Investigations into scandals continuedfrom
Irangate in the 1980s and a presidential sex scandal in the late 1990s, to the abuse of Iraqi
prisoners in 2004, but the economy generally remained stable.
In 2000, there was great controversy over the election results for the presidency. It was
exceedingly close, and the Supreme Court became involved. George W. Bush was enabled to
take the presidency, although he had a smaller share of the national vote than Al Gore.
The attacks of September 11, 2001, by terrorists decimated the self-confidence and sense
of security in the United States. Over 3,000 people were killed. There was a military retalia-
tion by the U.S. government, which, as of this writing, did not result in the capture of Osama
bin Laden, who evidently directed the attack. A Department of Homeland Security was
established, and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was toppled.

Type of Government
The government is a federal republic system; individual states have sovereignty over their
own territory. The president is both chief of state and head of the government and is
elected for a term of four years. An electoral college of delegates from each state elects the
presidentan unwieldy system that gives disproportionate power to the most populous
states. The legislative branch is elected by universal direct suffrage. It is made up of a bicam-
eral Congress, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Women were given the right to vote under the twenty-ninth amendment in 1920. Females
have received more positions of power under recent administrations, such as positions as
secretaries of state under President Clinton and Bush. However, the percentage of women
in national politics is still relatively low. For current government data, check with www.cia
.gov./cia/publications/chiefs.

Language
English is the official language. Spanish is the most widely used second language.
The number of languages listed by www.ethnologue.com for the United States is 231. Of
those, 176 are living languages, 3 are second languages without mother tongue speakers, and
52 are extinct. Education is compulsory in most states from age five to age sixteen. It is free up
through the secondary school level, although a large number of private schools exist.