READING: Japan

Carl was pleased that he was invited to a company party shortly after his first assignment to Japan, since he was eager to experience the Japanese culture as much as he could. At the party, everyone was expected to entertain. Even the senior managers got up to sing a little song or to tell a joke. Carl recited part of Edger Allen Poe's poem "The Raven" in mock serious tone. After the party, Carl was asked to go along with a group of Japanese to one of their favorite bars, where he was introduced to some women who worked there.

Carl thought that he would enjoy this sojourn. People seemed so informal and cooperative, not like the stuffy people he had read about before coming to Japan. At a meeting shortly after the party, Carl found himself in the same room as several of the co-workers and senior managers who were at the party and who had contributed to the merriment of the evening with their songs and stories. One of the senior managers mentioned to Carl how much he had enjoyed "The Raven," since he had been exposed to it in school. Keeping his informality in mind, Carl used the meeting as an opportunity to present a proposal for an aspect of company policy that he had been developing ever since his arrival in Japan. When Carl brought up his proposal, however, he was met with a wall of silence. After the meeting, Carl was noticeably not made a part of the typical series of informal exchanges in which people engage as they leave a meeting.

QUESTIONS:

• Which one(s) of the Social Episode was Carl Breaking? Explain
• List and explain the 5 Social Episodes.