"When Cultures Collide" by Richard D. Lewis - take #1

Just for myself, quotes from this great book.

Truth

"For a German and a Finn, the truth is the truth. In Japan and Britain it is all right if it doesn’t rock the boat. In China there is no absolute truth. In Italy it is negotiable."

 Contract

"To a Swiss, Scandinavian, American or Brit, a contract is a formal document that has been signed and should be adhered to. Signatures give it a sense of finality. But a Japanese businessperson regards a contract as a starting document to be rewritten and modified as circumstances require. A South American sees it as an ideal that is unlikely to be achieved but that is signed to avoid argument."

 Silence

“Those who know do not speak; those who speak do not know,” says an old Chinese proverb.

 Jokes

"In the United States, particularly, sarcasm, kidding and feigned indignation are regarded as factors that move the meeting along and help get more done in less time."

Negotiations: One-Text Procedure

(From "Getting to Yes" book by Roger Fisher and William L. Ury)

Third party required.

1. collect true interests of the negotiation parties on one sheet of paper
2. prepare draft proposal and present to parties for criticism
3. update proposal due to received feedback
4. repeat from step 2 till no more critical ideas received

This gets to the point where all negotiation parties can say Yes or No.

Elements of Programming by A. Stepanov and P. McJones

You should not read this book.

I mean, not like other regular books, - from 1st page to last one. This book is good to read from table of contents. Look at it, pick up an interesting topic, and read it. And when you will encounter ununderstandable things - refer to first pages. These pages at the very beginning of book contains definitions and terms. This is a way I have enjoyed "Elements of Programming" and found it very useful.

"Getting to Yes" book by Roger Fisher - marginalia

Negotiations and making agreements. Reading "Getting to Yes" in English and a little list of quotes to highlight ideas:

"How to get to yes without going to war"

"Negotiation as a field for academic and professional concern"

"Like it or not, you are a negotiator"

"Focus on interests, not positions"

"Separate the people from the problem"

"Participants are problem-solvers"

Use planning stage to generate ideas before negotiation will take place. This is about preparing a list of acceptable options.
During discussion stage it is good to come and understand the interests of other part.

"To find your way through the jungle of people problems, it is useful to think in terms of three basic categories: perception, emotion, and communication."