So let’s say you’re a private equity person, and you’re in the Middle East looking to strike a deal with a sovereign wealth fund. The call to prayer sounds out over loudspeakers. What do you do? Or say you’re at a dinner meeting with executives at a Japanese conglomerate about a potential deal. What are the do’s and dont’s of chop stick handling, or better yet, of dining in general? As Jerry Seinfeld once asked, “what’s the etiquette?”

The Investment Dealers’ Digest tackles this very subject – a timely one given the amount of M&A activity happening in places like Dubai and Beijing.

The growth in international M&A does indeed raise the importance of eradicating “Dumb Americanism” in places where customs and etiquette are important. We’ve all seen the boisterous American dude at a bar or restaurant abroad, embarrassing the Stars & Stripes with shouts and back slaps.

IDD points to scenarios where even a poke of the chop sticks in Tokyo can send the wrong message.

And by the way, the proper thing to do when the call to prayer sounds on the walk back to your hotel: “Stand still. Take a pause,” according to a person quoted in the article.

(Photo. Reuters file)