Customer Reviews

Business Etiquette In Brief

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I bought this book a long time ago early in my career when I was first exposed to affluent business trips and executive-level meetings. Coming from a very middle-class background, I did not grow up with the training and experience that many upper-class people get by virtue of their lifestyles. I had no clue about table manners, tipping, and courtesies with high-level executives.

Ms. Sabath may not be the final word on business etiquette, but her advice has worked well for me over the years. This book is short and sweet, and you can reread it on the airplane to ensure that you make a good impression at that important social or business occasion. I am a happy customer.

Useful tidbits here and there, but the advice is sometimes questionable and occasionally misleading. The most serious flaw is that she fails to describe the range of accepted etiquette and then explain which guidelines she prefers and why. Instead, she presents only her opinion, providing only one option from a range of possibilities.

She also has an annoying tendency to depart from etiquette (guidelines for dress and behavior) and into management (advice for interacting with peers and subordinates). Given her limited experience in management, the quality of her advice on conflict management and project management is quite low. It would have been much more useful had she elaborated on acceptable etiquette and differing opinions on acceptable etiquette and cut her weak advice on management.

In the end, everything I got out of this book I got out of reading People Skills or How to Win Friends and Influence People. I would recommend those titles over this one. If you need a good book on etiquette, you'll have to look elsewhere.