Reference no: EM133573082

Question: Margaret Errington, a corporate attorney for a San Francisco department store chain, was responsible for negotiating leases for its outlets abroad. Because she had been particularly successful in similar negotiations in Europe, she was looking forward to securing attractive leasing agreements from a shopping mall developer in Osaka. She was especially optimistic because of her successful telephone communications with her counterparts in Japan. But when she arrived with her two assistants, she was told by her Japanese hosts how surprised they were that she came to negotiate in person. Margaret was usually not included in the after-hours socializing, and frequently the Japanese negotiators would direct their questions to the two assistants rather than to Margaret. Can you explain why Margaret was treated as she was?