E2: Using the Power of Ethics and Etiquette in American Business

Davis, founder of the American Business Etiquette Trainers Association, offers pointers on "cubicle behavior" and more in this guide to protocol in corporate America. Her commonsense, sometimes old-fashioned advice covers office etiquette from gift giving to power dressing. For example, she advises bosses to spend $25 to $50 on gifts to administrative assistants, depending on how long they've worked together. What's more, she says it's okay to give an assistant cash, as long as a personal note accompanies it. However, aspiring executives planning to give a gift to a senior manager should expect to spend $50 or more (cash is not advised). On the subject of business casual, Davis advises women to be less casual than men ("the fabric and color of khaki are not flattering to a woman's figure unless she is blonde and thin"). Whether discussing interviewing, networking or office party etiquette, Davis advises people throughout to reveal as little as possible about their personal lives while encouraging colleagues and customers to talk about themselves. There's much more advice on etiquette than ethics here (e.g., Davis doesn't explain what to do when offered a bribe or deciding whether or not to cover up mistakes), which may prompt some to wonder if Davis added "ethics" to the subtitle as an afterthought following the corporate accounting scandals. Her constant call for self-restraint may make this book more useful for those working in conservative legal and finance firms, rather than, say, the entertainment industries, entrepreneurial startups or even Microsoft—where women are known to wear khaki. Agent, Wendy Keller. (Apr.)