One of the first rules of business is to understand your clients and I have a lot of learning to do.

Can you recommend any books or websites that start with the culture, but don't end there.  Something that goes into the Thai business psyche and perhaps how it's evolving.  A complete map if you will.  

Out of curiosity, would you say there are any parallels with the Japanese culture or any others?

The caste system is of particular significance and interest, something i'd like to return to later.  And of course, the importance of the face system, both still dominant throughout Asia.

And then the religious influence upon the culture, upon the person, upon the businessman.

This may upset some people, however I believe in complete honesty and wonder if the bar girl mentality is carried through to the boardroom.

It's hard to achieve a thorough perspective on a culture without extensive experience and study and I appreciate any leads.

Thanks

While not complete, a good introduction to Thai culture can be found in "Culture Shock: Thailand."  It'll clear up a lot of things. Another good read is "Working with the Thais". It's more about office life, but still informative.

This may upset some people, however I believe in complete honesty and wonder if the bar girl mentality is carried through to the boardroom.

You have much to learn indeed.

-poohbah

If you have an email address I can send you an academic paper which actually discussed Thai business culture, etiquette etc. It something I downloaded from the web last year but I have no idea about the orignal website.