1. On the surface, it might seem that a manager may have to be more tolerant about punctuality with some cultural groups than others.

on the surface: when not observed, thought about, etc deeply or thoroughly: superficially 表面上，外表上
The scheme seems on the surface to be quite practical.

tolerant of / towards sb. / sth.: having or showing tolerance 容忍的，宽容的
I'm a tolerant man but your behavior is more than I can bear.

2. But this is unwarranted in an urban civilization.

unwarranted: unjustified or unauthorized 未证实为正当的，未经授权的
Their intrusion into our private lives is unwarranted.

civilization: advanced state or human social development 文明，文明阶段
Urban civilization is an unavoidable trend.

3. It would give credence to the academic literature that implies the time orientation in such a culture is inferior to that in the West.

It would give credence to the academic literature: It would show that the academics' theory (that the Asian time orientation is inferior to that of the West) is true.

give / attach credence to sth.: (formal)to believe (gossip, reports, etc) 相信（流言蜚语、传言等）
I give little credence to what she says.

imply: to suggest without expressing in words 暗示（指不用语言表示）
Her refusal to answer implies her guilt.

orientation: n. the condition of knowing which direction is which 定位，定向
The manager want to know the orientation of the new employees.

inferior (to sb. / sth.): low(er) in rank, social position, importance, quality, etc. （等级、社会地位、重要性、质量等）（较）低的，次要的，低等的
A captain is inferior to a major.
[antonym]: superior to sb.: higher in rank o r position 级别或地位较高的
She works well with those superior to her in the firm

4. This confuses two entirely different things: observance of punctuality and the philosophical perception of time.

confuse: v. to cause sb. to be uncertain, unable to think clearly, etc 使混乱，把...弄糊涂
All the people talking at the same time confused the child.

observance of: keeping or observing a law, custom, festival, holiday, etc.（法律、习俗等）奉行，遵守；（节日等的）纪念
Students must respect the observance of school rules.
perception: n. thought看法
What are your perceptions of the matter?

[summary] This paragraph points a fact why some excuses for being late are acceptable in Asia while not in the West.

A person's belief that time is measured in centuries rather than in seconds has nothing to do with his ability to show up on time at the office every day.

[grammatical point] "That time is measured ... in seconds" is an appositive clause. In appositive clauses, we must use ‘that' instead of other conjunctions.
The idea that the meeting be postponed was accepted.
The idea that the world may be destroyed by nuclear weapons has raised questions about the justification of their development and use.

 

Compare:
1) The suggestion which / that was put up by his friend took possession of his mind.
2) The suggestion that the meeting be postponed was accepted.
In the first sentence, ‘which' or ‘that' acts as the subject of the clause, and is a relative pronoun, while ‘that' in the second sentence is merely a conjunction.

have nothing to do with sb. / sth.: not concern oneself with sb. / sth.; avoid sb./ sth.自己与某人/某事无关；避开某人/某事
He's a thief and a liar; I'd have nothing to do with him, if I were you.

show up: arrive, often after a delay; appear 到来（通常在耽搁一段时间后）；出现
It was ten o'clock when he finally showed up.
[idioms]
show sb. up: make sb. feel embarrassed by behaving badly in his company 因举止失当使某人羞与为伍
show (sth.) up:（cause sth.）to become visible （使某物）显现出来
He showed me up by falling asleep at the concert.
The dust on the shelf shows up in sunlight.

[summary] The paragraph tells us the reasons why we are tolerant of friends and relatives.

1. The problem, perhaps, is that in our social life in Asia we tend to be more tolerant of friends and relatives who make us wait for half an hour at a downtown rendezvous.

tend to: to do or go as a natural likelihood
Joan always tends to get very angry if you annoy her.
[synonyms]
incline (to): 倾向于
I incline to the opposite point of view.

at a downtown rendezvous: at a pre-arranged meeting place downtown

2. We do not think they are taking our friendship or affection for granted.

take sth. for granted: to assume sth. to be true
I take it for granted you have read this book.

affection: n. gentle, lasting love, as of a parent for a child; fondness
Her affection for them was clear in the way she spoke.
cf.
liking: what one likes; a feeling of liking 喜欢，爱好
fancy: a liking formed without the help of reason （尤指莫名其妙的）爱好，迷恋
love: great liking; strong emotional interest
fondness: the condition of being fond of someone or something 疼爱，喜爱
attachment: a feeling of liking, fondness, etc, esp over a longer time 喜欢，爱慕（尤指长时间）
passion: great emotion and love, often sexual 激情，热情，情欲
This house is very much to my liking.
I have taken a fancy to that hat.
A mother's love for her child is very strong.
Her fondness for children was well known.
She formed an attachment for him over the years.
His passion for her made him unhappy, because she did not love him in return.

3. We do not consider them guilty of disrespect.

guilty of sth.: (esp law)having done wrong; being to blame for sth. 有罪的，犯罪的；（对某事物）有罪责的
The verdict of the jury was guilty of negligence.

4. What is worse, we let them exonerate themselves with dubious excuses.

exonerate sb. from sth.: declare sb. free from blame 宣布某人无罪过
He was exonerated from all responsibility for the accident.

dubious: uncertain in result; in doubt 结果未定的，不确定的
The result of this policy will remain dubious for some time.