4. Business etiquette

Business card. Always present your business card. When receiving the cards of others, treat them very carefully. One side can be in English, with the translation in French on the other side. On the French side, include any academic credentials and your school if it is a prestigious one.

Business entertaining. Business entertaining in France is usually formal in style and takes place in restaurants. It is important to establish a ‘rapport’ to facilitate business. To build a positive personal relationship is the best way to be trusted, so time spent to make friends is time well spent. However - this is still business – do not confuse this advice with the idea that you and your family should mix with business colleagues ‘out of the office’. French people keep their private and public lives very separate, and tend not to invite visitors to their homes until real bonds have been established. Business colleagues usually socialize in restaurants or other public places.

For social entertainment, the French rarely throw parties, It is much more common to have a small dinner party where everyone sits down together to eat. The informal come and go style is not popular.

Eating and drinking well are quite central to the all-important quality of life in France, A ‘dejeuner d'affaires’ can be a time-consuming affair, but generally it will be a pleasant experience! In France, you are more likely to go to a top restaurant (at the expense of the company or the government), seen in France as part of the benefits of business. However, do not raise business concerns before the end of a meal. Keep your distance, especially if you are in a senior management position.

The French have a great appreciation for good conversationalists. A rule true all over the word if you want to endear yourself to the locals is praise, do not criticise. France is no exception here.

Business can be conducted during any meal, but lunch is best. Business lunches usually last one to one and a half hours. Dinner is late (8:00 or 9:00 p.m.).

Do not drink hard liquor before meals or smoke between courses. The French believe this deadens the taste buds.

Smoking is a declining habit even among the French, although you'll often see people lighting up at the table, and certainly in the bar, without any embarrassment. Drunkenness or over-familiar talk after too many glasses is not seen as cool by the French. Chewing gum at meetings and social events is considered rude.

The French have a great respect for privacy. Knock and wait before entering into a room. Additionally, do not "drop in" unannounced. Always give notice before your arrival.

5. Protocol

Greetings. Always shake hands when being introduced or when meeting someone, as well as when leaving. The French handshake is brief, and is accompanied by a short span of eye contact. In general, the woman offers her hand first. French handshakes do not usually involve a strong grip. In social settings, with friends, expect touching cheeks and kissing the air, Saying ‘Bonjour monsieur’ or ‘Bonjour Madame’ is important in greetings: It preserves a degree of formality until you get to know people.

Titles/form of address. Find out the titles of older French people you meet and address them in that way, both during the introduction and in the course of conversation. Even simple titles like "Madame" should be used as you converse, whether in English or French, Use "Madame" for all women except young girls. Do not use first names until you are told to do so. Do not put off by the use of last names; it does not mean that the French are unfriendly. The French sometimes say their last names first, so that Pierre Robert might introduce himself as "Robert, Pierre." Business women found business gentlemen 'charming'. Paying personal compliments to a woman is accepted as a due by French women, and not found discriminatory. Remember that this is the French way, rather than an anti-British or ‘sexist’ attitude.

Gestures. The "thumbs-up" sign means "okay"; the North American "okay" sign (forming a circle with thumb and forefinger) means "zero" in France. Slapping the open palm over a closed fist is vulgar. To call for the check, make a writing gesture. Men may still stand up or make a move to stand up when a visitor or a superior enters the room.

Gifts. Do nOt give a business gift at your first encounter. Avoid gifts that are either too lavish or too skimpy, as well as gifts with your company logo. Good taste is everything. You can insert a business card with your gift, along with a small card that states: "with the compliments of Mr./Madame. . . "

Great gifts: flowers, in odd numbers and not yellow; also avoid chrysanthemums (associated with funerals) and carnations (may be seen as a sign of bad will), chocolates or liqueur.

Avoid giving: wine - it may suggest they do not know their vintages. By bringing your own bottle, you may inadvertently communicate that you have doubts about the quality of his or her wine cellar.

Dress. Clothes are very important in France. This is not surprising; the very words used in English to describe fashion—^“haute couture," "chic," etc, are from the French language.

Affluent executives purchase the best suits and styles possible. The French also tend to have excellent posture, which makes their clothes look even better. In the north and in the winter, men should wear dark suits. Patterned fabrics and dark colors are most acceptable, but avoid bright colors. French businessmen do not loosen their ties or take off their jackets in the office. Women should also avoid any glitzy or overpowering objects, such as flashy jewelry.

One thing that is common is the need to appear well-presented. Dress codes vary with position within the company, industrial sector and region in France. The higher the position within a larger organisation, the more formal will be the dress code with formal suit and tie being worn. The further south one travels, the more informal business dress becomes, with open shirt and slacks being the norm. Appearances are important at all times in France.

Five Ways to Succeed	Five Ways to Fail
Understand the free market v social contract debate in France	Do it all in English - if you have no French,
Show appreciation of French culture	Ignore the French intellectual approach
Make sure that French guests eat and drink well	Swear and drink too much
Maintain a degree of formality until you're invited to use first names	Dig up the old cliches about Anglo-French conflict
Be logical and consistent in negotiations, and when you reach a decision, stick with it	Decline lunch invitations and buy a sandwich to eat at your desk

LECTURE 4

CULTURAL TRADITIONS AND BUSINESS COMMUNICATION STYLE

OF GERMANY

Plan of the lecture:

1. Country background.

2. Values and attitudes characteristic of the German.

3. Business practice in Germany.

4. German business etiquette.

5. Protocol.

1. COUNTRY BACKGROUND

The Federal Republic of Germany has a population of 81 million people. Germany's economy ranks as the largest in Europe, and the third largest in the world, behind the U.S. and Japan. There are sixteen states, or Lander, with the federal capital in Berlin.

History. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the first strong German king Otto I loosely organized the domain that stretched from Germany down into northern Italy. To modern Germans, this Holy Roman Empire was the "First Reich."

By the eighteenth century, two German-speaking kingdoms had come to dominate Central Europe: Prussia and Austria. But Prussia eventually won out when Prime Minister Otto von Bismarck led his country into war, first against Denmark, then against Austria and the Austrian-allied German kingdoms, then against France. As a result of Bismarck's efforts, the Prussian King William I was crowned Kaiser (emperor) of all Germany in 1871. The German nation dates its existence from this event. This "Second Reich" was to last until Germany's defeat in the First World War.

After the First World War, Germany became a republic. Burdened with enormous war reparations and the Great Depression, Germany fell into the hands of the "National Socialists," as they are known to Germans—the term "Nazi" was rarely used within Germany, The atrocities of Adolf Hitler's "Third Reich" present a moral dilemma that each new generation of Germans must face.

At the end of World War II, Germany was occupied by England, France, the United States of America, and the USSR. This resulted in the division of Germany into the capitalist, NATO-allied Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the Communist, German Democratic Republic (or GDR). Berlin was also divided into West and East. Consequently, Bonn was selected as the capital of West Germany. Only the changed priorities of Mikhail Gorbachev's Soviet Union allowed the two halves of Germany to reunite on October 3, 1990.

As the largest and most populous nation in the European Union, the reunited Germany has developed into a leading power, and one of the strongest members of the EU.

Type of Government. The reunited Federal Republic of Germany is a democratic federal multiparty republic. Voting is done by proportional representation. There are two legislative houses: the Federal Council and the Federal Diet. The president is the chief of state, and the chancellor is the head of the government.

Recanting from military intervention after the Second World War, Germany influenced the world via “checkbook diplomacy” contributing far more than its share to international organizations. However, Germany can no longer afford to be so generous. In 2005 Germany elected its first female chancellor, Angela Merkel. For current government data, check at www. germany-info. org.

Language and education. The official language of Germany is German, which is called Deutsch German has many dialects. English and French are currently the preferred foreign languages that Germans study. This is especially true among executives. Germans who grew up in the former German Democratic Republic were forced to study Russian in school. This is no longer the case, but you will find fewer English speakers in eastern Germany. Unlike France where traditionalists go to great lengths to forbid the use of any anglicisms, the English language has steadily permeated everyday German, and politicians, dignitaries, scientists and schoolboys take great delight in using English words to replace perfectly good German terms.

Since education is highly respected in Germany, German managers often spend more years at university than their counterparts in other countries, and may not enter the workforce until they are 27 or even older, German managers and business leaders may have doctorates, and the appellation Herr Doktor is not uncommon. Key factors in promotion in Germany are a person's education and qualifications, track record and seniority.

Religion. Germany's religions are split evenly between Roman Catholics, who are concentrated in the southern part of the country, and Protestants, who are found in the northern region. Many Germans describe themselves as nonreligious. There are small populations of Jews and Muslims.