just Nobody can actually wants to
hurt the feelings of others but, as bussiness becomes ever more international. It is
increasingly easy to get it wrong. There may be a single Euuroepan market but it does not mean that managers
behave the same in Greece as they do in Denmark. In many European countries
handshaking is an automatic gesture . In France, good manners require that on
arriving at a bussiness meeting, a manager shakes hands with everyone present. This
can be a demanding task and in a crowded room, may require great efforts if the
farthest hand is to be reached.
Handshaking is
almost as popular in other countries – including Germany, belgiium, and Italy.
But Northern Europeans, such as the British and Scandinavian, are not quiteso
fond of physical demonstrations of friendliness. In Europe, the most common
challenge is not the contecnt of the food, but the way you behave as you eat. Some
things are not done. In France, it is not good manner to raise
questions of bussiness over the main course. Bussines has its place, after the
cheese course. Unless you are prepared to eat in silence , you have to talk
about something – something that is other than the bussiness deal which you are
continually thinking about.
In Germany, as you walk sadly back to your hotel rooom, you may wonder why
your apparently friendly hosts have nor invited you out for the evening. Dont worry.
It is probably nothing personal. Germans do not entertain bussiness people with
quite the same enthusiasm as some of their European counterparts.
The Germans are also notable for the amount of formalit. They bring to
business as an outsider. It is often diffficult to know whether colleagues
haave been working together for 30 years or have just met in the lift. If you
are used to calling people by their first names, this can be a little strange
too. Title are important. Forgetting that someone should be called Herr Doctor
or Frau Direktorin might cause serious offense. It is equally offensive to call
them by a title, they do not possess.
These cultural challenges exists side by side with the problems of doing
bussiness in a foreign language. Language, of course, is full of difficulties –
disaster could be a syllable away. But the more you know of the culture of the
country you are dealing with, the less likely you are to get into difficulties. It is worth the
efforts . it might be rather hard to explain that the reason you lost the
contract was not the product of the preice, but the fact that you offended your
hosts in alight – hearted comment over the wine served, Good manners are
admired but they can also make or break the deal.
Written by adhe sari
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