Different Countries , Different Business Customs 2

"When in Oslo, Do as Jante Does"

In last month's article I described the business etiquette of two countries in the South of Europe, namely Italy and Spain.

When researching the business protocol in Northern European countries I discovered that it varies from that of Southern countries. Let's take Norway. As a representative of the Norwegian British Chamber of Commerce¹ informed me, there are primarily three aspects of business culture to be borne in mind when dealing with his country. First, Norwegians are very direct, certainly compared to the British, with the consequence that by British standards the Norwegian directness could be misinterpreted as rudeness. Second, Norwegians are very informal, even more so than the British. With regard to dress codes, for example, it is more common to wear jeans than suits and ties. And third, it is quite difficult to establish contact with Norwegian partners. So if you get a meeting, this indicates that you are close to completing a deal. A further important aspect of doing business, and this is true for most of Scandinavia, is to observe the principle of equality. First of all, everyone is allowed to express their view; secondly, in social as well as in business life, nobody should think that they are better than anyone else. This principle, by the way, is expressed in the Norwegian term "Jante loven", meaning 'the rule of Jante'.

Eastern European countries may well share a similar historical background, but their traditions and customs, also with regard to business protocols, still vary considerably. Even though most Hungarians over 30 will have learned Russian as their main foreign language, German is the most widely spoken foreign language whereas now English is the principal business language.² Nevertheless, it may take Hungarians a long time to answer an enquiry in English, which is not due to laziness or lack of interest, but simply to the problem of finding a suitable translator. As Andras Hirschler pointed out to me, one should be aware that Hungarians might "create unfounded expectations in their foreign partners, feed them with the perspectives of fantastic business opportunities, which can never materialise, or even lure them to legally swampy terrain" - but all of this in the enthusiasm for a "newly discovered business spirit"! With regard to the traditional Hungarian hospitality, Andras Hirschler emphasises that business meetings "are unthinkable without the repeated servings of black and sometimes exceedingly strong coffee, soft drinks and, in some cases, a mouthful of apricot or cherry brandy".³

Many British business people may consider Greece⁴ a very difficult market to tackle, but the new government in Greece is trying to make foreign investment easier, especially with regard to red tape. Nevertheless, Greek business is still bound to state bureaucracy. One piece of advice is not to enter the Greek market without a local partner; the British Embassy in Greece can help you to find that person. It is prudent to visit the market personally, since face-to-face contact is vital and Greeks distrust written communications. As Frank Jones at the Embassy in Athens points out, you should devote time and effort to get to know the local business environment. It is very important to respect Greek etiquette; most crucially, be very careful with your intake of alcohol: heavy drinking is not viewed favourably in Greece!