Dealing with Continental Europeans

• French businessmen are often more reluctant than many other continental Europeans to use English as the language in which business should be conducted. Shaking hands on parting as well as on meeting is the general habit, however well the individuals know each other. Warmer embraces, including the double kiss to the cheeks, are common between business acquain­tances of the opposite sex. However, slapping on the back or on any other part of the anatomy is regarded as bad-mannered. Humour is rarely a feature of busi­ness occasions.

• Germans expect a great degree of formality in business dealings. First names are only used when invited and women in business are always addressed as 'Frau' irrespective of their marital status. Senior businessmen are sometimes referred to as 'Herr Doktor' even if they have no formal qualification of that rank. Meetings are usually arranged well in advance and punctuality is at a premium. Humour should be handled with care in meetings with German businessmen and avoided entirely on very formal occasions. Business enter­taining is not usually undertaken during the negotia­tion of a deal since it might be seen to influence the outcome but is quite acceptable afterwards.

• Dutchbusinessmen are generally used to doing busi­ness in a number of languages and are usually fluent English speakers. Their approach to business tends to be more relaxed than that of their German neighbours and in most respects is broadly comparable with the UK.

• Both Italianand Spanishbusinessmen are likely to be less concerned about the formality and punctuality of meetings than their northern European counterparts. Family life is regarded as being of considerable impor­tance and it is polite to enquire about the family's well-being before business is commenced. Contentious issues can quickly become the subject of heated exchanges although the effect is temporary (this is considered to be quite normal business behaviour). There are no taboos connected with business enter­taining and the exchange of appropriate gifts is quite acceptable.

• Businessmen from eastern Europeancountries and Russiaare still familiarising themselves with the normal manners of western business. They have been used to very formal and bureaucratic structures, and may therefore be uneasy about handling themselves appropriately when abroad and find difficulty with some of our accepted customs. It is the job of the host to make their visits successful and it seems likely that significant quantities of alcohol and late nights will be involved. Remember that smoking is still an acceptable and common practice in these countries and, if neces­sary, you should show special consideration for your visitor's habits.