Business Culture in Italy - 2515 Words

Business Culture in ITALY Doing business abroad introduces international business people to differences in approaches to business, business etiquette and protocol. Although these may not be crucial to business proceedings they should not be dismissed as unnecessary. Cross cultural awareness can enhance the potential of the international business persons trip considerably. Let us look at a brief example: There are two business people each planning on doing business in Italy. Both have similar proposals. One ignores the possible impact of culture and concentrates their efforts on the business proposal. The other also invests time and energy in the proposal but in addition realises that doing business in Italy is a lot different to doing†¦show more content†¦To arrange a meeting write, in Italian, first. Follow this up with a phone call, fax or e-mail. The best time for meetings is between 10 - 11 a.m. and after 3 p.m. Avoid August as most businesses will run on skeleton staff due to holidays. Negotiations can be slow. Demonstrating a sense of urgency is seen as a sign of weakness. At the beginning of a meeting avoid business and concentrate on some small talk. Topics of discussion could include Italian culture, food, wine and football (soccer). Italians will take away proposals and analyse them carefully. Be sure to offer as much information as possible in written form for them to take away. A known Italian tactic is to dramatically change demands at the eleventh hour to unsettle or test the flexibility of their counterparts. Remain firm. Location: Southern Europe, bordering Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km Capital: Rome Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south Population: 58,057,477 (July 2004 est.) Ethnic Make-up: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south) Religions: predominately Roman Catholic with mature Protestant and Jewish communities and a growing Muslim immigrant community Government: republic The Italian Language Italian is the official language of Italy,Show MoreRelatedThe Economy And Government Of Italy1108 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction Italy is located in south central Europe and makes up approximately 0.84% of the world’s population. The Mediterranean Sea and the Alps surround Italy, along with the Fertile Po Valley. The country is known to have a Mediterranean climate (Countries and Their Cultures). The main language is Italian; however, German and in some parts French is spoken as well. Rome has been the capital since 1871 and is where the Catholic Church is centered (Countries and Their Cultures and â€Å"Italy†). 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