BUSINESS CUSTOMS OF THE WORLDALEX CURTIS

FRANCE

CLOTHING

Style is very important to the French. When doing business

in France you should avoid wearing bright colors and

should well-tailored clothing. French businessmen should

never loosen their tie and avoid taking off their jackets in the office. Women should also

avoid bright colors and flashy jewelry.

MEETING

French handshakes are not as firm as in

the United States and should be brief with short eye contact. When meeting you

should never drop in unexpected. Make

sure you always let the person aware that you will be arriving.

COMMUNICATINGWhen addressing others you should always use

Monsieur or Madame. You should introduce yourself using your first and last

name. Make sure you know as much French as possible and apologize if

you lack French knowledge. You should

also watch the volume of your voice. Avoid talking

really loud.

TRANSLATION• Bonjour, mon nom est Alex. Bienvenue à ma présentation

et je vous remercie d'être venus. Je vais vous parler à vous aujourd'hui sur les coutumes d'affaires de France. J'espère que vous apprécierez

• Hello, my name is Alex. Welcome to my presentation and thank you for coming. I will be talking to you today about the business customs of France.

• I hope you enjoy my presentation today.

• Our goal is to help you have a better understanding of our business.

AFGHANISTAN

CLOTHING• Men can wear suits in most business

situations and stick with dark colors. Although most men wear the traditional Afghan dress which consists of a long shirt and pants.

• Women need to wear clothing that reveals the least amount of skin possible and avoid wearing tight clothing. If you choose to wear a skirt it must be at least knee length. It’s commonly recommended that women wear a headscarf.

MEETINGS

Most business meeting in Afghanistan don’t begin on time. They believe that starting right off with the meeting is considered to be rude. Instead they have small talk. They believe setting a friendly mood is important. Business meeting agendas are followed very loosely and one should be very patient.

GREETINGS

When meeting someone a common handshake is an acceptable greeting. Some

Afghans may place their hand over their heart and

nod. Women and men should never shake hands or speak directly to each other. You should only

occasionally look someone in the eyes.

TRANSLATIONS• Hello, my name is Alex. Welcome to my presentation and

thank you for coming. I will be talking to you today about the business customs of Afghanistan.

• I hope you enjoy my presentation today.

• Our goal is to help you have a better understanding of our business.

. قدمته العرضالذي في بكم مرحبا اليكس اسمي مرحبا، . األعراف عن اليوم لكم سأتحدث علىحضوركم وأشكركم . قدمته الذي العرض تستمتع أن وآمل أفغانستان التجارية .اليوم

لعملنا أفضل فهم على الحصول في مساعدتك هو .هدفنا

EGYPT

CLOTHING

Men should wear the usual conservative suit and tie and should stick to darker colors.

Women should be very modest. They should avoid wearing expensive accessories and dresses should be knee length. Women should also avoid wearing sleeveless shirts. Sleeves should cover at least to the elbow.

MEETINGS

Although you may be kept waiting, it’s best to arrive on time. Similar to Afghan meetings small talk is expected before the meeting begins. The person who invited you to them meeting should begin and end the business meeting. They should also be in charge of the agenda.

GREETINGS

Handshakes are the common greeting with Egyptians. You should make eye

contact and have a smile on your face. If you are very close with the person it is common to kiss both cheeks while

shaking hands. This customs goes for both men with men and women with

women. If you are greeting someone of the opposite sex, the woman must

extend her hand first if not you should just bow your head.

TRANSLATIONS• . قدمته العرضالذي في بكم مرحبا اليكس اسمي مرحبا،

. األعراف عن اليوم لكم سأتحدث علىحضوركم وأشكركم. مصر في قدمته التجارية الذي العرض تستمتع أن وآمل

.اليوم

لعملنا أفضل فهم على الحصول في مساعدتك هو .هدفنا

• Hello, my name is Alex. Welcome to my presentation and thank you for coming. I will be talking to you today about the business customs of Egypt.

• I hope you enjoy my presentation today.

• Our goal is to help you have a better understanding of our business.