MANAGEMENT OF MNES/MNCS
ITALIAN STYLE
Group Profile:Group Number : 12
ID Name Remarks
B-110202056
Md. Imran
B-110202
B-110202
B-110202
B-110202
Contents Overview of Italy Religion and Language Dress code and Food habit Etiquettes and Customs Cultural Dimensions Business Etiquette and Protocol Management Style Negotiation tactics Comparison with USA and Japan
Overview of Italy Official name – Italian Republic Population – About 58, 126, 212 Official Language – Italian (German & French
in some regions) Currency – Euro (EUR) Capital city – Rome GDP – purchasing power parity about $1.821
trillion GDP Per Capita – purchasing power parity
about $31,000
An Overview of Italy Italy is considered the birthplace of Western
civilization and a cultural superpower. Both the internal and external facets of Western culture were born on the Italian peninsula. The famous elements of Italian culture are its art, music, fashion, and iconic food. Italy was the birthplace of opera. Italy is home to the greatest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (51) to date and according to one estimate the country is home to half the world's great art treasures
Religion
83%
12%4% 1%
ChristiansIrreligiousMuslimsOthers
Important Elements of Culture
Language: Verbal: Non-verbal
Religion Values and Attitudes Manners and Customers
Impact of Language Verbal Language: The official language of the country is Italian.
About 93 percent of the Italian population speaks Italian as native language, according to the BBC. There are a number of dialects of the language spoken in the country, including Sardinian, Friulian, Neapolitan, Sicilian, Ligurian, Piedmontese, Venetian and Calabrian. Milanese is also spoken in Milan. Other languages spoken by native Italians include Albanian, Bavarian, Catalan, Cimbrian, Corsican, Croatian, French, German, Greek, Slovenian and Walser.
Non-verbal Language:
Various types of action to communicate with each other with particular message, it is used in replacement of speech or in parallel with spoken words.-While meeting an Italian for the first time, be ready to shake hands, but if they come at you be ready for an air kiss- The air kiss is simply pressing your cheek to someone else’s, starting with the right cheek and moving to the left
- lip contact is not necessary, but in very close relationship its ok
Eye Contact Italians are relies heavily on eye contact Eye behavior is most often associated with the
understanding of deception. Italians use eye contact to depict how honest
one is. Intense direct eye contact is common, looking
away is a sign of disinterest and/or that you are behaving rude.
Maintain eye contact while talking, it is considered that you are hiding something if you look away
Dress Etiquette Dressing well is a priority in Italy. Men wears dark coloured, conservative
business suits. Women wears wear either business suits
or conservative dresses. Elegant accessories are equally important
for men and women. Fashions and fashion design are
trademarks of Italy.
Business Dress Code :
Traditional Dress Code
Food Habits Italians typically eat three meals on an average
day: breakfast (colazione), lunch (desinare), and dinner (cena). Breakfast is usually a quick affair consisting of espresso or cappuccino and a croissant (briosce) or cookies (biscotti).
Lunch is the main meal of the day in Italy, though on weekdays it’s likely to have fewer course than on Sundays and to be somewhat more rushed, though what’s hurried for the Italians may seem downright leisurely to us.
Dinner is usually served late in the evening – after 7:00 or 8:00 – and traditionally consists of light items, such as salads, steamed vegetables, cheese, and cold cuts, as well as meats, pastas and desserts.
Public Holidays
Other Cultural Festivals :Italy's interesting festivals include: Venice Film Festivals - A glamorous event on Venice Lido, August/September Taormina Film Fest - Events in the Greco-Roman theatre at Taormina, June Buskers Festival - In Ferrara, October Rome Cinema Festival - Competes with the more famous one in Venice, autumn Venice Biennale - Art and architecture exhibitions, in alternating years, June to November Mittelfest - Drama, music and dance in Cividale del Friuli, July Greek drama in Sicily - Classical drama in the Greek theatre of Siracusa (Syracuse), May-June
Meeting Etiquette: Greetings are enthusiastic yet rather formal. The usual handshake with direct eye contact and a smile suffices between strangers. Once a relationship develops, air-kissing on
both cheeks, starting with the left is often added as well as a pat on the back between men.
Wait until invited to move to a first name basis.
Meeting Etiquette:
Wait until invited to move to a first name basis Italians are guided by first impressions.
Many Italians use calling cards in social situations. These are slightly larger than traditional business cards and include the person's name, address, title or academic honors, and their telephone number.
If you are staying in Italy for an extended period of time, it is a good idea to have calling cards made. Never give your business card in lieu of a calling card in a social situation.
Business Card Business cards are exchanged
after the formal introduction. To demonstrate proper respect for
the other person, look closely at their business card before putting it in your card holder.
It is a good idea to have one side of your business card translated into Italian.
If you have a graduate degree, include it on your business card.
Make sure your title is on your card. Italians like knowing how you fit within your organization.
Dining Etiquette:If invited to an Italian house: If an invitation says the dress is informal, wear stylish
clothes that are still rather formal, i.e., jacket and tie for men and an elegant dress for women.
Punctuality is not mandatory. You may arrive between 15 minutes late if invited to dinner and up to 30 minutes late if invited to a party.
If you are invited to a meal, bring gift-wrapped such as wine or chocolates.
If you are invited for dinner and want to send flowers, have them delivered that day.
Table manners:
Remain standing until invited to sit down. You may be shown to a particular seat.
Table manners are Continental -- the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating.
Follow the lead of the hostess - she sits at the table first, starts eating first, and is the first to get up at the end of the meal.
The host gives the first toast. An honored guest should return the toast later in the meal. Women may offer a toast.
Gift Giving Etiquette: Do not give red flowers as they indicate secrecy. Do not give yellow flowers as they indicate jealousy If you bring wine, make sure it is a good vintage.
Quality, rather than quantity, is important. Do not wrap gifts in black, as is traditionally a mourning
color. Do not give chrysanthemums as they are used at funerals. Do not wrap gifts in purple, as it is a symbol of bad luck. Gifts are usually opened when received.
Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension
Individualism This dimension is the degree of interdependence a
society maintains among its members In Individualist societies people are supposed to
look after themselves and their direct family only. In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty.
Italy is an Individualist culture as it is “me” centred For Italians having their own personal ideas and
objectives in life is very motivating and the route to happiness is through personal fulfilment.
Power Distance This dimension deals with the fact that all
individuals in societies are not equal Italy tends to prefer equality and a
decentralisation of power and decision-making.
Control and formal supervision is generally disliked among the younger generation, who demonstrate a preference for teamwork and an open management style.
Masculinity Masculine dimension indicates that the society will be
driven by competition, achievement and success. And Feminine dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life.
Italy is a Masculine society – highly success oriented and driven
Children are taught from an early age that competition is good and to be a winner is important in one’s life.
Italians show their success by acquiring status symbols such as a beautiful car, a big house, a yacht and travels to exotic countries.
Uncertainty Avoidance The extent to which the members of a culture
feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is referred as Uncertainty Avoidance
Italy has a high level of Uncertainty Avoidance which means that as a nation Italians are not comfortable in ambiguous situations.
Formality in Italian society is important and the Italian penal and civil code are complicated with clauses, codicils etc.
Time Dimension Long-term oriented. Focus more on the near future and
therefore do not save or plan their future too much.
Do not focus on investing. Consider traditions to be very important.
Indulgence Offers delightful small group tours in comfort
and style. Travel to the iconic jewels as well as the out of
the way destinations, away from the beaten path.
Use local guides in cities and towns who are experts in their fields.
Cars are able to move around as the locals do. Offer the best mix of culture, history, art, food
and wine experiences.
Religion in Italy The major religion in Italy is Roman
Catholicism. This is not surprising, as Vatican City, located in the heart of Rome, is the hub of Roman Catholicism and where the Pope resides. Roman Catholics make up 90 percent of the population, though only one-third of those are practicing Catholics, while the other 10 percent is composed of Protestant, Jewish and a growing Muslim immigrant community
Family Values The family is the centre of the social
structure and provides a stabilizing influence for its members.
In the north, generally only the nuclear family lives together; while in the south, the extended family often resides together in one house.
The family provides both emotional and financial support to its members.
Etiquette & Customs in Italy Greetings are enthusiastic yet rather formal. The
usual handshake with direct eye contact and a smile suffices between strangers.
Wait until invited to move to a first name basis. Italians are guided by first impressions, so it is
important to demonstrate propriety and respect when greeting people, especially when meeting them for the first time.
Once a relationship develops, air-kissing on both cheeks, starting with the left is often added as well as a pat on the back between men
Business Etiquette and Protocol in Italy Italians prefer to do business with people they know
and trust. A third party introduction will go a long way in
providing an initial platform from which to work. Italians much prefer face-to-face contact, so it is
important to spend time in Italy developing the relationship.
Demeanour is important as Italians judge people on appearances and the first impression you make will be a lasting one. Italians are intuitive. Therefore, make an effort to ensure that your Italians colleagues like and trust you.
Business Etiquette and Protocol in Italy
Networking can be an almost full-time occupation in Italy. Personal contacts allow people to get ahead.
Take the time to ask questions about your business colleagues family and personal interests, as this helps build the relationship.
Italians are extremely expressive communicators. They tend to be wordy, eloquent, emotional, and demonstrative, often using facial and hand gestures to prove their point.
Your business colleagues will be eager to know something about you as a person before conducting business with you.
Business Negotiation In the north, people are direct, see time as money, and get
down to business after only a brief period of social talk. In the south, people take a more leisurely approach to life
and want to get to know the people with whom they do business.
Allow your Italian business colleagues to set the pace for your negotiations. Follow their lead as to when it is appropriate to move from social to business discussions.
Italians prefer to do business with high-ranking people. Hierarchy is the cornerstone of Italian business. Italians
respect power and age. Negotiations are often protracted. Never use high-pressure sales tactics
Management of Italy When managing in Italy, it is important to keep in
mind that each person has a very distinct role within the organization, and maintaining that role helps to keep order.
People believe that their supervisors have been chosen because they have more experience and greater knowledge than those they manage, and it is, therefore, unnecessary, and even inappropriate for them to consult with lower-ranking individuals when decision-making.
Managing in Italy is very difficult for someone from the Northern countries.
Management of Italy Age is very important in Italy, and one’s age determines
the relative degree of respect one should receive. Some companies have a rather old board of directors,
and therefore still do business in the more traditional way.
Companies with younger people in charge are often much more flexible. Because the Italians hold hierarchy in high regard, employees are very loyal and have deep respect for their superiors.
Their superiors expect results of very high quality and are therefore not easily satisfied.
Therefore, it is not uncommon that the work has to be double checked and improved before the superiors are satisfied.
Planning in Italy
Who take decision in Italy ?
The Manager himself
Decision Making time
Decision making time is very slow
Implementation time
Implementation time is very fast
At the time of decision making, the manager at first decides on whom the responsibility will be imposed and then they do another job regarding to the planning.
Organizing In Italy Italian organizational functions were
massively developed in 1980s They introduced new personnel policies
like merit-based promotion, incentive pay and increase autonomy
Responsibilities for the manager were also developed
Staffing in Italy Italian organization recruit people for their
organization from employment agencies, European employment service, private agencies and executive recruitment
These agencies registered qualified people and provide vacancy information and collect the requirement of organization.
Ministero del Levoro e della Prevedenza Sociale, ALI, Sinterim, Vedior, Eurointerim are such type of employment agencies.
Controlling Italy maintains the hierarchy in the
relationship in organization, so the lenders or superiors control people.
Sub ordinates give respect to him and leaders maintain paternalistic leadership style.
They distribute work responsibility to the employee, motivate them as like a friend for better and productive outcome.
If any one fails to provide better result he or she must be demoted from the post.
Problem solving
Workplace conflicts are very common, there are very few offices where all the employees get along. Because of this, conflict resolution is a necessary component of the workplace, and those in a leadership position must be skilled in conflict resolution techniques. In that case the conflict resolution techniques or problem solving policies used by the Italians are described at below:
a) Listen then speak outb) Gather groupc) Be impartiald) Broadcast praisee) Promote team workf) Do not postpone conflict situation
Negotiation Tactics Italians are sophisticated diplomats and negotiators. Emphasizing the mutual benefit of a long-term
relationship may be the best way to ensure business success.
Who one knows can be more important than what one knows when doing business in Italy.
Italians generally expect and prefer to negotiate with only the most important people – and the people with authority to make decisions – in the company.
Negotiation Tactics Dealings are generally formal affairs in Italy. Italians behave –
and expect others to behave – with decorum. Honor and personal pride are critical to Italians and must never
be insulted. Most decisions will not be made at the table but instead behind
closed doors by various people who may have to be consulted. negotiations can be very slow and protracted affairs in Italy. A known Italian tactic is to dramatically change demands at the
eleventh hour to unsettle or test the flexibility of their counterparts. Remain firm
Negotiation Tactics In the north, people are direct, see time as money, and get
down to business after only a brief period of social talk. In the south, people take a more leisurely approach to life and
want to get to know the people with whom they do business. Allow your Italian business colleagues to set the pace for your
negotiations. Follow their lead as to when it is appropriate to move from social to business discussions.
Italians prefer to do business with high-ranking people. Hierarchy is the cornerstone of Italian business. Italians respect
power and age.
Negotiation Tactics Negotiations are often protracted. Never use high-pressure sales tactics. Always adhere to your verbal agreements. Failing to follow
through on a commitment will destroy a business relationship. Heated debates and arguments often erupt in meetings. This
is simply a function of the free-flow of ideas. Haggling over price and delivery date is common. Decisions are often based more on how you are viewed by the
other party than on concrete business objectives.
Comparison with USA and JapanCultural Dimension Comparison
Dimensions USA Japan Italy
Individualism High Low High
Power Distance Low High Medium
Masculinity High High High
Uncertainty Avoidance Low High High
Orientation Short term Long term Long term
Comparison with USA and JapanManagement Practices Comparison
Topic USA Japan Italy
Decision comes At the top Top to bottom and to back
At the top
Decision made Fast Slow Slow
Implementation Slow and requires
Fast and comparatively
accurate
Fast
Responsible for activities
Individual Group Individual
Comparison with USA and JapanManagement Practices Comparison Topic USA Japan Italy
Clear the responsibilities
Clear and specific
Ambiguous responsibility
Little visible
Organization structure
Formal and bureaucratic
Informal Strong hierarchical
Organization culture
Lack of common organizational
culture
Well known organizational
culture
Well known organizational
culture and philosophy
Identification By profession By company rather than occupation
By company
Level of job security
Very low High Medium
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