Saturday, January 23, 2010
January 28 Homework 3 (Chris)
Business etiquette: the proper ways of doing business. This covers a variety of topics: 1) How to dress, 2) being on time, times of appointments, 3) how to greet someone, 4) mixing business and social activities, 5) including spouses in business/social activities, 6) acceptable/unacceptale conversation topics, 7) gift-giving customs, 8) how to address people, 1) gestures, and 10) dining etiquette.
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Hey guys, here's my two pages for the thing. I looked for an attachments thingamabob, but didn't see one. So, Max, if you could set the margins to 1 inch, and remember the page numbers at the top of the pg, etc etc. Here's my thing on etiquette; it gets a bit dry towards the end, but all in all I think it's alright. Feel free to look over the thing and edit things if you find anything wrong. If you find something substantially wrong with it, please let me know ASAP, so I can change it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I guess I'll be submitting this to you guys in pieces. Apparently all I can send at once is 4096 characters.
Group 10: South Africa
ReplyDeleteRecognizing the need to respect others’ cultures and customs when doing business abroad is of paramount importance. While playing the part of a professional businessperson in South Africa, it helps if one doesn’t blunder needlessly or accidentally offend the party one is doing business with. Simple things that people think harmless such as gestures, greetings, or compliments have the potential to be misconstrued by the receiving party. Classic cases of verbal and kinesic miscommunication can be averted by observing proper business etiquette.
One of the first key aspects to etiquette is knowing how to dress. According to Kwintessential, “business attire is becoming more informal in many companies. However, for the first meeting, it is best to dress more conservatively.” A more general look into South African dress shows that standards are fairly casual; however, attire standards tend to change from city to city. According to the Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands text, Johannesburg is the most formal of their cities, whereas resort cities like Durban are generally casual. Another city, Cape Town, is formal only in the business district. Dress etiquette can also be dictated by one’s gender. According to Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, it is customary for businessmen to wear a coat and tie, whereas it is the norm for businesswomen to wear business suits. It is underscored that one should follow one’s South African peers when determining what to wear; in certain work environments, it is perfectly normal for women to wear long-sleeved blouses and skirts in the place of business suits.
Another important business practice that should be observed is timeliness and punctuality. First and foremost it is important to adjust watches to the local time. A businessperson from the U.S should note that their time is eight hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard time, and that they do not use daylight-savings time. According to Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, punctuality is of major importance for conducting business, though not so necessary for social functions. Being fashionably late, by a half-hour or so, is acceptable during social functions, though it is considered rude to be later than that. According to Kwintessential, appointments are usually needed in order to meet with senior-level managers. It is difficult to meet with upper-level management on short notice; therefore, appointments should be made well in advance. It is also important to note that most businesspeople in South Africa are early risers; due to hot temperatures, the most agreeable and comfortable weather is usually at 8:00 A.M. One should also keep national holidays in mind. According to Kwintessential, it is also important to consider that meetings will be sparse during mid-December to January, and the two weeks surrounding Easter. These are considered vacation times for South Africans. The national holiday of Freedom Day also falls on April 27th.
ReplyDeletePunctuality and dress code aside, it is important to know how to address and greet one’s business associates. According to cyborlink, a handshake is the most common form of greeting in South Africa. According to Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands, it is of major importance to use professional titles; generally only family and friends are on a first name basis. The majority of businesspeople in South Africa will be of either English descent or the Afrikaans ethnic group. Despite being accustomed to westernized etiquette, women conducting business in South Africa should be aware of the fact that among most black ethnic groups, men precede women in entering and exiting. This isn’t meant to personally offend foreign businesswomen. It is also important to use one’s right hand for the purposes of handshakes and handing things to others. On the same vein, do not be offended while exchanging business cards; exchanging business cards is not considered a formal affair in South Africa, and might not be reciprocated.
Continuing with the casual and informal environment, it is not unusual to mix business and social activities. It isn’t uncommon to be invited to white South African homes for a barbeque or a braais. According to Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands, when one is invited to a household, it is usually good manners to bring something to your host. Business is usually not discussed over dinner, barbeques, or braais at your business partner’s house; however, social events are usually an important part of conducting business with South Africans. They need to be able to like and trust their business associates in order to do business with them successfully. When one is invited over to a South African’s house, it is generally permissible for spouses to join; South African customs are relatively casual, and not as strict as in other areas of the world. It is also important to note that one should not compliment the host on their cooking, unless you very specifically know that they were cooking. Black South Africans still do much of the cooking and manual labor in white South African homes. Generally business meetings, however, can sometimes take place in informal settings like over golf in the morning, lunch or dinner. However, in the nonwhite business community, invitations to a business partner’s home are uncommon. Usually entertainment is done in restaurants or public places.
ReplyDeleteWhile interacting with South Africans, generally there are a few good topics for conversation, and some taboo that shouldn’t be mentioned. Foreigners should never bring up South African politics, unless they are specifically asked to comment. Past foreign interference in South African affairs makes foreign commentary on South African politics a sensitive subject. However, when making small talk, music, sports, travel and food are usually good topics to consider. Rugby is the preferred sport among South Africans and is generally a good topic to bring up, as long as you don’t have anything bad to say about it. South Africans are also enthused about soccer, better known in South Africa as football. In fact, the 2010 world cup will be held there.
ReplyDeleteAs far as proper etiquette in South Africa goes, there are also guidelines regarding gift-giving as well. Once again, it is always good manners to bring something when invited to dinner or to a social gathering at someone’s home. Wine is a common choice. However, in the business setting it is important to evaluate one’s personal relationship with business associates. According to Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, Gift-giving between friends is permissible; however, if gift-giving takes place between two business associates without some form of personal relationship, the gift could be considered a bribe. It is also important to insist when giving gifts to friends; in some South African ethnic groups it is often customary to refuse a gift up to three times.
Lastly, but not least, it is important to keep a few key gestures in mind, while conducting business in South Africa. Innocent gestures common to one’s culture might be considered offensive in South African culture. For example, once again it is always customary hand things to people and to shake hands with the right hand. Muslim and Hindu tradition considers the left hand to be unclean. Another body part considered unclean is the foot; it is bad manners to move or touch anything with one’s feet. It is important to never show the soles of one’s shoes or feet. According to Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands, “Bantu porters. . . may approach you with their hands together, palms out and fingers slightly curled. These are a traditional gesture of respect to you.” Whilst traveling and handling business affairs in South Africa, it is of paramount importance that one observe the differences between cultures, and be respectful to them.