Your company will be hosting a major international conference on fiber optic technology in about two weeks

Common forms of greeting :

When meeting, shake hands firmly. When departing, it is not always customary to shake hands although it is practiced occasionally.

In the business context most women will shake hands with men. However, this may not be the case in Eastern or rural Turkey where people are more conservative. If unsure, wait for the woman to extend her hand.

Business Etiquettes:

Relationships & Communication

? Turks prefer to do business with those they know and respect, therefore spend time establishing a personal relationship.
? Relationships are fostered in the office, over extended lunches, dinners, and social outings.
? Courtesy is crucial in all business dealings.
? Turks do not require as much personal space as many other cultures and will stand close to you while conversing.
? Do not back away, as this can be construed as unfriendly.
? Discussions may start slowly, with many questions that may seem irrelevant to the purpose of your visit. It is extremely rude to insist that your colleagues get to the point.
? Ask about his/her family without prying. Questions about children will be welcomed.
? The Turks are proud of their country and will enjoy answering questions on their culture and history although be sure to avoid political history.
? Most Turkish men love football (soccer) and usually support one of three teams: Galatasaray, Beþiktaþ or Fenerbahçe. Asking after their team's recent fortunes will always produce lively and animate responses.
? Once a relationship has been established, communication is direct.
? It is vital that you maintain eye contact while speaking since Turks take this as a sign of sincerity.

Business Meeting Etiquette

? Appointments are necessary and should be made 1 to 2 weeks in advance, preferably by telephone.
? Many Turks take vacation during July or August, so it is best not to try to schedule appointments at that time.
? It is also not a good idea to schedule meetings during Ramazan (Ramadan).
? Punctuality is expected although you should be prepared to be kept waiting.
? First appointments are more social- than business-oriented since Turks prefer to do business with people they know.
? Small talk helps establish a rapport. Do not immediately begin discussing business.
? Have all printed material available in both English and Turkish.
? Presentations should be well thought-out, thorough, and backed up with visual aids such as maps, chart and graphs.

Business Negotiation Etiquette

? Always come to Turkey knowing two things. Your success is defined by your ability to build effective personal relationships combined with a clearly outlined and well presented proposal.

? Business is personal. Although this is changing with the influx of big multi-nationals and a more corporate culture in some of the larger companies, many businesses are still family owned and run.

? Turks will want to do business with those they like, trust, feel comfortable with and with those that can provide a long term relationship. If they feel you are hiding something or there is an element of suspicion about your motives you may not get very far.

? Building a relationship with your Turkish counterpart(s) is therefore critical. The first meeting at least should be solely focused on getting to know each other. Once a relationship has been established you can safely move on to business matters.

? As well as looking to the person, Turks are also astute business people. Ensure your proposal clearly demonstrates the mutual benefit and profitability of any agreement or partnership.

? Turks are primarily oral and visual communicators so in addition to written statistics, projections and the like try to present information vocally or with maps, graphs and charts.

Decision making can be slow. It is most likely that you will meet and negotiate with less senior members of a family first. Once you are seen as trustworthy and your proposal financially viable you will then move on to meet more senior members. A decision is ultimately made by the head of the family/company.

? When negotiating, the Turks will start at extremes in order to gage your response. Prior to negotiations know your target figure and work slowly towards it through meaningful concessions. When conceding ensure you present this as a favour and a decision made out of respect and liking for your counterpart(s). Try and concede only once you have gained agreement on a reciprocal concession on a separate or related issue.

? Do not use deadlines or pressure tactics as the Turks will use this to their advantage and reverse the tactic by threatening to cancel agreements or end negotiations. Be patient.

? It may not always be necessary to focus on financial benefits when negotiating. It is just as useful to point to areas such as power, influence, honour, respect and other non-monetary incentives.

source: www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-turkey.html

Brazil Business Culture:

Etiquette and Customs in Brazil
Meeting Etiquette

? Men shake hands when greeting one another, while maintaining steady eye contact.
? Women generally kiss each other, starting with the left and alternating cheeks.
? Hugging and backslapping are common greetings among Brazilian friends.
? If a woman wishes to shake hands with a man, she should extend her hand first.

Gift Giving Etiquette

? If invited to a Brazilian's house, bring the hostess flowers or a small gift.
? Orchids are considered a very nice gift, but avoid purple ones.
? Avoid giving anything purple or black as these are mourning colours.
? Handkerchiefs are also associated with funerals, so they do not make good gifts.
? Gifts are opened when received.

Dining Etiquette

If you are invited to a Brazilian's house:
? Arrive at least 30 minutes late if the invitation is for dinner.
? Arrive up to an hour late for a party or large gathering.
? Brazilians dress with a flair and judge others on their appearance. Casual dress is more formal than in many other countries. Always dress elegantly and err on the side of over-dressing rather than under- dressing.
? If you did not bring a gift to the hostess, flowers the next day are always appreciated.

Business Etiquette and Protocol in Brazil
Relationships & Communication

? Brazilians need to know who they are doing business with before they can work effectively.
? Brazilians prefer face-to-face meetings to written communication as it allows them to know the person with whom they are doing business.
? The individual they deal with is more important than the company.
? Since this is a group culture, it is important that you do not do anything to embarrass a Brazilian.
? Criticizing an individual causes that person to lose face with the others in the meeting.
? The person making the criticism also loses face, as they have disobeyed the unwritten rule.
? Communication is often informal and does not rely on strict rules of protocol. Anyone who feels they have something to say will generally add their opinion.
? It is considered acceptable to interrupt someone who is speaking.
? Face-to-face, oral communication is preferred over written communication. At the same time, when it comes to business agreements, Brazilians insist on drawing up detailed legal contracts.

Business Negotiation

? Expect questions about your company since Brazilians are more comfortable doing business with people and companies they know.
? Wait for your Brazilian colleagues to raise the business subject. Never rush the relationship- building time.
? Brazilians take time when negotiating. Do not rush them or appear impatient.
? Expect a great deal of time to be spent reviewing details.
? Often the people you negotiate with will not have decision-making authority.
? It is advisable to hire a translator if your Portuguese is not fluent.
? Use local lawyers and accountants for negotiations. Brazilians resent an outside legal presence.
? Brazilian business is hierarchical. Decisions are made by the highest-ranking person.
? Brazilians negotiate with people not companies. Do not change your negotiating team or you may have to start over from the beginning.

Business Meeting Etiquette

? Business appointments are required and can often be scheduled on short notice; however, it is best to make them 2 to 3 weeks in advance.
? Confirm the meeting in writing. It is not uncommon for appointments to be cancelled or changed at the last minute.
? In Sao Paulo and Brasilia it is important to arrive on time for meetings. In Rio de Janeiro and other cities it is acceptable to arrive a few minutes late for a meeting.
? Do not appear impatient if you are kept waiting. Brazilians see time as something outside their control and the demands of relationships takes precedence over adhering to a strict schedule.
? Meetings are generally rather informal.
? Expect to be interrupted while you are speaking or making a presentation.
? Avoid confrontations. Do not appear frustrated with your Brazilian colleagues.

source: www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/global-etiquette/brazil-country-profile.html

That Brazilian culture and business ethics can be compared to culture and ethics in Southern Europe - for instance Italy, Spain and Portugal - is not surprising since immigrants from these countries have left a significant stamp on Brazilian culture.

When entering into a new business venture in Brazil it is important to be well prepared and efficient. This is expected by Brazilians when dealing with Danes. At the same time it is important to be flexible and accommodating if sudden changes occur - for instance postponement of a previously confirmed meeting. It is recommended to re-confirm a meeting before a visit is made. Of course depending on the situation it is considered impolite to express impatience. In general Brazilians are willing to put up with much more than the average Dane is ready to accept.

The Brazilian business environment is quite hierarchical and dominated by men. Brazilian business people are often relatively formal at the first meetings, but later - when a more personal relationship has developed along with the business relation - they are normally found to be quite relaxed. In a business context Brazilians are generally open-minded and ready to discussing a wide range of subjects. They do, however, tend to be more restrictive about discussing their personal lives.

It is part of the Brazilian business culture to build personal relationships with associates, and it is unlikely to commence negotiations before such a reliable relationship has been established. This also makes effective personal interaction during negotiations important, as the decision making process is often heavily influenced by subjective factors.

High-ranking Brazilian business executives are often educated abroad - primarily in the USA or England - and they are normally fluent in English. At other levels English is rarely spoken sufficiently well to be of use when doing business. In case a Brazilian counterpart does not speak English, avoid using Spanish before consulting the counterpart. Speaking in Spanish reveals a lack of cultural awareness and may cause offence.