Luxembourg is a small, proud, tradition-conscious country, but also a cosmopolitan and very European country. Almost half of the population comes from 163 different countries. In addition, there are about 177,000 border crossers who live in neighbouring France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. All in all, 370,000 foreigners work in Luxembourg every day. In Luxembourg, you […]
Basically, everything’s been sorted out. It has been decided how the cooperation in the new joint venture will proceed. Negotiations have been underway for months and the objectives and areas of work have been defined in several meetings. Both the Germans and the French expect important advantages from the cooperation. Special appreciation Today, the German […]
Swedes are very modest and restrained in their communication; they will take every pain not to offend you or alienate you. Omtanke, which they have taken in with their mother’s milk, forbids them to do that. That means that criticism is often wrapped up in discreet (counter) suggestions or questions. And people from other countries often […]
Modesty is a must when dealing with Danes. This is how you will make the best impression on your Danish business partners. Introduce yourself very briefly and don’t attempt to show off with your titles and positions. Danes are very conscious of equality. It is much more important to be personable, warm and friendly. Long […]
Geographical proximity to Sweden leads many people in Europe to underestimate the cultural differences. Sweden is a modern Western country, a democracy, a free market, and has many internationally successful companies. Thus, there shouldn’t be that many differences. But there are: there are many internationally successful companies throughout Europe as well as in Sweden, but […]
With understatement and an easy-going manner you can win over Dutch business people instantly. Therefore, short and concise presentations are a must at a first meeting. Product details and figures can be offered at a later stage and in more informal discussions. Until then, and before the facts are the focus, the Dutch want to […]
A paramount point in the German business culture is task-orientation. The business matter is central and even determines the style of communication. This is the main reason for the German communication style being so upfront and direct, some may even perceive it as blunt. While doing business in Germany, it’s crucial to be able to […]
Two factors which become apparent as soon as you begin planning a cooperative effort with a Polish business are firstly, their talent for improvisation, and secondly, their optimistic belief that any task can be successfully managed. Projects continue to be tinkered with right up until the very last minute, as changes occur constantly. Instead of […]
Enjoying a good meal In France not only tourists like to enjoy a good meal. Businessmen also have the chance to gourmandise to their heart’s content when visiting French companies. The reason for this is that in France the starting point for negotiations is a cultivated conversation during an extensive meal. Only if the French […]
A lot of Germans tend to plan far ahead into the future, which is why meetings should be booked a few weeks in advance. Germans are quite time oriented, so once a meeting is booked, a change of date or time is quite uncommon. If the plan does however change, and it changes on your […]
Polychronic cultures such as Bulgaria see time as a period in which several different things happen at the same time. Time is a force of nature, therefore it is difficult to “tame”. Bulgarians try to meet deadlines, but they are not always in command of their time. Unforeseeable events often occur that can influence even […]
Foreign business people tend to perceive Estonians as being somewhat taciturn and reserved. When they enter into negotiations with Estonians, they should refrain from immediately filling pauses in conversations by talking and try not to interrupt Estonians who tend to speak slowly and deliberately. Such behavior will just lead to Estonians feeling that their guests […]
