Caso: Amercans Doing Business in Europe

Universidad Autónoma del Noreste - Postgrado
Mercados Internacionales - Lic. Alex E. Gómez Conyers

Case No. 3: Americans Doing Business in Europe.

1.- Examine each country´s characterístics and try to explain why it behaves as it does.
The French: would not be thrilled at “getting down to business” before getting acquainted. The Frech executive again would be unconfortable watching the American switch the knife and fork back and forth, between hands. In France, only peasants and vagrants eat that way. The french are like that because they want to keep a long term business relationship, they have other customs.
Dutch and German: Business people are competitive negotiators. German executives in particular are technically oriented, disciplines and orderly. Duch and Germans do not emphasize the personal side of business relationships as do Sothern Europeans-commerce and social aspects are kept strictly separate.
The British: They conduct business in an orderly and proper manner. They are polite but usually reserved, especially at first. They are uncomfortable when faced with openly ambitious or aggressive counterparts. They like to do every thing in a proper manner, like their queen does.
Spaniards: Doing business with them requires patience. Friendship is an important part of business relationships, which are assiduosly cultivated over all-afternoon lunchers, often three to six courses long, with little or on business being discussed. Trust and long-term commitment are the keys to successful business relationship, not contacts and short-term profits. They want to see and analyse the counter part if the person is really a good person to do business.
Greeks: Is in many ways similar to negotiating with the French. Personal relationships are very important, whether at the family, business, or political level. Greeks regard contracts as evolutionary not limited to written contractual specification. Trust and long-term commitment are the keys to successful business relationship, not contacts and short-term profits.
Italians: They like style, even in their business dealings. Presentations should be elegant, organized, clear and exact. Italians assume (until proved otherwise) that Americans are only interested in money and profits. Their decision making styles are more autocratic, and top managers often make decisions without outside help from subordinates, consultants, or other specialists. Appearances to Italinas are important, especially when cobined with substance and integruty. Trust and long-term commitment are the keys to successful business relationship, not contacts and short-term profits. Because they always like to have good appearance, it is more important than anything else. They always want to look good for everyone. Refering to the making decision they think that don´t need from any one else to make a decision, they know everything that have to know to afford the business.

2.- Do you think there is a single European negotiating style, a style for each country, or something between these two extremes?