How to do business in Greece. What are the cultural implications?

Greece-Cultural Information

Cultural Background

Greece is a country in the Southern Europe with its capital at Athens The country has one of the oldest and most famous cultures in the world Greeks are said to be the founders of democratic government . The language spoken in the country is predominantly Greek though English is also widely used . Almost 98 of the population of the country is Greek with the remaining 2 belonging to other ethnicity . The predominant religion followed in Greece is the Greek Orthodox Church (Executive Plant , 2007 , para 2-7 p

Social , Economic and Political Background

There is a huge distinction between rich and poor in the society with a small but very powerful upper class . Hierarchy and family relations play a very important part in the society . Greeks give attach a lot of importance to the seniority as well as family ties which can be seen in the business environment also (Executive Plant , 2007 , para 8

Greeks are very proud of their culture and past because of their many contributions to the modern society . So it is always advisable for a person to know a bit about their culture , mythology , history and architecture to impress the people favorably (Expatica . 2007 , para 4

Greece is a parliamentary republic where the prime minister and his government hold the executive power . The parliament strength is 300 and a president is selected by the members of the parliament for a five year term (UHY , 2006 ,

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Greece - Business Culture

Business Etiquette

Business environments are formal and appearances are considered to be very important especially while making a first impression . Appointments should be made 1-2 weeks in advance though scheduling a meeting at a very short notice is always acceptable . In addition to this the meeting data time and venue must be reconfirmed one day in advance to the meeting . Setting up a meeting between 1-3 pm is not a very good idea since it is considered to be the lunch time (Kwintessential , n .d , para 10

The business meeting process is very slow as compared to the instant decisions taken in countries like US . Usually the actual business does not commence until the third meeting , the first and second being used for knowing the person and establishing a mutual trust and comfort level with him . The business meetings are also quite chaotic interspersed with loud voices and simultaneous questions from many people , which is common . Interruptions are common practice and everyone is allowed to interrupt and comment on any particular situation (Expatica , 2007 ,

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Greeks almost never follow the agenda for the meeting because an agenda is considered to be the starting point for a meeting and a guideline for the points covered during the meeting . Also while there are many people who speak good English it is always a good idea to hire an interpreter (Kwintessential , n .d , para 10 . The Greeks being very emotional in nature might come across as giving extreme reactions to a person however this should always...