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Doing Business in France
By Josh Taylor

French Language & Culture

French is the official language of France although most of the people in business environments are conversant in English. The French are deeply conscious of their cultural heritage and are very knowledgeable on the country’s history and the amazing artistic masterpieces that are showcased in their world famous museums.

Their culture emphasises uniqueness and individuality and they are guided in their social behaviour by traditional values. The French are insistent on appropriate conduct and attach a high level of importance to mutual trust and understanding in social and business relationships. They appreciate courteous behaviour and good service and will go to great lengths to avoid offending the feelings of others. If you do not speak French, it would be regarded as courteous to offer an apology for your lack of knowledge and understanding of the language.

Doing Business in France

The French are not overly zealous about punctuality, so it is quite common for people to arrive 10-15 minutes late for business appointments. You should not be anxious if you find that there is a time overrun on your project completion dates, as the French take a lenient view on delays within reasonable limits, provided the quality requirements are met and costs are contained within agreed parameters. You may negotiate the earlier deadline set, and can expect to have their concurrence without much ado. French corporations are efficiently run and keep to laid down systems. They are not risk takers and would prefer not to detour from the agreed path even if it were to result in additional profit to the business.

The levels of hierarchy are clear-cut with job descriptions and financial powers spelt out in advance. Higher executives typically adopt an authoritarian approach to the management of the business and the top executives often take the major decisions. It is important to develop a good working relationship with officials at various levels of the organisation, in the interest of nurturing the relationship over the long term.

Business Etiquette

The French do not encourage or appreciate unpleasant surprises of any kind. They do not welcome uncertainty, and are by nature very disciplined when it comes to abiding by rules and regulations. They have low tolerance for ambiguity, and will go through the contract terms in detail to ensure that there is no scope for adverse changes to their plans.

Social Etiquette

The French have a deep sense of individuality and take the social status of people into consideration. They are very conversant and have mastered the art of making conversation. They do not however encourage light-hearted banter and argument. They will make sure that they speak in a low tone and a cultured voice, so as not to offend the sensibilities of others around them. They frequently make eye contact during conversation, which may be quite disconcerting to those who are not accustomed to it.

Business Dress

France is the world’s leading fashion centre. It is therefore unsurprising that the French are very conscious about the way in which they dress. It is all the more important for visitors to be well turned out at business meetings or conferences. Conservative yet elegant attire would be ideal for men as well as women for business meetings. Loud or flashy attire must be avoided at all costs.

Conclusion

France is one of the major industrial and agricultural producers of Europe and is particularly famed for its high quality engineering goods. Foreign investors interested in building partnerships with the French should spend some time researching French cultural and business practices. Learn about the likes and dislikes of your prospective French partners and you will be in a better position to negotiate profitable deals.

The Dolomites - Italy's Limestone Rooftop
By Michael Russell 

If you have never been in the eastern Alpine area of northern Italy called the Dolomites, then now is the time to pull out your trusty Michelin maps of the area and look for Bolzano (Bozen for the German speaking inhabitants). A short distance on the map to the east is Cortina d'Ampezzo; almost due north is Innsbruck. This is where the mountains are called the Dolomites.

This part of Italy was fought over many times and ruled by a variety of entities, empires and republics; Germans, Austrians, Hungarians and eventually the Italians themselves, as it is today. The biggest influence over the last few centuries has been Austria and Germany, with the result that most everyone here speaks German and many wish they were still part of either Austria or Germany. The Tirol is the western part of Austria, but the town itself is across the border in Italy. The signs are usually in Italian and German and when you approach a local, they will begin in German, then switching to Italian.

Be forewarned, it is one of the most expensive regions in Italy. It has excellent activity-oriented tourist offices, lifts, well maintained trails together with a very good bus system that invites tourists from all over. As a result, in most towns doubles in hotels run 100 Euros at a minimum, B&Bs about 70 Euros, with few alternatives. There is a short tourist season - mid July to late September - so they have to make their year's income in two months.

The best way to tour this area, is by bus, in fact some of areas are only accessible by bus. Start from Venice and get your bus tickets to Cortina, then travel west to Bolzano. That's the short description. Actually there is a route called the Great Dolomite Road. North of Venice there is a town called Belluno, from there north through tunnels and narrow passes to Cortina, then west through two passes, the Pordoi and Sella passes, then through the Val di Fassa to Bolzano.

You can take the easy and short tour by taking the cable car into the hills above Bolzano to the quintessential tourist town of Oberbozan. But if you have the time, take the bus - up from Venice or east across from Bolzano to Cortina, it's well worth it.

In season, the Dolomites bask in the sun almost every day. Bolzano looks like Innsbruck but with much more sun. It's not a big city, only 100,000 or so but certainly has all the amenities you would expect of a much larger city. It has a great open-air market on the Piazza Erbe and has an excellent tourist information centre to get up to speed on this entire area of Italy. Ask them about the 5,000-year-old Ice Man found frozen with his gear a few years ago.

The two most famous Dolomite ski areas are Val di Fassa and Val Gardenna. Between these two valleys, there is Europe's highest and largest alpine meadow, the Alpe di Siusi. The meadow is five by 12 kilometers and is 2000 meters above sea level. It has a few scattered farm huts, loads of alpine wildflowers and is virtually car-free. There is a vary good view of Mount Schlern, a mountain that made middle age peasants think the entire meadow was bewitched and left it vacant for centuries. If you let your imagination run a little wild, Mount Schlern from the meadow top does look like a bat with its wings spread out or a witch with her cape spread wide over her shoulders. If your own broomstick isn't up to flying to the top, there are buses to access the meadow and a couple of chair lifts.

A good base of operations for the area between Bolzano and Cortina is the town of Castelrotto, Kastleruth if your Michelin maps are German in origin. With a population of about 5,000, it has some very nice reasonably priced little hotels and the people here are the friendliest in the Dolomites. Castelrotto has more of that special Italian village charm than anywhere else in this region. It also has very good bus connections in every direction in case you must leave.

During its short summer tourist season, the Dolomites can be crowded and expensive, but it's a part of Italy that you should not miss if you have the time and can afford it.