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33 pages

English

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THE MUST HAVE TOP TIPS GUIDE TO DOING BUSINESS IN RUSSIA. Get the inside information on how to do business and cope with business socialising in Russia. Topics covered include: how to understand and build business relationships, how to navigate your first business meeting - what to do and what NOT to do! How Russia's business culture differs from the West. Useful tips on what to research and prepare for your trip. How to cope with social invitations and to understand their critical importance in a business relationship. Conversational taboos. A list of useful Russian phrases.

Informations

Publié par	Creative Content
Date de parution	12 avril 2009
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781906790127
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0150€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

The Lowdown: Business Etiquette – Russia
by Slava Katamidze and Charles McCall

THE LOWDOWN: BUSINESS ETIQUETTE - RUSSIA

First published in 2008
By Creative Content Ltd, Roxburghe House, Roxburghe House ,273-287 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HA.
Copyright © 2008 Creative Content Ltd

The moral right of Charles McCall and Slava Katamidze to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher nor be otherwise circulated in any form or binding or cover other than that in which it is published.

Typesetting by CPI Rowe
Cover Design by Daniel at HCT Design

ISBN 978-1-906790-12-7

www.creativecontentdigital.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
PART 1 Arranging a meeting: language, venues
PART 2 Going to Russia: travel, hotels, interpreters, cars, bodyguards, national holidays, safety
PART 3 Attitudes to Foreigners
PART 4 Russian Companies: conditions for agreement, Russian corporate structure, obstacles
PART 5 A Typical Business Meeting: preparation, forms of address, dress code, personal space, business cards, presents, cellphones, negotiating procedures
PART 6 Business Socializing: dining out, table manners, drinking, taboo subjects, paying, tipping, drugs
PART 7 Dos and Don’ts
PART 8 Some Useful Russian Phrases
Appendix

INTRODUCTION
‘Privet i dobro pozhalovat’ – that’s Russian for hello and welcome!
Sir Winston Churchill famously said, ‘Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.’ So maybe this book should be subtitled, ‘Decoding the Enigma – how to do business with Russians’ - because I’m hoping to demystify a few things and give you the tools you’ll need to make the most of your business trip to Russia.
First we’ll talk about what you should know and do before you even leave home. Then we’ll touch on the history of Russia and how it informs Russian attitudes to the West – and Western businesspeople – today. we’ll help you to understand something about the way Russian businesses are structured. We’ll tell you a little about what to expect in business and social situations, and give you some tips about how to behave – and how not to behave!
Then we’ll get more practical, as we take you through the etiquette you might need and situations you might encounter in a typical business meeting or negotiation – and we’ll touch on the etiquette of business socialising. We’ll recap with a list of dos and don’ts – and finally, round it off with a few Russian phrases that might come in handy. Let’s get started.

PART 1 – ARRANGING A MEETING
First and foremost, let’s discuss finding a common language with your Russian partners.
Q. Will it be English or Russian?
English - with or without interpreters. If your talks are in Moscow or St. Petersburg, you’ll find that many Russians speak very fluent English, as some of them are graduates of prestigious Western colleges and universities.
Q. Does this education mean Russian businesspeople have a more westernized approach to business?
Not necessarily. Most of them, after coming back to their country, get accustomed to the traditional ways of doing business in Russia.
Q. Such as?
We’ll come to that. But let’s go step by step. Oh – Let me ua something about gender at this point: Most executives in Russia are men, although of course you’ll encounter women too. Simply for ease, we’ll mostly be using ‘he’ and ‘him’ throughout this book.
Q. Arranging the first meeting with a potential Russian partner: Where should that be - in Russia or in my country?
You can invite your potential partner to your country - but we can almost guarantee you, it will simply be a courtesy visit on his part. Let’s say your company is based in Florida. You might get a visit from two or three people from the Russian company - probably not executives, but rather major shareholders or owners - and possibly their wives and friends too. Your partner may come with some papers, but may forget other important documents you need to start the negotiations. Then your guests might ask you to arrange a trip to local places of interest. A boat trip, for example.
As a result, the visit might devolve into a pleasure trip for your Russian counterparts, while nothing serious will be discussed in depth and no commitments will be made.
Q. But it might give me the chance to study my future partners and to find out their needs and aspirations.
Needs and aspirations have a tendency to change over time. Time is as important as money and you can’t waste it on pleasure trips at the beginning. There’s nothing wrong with things like pleasure trips, but they should be organised as a reward and not as a prerequisite - especially when there’s only a 50-50 chance of doing business with your Russian partners. Look. All we’re saying is: be as sure as possible of the deal and your partner before splashing out on expensive diversions.

PART 2 – GOING TO RUSSIA
Q. If I go to Russia, how should I make arrangements?
Do it yourself. Timing should be agreed with the Russian side, of course, but use a trusted travel company, preferably well-informed about present-day Russia, and let them take care of your tickets, hotels, cars, interpreters and bodyguards if needed.
Q. That’s a big list! Let’s take it bit by bit – starting with hotels. Any problems?
Yes and no. There’s a shortage of moderately priced hotels, and an abundance of exorbitantly expensive ones. Never stay at a ridiculously expensive hotel.
Q: Why not, if I can afford it?
It sends the wrong message. It may give the Russians the idea that you don’t care about money – that you want to impress them because, in fact, you’re not a person of substance - maybe even that you’re a bit desperate to find a Russian partner. Find a businessman’s hotel.
Q: How do I do that?
Ask a reliable travel agent, your air carrier, the Chamber of Commerce, or the Foreign Commercial Service in your country for a recommendation. You could also check online - prices can be seasonal, and sometimes you can find deals.
Here’s a tip: taxis can be hard to get these days, and traffic can be diabolical, so a hotel near a Metro station could be very useful. The Moscow Metro is clean, efficient, relatively safe, cheap and reliable. That's true throughout the former USSR. We often use it ourselves, especially when we're in a hurry!
Q. Great. Back to our list. Tickets - any problems there?
Not usually. There are many regular flights to Moscow, St Petersburg and Ekaterinburg from Western airports. Use a tried and trusted carrier - and try to stick to Moscow Domodedovo airport rather than Sheremetievo, if you can. It’s more modern and better serviced. Having said that, Domodedovo is quite far from the Moscow city center.