Business etiquette to cut the ice and bring dividends

Mou Chakraborty
Kolkata, July 22, 2007
Did you know that you might upset your German business partner if sent a bouquet? When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Or in this case as the Germans do.
The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Kolkata will soon teach aspects of business etiquette, spoken and written language used during business transactions. The students will comprise exporters and business executives who deal with businesses in various countries.
The institute will offer a ‘Certificate in Business Language Program’ in French, German, Spanish and Chinese and will slowly extend it to other foreign languages. “Every country has its own business etiquette and style that is unique to them and might not be followed by them in their day-to-day life. Certain behaviour regarded as ‘normal’ in Indian business circles might offend a Frenchman and the Indian businessman might have to suffer as a consequence,” said K Rangarajan, director of IIFT, Kolkata.
“The same applies to the spoken language. Our aim is to teach participants basic verbal and written communication needs to do business in various countries,” he added.
Each language program will be of three months duration and will provide information about the culture of the country, their etiquette, dos and don’ts, their behavioural patterns, lifestyle, ways of addressing various business situations and modes of business communication. The participants will also learn the basic spoken language. “Since are basic aim is not fluency in the language, the 3-month programme will be enough,” informed the director.
While the Chinese mean business, the French and the English are polite to a fault and follow certain etiquette. The Spaniards are very outgoing, while the Germans on the hand prefer people using sharp and crisp language while doing business. These and many other behavioural aspects of various nationalities have been documented by IIFT and will be taught to participants of this program.
IIFT will also be tying up with one of the export promotion councils to offer the program. Apart from getting language experts, it is also planning to collaborate with various consulates. The consulates will not only help the participants with language skills but will also offer them a glimpse of the culture of the country and its business etiquette.
Elaborating on the motive behind such a move, Rangarajan said, “Often businessmen suffer losses for reasons beyond his/her control. This might be due to language or cultural barriers. With increased flow of business with overseas partners, it is imperative to break down these impediments.”
The course will be launched by September and IIFT is talking to the ministry of commerce and industries for funding, to keep course fees as low as possible. Initially, there will be 30 to 40 seats on offer for each language.
mou.hindustantimes@yahoo.com