MAIN SUBJECTS

1. INTRODUCTION
2. DOING BUSINESS IN UK
Business practices
Business meetings
Business basic etiquettes
3. UK/ROMANIA HOFSTEDES DIMENSIONS
4. PIECE OF NEWS

INTRODUCTION
Great Britain is the largest island of the British Isles and is no longer officially recognized as a
separate country but as and is a part of the United Kingdom which consists from England, Scotland
and Wales.
In Romanian, people often refer to Great Britain as to the United Kingdom, but we have to keep in our
mind that the United Kingdom is not Great Britain Island but also the Northern Ireland and the official
name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The terms 'English' and 'British' are
not interchangeable. 'British' denotes someone who is from England, Scotland, Wales or Northern
Ireland. 'English' refers only to people from England.

DOING BUSINESS IN THE UK

Business practices

The british people are rather formal(they address to ech other by their last name and the
appropriate title untill invited to use the first name) and reserved but, despite that, friendly
and the way they greet each other is by shaking hands lightly
They respect personal space and thats why they dont touch each other(they dont backslapp,
hug or any action that involves touching, that being reserved only for close persons)
Personal questions(like the ones about an individuals income or profession) are not suitable
and considered offensive
Never try to sound British or mimic their accent and Do not violate a queue. It is considered
very rude to push ahead in a line

Business meetings

Greeting take the form of hand shaking and women should extend their hand to men first

Business meeting always have a clear purpose and very well structured, punctuality is
essential and usually there is a small talk before and after the meeting
Business cards are usually exchanged during meetings
Humour and making eye-contact are also considered very important
If you want to say something or you have to do a speech or a presentation dont be too casual
when talking and dont use excesive hand gestures

Business basic etiquettes

Conservative image is suitable for both men and women

For business meetings, men should wear dark suits and ties and women should wear suits,
dresses or skirts and blouses
Ties are mportant symbols but people should avoid striped ties that are copies of British
regimentals(the british uniforms )
Business gift giving is not part of the business culture, but if you decide to do it then choose
something small that is related to the business context or culture;gifts are opened upon
receiving

UK/ROMANIA

PDI=power distance
IDV=individuality
MAS=masculinity
UAI=uncertainity avoidance
LTO=Long term orientation
At 35 Britain sits in the lower rankings of PDI a society that believes that inequalities amongst people
should be minimized, while Romania scores high on this dimension (score of 90) which means that
people accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further
justification.
At a score of 89 the UK is amongst the highest of the individualistic scores, while Romania, with a
score of 30 is considered a collectivistic society and where everyone takes responsibility for fellow
members of their group.
At 66 Britain is a masculine society highly success oriented and driven, while Romania scores 42 on
this dimension and is thus considered a relatively feminine society.
At 35 the UK has a low score on uncertainty avoidance which means that as a nation they are happy
to make it up as they go along changing plans as new information comes to light;Romania on the
other side scores 90 on this dimension having an emotional need for rules (even if the rules never

seem to work) time is money, people have an inner urge to be busy and work hard and innovation
may be resisted.
At 25 the UK scores as a short term oriented society which drives a great respect for history and
tradition as well as a focus on quick results in the future, but for this dimenstion a score is not
available for Romania.
PIECE OF NEWS
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Chairman of
the Conservative Party.In 2010, he decided to send Christmas cards to the leaders of the world wide
nations according to a list. The list of names, obtained by the Guardian following a freedom of
information request, is revealing that for example at least one representative from every EU country
got a card, as did every nation in Nato apart from Croatia and Iceland.The presidents of Israel and
the Palestinian authority were sent cards, as were Iraq's prime minister and the pope.
But there were no greetings for the leaders of Syria, Zimbabwe and Egypt or for Tajikistan and
Uzbekistan.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2011/nov/23/david-cameron-christmas-card-list
http://geert-hofstede.com/united-kingdom.html
http://www.communicaid.com/cross-cultural-training/culture-for-business-and-management/doingbusiness-in/British-business-and-social-culture.php
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-uk.html
http://www.ediplomat.com/np/cultural_etiquette/ce_gb.htm