Narrator Listen to part of a lecture in a business class. Now get re

Good morning, everyone. Today, Ur...first of all, I’d like to talk about business customs around the world.
    The world is becoming smaller and smaller with the development of science and technology. Are you going to attend an academic conference or are you going to do business with foreigners? The following passage gives advice on customs and protocol in a variety of different countries.
    Foreign cultures adhere to different business customs and protocol. For example, caffeine junkies should restrain themselves in the Middle East. Three cups of tea or coffee is usually the polite limit in offices and during social calls. However, if your host keeps going, you also may continue sipping. If you’ve had your fill, give your empty cup a quick twist, a sort of wiggle, as you hand it back. That means, "No more, thank you." Also, visitors to the Middle East should not be surprised if others barge right into the office in the middle of your conversation with the person you are seeing. An old Arab custom calls for keeping an open office.
    The British, however, consider it impolite to interrupt a visitor, even after all business has been transacted. The commercial caller is expected to be sensitive to this point, know when to stop, and initiate his or her own departure.
    Spanish business people connect with tangibles. Samples of products of services should be offered whenever possible. Additionally, in Spain, offices and retail establishments generally close from 1:00 p. m. to as late as 4:30 p. m. Alfonso Escalera, U.S. representative for Spanish Line shipping company, adds that black shoes, not brown, are considered proper for business occasions. The Spanish have historically favored black and ultra-dark colors.
    Good office manners in Indonesia require the visitor to present a business card immediately. If no card is offered, long delays may result. The mark of a thoughtful executive is to have one side in English and the other in Bahasa. In Japan, a visitor should be prepared to distribute as many as 40 business cards a day. Protocol in France calls for listing academic credentials on one’s calling cards.
    In Japan, certain guests at evening business gatherings will leave early. They should be allowed to leave without enthusiastic good-byes. The Japanese consider formal departures to be disruptive in such cases and disturbing to remaining guests.
    In Scandinavia and Finland, business guests may be asked to shed their clothes and join their hosts in a sauna. The invitation is a sign that a good working relationship has been established.
    In Denmark, a visitor who is invited to a business associate’s home should take flowers or some unusual delicacy. In Norway, to be totally correct, the visitor should send a gift the day after dinner; in France always send flowers before visiting a home for dinner. However, don’t send chrysanthemums; they’re for funerals. Beyond flowers and gifts, the French prefer a business visitor to sponsor a special occasion after major dealings.