Business the Russian Way By: Noya Achiasaf, Tristan Bravo, Eun Ji Kwon, Mireya Rizo, and Elizabeth Rodriguez English 205 Professor Jackson

History and Background ● Largest country in the world ● Located in the Northern Asia and Eastern Europe ● Russia has a long history of hierarchy ● After the Russian Revolution, Russia became as socialist country, called the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republic) ● In 1991, the USSR dissolved and Russia became a semi- presidential republic.

Context America ●Low Context ●Individualism ●Diffused Authority ●Pluralism ●Private Free Market ●Western Europe Russia ●High Context ●Collectivism ●Centralized Authority ●Consensus ●Government Centered Economy ●Europe and Asia

Formality ● Men should not loosen their ties or remove their jackets. ● Never stand with your hands in your pockets. ● Business and personal lives almost always mix ● Take flowers (odd numbers), or a large box of chocolates. Even numbers of flowers are traditionally reserved for the dead. ● Keep up contact even after meetings

Attire ● Dress for success ● Men: well-pressed, dark business suits ● Women: dark business suit with a skirt rather than a pair of slacks ● Very similar to America

Time Orientation Russia ● Be punctual ● Common for your Russian counterpart to be late. ● Test your patience ● The later they arrive, the less important the meeting is to them America ●Be Punctual ●Everyone is on time ●Like to get meetings started quickly

Decision Making Russia ● Meetings will be held until a decision is made ● Direct communication ● Customary to want a bribe ● Do not like to negotiated ● Stay firm to your beliefs and decisions, they respect it ● Hierarchy America ●Direct Communication ●Never bribe ●Negotiation is encouraged

Individualism Russia ● Peer group collective ● Encourage groups ● Know your position ● Relationships are important America ● Celebrate the individual ● “I” ● Self- Reliant

Communication Style ●Firm handshake with eye contact ●Limited body language ●Embrace silence for thinking ●The spoken word has lots of value ●Sensitive towards outside criticisms ●Direct

Meals and Drinks Meals ● Lavish, Long lasting ● Hands should be visible ● Eldest get served first ● Do not turn down offers, especially alcohol ● They never sit at corners ● May be for business or for fun ● Zakuski (snacks) Drinks ●Common to drink during dinner ●Vodka is preferred ●Red wine is also highly preferred ●Set drink down for refill

● Pace yourself ● Drink when seen ● Eat butter before drinking ● Eat bread while drinking ● Throw up before alcohol hits your system ● Be prepared to make toasts Tips

Example business-in-russia-despite-the-economic- sanctions/

Conclusion Video

Works Cited “Business etiquette.” Cities Guide Oct General OneFile. Web. 30 Apr “Business Meeting Protocol and Etiquette in Russia.” Business Culture. 13 Jul Web. 3 May “Etiquette.” Cities Guide Oct General OneFile. Web. 30 Apr Fawe, Bertrand. “Doing Business in Russia!” Online Video Clip. YouTube. YouTube, 10 Mar Web. 3 May Heinze, Aleksej. “Business Meeting Protocol and Etiquette in Russia.” Business Culture. 13 Jul Web. 3 May Hosking, Hosking, Geoffrey. "The Collective and the Individual in Russia: A Study of Practices." The Slavonic and East European Review, 79.2 (2001): Jane Lasky Business, Travel R. "Dress for Success, and be Punctual, Patient in Russia." Daily Herald: 11. Oct ProQuest. Web. 5 May "Russian / American Cultural Contrasts." Russian / American Cultural Contrasts. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May “Russia Communication Styles.” World Business Culture Web. 3 May 2015.