The comparison of denmark & india

Summary

In this report, the discussion is going to be about how necessary it is to behave in a particular manner when making a deal with a country or ant region which we don’t know much about. There are certain mannerism which have to be followed which makes it easier to negotiate and close a business deal successfully. Many business fail to consider this aspect while making an important decision with other countries which in turn leads to a mess.

Introduction

There are so many regions, countries and continents we know nothing about. In these places imagining the mixture of culture or the thought of it is so fascinating that one tries to know about it but in certain important areas forgets to apply, well that’s human nature after all and we all are humans and make mistakes. In this report. Two countries have been chosen from different continent to compare their traits and try to relate how important are these traits when going for a formal meeting for instance a business meeting negotiating a deal. These two countries are Denmark which is Europe and Indian which is in Asia. Imagine, talking about India the culture, the type of food changes every kilometre, how different would be the culture and behaviour of people living in two different continents altogether.

There are different types of aspects we will be looking into, from body language, to eye contact, to the language which is spoken. India is said to be a multi-cultural country with diverse languages and traditions which might be difficult for other countries to understand. There is no country like India which has so many languages and traditions. On the other hand a country like Denmark where mostly one culture is followed and people are a little sober how difficult would it be for them to understand our vibrant culture. More of these fact are going to be discussed further in this report. Denmark-Denmark is a beautiful country which is situated in the North West side of Europe and is closer to the northern hemisphere. Most of the people are Scandinavian and some are immigrants from mostly Turkey and Germany.

The population of this country is very less about 5. 7 million people only. The culture of Denmark comes from a long ethnic history which consists of homogenous people. There are three verbs which describes Danish culture simplicity, politeness and equality. The culture treats men and women at par, meaning no discrimination based on gender. The Danish do not give importance to possession and income in fact bosting or showing of is considered to be rude. The culture of Denmark emphasizes the importance of family during times of holidays and festivals and this is called the “ hygee”. In their country talking to strangers in the bus is considered to be very disrespectful and also when talking to any person maintaining eye contact is very necessary. The Dans are known for being cold hearted but this is not true they are in fact they are careful when it comes to talking to strangers and making friends. Once we come to know them, they are known be very empathetic. Though people might be friends intimacy is avoided, this makes them feel that their personal space has been invaded.

The Dans believe in mutual respect and expect the same from every one. Etiquettes are an essential part of the Danish culture as specially when around people. Being too loud and boisterous is unacceptable in their culture. Being punctual is crucial and people who waste time are said to be the one wasting others precious time. The Danish are very famous for doing business due to their labour laws and safe and stimulating business. Their companies have excellent pay even for the standards of the Europeans. Though the Danish business men are generally open minded they avoid doing illegal activities for instances invading taxes. They believe in following the rules and regulations very strictly. When doing business with a Dan there are some points which have to be kept in mind and they are as follows. The Danish people are said to be friendly and quite informal in their ways but in is important to know that they value their personal space aside from shaking hands.

Avoiding touching while speaking is necessary. As said earlier maintaining eye contact is essential. The only intimate gesture is a gentle pat on the back which symbolizes a sense of trust but be careful while doing the gesture. Though they have an informal approach on the dressing the Dans are generally known to be formal. Feet up on the chair or desk or to casual way of approach will resulting in them doubting the person. Some more facts about the Danish behaviour in business- The Danish people can come across as formal at first but when they open up a little they are informal. They love to speak about their family in their own language once you get to know them. In business they are rather firm meaning they come down to business very fast without any side talks. In their country language matters a lot they speak on of the Nordic languages which is Norwegian, Danish and Swedish.

Their second language is English which is widely spoken in business, writing emails, and letters. English is widely spoken in Denmark. While attending a meeting it is necessary to use some words in their language to break the ice; this will impress them will show case a sense of respect for their language and culture and also will increase the chances of making the meeting successful. While addressing a person is necessary to use their first name with a title unless they have mentioned their personal title. These are some of the most common traits the Danish people have which is rather unique to them when compared to the Indians. We are completely different from the way we behave. India-India is located on the line of equator in the Continent of Asia. India is one of the countries with a population of more than a billion. The county has diverse culture and each state has different food and language. Therefore, the attributes of human is very different and not common at all.

The Indians are generally do not touch but keeping arms and hands while speaking to someone is fair when it is the same gender. Body contact between genders is kept miniscule. Personal space is necessary and generally they keep a one arm distance which is similar to the Australians. In Indian eye contact is very minimal and women tend to avoid eye contact at any cost. They bow their head to avoid eye contact. Eye contact is made just to gaze or stare at someone. The Indians are famous for a lot of body gestures which includes nodding of head to say yes or no which is a sign of politeness to the elders regardless of them agreeing to the statement. The other types of gestures they have is pointing fingers and if full of respect pointing the full palm instead of one finger. There are lot of things which has to be kept in mind while attending a business meeting in Indian. When going for a meeting it is advisable to be late and this is considered a good manner but in some cases if the person follows the American way it will be considered as a rood gesture.

In all ways eye contact is supposed to be minimal. Direct eye contact is considered to be the sign of disrespect. While attending for the first time greeting with a hand shake and sharing a visiting card is necessary. Shaking hands with the opposite gender is not advisable as this could be a sign of intimacy. While having a meeting with the Indians be aware of the body language as most of the decision depends upon the body language the person portrays. Avoid aggressive posture like folding hand or pointing with left hand at someone. Left hand is considered as dirty in India. The Indians do not value time much so in a meeting coming back and forth for the same purpose is not avoidable which can be frustrating at times.

There are some other traits also the Indians show when they are visiting an unknown person or visiting someone’s home for the first time. It is considered courtesy to remove foot wear at the door step when entering a person’s home but now a days it’s not followed that much but it is a our culture in many parts of India. As seen above how different Indians and people of Denmark are, it is important to know some technics to know one another and have a success when dealing with either of them. A bad gesture or a gesture which is offensive to one another and doing that unknowingly could be very embarrassing thus it is essential to program ourselves in a manner in which we can get negotiate without offending one another. In this way there would me mutual understanding and also will help build trust and additionally different cultures are respected.

Comparison and Conclusion

As seen Indians are way different than the people from Demark. In India so many cultures are mixed that everyone has their own tradition and culture. In general Indians are laid back and love to talk a lot and yes be a boisterous too. Which will seem very rude to people from Denmark another contradiction, in India men have been given more privilege than the women were as in Denmark men and women are treated equally. In India status is of utmost importance and hierarchy is always preferred, whereas Denmark’s don’t. In conclusion if an Indian goes to Demark for a negotiation meeting it is advisable to take a man and a women which shows gender equality. Talking less and making an eye contact is very necessary and also keeping intimacy very minimal to shaking hands at the beginnings. To respect their culture learning and using some words from Danish will give an upper hand. For the people for Denmark when going to Indian it is necessary to bring a high status man and while in a meeting shaking hands and exchanging business card will be essential at first. At the beginning while greeting it would be nice to say Namaste which mean hello in respect. Talking and opening a little more is advisable and do not maintain constant eye contact which is considered to be rude in India. In gist it is important to know one another’s culture to have a mutual understanding.