Spain

1. Spain Chris Speck, Carlos Garcia, Chelsey Woods, JP Amick, Claire Coulter, Christina Gallant, Brandon Jones, Cortland Fondon

2. Spain • Spain consists of 47,042,984 people • It’s natural resources consist of Coal, iron ore, lead, copper, and uranium • GDP per capita = $31,508 • Its key product is Agriculture and Textiles

3. Political System • Spain has a constitutional monarchy political system • The current Prime Minister is Mariano RajoyBrey • The legal system of Spain is Civil Law

4. Geography • Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula • Spain offers the perfect place for ports • Spain’s climate ranges from heavy snowfall to scorching heat across its different regions. • Currently, Spain’s most dominant environmental issue is the pollution in the Mediterranean Sea

5. Sociological Aspects • Spanish Families now have a Nuclear Family Structure • Spain was organized into a caste system • European born whites • Colonial born whites • Mixed blood (Spanish-Indian/ Spanish-Negro) • Natives, and Africans

6. Spain is also broken up into 3 major groups • Basques • Catalans • Castillians • Spain is a profoundly Catholic country • The government allocates 4.3% of GDP to the public school system up to the age of 16 • Spanish are very passionate about life and partying

7. Eating Etiquette • Business is conducted during lunch and dinner • Lunches may last up to 2-3 hours • Keep hands visible at all times • Only ask for a refill if you can finish the drink • Placing the fork and knife parallel on one’s plate allows the host to know you are finished

8. Work in Spain • 40 hour work week • Limited to 9 hours per day and 12 hours rest between working days • Overtime is restricted to 80 hours • National holidays are 14 days and the vacation period legally paid is 30 calendar days

9. Relationships in Business • Effective negotiations and decisions are based on trust and personal feelings. • Personal relationships in business are a very large part of how the Spanish do Business • Establishing personal contacts is a must to begin business.

10. Management Practices • Managers are seen as “Benevolent” autocrats • Managers are usually seen as father figures • Relationships between employee and employers are distant due to hierarchy-based society • Subordinates are respectful of authority • Managers are very task oriented when delegating • Weight is placed more on personal attributes than on technical excellence

11. Key Personal Attributes of Managers • Honor • Courage • Seriousness • Trustworthiness • Acceptance of the gravitas of the leadership function

12. Decisions-Making Process • Spanish have a a gradual decisions making process • Detailed procedures that involves consideration from various levels within the company • Maintaining good relationships with Spanish counterparts is vital because of this.

13. Dress at Work • Wear the best-quality and most stylish clothes • Pay attention to tidiness of garments • Favored color with shoes and handbags is brown • Office wear is generally formal and conservative • Women it is more appropriate to wear skirts or dresses

14. Meetings • Always present business card to the receptionist • Whenever possible print cards in English on one side and Spanish on the other • Always present the card Spanish side up • At the beginning of the meeting warm and friendly handshakes are exchanged, which is followed by small talk • The social exchange is fundamental because of the establishment of a relationship to do business

15. Business Do’s • Remain patient in all dealings with your Spanish counterparts • Try to maintain a friendly and personal atmosphere during negotiations • Use basic titles of courtesy

16. Business Don’ts • Expect to enter into business discussion at the start of a meeting • Presume that business can be explicitly discussed over meals • Display signs of over assertiveness or superiority