Location: Western Europe, bordering Andorra 56.6 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km

Capital: Paris

Population: 60,424,213 (July 2004 est.)

Language: French

Lifestyle & Aspirations
Leisure interests in France include:
? Enjoying fine food and wine. Mealtimes are important for the family, and TV dinners are unheard of to the French. Wine (almost always French) is usually drunk with dinner and good labels are appreciated.
? Dining out with family and friends. France is famed for its amazing restaurants and indeed, is home to the Michelin star rating system of chefs, as well as the Chaine des Rotisseurs, the original Cordon Bleu method and prestigious organisations like Relais et Chateaux. The whole country is geared around gourmet food, its preparation and appreciation. Dining out, therefore, is a popular pastime.
? Travel. The French are great travellers, usually taking an extended vacation in August and travelling to the coast, countryside and mountains. The domestic travel market is a lot stronger than that of, say, Britain. French-speaking destinations like Mauritius and the French Caribbean are also highly popular. Many people take a winter sports holiday as well, with children taught to ski from a young age. There is little staggering of holiday times - the whole country closes down in August, and again for winter school holidays, when everybody heads to their apartments in the Alps.
. Cinema. France has a great cinematic tradition and continues to produce many movies leaning towards the artistic and high-brow rather than the Hollywood blockbuster.
. Sports: Soccer, rugby, tennis. While not sports-mad as such, France produces many fine sportsmen and women, the elite of whom become national heroes, particularly in sports like rugby, skiing and cycling. An interest in participation is a natural spin-off from this.
. Discussing politics, culture, history. Lively discussion over the dinner table or in the local café is expected and appreciated. It?s quite acceptably to introduce a sparky debate, provided you are knowledgeable and can back up your claims. Being well-informed is seen as a sign of sophistication.
. Shopping and fashion. France produces some of the greatest designers in the world and Paris is one of the world?s main centres of couture and ready to wear. French women (and men) are known for their elegance and style.
. Pet ownership. France has a high degree of pet ownership, particularly dogs, and a thriving market in pet accessories. Many families will own a dog, even in city centres.
. Music, Theatre. Home-grown pop music endures in France, even though it has little success outside the country. Theatre and classical concerts are also popular, particularly in the cities.
. Health and wellbeing. The French themselves would agree that there is a national obsession with health; France, in fact, is the highest user of pharmaceutical products in Europe. Pharmacists are held in great esteem, and will often prescribe an ?alternative? cure alongside a conventional one. There is a great faith in medicine, and a healthy respect for sick leave. Other cultures may regard the French as hypochondriacs.

The Essentials (10 Key Tips)
1. Always respect the individuality of the French. Never try to put them into categories, or make generalizations about them.
2. Never try to impose your own cultural values on the French as you will only create resistance.
3. Remember that this is a polite, formal society. Greetings, small talk and etiquette are essential.
4. Relationships are critical to getting things done. Network and use contacts where you can to navigate through bureaucratic levels.
5. Do not be afraid to debate a point in what may seem like a heated, intense discussion. Provided you can back it up, you will be respected for your intellectual grasp.
6. Learn to conduct meetings the French way, with plenty of debate and a chance for everybody to have their say. The French can appear extremely direct because they are not afraid of asking probing questions. Don't be frustrated by what can seem to be an inconclusive result.
7. Avoid making exaggerated claims about your company or your products. They will not be appreciated.
8. Recognise that French business is hierarchical. Information may not flow between levels and decisions will tend to be made at the top.
9. Be aware that the French tend to be most receptive to low-key, but logical presentations that fully explain the position(s) taken.
10. Start learning French as it demonstrates an interest in developing a long-term relationship.

Working with the French
It is virtually impossible to take, say, American or British corporate culture and impose it on the French. Individuality, cultural values and a certain sense of superiority will always win through in the end. Having said this, the French are creative, expressive, passionate and committed to quality. A successful working relationship is simply a matter of understanding the French mentality.
French society and business have a strong hierarchy and autocratic leadership style. The French do not appreciate enforced teams, but will gravitate towards teamwork naturally if everybody has a role and a sense that their individuality is being respected.

French companies often surprise cultures that have short-term goals and are profit-orientated with the time they will spend socialising, bonding and enjoying lively debate in meetings. All of these are regarded as important parts of the business process.

Making a Good Impression
In order to make a good impression, you should demonstrate an understanding of French business culture. Appearing too flashy and boastful, or too loud, will be frowned upon.
Professional qualifications and experience are respected. Knowing the right people is essential, so establishing common ground with somebody new is a good idea. Personal contact will bring results. Dress is conservative but fashionable; both French men and women are extremely stylish and well-groomed. Honour the tradition of meeting for lunch.
If you can speak good enough French, use it, and if you can't, it is advisable to learn. Even basic conversational French is better than expecting the French to speak English, although being inherently polite, they will, of course, try.
Respect people's personal space and time; workaholism does not impress the French. Do not impose false deadlines on either teams or suppliers; people must buy into an idea personally if they are to put in extra effort.

Business Etiquette
Business cards
Business cards are seen mainly as a source of information. More credibility comes from who you know and how you got the appointment, such as third person introductions. You should, nonetheless, have bilingual business cards printed stating your job title and professional qualifications. Always have business cards available to distribute when the opportunity presents itself.

Body language
- The thumbs up sign means ?OK?; the US ?OK? sign (forming a circle with thumb and forefinger) means ?zero? in France. .
- Slapping the open palm over a closed fist is vulgar.
- To call for the bill, attract the waiter?s attention and make a writing gesture.
- Don't chew gum in public gatherings such as business meetings.
- Men should stand up or make a move to stand up when a visitor or a superior enters the room.
- Don't mistake a high-pitched voice and excited gestures for anger; they usually mean interest in the subject. The French love to talk and communicate with their whole body.
- People speak at a closer distance than in the UK or the USA, or countries like Germany and Switzerland.
- Snapping your fingers, especially in public is also considered offensive.
- Eating while walking down the street is frowned upon although you will still see people doing this.

Communication style
The style of communication in France is both explicit and implicit.
Business is conducted in a formal style, using M. or Mme. in introductions etc. The atmosphere may appear a bit stiff initially, and things will proceed in an orderly way, apparently uncluttered by personal relationships. This is what is the French call ?serious?, meaning professional.
There is a complicated network of personal relationships, alliances and factions through which things actually get done. Informal contacts with the right people are very important to develop and maintain over a long period of time.
Tact and indirection are considered signs of politeness. The French prefer subtlety to directness, and view it as a sign of intelligence. To be too direct is often considered too simplistic.

Gift Giving
Generally, lunch or dinner in a good restaurant with fine wine would be considered the most common type of business gift. Avoid giving small, token items with company logos etc. A good bottle of wine or special liqueur is appreciated, but only after a close business relationship has already evolved. If you are arriving from a distant, non-Western country, a small cultural gift like a book or local artefact from your home country or region is always appreciated as a gesture of friendship.

Business Meeting Culture
Planning a Meeting
Meetings in France are not always planned with a specific goal of a decision. Meetings are often an opportunity to simply exchange ideas, listen to others? point of view and debate topics. Decisions are usually made after the meeting.
It is wise to reconfirm meetings one or two days in advance by phone or email. Don't be alarmed if you have to wait for the other party to arrive on the day; it?s not a sign of a lack of enthusiasm. You, as an overseas visitor, should turn up on time.
People will come to a meeting well prepared, especially in their area of expertise. Usually, they will not expect to be seriously contradicted within that area of competence.
If there is a high level manager in the meeting, will be little, if any, questioning of proposals or ideas. Otherwise, discussion can be lively.
Plan a rough agenda for the meeting but do not try to predict the finish time. The French tend to have fewer meetings, but longer ones. Actions plans do not always produce the expected result and are seen as restrictive.

During a meeting
The person in charge will usually sit in the middle, between their subordinates.
Expect the meeting to begin with a degree of small talk. France is a polite society and plunging into business is considered abrupt and slightly rude. Your French counterpart will indicate when it?s time to start talking business.
Somebody should be appointed to take minutes, as meetings are often chaotic, with everybody talking at once and veering away from the subject in question. Written minutes are important to document an action, in case a decision is called into question by someone higher up in the hierarchy.
The French enjoy abstract thought, theory, formulae, logic and analysis. French thought can appear impractical to pragmatic thinkers. The French mistrust pure pragmatism. To them, eclecticism is not an important element of mental discipline.
The French will often do many things at once, such as answering cell phones in meetings, or having a meeting within a meeting.
Even when they basically agree with your point of view, the French still like to argue, expand on all aspects of the subject and interrupt at any time during the conversation. The French admire individualism and feel it is an important that each participant (who are at equal levels in the hierarchy) to have the opportunity to present a point of view. They like to see how each individual presents arguments. This is a good opportunity to establish oneself within a group.
Meetings where there is not an established senior figure are less structured. Participants will feel free to leave the meeting, conduct side conversations and interrupt. Discussion and disagreement to the point of appearing conflictual are not seen as negative behaviour, but as a way to be sure the logic of the idea holds up to careful scrutiny.
Because of the often chaotic nature of meetings, the person who is in charge should summarise at the end.

Following a meeting
As meetings can be quite chaotic, and often do not come to a conclusion, it is important to follow up with a summary of what was discussed. Don?t immediately try to schedule another meeting; too many consensus-building discussions can be seen as a sign of weakness.
Decisions will often be made further up the scale following a meeting, so keep on top of things with efficient follow-through.

Motivating Others
Promotion is usually on the basis of seniority tempered with educational qualifications and competence. It is rare to be promoted to different departments unless you are obviously being groomed for the top.
French employees are expected to have a degree of self-motivation and will respond well to this being recognised. Appreciation of the individual is important, and of outstanding performance in problem-solving and creativity.
Incentive and reward schemes are less common in France than elsewhere. So is office socialising; while large companies may organise Christmas events, senior management will not necessarily participate. Work and play are kept firmly separate.

Effective Presentations
Presentation Essentials
Presentations should be formal, informative, rational and subdued. Flashiness is not necessary or appreciated. Use French terms rather than ?Franglais? or English jargon words wherever you can to clarify points.
Present your points in a logical sequence and explain your reasoning behind this logic.Always be ready to document your facts.
The French are generally not risk-takers. They are essentially conservative. If presenting new ideas to them, make sure you have done your research well.
Present as much technical information as possible, and if you are selling something, have your technical literature translated into French.
Cartesian logic stresses the use of rational thinking. But rather than being fact-oriented, the French look for patterns. They like to do in-depth analysis and argue every point. They don't like executive summaries. They appear too simple, and thus lack credibility, although you can refer to the ?bigger picture? in your presentation as well as the small detail.

Audience Expectations
During discussion and negotiation the French like to treat proceedings on a rather intellectual level and therefore, ensure that your presentation is carefully planned and organised. Any elements that require further explanation or reasoning will be directly questioned by the French. You may be interrupted during the presentation with questions.
The French are responsive to new ideas and suggestions, however they will not entertain ideas that overstep French cultural boundaries.

Managing Relationships
Great care is required in managing relationships. Senior executives expect (and command) respect, and feedback at all levels must be discreet and on an individual basis. Junior employees are not particularly accustomed to mentoring or coaching schemes. It is essential to respect individuality, and to recognise the difference between the healthy debate so favoured by the French and real conflict. Personal relationships are very important and must be nurtured, both within a company and with customers and suppliers; in France, the occasional telephone call or face-to-face meeting are appreciated more than an email.