Location: Northern Europe bordering Germany 68 km

Capital: Copenhagen

Population: 5,413,392 (July 2004 est.)

Language: Over 98% of the population speak Danish. German is recognised as an official regional language in the Nord-Schleswig region that borders Germany, where it is spoken by 23,000 people, about 0.4% of the 5.2m Danish population.

Lifestyle & Aspirations
Danes appreciate open space, the sea and an eco-friendly lifestyle and as such, many families have a small second home near the beach, usually a simple, wooden, two-bedroomed affair. A lot of people also own a boat, as nowhere is far from the sea. Great pride is taken in maintaining boats and on sunny days, thousands of people take to the water.
Dog ownership is high, as is an interest in exercise, and the two are often combined, with dogs running beside bicycles along the hundreds of cycle paths.
Danes are also very keen on football and in the long winters, indoor sports including handball, badminton, indoor hockey and five-a-side football.
Drinking and eating socially are big pastimes. The cities have a thriving café society where people will read newspapers and play board games but the great love of Danes is beer, this being the home of Carlsberg and Tuborg as well as numerous local breweries and special, seasonal beers.
The Danish cultural life is varied, offering live music, ballet, theatre and opera. The Royal Danish Ballet, the opera houses in Jutland and Copenhagen and the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra are examples of internationally acclaimed institutions. Denmark also holds numerous music festivals, from rock to jazz in Tivoli Gardens on a summer night.

The Essentials (10 Key Tips)
1. Competitors in business often know one another from business school - this is a small country, so show respect to everybody you deal with as word travels fast.
2. Danes prefer to get down to business quickly with minimal small talk.
3. Attention to detail, level-headedness and egalitarianism are national characteristics.
4. Although they claim not to be snobbish, there are rivalries between Danes from different parts of the country. Danes have a high opinion of themselves and their culture but their self-effacing nature prohibits boasting about this.
5. Danes are fairly insular and it can take a long time before true bonds of friendship are established.
6. Decisions are usually made after consultation with everyone involved.
7. In any relationship, maintaining hygge - a sense of comfort - is essential.
8. Danish society is unofficially governed by Janteloven, the laws of Jante, a fictional town featured in a 1930s poem, essentially a set of rules about conformity.
9. Preparation is key before any meeting or transaction - Danes are taught to question everything and often hold strong opinions which are difficult to change.
10. Human rights and environmental issues are key to any business decision.

Working with the Danes
Danes tend to get right down to business, with little small talk. Business negotiations proceed at a rapid pace, although paradoxically, in many companies, the decision-making process is slow and ponderous, involving wide consultation to achieve consensus.
Time is valuable in Denmark and a lot has to be crammed into the working day. Never arrive unexpectedly or drop into someone's office for a chat. All meetings must be planned in advance and must run to time, following an agenda. Everybody arrives on time.
Strategy is cautious and pragmatic, usually involving step-by-step plans and a lot of analysis of figures. Subjective feelings are not usually taken into account, although Danes are trained from an early age to question authority and may question a proposal just for the sake of it. Danes appreciate technical facts and figures and place great value on past performance of a company or an idea.
Furthering oneself is very important and practically all employers offer coaching and training on the job. Danes behave in a similar way socially, packing something into every minute with clubs, societies and competitive sports.
The Danes guard their privacy fiercely, so do not ask intrusive or personal questions. As a newcomer, it will be assumed you want to be left alone unless you make the first move socially.

Making a Good Impression
You will make a good impression in Denmark if you conform and fit in. Don't try to be different, either in your home, your dress style or your interactions with Danes. Anybody who stands out makes Danes uncomfortable. Dress smartly and conservatively and adopt a calm demeanour; Danes are not given to vigorous displays of public affection. All decisions are made by consensus and it is important to respect this. Do not go over anybody's head and involve whole teams in decision-making processes.
If Danes are critical of you or your decisions, do not take it personally. They expect to be able to express an opinion, whether positive or negative, and for the recipient not to take it personally. Danes are trained to question authority and you should also feel free to question them and to speak your mind.
Always be punctual for appointments and social events. Being late is the height of bad manners and Danes are always on time.

Business Etiquette
Business Cards
Business cards are exchanged before a meeting but there is no need to have anything translated into Danish. If you are having cards printed especially for doing business with Danes, include your professional qualifications, as technical skills are considered important.

Body Language
When doing business in Denmark, be aware of other's personal space and try not to be too tactile. The expressive gestures of southern Europeans are not seen much in Denmark and you should keep arm-waving to a minimum. Don't grab somebody's arm to make a point. Kissing as a greeting is unusual, although air kissing is acceptable, and the closest men get to one another is the occasional slap on the back.

Communication Style
Communication style differs according to the region in Denmark. The people of Jutland are more calm and measured, while city dwellers in Copenhagen talk faster and are more frank and direct. Danes like to leave space between themselves when interacting. Danes may appear brutally honest and blunt compared to other nations. This is not supposed to cause offence.

Gift Giving
Bribery is strictly taboo in Denmark but a small gift as a gesture is appreciated, although not expected. Tasteful items bearing your logo are acceptable, but remember that the Danes are famed for their minimalist, high quality design, so don't offer anything cheap-looking. If you visit a home, flowers, chocolate or an alcoholic drink are fine. It is acceptable to open a gift in front of the giver.

Business Meeting Culture
Planning a meeting
Prepare thoroughly for a meeting. Send an agenda to all concerned and come armed with facts, figures, case studies and a strong argument. Be there five minutes early. There is no need to seat people according to seniority as Danes consider themselves all to be equal.

During a meeting
Small talk will be brief and Danes like to get down to business quickly. Any presentation should find a balance between offering the facts and evidence and a subtle but convincing sell. Showmanship is not appreciated and will be seen as hot air.
Danes will communicate very frankly and directly in a meeting and it is important not to display shock or take offence. It is not meant to be personal and you should be free to speak in the same way - it's expected. Communication like this is perceived as sincere and honest.

After the meeting
Circulate the minutes to everybody who was present and thank them for their time. It is not really expected to cement the deal with dinner; Danes do not like impromptu events so if you want to entertain, plan it ahead and invite people well in advance. If it's lunch, it will be brief. If it's dinner, the event will be more formal and should include spouses.
Danes tend to keep their word so any verbal agreement reached during a meeting is likely to be honoured unless there is a compelling reason to make changes, like new facts or an important new person whose input must be considered.

Motivating Others
Danes are motivated to an extent by money but hygge (cosiness, familiarity, a comfort zone) is more important - and as taxation is high (average total taxation, direct and indirect, in Denmark is 59.1% of income compared to 33.4% in the USA) huge cash bonuses will be eaten away by taxation. So in addition to material benefits, Danes are motivated by a sense of belonging, by recognition, by a high standard of living and by free time. People expect to work hard, but for fewer hours than many other Europeans put in, and holidays and personal time are very important. Time off is negotiated with the employer and may include a half day every Friday, or flexitime to fit around children's schooling.
Tolerance, humour in the workplace, respect for human rights and the environment, further training and a degree of freedom and autonomy are all important to Danes. Colleagues will socialize together out of the workplace and companies also throw big parties occasionally for their employees, the most important being the annual Christmas lunch, or Julefrokost. This takes place on a Friday close to Christmas and people spend the entire weekend recovering from it.

Effective Presentations
Danes like a factual, organised, logical presentation boosted with literature, graphs and charts to emphasise a point. You will be taken more seriously if you can demonstrate that you are thoroughly prepared. Expect to be questioned at length. Prepare detailed handouts summarising the presentation and containing all the facts and figures.
A slick, flashy presentation will not be taken seriously unless your arguments can be properly backed up. It is also useful to draw attention to your corporate social responsibility initiatives, the environmental and social impact of any project proposed, and the number of years your company has been trading. Do not openly criticise other individuals or run down your competition.
In almost all circumstances, a presentation will be made in English. Many multinational companies in Denmark have adopted English as their corporate language and will expect this.

Audience expectations
The audience will expect a chance to express their feelings freely and frankly. They must be allowed time for questions. Expect to be challenged on many points in your presentation. You can put forward a counter-argument but it may not always be accepted; Danes can sometimes form a point of view that is very hard to change, whatever the facts.

Managing Relationships
Managing relationships with Danes is fairly straightforward as they are honest, upfront and blunt and will say what they are thinking. Although diplomacy and tact are obviously required, there isn't any need to save face or be especially concerned about saving somebody else's face as one might have to in, say, an Asian country. Danes expect direct communication and a lot of openness.
Structures in companies are very flat and communication is two-way. Everybody is treated equally and everybody is entitled to be part of the decision making process and to offer their feedback.
Denmark has the highest union membership in the EU and any disputes are normally handled via the union. The unions are extremely powerful although their emphasis is always on cooperation rather than conflict and serious disputes are always mediated before resorting to litigation. Firing someone is extremely difficult so the hiring process is thorough.
Danes are motivated by hygge, a sense of 'cosiness' and wellbeing. A high standard of living is more important to them than hard cash and people will work very hard in order to be able to maximise their time out of the office.