Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Etiquette
August 2010
Agenda
• Geography/Population
• Visiting
• Language
• Economics
• C
Companiesi
• Business Attire
• Behavior & Etiquette
• Question/Comments
Map of Russia
Russia is huge. In fact, as you probably know, in terms of size it is the largest country
in the world with 6.6 million square miles. (To give you an idea of comparison, the US
is 3.7 million square miles.) It shares land borders with 14 countries and maritime
borders with Japan and the United States. It takes over 8 hours to fly from Moscow to
Vladivostok on the Pacific coast.
Population Comparison
Population Comparison
Despite its size, Russia is only ranked 9th in terms of world population. It is estimated
that 142MM people live in Russia which is only 2% of the world’s population.
Russian Geography
Occupying a large territory in Europe and Asia, Russia is spread over all climatic zones
Occupying a large territory in Europe and Asia Russia is spread over all climatic zones
except tropical. The country is abundant in natural resources including: major deposits of
oil, coal, natural gas, many strategic minerals, diamonds and timber. Russia's
geographical location presents a significant obstacle to development ‐ dry or cold
climate, terrain, distance and remote location from major sea lanes. This is why large
parts of the country have almost no population and development. I was shocked to learn
that only 8% of Russia’s land is arable.
Moscow International Business Center
Moscow is Russia’s capital and largest city. This is a picture of the Moscow International
Business Center. The project started in 1992 and is still in development. The Moscow
i C h j d i 992 d i ill i d l h
IBC is expected to become the first zone in Russia to combine business activity, living
space and entertainment in one single development.
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg is Russia’s second
largest city. Many foreign
g y y g
consulates, international
corporations, banks and other
businesses are located in Saint
Petersburg Pictured on the left is
Petersburg. Pictured on the left is
the Heritage, the world’s largest art
museum. Pictured on the right is a
historic church.
Most parts of Russia are safe to
visit. It is recommend that you
avoid walking the streets alone in
avoid walking the streets alone in
some areas. You do have to be
careful about water. Bottled water
is recommended. Also, you
probably want to try to go in the
summer when it is not too cold.
20 Russian Phrases
Russian English
Zdrast-vuy-te Hello (formal)
Pri-vyet Hello (informal)
Das Vidanya Good Bye (formal)
P hk
Pah-ka G dB
Good Bye (i(informal)
f l)
Da Yes
Niet No
Min-ya za-voot My name is
Cog
g dyla
y How are yyou?
(Ochen) Horosho (Very) Good
Ya gavaryu nemnoscho po-rooski I speak a little Russian
Veh gava-ritee angleeski? Do you speak English?
Shto What
Kto Who
Kak How
Pochemoo Why
Cogda When
Gd-ye Where
Pa-te-moo-schta Because
Spaceeba Thank you
Pa-zhala-sta You're welcome, please
You always want to use the formal version if you are talking with an elder, someone with
You always want to use the formal version if you are talking with an elder someone with
authority, or with someone you don’t know. Many Russians speak English as it is taught
in a lot of schools.
Russian
Russian is challenging to learn because they have a different alphabet and some
different sounds that English speakers are not used to.
Russian Economy
In 2009 Russia was the world's largest exporter of natural gas, the second largest
exporter of oil, and the third largest exporter of steel and primary aluminum. Their
y p y
reliance on commodity exports makes Russia vulnerable to boom and bust cycles that
follow the highly volatile swings in global commodity prices. Long‐term challenges
include a shrinking workforce, a high level of corruption, and poor infrastructure in need
of large capital investment.
Russian Companies
As you can imagine, based on what we just learned
about the Russian economy, many of Russia’s top
companies are energy producers
companies are energy producers.
Gazprom, ranked #1, is the world’s largest gas company.
The Russian government owns 50.02% of the company.
Wimm‐Bill‐Dann, ranked #14 is Russia’s biggest dairy,
baby food and beverages company, serving more than
280 million customers with distribution centers in 26
280 million customers, with distribution centers in 26
Russian cities and 37 processing plants across Russia and
the former Soviet Union.
Kalina, ranked #21 is a leading Russian perfume,
cosmetics, and personal care products maker, with
operations in Germany and the Netherlands. It is the
market leader in the skin care and oral care sectors of
market leader in the skin care and oral care sectors of
the Russian market.
Russian Business Attire
Russian Business Attire
• Well tailored suits along with
good dress shoes. A
dd h
businessman’s wardrobe
demonstrates the individual’ss
demonstrates the individual
image as a professional.
• Do not stand with your hands
Do not stand with your hands
in your pockets. This is rude.
• Women should dress
conservatively.
• Skirts should be worn rather
than pants.
Behavior & Etiquette
q
As a foreigner, you are expected to be on time to all business
appointments. However, your Russian counterpart may be late,
as this may be a test of your patience Do not expect an apology
as this may be a test of your patience. Do not expect an apology
from a late Russian, and do not demonstrate any kind of attitude
if your business appointments begin one or two hours late. This
may also be a test of your patience. Patience is an extremely
important virtue among Russians.
Russians value honesty. Don't bother being "nice." Instead, be
real. Be open and honest, and it will be much appreciated.
Some 'hard‐line' Russians still view compromise as a sign of weakness, and often refuse to back down. To these
individuals, compromising is bad business. Nonetheless, you should still attempt to negotiate as it is a common
business practice
Don’t smile too much. Russians smile only if they have a reason to smile about something. They think we are silly for
smiling all the time
smiling all the time.
There is a Russian term meaning "connections" or "influences’. It is extremely difficult to do business in Russia
without help from a local. To help with this, gifts, money or other items are often a good idea when doing business in
Russia.
Be alert and open to taking a drink or having a toast, as refusing to do so is a serious breach of etiquette.
Thank you! Questions? Comments?
Thank you! Questions? Comments?