3. Fast Facts
O Monetary Unit: Bolivar
O Estándar monthly income: 2047,52 bolívares
(476.17 US dls)
O Major Industries: Petroleum, iron ore mining,
construction materials.
O Main Trading Partners
O Exports: U.S.(50%), Germany (5%), Japan (4%),
Netherlands (3%)
O Imports: U.S.(44%), Germany (7%), Italy (7%),
Japan (4%), Canada (2%)
4. Fast Facts
O Key exports: Petroleum, bauxite, aluminum, iron
ore, agricultural products.
O Key imports: Foodstuffs, chemicals, transportation
equipment.
O Major cities: Caracas, Maracaibo, Valencia.
O Ethnic groups: Mestizo (Spanish-Indian mix)
(67%), Caucasian (21%), Black (10%), Indian (2%)
O Main Religions: Roman Catholic
(96%, nominally), Protestant (2%)
O Languages: Spanish is the official language;
Portuguese is spoken in many areas
5. Reducing communication
noise
O Greetings
O Shake hands and smile politely upon meeting.
Men greet close friends with an abrazo (a full
embrace), while women greet with an abrazo and
a kiss on the cheek. Abrazos are given between
men and women only if they are close friends or
relatives.
O Venezuelans are very title-conscious.
(Señor, Señora, Señorita, or professional title)
O Common greetings are Buenos días (Good
morning), Buenas tardes (Good afternoon), and
Buenas noches (Good evening).
6. Reducing communication
noise
O Conversation
O Baseball is Venezuela's most popular sport. Horse
racing, bullfighting, soccer, fishing, and hunting are
also enjoyed.
O Be respectful in conversation of religious or
historical figures.
O English is widely understood among
businesspeople.
7. O Maintain eye contact during conversation.
O Try to get comfortable with the closer physical
distance in Venezuela than in the United States.
Your counterpart is likely to stand much closer
to you than you are used to.
* Don't sit in a slouched position or put your feet
up on any object.
8. Greetings
O Man greeting Man - Men shake hands
when greeting one another and maintain
direct eye contact. At a first meeting a
handshake will suffice and is sometimes
combined with slight touches on the arms
and/or elbows. Handshakes are usually
warm yet firm.
9. Greetings
O Woman greeting Woman- At a first
meeting, a light handshake will suffice,
sometimes usually accompanied by a
slight nod and warm smile. Friends and
close acquaintances generally kiss each
other once on the cheek.
10. Greetings
O Man greeting Woman- At a first meeting
a regular handshake will do.
Friends, family and close acquaintances
will share a light kiss on the cheek with a
slight hug.
11. Dress
O Venezuelans value being well dressed and
nicely groomed. Dress to impress.
O For men: high quality dark colored suits with
shirt and conservative ties
O For women: feminine stylish business suits or
dresses and matching shoes.
O Elegant accessories can go a long way in
impressing a potential client.
O Jeans, sneakers, and business casual attire
are a no-no.
12. Eye contact
O Venezuelans favor direct eye contact over
indirect. Maintaining eye contact is
important and not doing so is considered
impolite and bad form.
O During conversations sustained eye
contact is commonplace rather than
sporadic.
13. Gender issues
O Work opportunities for women are varied and
available depending on social class.
O Women are still expected to do most if not all
of the cooking and cleaning.
O As a woman going to local bars and clubs
unaccompanied is not advised.
O Local men can be somewhat aggressive in
their pursuit of foreign women. Women who
are firm yet somewhat friendly in rejecting
these advances tend to gain the respect of
men.
14. Negotiations
O Venezuelans favor holding the power in a
meeting so it is important to avoid hard
selling, pressure tactics and any sort of
conflict or confrontation.
O It is considered acceptable to interrupt
someone who is speaking. This may
happen a lot and prolong the negotiations.
O Decisions are usually made by the highest
ranking official.
15. Taboos
O Making an O.K. sign is an extremely rude
gesture. Avoid it.
O Beckoning or pointing with the index finger
is considered bad form. Using your whole
hand, palm flat, is the way to go.
O Putting one’s feet on the furniture is
considered extremely bad form.
18. Gruma, S.A.B de C.V.
O It’s Mexican cororation more globalized.
leader in cornstarch and tortillas in a
global level.
O 15 companies in Venezuela.
19.
20. Venezuela, opotunity in the
automobile area for mexico
O Venezuela joins the mercosur treaty and
the opportunity for doing bussines
increases for Mexico.
O ACCE 55
O http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/index.php
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