THE LAND

Great Britain is composed of three countries: Scotland, England and Wales. The United Kingdom refers to a larger polity, namely: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Situated in North-western, the United Kingdom comprises of great Britain (the island consisting of England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland together with numerous small islands. The total area of the UK (known popularly, if not accurately as Britain) is 94,512 sq. miles (244, 786 sq. kms.) including 1,189 sq. miles of inland waters.

London is the capital of this country; a lively, bustling modern cosmopolitan city. The rest of UK is very quiet with the people in the countryside being friendly, if a little reserved. They are known for their hospitality.

England and Scotland have been ruled by centralised monarchies from very early times and the UK still enjoys the benefits attributed to a constitutional monarchy. During the 20th century the British empire has been converted into a self-governing commonwealth and the commonwealth has evolved into a group of independent political units. Its constitution is unwritten and consists partly of statutes and partly of common law and practice. In the executive branch of government, the monarch is the chief of state, while the Prime Minister is the head of government.

Britain lies in the Greenwich mean time zone. Greenwich in England is the place, at longitude 00, from which all other time zones are calculated. Zones west of Greenwich have earlier times and zones to the east have later times. Mumbai, for example is five and a half hours later than Greenwich. When it is midnight in Britain, it is 5:30 a.m. in Mumbai.

Britain refers to the island on which England, Wales and Scotland are located. Although the English are in the habit of referring to all natives of Britain as "Brits", this term is not appreciated by many Welsh and Scots. Northern Ireland shares the island of Eire with the Republic of Ireland. It is both incorrect and insinuating to call someone from Eire a "Brit".

THE PEOPLE

The British are generally reserved, but friendly. They are very polite. They are achievers and risk-takers as is evidenced in their adventurous past. They are wary of personal questions but are excellent to work with, being helpful and dynamic in their approach to working with people.

England has an official religion, the Anglican Church, or the Church of England. Most English belong to this church, which was founded when England split from the Roman Catholic Church during the reign of King Henry VII. The church no longer has political power.

For centuries people from overseas have settled in Britain, either to escape political or religious persecution or in search of better economic opportunities. In recent years, the number of people coming from the South Asian sub-continent has remained roughly stable, but there has been a rise in immigration from some African countries, such as Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.

SOCIAL PSYCHE

The British are a warm people, yet keep their distance. They do not overtly show their affection, but are jolly people, and are generally friendly.

• Emotions are not to be shown in public; the phrase "keep a stiff upper lip" is a good example of their demeanor.
• They are the masters of understatement.
• The English do not consider themselves European. This is vital when discussing issues regarding the European Union.
• While the English are often self-critical, visitors should avoid criticizing the ways of the people; similarly if they share their complaints with you, do not participate.
• The English apologize often, for even small inconveniences.
• Do not make jokes About UK the royal family.
• Religion is considered a very private subject.

BUSINESS PSYCHE

• There is a high need for success and decisions are made slowly and deliberately.
• There is an inherent trust in the roles people play (but not necessarily in the people), within the business system and a strong feeling of the interdependency of these roles.
• The individual has a right to his/her private life and this should not be discussed in business negotiations.
• The English are highly individualistic, taking responsibility for their decisions, but always within the framework of the family, group or organisation.
• Individual initiative and achievement are emphasized, resulting in strong individual leadership.
• Company policy is followed regardless of who is doing the negotiating.
• Women have a great deal of equality in both pay and power.
• Punctuality is very important.
• Business cards are exchanged at the beginning of meetings with both hands.

CUSTOMS

Handshakes are part of an introduction. Business women as well as men always shake hands when meeting people. You should shake hands when you welcome people to your office, run into someone you know, when you say good-bye and when the other person offers to shake hands. Never ignore an offered hand. While it is common for us to address a functional superior or a senior manager with the prefix "Sir", in the UK this is not mandatory as they are fairly informal when it comes to forms of address. This doesn't necessarily mean that you should be on first name terms with your boss, so play it by ear.

There are certain social customs and norms unique to the British. When you meet people, or are introduced to people, there are some things you should keep in mind:

• It is the custom to shake hands at the beginning and the end of a meeting.
• The normal form of greeting is a smile, often accompanied by a nod, a wave, and/or a verbal greeting.
• In business situations, you shake hands firmly, and you wait for a woman to offer you her hand before shaking it.
• In casual situations you could smile and say hello.
• When asked 'How are you?' you should respond with a simple 'Fine, thank you.'

How you address a person when introduced is important. You must remember a few things:

• Find out the honorary titles of anyone you will be in contact with, and use them no matter how familiar you are with the person.
• Doctors, clergy and so forth are addressed by title plus last name; however, surgeons are addressed as Mr., Mrs. or Miss. Rather than "sir", you should use the title of the person you are addressing.
• Full names are used for initial greetings and "Sir" is an address of respect.
• The order of most names is first name, middle name and last name.
• Be respectful and use a title such as Dr., Ms., Miss, Mrs., or Mr. with the last name.
• If you are not sure of a woman's marital status use Ms. (pronounced `Miz').
• When meeting someone for the first time, use a title and their last name until you are told to do otherwise.
• Introduce yourself as you want to be called.
• The English are beginning to use first names as is done in the United States. However, you should do so only at the invitation of your hosts.

Gifts

Gifts are not expected, but are polite as tokens and a good way of showing appreciation. These are a few do's and don'ts of gift-giving:

• Gifts are not part of doing business in England.
• Rather than giving gifts, it is preferable to invite your hosts out for a meal or a show.
• When you are invited to an English home, you may bring flowers (not white lilies which signify death), liquor or champagne and chocolates or folk crafts from home.
• Send a brief, handwritten thank-you note promptly afterwards, preferably by messenger rather than by mail.
• When bringing flowers, consult with the florist About UK the appropriate type and number.
• Be cautious in making purchases, as there is usually no refund or exchange policy.
• At Christmas time, gifts are usually exchanged both socially as well as at work. Business associates appreciate things for the office, liquor or wine.
• If you stay with someone in the UK, a thank you gift would be a good idea.
• Personal gifts such as perfume or clothing are inappropriate for women.