PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT AND BUSINESS ETIQUETTES Activity 2Cross-cultural Training module for Philippines

In partial fulfilment of the requirements of the course for MBA FT- II

Submitted to: Prof. Nina Muncherji Submitted By:

Ashish Singh (121206)

Contents
Contents............................................................................................................... 2 Introduction.......................................................................................................... 4 Politics............................................................................................................... 4 Economy............................................................................................................ 5 Geography......................................................................................................... 5 Family Values........................................................................................................ 6 Culture.................................................................................................................. 7 Major Festivals and Celebrations..........................................................................8 Panagbenga Festival ......................................................................................... 8 Moriones ........................................................................................................... 8 Turumba ........................................................................................................... 9 Flores de Mayo ................................................................................................. 9 MassKara ........................................................................................................ 10 Giant Lanterns ................................................................................................ 10 General Etiquettes.............................................................................................. 12 Meeting Etiquette ........................................................................................... 12 Gift Giving Etiquette ....................................................................................... 12 Dining Etiquette .............................................................................................. 12 Table manners ............................................................................................... 13 Business Etiquette & Protocol ............................................................................ 14 Relationships & Communication .....................................................................14 Business Meeting Etiquette ............................................................................ 14 Business Negotiation ...................................................................................... 15 Dress Etiquette .............................................................................................. 16

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Business Cards................................................................................................ 16 Most Popular Costumes...................................................................................... 17 Barong Tagalog Costume ............................................................................... 17 Maria Clara Costume ..................................................................................... 17 Rural Costume ................................................................................................ 18 Cordillera Costume.......................................................................................... 18 Major Holidays.................................................................................................... 19 Filipino Body Language...................................................................................... 20 Greetings ........................................................................................................ 20 Negative Gestures .......................................................................................... 20 Room Etiquette ............................................................................................... 20 Respect for Family Elders ............................................................................... 21 Smiling............................................................................................................. 21 Labor Laws.......................................................................................................... 22 References.......................................................................................................... 23

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Introduction
The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a sovereign island country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. Its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire and its tropical climate make the Philippines prone to earthquakes and typhoons but have also endowed the country with natural resources and made it a mega diverse country. The Philippines is the 73rd largest independent nation, covering almost 300,000 square kilometers (115,831 sq mi) and comprising 7,107 islands, and is categorized broadly into three main geographical divisions: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Its capital city is Manila. With a population of more than 98 million people, [13] the Philippines is the seventh most populated Asian country and the 12th most populated country in the world.

Politics
The Politics of the Philippines takes place in an organized framework of a presidential, representative, and democratic republic whereby the president is both the head of state and the head of government within a multi-party system. This system revolves around three separate and sovereign yet interdependent branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. Executive power is exercised by the government under the leadership of the president. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two-chamber Congress: the Senate (the upper chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Judicial power is vested in the courts with the Supreme Court of the Philippines as the highest judicial body. Elections are administered by an independent Commission on Elections every three years starting 1992. Held every second Monday of May, the winners in the elections take office on the following June 30.

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Economy
The Economy of the Philippines is the 40th largest in the world, according to 2012 International Monetary Fund statistics and it is also one of the emerging markets in the world. According to the CIA Factbook, the estimated 2012 GDP (purchasing power parity) was 424.355 billion. Primary exports include semiconductors and electronic products, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil, and fruits. Major trading partners include the United States, Japan, China, Singapore, South Korea, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Germany, Taiwan, and Thailand. The Philippines has been named as one of the Tiger Cub Economies together with Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Geography
The Philippines is an archipelago comprising 7,107 islands with a total land area of 300,000 square kilometers (115,831 sq mi). The 11 largest islands contain 94% of the total land area. The largest of these islands is Luzon at about 105,000 square kilometers (40,541 sq mi). The islands are divided into three groups: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The Luzon islands include Luzon Island itself, Palawan, Mindoro, Marinduque, Masbate and Batanes Islands. The Visayas is the group of islands in the central Philippines, the largest of which are: Panay, Negros, Cebu, Bohol, Leyte and Samar. The Mindanao islands include Mindanao itself, plus the Sulu Archipelago, composed primarily of Basilan, Sulu Island, and TawiTawi.

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Family Values
The family is the centre of the social structure and includes the nuclear family, aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins and honorary relations such as godparents, sponsors, and close family friends. People get strength and stability from their family. As such, many children have several godparents. Concern for the extended family is seen in the patronage provided to family members when they seek employment. It is common for members of the same family to work for the same company. In fact, many collective bargaining agreements state that preferential hiring will be given to family members.

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Culture
The Philippines exhibits aspects found in other Asian countries with a Malay heritage, yet its culture also displays a significant amount of Spanish and American influences. One of the most visible Hispanic legacies is the prevalence of Spanish names and surnames among Filipinos. The names of many streets, towns, and provinces are also in Spanish. The common use of the English language is an example of the American impact on Philippine society. It has contributed to the ready acceptance and influence of American pop cultural trends. This affinity is seen in Filipinos' love of fast food, film, and music. Filipinos regularly listen to and watch contemporary American, Asian, and European music and film just as they enjoy Original Pilipino Music (also known as OPM) and local films.

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Major Festivals and Celebrations

Panagbenga Festival

Date: February Panagbenga is month-long annual flower festival occurring in Baguio. The festival, held during the month of February, was created as a tribute to the citys flowers and as a way to rise up from the devastation of the 1990 Luzon earthquake. The festival includes floats that are decorated with flowers unlike those used in Pasadenas Rose Parade. The festival also includes street dancing, presented by dancers clad in flower-inspired costumes, that is inspired by the Bendian, an Ibaloi dance of celebration that came from the Cordillera region.

Moriones

Date: Holy Week The Moriones is an annual festival held on Holy Week on the island of Marinduque, Philippines. The Moriones are men and women in costumes and masks replicating the garb of biblical Roman soldiers as interpreted by local folks Morion means mask or visor, a part of the medieval Roman armor which covers the face. The Moriones or

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Moryonan tradition has inspired the creation of other festivals in the Philippines where cultural practices or folk history is turned into street festivals.

Turumba

Date: Between April and May Every year during the months of April and may, the people of Pakil, in the province of Laguna celebrates the Turumba Festival. It commemorates the seven sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is held 7 times each year between the months of April and May. The first is held on the Friday before Palm Sunday and the last falls on Pentecost Sunday.

Flores de Mayo

Date: 1st May 31st May Flores de Mayo is a Catholic festival held in the Philippines in the month of May. It lasts for a month, and is held in honor of the Virgin Mary. The Santa Cruzan is a parade held on the last day of Flores de Mayo in honor of Reyna Elena.

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MassKara

Date: 3rd weekend nearest to 19th October The MassKara Festival is a week-long festival held each year in Bacolod City, the capital of Negros Occidental province. The festival features a street dance competition where people from all walks of life troop to the streets to see colourfully -masked dancers gyrating to the rhythm of Latin musical beats in a display of mastery, gaiety, coordination and stamina. The word MassKara has a double meaning. First, it is a fusion of the English word mass or many and kara, the Spanish word for face. MassKara then becomes a mass of faces, and these faces have to be smiling to project Bacolod already known in the late 70s as the City of Smiles.

Giant Lanterns

Date: December Saturday before Christmas Eve The Giant Lanterns Festival is an annual festival held in December (Saturday before Christmas Eve) in the City of San Fernando in the Philippines. The festival features a competition of giant lanterns. Because of the popularity of the festival, the city has been nicknamed the Christmas Capital of the Philippines. Read more on Giant Lanterns Festival Misa de Gallo Date: 16th December 25th December Traditionally, Christmas Day in the

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Philippines is ushered in by the nine-day dawn masses that start on December 16. Known as the Misa de Gallo (Roosters Mass) in the traditional Spanish and in Filipino as Simbang Gabi, or Night Mass, this novena of Masses is the most important Filipino Christmas tradition.

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General Etiquettes
Meeting Etiquette
Initial greetings are formal and follow a set protocol of greeting the eldest or most important person first. A handshake, with a welcoming smile, is the standard greeting. Close female friends may hug and kiss when they meet. Use academic, professional, or honorific titles and the person's surname until you are invited to use their first name, or even more frequently, their nickname.

Gift Giving Etiquette

If you are invited to a Filipino home for dinner bring sweets or flowers to the hosts. If you give flowers, avoid chrysanthemums and white lilies. You may send a fruit basket after the event as a thank you but not before or at the event, as it could be interpreted as meaning you do not think that the host will provide sufficient hospitality. Wrap gifts elegantly as presentation is important. There are no colour restrictions as to wrapping paper. Gifts are not opened when received.

Dining Etiquette
If you are invited to a Filipino's house: It is best to arrive 15 to 30 minutes later than invited for a large party. Never refer to your host's wife as the hostess. This has a different meaning in the Philippines.

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 Dress well. Appearances matter and you will be judged on how you dress. Compliment the hostess on the house. Send a handwritten thank you note to the hosts in the week following the dinner or party. It shows you have class.

Table manners
Wait to be asked several times before moving into the dining room or helping yourself to food. Wait to be told where to sit. There may be a seating plan. Do not start eating until the host invites you to do so. Meals are often served family- style or are buffets where you serve yourself. A fork and spoon are the typical eating utensils. Hold the fork in the left hand and use it to guide food to the spoon in your right hand. Whether you should leave some food on your plate or finish everything is a matter of personal preference rather than culture-driven.

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Business Etiquette & Protocol

Relationships & Communication
Filipinos thrive on interpersonal relationships, so it is advisable to be introduced by a third party. It is crucial to network and build up a cadre of business associates you can call upon for assistance in the future. Business relationships are personal relationships, which mean you may be asked to do favours for colleagues, and they will fully expect you to ask them for favours in return. Once a relationship has been developed it is with you personally, not necessarily with the company you represent. Therefore, if you leave the company, your replacement will need to build their own relationship. Presenting the proper image will facilitate building business relationships. Dress conservatively and well at all times.

Business Meeting Etiquette

Appointments are required and should be made 3 to 4 weeks in advance. It is a good idea to reconfirm a few days prior to the meeting, as situations may change. Avoid scheduling meetings the week before Easter. Punctuality is expected. For the most part your Filipino colleagues will be punctual as well. Face-to-face meetings are preferred to other, more impersonal methods such as the telephone, fax, letter or email.

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 Send an agenda and informational materials in advance of the meeting so your colleagues may prepare for the discussion. The actual decision maker may not be at the meeting. Avoid making exaggerated claims. Always accept any offer of food or drink. If you turn down offers of hospitality, your colleagues lose face. It is important to remain for the period of social conversation at the end of the meeting.

Business Negotiation
You may never actually meet with the decision maker or it may take several visits to do so. Decisions are made at the top of the company. Filipinos avoid confrontation if at all possible. It is difficult for them to say 'no'. Likewise, their 'yes' may merely mean 'perhaps'. At each stage of the negotiation, try to get agreements in writing to avoid confusion or misinterpretation. If you raise your voice or lose your temper, you lose face. Filipinos do business with people more than companies. If you change representatives during negotiations, you may have to start over. Negotiations may be relatively slow. Most processes take a long time because group consensus is necessary. Decisions are often reached on the basis of feelings rather than facts, which is why it is imperative to develop a broad network of personal relationships.

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 Do not remove your suit jacket unless the most important Filipino does.

Dress Etiquette
Business attire is conservative. Men should wear a dark coloured, conservative business suit, at least for the initial meeting. Women should wear a conservative suit, a skirt and blouse, or a dress. . Women's clothing may be brightly coloured as long as it is of good quality and well-tailored. Appearances matter and visitors should dress well.

Business Cards
You should offer your business card first. Make sure your business card includes your title. Present and receive business cards with two hands so that it is readable to the recipient. Examine the card briefly before putting it in your business card case. Some senior level executives only give business cards to those of similar rank.

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Most Popular Costumes

Barong Tagalog Costume

The Barong Tagalog, this is the official national costume of Filipino men, originated from the northern part of the Philippines, and is originally made of jusi or pineapple cloth called pina (woven from pineapple leaves). It is worn over a Chinese collarless shirt called camisa de Chino. It exhibits the loose, long lines of its Chinese sources, the airy tropical appearance of Indo-Malay costume, the elongated effect of Hindu dressing, and the ornamental restraint of European men's clothing.

Maria Clara Costume

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The Maria Clara, this dress was named after a mestiza heroine of one of the novels of the Philippine National hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Its origin was the national costume of Filipino women which is baro't (shirt) saya (skirt). The Maria Clara gown features a floor-length paneled skirt of silk or satin and it consists of four separate pieces: the collarless waistlength, bell sleeved camisa; the bubble-shaped, floor-length saya; the stiff, neck-covering pauelo; and the hip-hugging, knee length tapis, or overskirt.

Rural Costume

The Kimona, this dress originated from the Visayas, can be worn for everyday activities as casual dress or for formal occasion. Its origin was the baro't (shirt) saya (skirt), the national costume for Filipino women during the early years. A casual kimona dress is always worn with matching West Visayan wrap around called "patadyong" as a skirt.

Cordillera Costume

The Igorot, this attire is used by the tribes in Mountain Province of The Cordillera ranges, called Igorots. They have their own unique costume that makes them distinctive from other

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tribes in the Philippines. This costume reflects their way of life, cultures, personalities, religious practices and rituals. Igorot costume is very simple. The men wear long strips of hand-woven loin cloth called "wanes". The woman wear a kind of wrap-around skirt called "lufid".

Major Holidays
Date
January 1 April 9 April 17 (2014) April 18 (2014) May 1 June 12 August 25 (2014) November 30 December 25

English Name
New Year's Day Day of Valor Maundy Thursday Good Friday Labor Day Independence Day National Heroes' Day Bonifacio Day Christmas Day

Filipino name
Araw ng Bagong Taon Araw ng Kagitingan Huwebes Santo Biyernes Santo Araw ng mga Manggagawa Araw ng Kalayaan Araw ng mga Bayani Araw ng Kapanganakan ni Bonifacio Araw ng Pasko

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Filipino Body Language

Greetings
Filipinos usually greet each other with a smile and eye contact. As soon as they make eye contact they raise and lower their eyebrows as an additional greeting sign. This instantly establishes their relationship as friendly.

Negative Gestures
There is another form of eye contact something called the evil eye. It is simply a hard stare without the smile or the eyebrow movement. This is considered both arrogant and rude. And so is standing with your hands on your waist with your elbows stuck out. Another extremely rude gesture is the single finger pointed straight out with the other fingers curled in.

Room Etiquette
When you have to move to another part of the room and have to go between people who are standing and talking, the Philippine custom is to clasp your hands together in front of you, and pass with your head lowered. This is both a sign of respect and a silent apology for interrupting them.

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Respect for Family Elders

Filipinos show great respect for family elders. A traditional sign of respect is for the younger person to hold the elders hand and place his knuckles on her forehead.

Smiling
Filipinos always smile they smile when they are happy, they smile when they are embarrassed, they even smile when they are angry. In fact a smile when angry helps defuse the situation, unlike western cultures where anger often leads to fisticuffs. To a westerner all this smiling makes it difficult to know exactly what Filipinos mean when they smile at you. Your first interpretation will usually be correct that the smile is one of friendship but sometimes you will have to judge the smile in light of the situation.

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Labor Laws
The normal hours work of an employee shall not exceed 8 hours a day. However, Health Personnel shall have a maximum of 40 hours a week. If made to work in excess of 40 hours, they are entitled to 30% additional pay. Generally, everyone is covered by the law on overtime. However, the following have been exempted by the law: managerial personnel, government employees, nonagricultural field personnel whose hours of work cannot be determined, family members dependent upon the employer for support, househelpers, those in the personal employ of another, and piece rate workers. Overtime Work is work rendered beyond 8 hours. Every hour worked in excess of 8 hours earns an additional pay of 25%. The rate is 30% if done on a rest day or holiday.

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References
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_the_Philippines 2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_Philippines 3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_the_Philippines 4. http://philippineculture.ph/Phil-political.htm#parties 5. http://philippineculture.ph/Traditions.htm 6. http://philippineculture.ph/Culture-beliefs.htm 7. http://philippineculture.ph/Food-index.htm#table_manners 8. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Culture_of_the_Philippine s

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