Samantha Estefana Barbosa Ramrez

I.D 1510152
Grupo: 9Yi

BELGIUM

A paradise for business, beer,

chocolate and waffles.

Country Background
Belgium officially the Kingdom of
Belgium, is a sovereign state in
Western Europe.

Belgium Regions:
Flanders
Wallonia
Brussels

A little bit more about

Belgium
The official name of Belgium is the Kingdom of
Belgium.
Belgium shares a land border with 4 countries
includingFrance,Germany, Luxembourg and
theNetherlands.
Belgium has a population of 10.5 million people
(10,444,268) as of July 2013.
Covering an area of just 30,528 km (11,787
mi), Belgium is one of the most densely
populated countries in the world.
The largest city and capital of Belgium is
Brussels.
It is a founding member of the European Union
and hosts several of the EU's official seats and
as well as the headquarters of many major
international organizations such as NATO.

Language

Belgium is Known for

Belgium is world-famous for beer. There are over 1100 varieties of
beers made
in Belgium and the country often produces international award
winning varieties.

Belgium is world-famous for chocolate. Praline chocolates were invented by Jean

Neuhaus in Brussels in 1912. Today, Belgium is the world's number one exporter
of chocolate, with 220,000 tonnes of chocolate produced per year and shops in
Brussels international airport are said to sell the most chocolate in the world

Belgium is world-famous for waffles. There are 3 main

types of Belgian waffles, the most common is Liege
waffles which are eaten like a cookie, Brussels waffles are
larger and lighter in color and eaten with toppings such
as strawberries or ice cream, while galettes are thin, soft
and usually eaten for breakfast with jam

French fries have been invented in Belgium not France.

Country Background
History

Julius Caesar conquered what is now Belgium in 50 B.C , Roman rule faded
and Belgium came under the dominations of the Franks in the Fifth
century.

In 1516 Through marriage and inheritance Belgium and The Netherlands

came under the rule of Spain (The whole area was called the Spanish
Netherlands)

After de War of the Spanish succession the Treaty of Utrecht gave control
of Belgium to Austria in 1713. Religious repression continued and Belgium
became more Catholic.

In 1815 the Congress of Vienna redrew the map of Europe,

control of Belgium was given to the Netherlands.

In 1830 Belgians broke away from Netherlands. ( Independent kingdom of

Belgium dates from this revolt)

In 1857 Belgium became a founding member of the European Economic

Community (European Union)

In 1995 Belgium completed a constitutional realignment from a centralist

to a federal for of government.

and the

Business Entertainment

Although it is relatively common to be invited to a business lunch in Belgium, it is much less

common to be invited out for breakfast or dinner - as Belgians tend to make a strong separation
between work and private life.

It is considered to be perfectly polite to

finish all the food on your plate and do
not be surprised if wine and other alcoholic
drinks are consumed at a business lunch

Therefore, try to avoid talking business

during the meal unless your Belgian host raises
the subject.

Belgian Business Practices

oCorporate Social Responsibility

Attitudes to environmental issues have evolved rapidly in Belgium over the last
20 years, both
at the public awareness level and in terms of government intervention.

oPunctuality

Belgians are generally good timekeepers, although the Flemish Belgians tend to be
more meticulous than the Walloons. Punctuality in business is generally regarded as
a virtue, although apologies for a late arrival will be accepted good-naturedly.

oGift giving
Gift giving is not normally an aspect of business relations in Belgium. If you decide
that some sort of gesture is appropriate, for example on closing a deal, make the
gift a reasonably modest one and make sure it is logo neutral. Nothing should be
given with the company logo, or with your business card attached.

If you are offered a gift, open it right away and show your appreciation.
Many of the more traditional Belgian companies offer end-of-year gifts and
these should be acknowledged.

oBusiness Dress Code

It is normal to wear a jacket, not necessarily a suit, in most Belgian organizations,

although the younger high-tech companies may happily tolerate an open-neck shirt and
jeans.

Greetings:
First names are still generally reserved for close friends, so you should
always use
the standard courtesy titles followed by the surname.

Tips on doing business in Belgium

If you wish to give a gift to close business associate, do not include your

business card with it, and do not give a gift that is a vehicle for your
company logo.
If you are invited to a Belgian Home, bring flowers( not chrysanthemums,
which signify death) of chocolates for the host. Do not bring thirteen of any
flower. Red roses are only for lovers
Present any gift before, not after the meal.

Negotiation Strategies-Business Style

Always keep in mind that there are three linguistic groups
in Belgium: German, French, and Flemish. The Flemish
language is a variant of Dutch.
In general, Belgians never discuss personal subjects
except with close friends. Because of their private nature,
Belgians dont usually discuss money matters outside of
business.
When you are among the French-speaking Belgians, you
may observe closer acquaintances greeting each other with
alternating kisses on the cheeks. And it's common for
men who know each other particularly well to embrace.
With French speakers, use courtesy titles
"Monsieur", "Madame", or "Mademoiselle.

such

as

When addressing German or Flemish speakers, use Mr.,

Mrs., Ms., or Miss. Never use "Madame" or "Monsieur"
when addressing a Flemish speaker.
Appointments
are
punctual,
and
usually
first
appointments are socially oriented. Most Belgians feel
that it's necessary to get to know you before proceeding
with business of any kind.
When you are conducting a meeting, an agenda should
be distributed to everyone in attendance.
Businesspeople in Belgium prefer that a meeting your
initiative in making sure that everything is well organized
and runs smoothly. be well-focused and will appreciate
Typically, Belgians shake hands with everyone in the
room or office upon meeting and departure.

Cognitive styles.
(organize
and proceed)
In
general Belgians
are open-minded to outside information and
will engage anyone in discussion of facts, principles or
theories.
.

Information is generally processed from a

conceptual perspective.

They are proud of their intellectual heritage. The german speakers tend to follow
abstract codes of behaviour, while the dutch and french speakers are more apt to
emphasize interpersonal relationships. In all the three groups friendships are
particular and deep.

Currency
Currency Exchange Rate:
1 Euro = 1.113 U.S Dollar

Economic Information

Growth history for the last 10 years

Cultural IQ?

Domestic Market Size

The market size of Belgium is considerably enhanced by its

membership of the EC- The market attractions of Belgium are not
just its domestic market as this is increased by economic
integration with the EU.

This trend is particularly true of countries that have

close economic ties with other countries owing to
some extent of economic integration.
(Veugelers,1991)

Important ports, transport and logistics

infrastructure for international
commerce.

SEAPORTS
The Belgian ports lie in the middle of the Hamburg-Le Havre link,
one of the busiest sea routes in the world.
Important industrial and services activities
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Port
Port
Port
Port
Port
Port

of
of
of
of
of
of

Antwerp
Zeebrugge
Ghent
Lige
Oostende
Brussels

Airports
Belgium is right in the middle of this area or the place to be for freight companies,
at the centre of an important potential market.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.

Lige Airport
Brussels Airport
Ostend Airport
Charleroi Airport
Antwerp Airport

Railroads
Belgium occupies a special railway position within Europe. Situated between France, Germany, the Netherlands and Luxemburg, this high
quality railway network, with its more than 3,000 km of track, interconnects with the neighbouring networks. High speed trains connect
Brussels with Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London and Paris.

Representative Industries:
Chocolate
According to the WTO's International Trade
Statistics for 2005, Belgium is the world's
1st exporter of chocolate (in 2001).

Today, chocolate is very popular in Belgium, with

172,000 tonnes produced each year, and widely
exported.
Chocolate plays an important part in the Belgian economy,
and there are over 2,000 chocolatiers in the country,both
small and large.

Cte d'Or is probably the largest commercial brand,

with their products available in virtually every
grocery store in the country. The largest
manufacturers of wider varieties of chocolates are

Representative Industries: Beer

The country generously shares its creations with the
rest of the world. It is one of the biggest exporters
of beer in absolute terms and as a proportion of
national production (statistics boosted by the
worldwide thirst for Stella Artois). More than half the
booze it makes is sent abroad.

This list is an enumeration of Belgian beer. For a list from other countries,
see beer and breweries by region. At the end of 2011. there were around
1150 original Belgium beers, brewed and launched by 146 breweries and 44
beer companies.

The changing media landscape

Q: How do you expect your use of these media to develop in the coming year? (n = 549)
Source: MC DC 2009 online research

21

Technological Advantage
Recent technological advances by leading engineering companies to improve the integration of renewable
energy, especially wind energy, within Europes power grid by 2020, will bring a pan-European electricity
grid closer to reality.

Technological Advantage
To accelerate knowledge transfer, the Flemish government launched in 2010 the
Transformation
and Innovation Acceleration Fund (TINA) with USD 233 million to support
collaborative projects
in industrial production.

Value Systems

There are three major cultural value systems in

Belgium:
Dutch
French
German

Knowing the cultural orientations of there three

cultures may help some who goes to
Belgium,
The following sections identify the Value
systems in the predominant culture- their
methods dividing right from wrong , good
from evil and so forth.

Locus of decision Making:

The individual is responsible for his/her decisions.
Although ethnocentric values adhered to, the relationship
between the participants is a major variable in the
decision-making is slow and involved, as ll peripheral
concerns must be taken care in the process.

Sources of Anxiety reduction

Some sociologists believe that the Belgians have an
extraordinarily high index of uncertainty avoidance.
Belgians are highly risk averse and use laws and
morality to give structure to their worldview.
The nuclear family remains the basic unit.

Type of Government
Belgium is a constitutional monarchy with

two legislative houses.

The king is the chief of the state and the
prime minister is the head of the
government.
Elections to Parliament occur every four
years, and voting is compulsory.
Belgium has a high standard of living , supported
in part bye the politicians of the European
Union who meet in Brussels. It has also very
high taxes.

TOP 3 OF BELGIAN FAMOUS

COMPANIES
1. Dexia
The company was founded in 1996 through the merger of Gemeentekrediet van
Belgi/
Crdit Communal de Belgique (founded in 1860) and Crdit Local de France (founded
Strategy:Dexia developed an entire range of banking services catering to individual
in
1987).
customers,
small and medium-sized enterprises and institutional clients and it is an active player in asset
management,
insurance, investor services and capital markets

2. Anheuser-Busch InBev :
Is amultinationalbeverageandbrewingcompany headquartered inLeuven, Belgium.
It is the world's largest brewer and has a 25 percent global market share. 18 November 2008.
Strategy: They developed a strategy that enables us to compete effectively on a global
basis.
With operations in six geographic Zones and 25 countries, they have the scale to be the
global leader of our industry, and the commitment to share best practices and uniform
processes that can ensure consistent performance standards worldwide.

3. Delhaize
Group

Is a food retailer headquartered inAnderlecht,Brussels,Belgium which

operates in seven countries and on three continents. The principal activity
of Delhaize Group is the operation of food supermarkets. 1867

Products Imported-Exported by
Belgium

What can Mexico sell this country?

There are four principle items that Mexico produces
and fit them:
Cacao
Steel
Iron
Spare parts

Cavalieris awith
family-owned
Belgian
Company that can Import-Export
Mexico
chocolate manufacturer founded in
1996, making only no-sugar-added
chocolate products.

What can Mexico trade with Cavalier?

Cavalier develops, produces and distributes chocolate products and

biscuits without adding sugar to the traditional ingredients. It is the
only Belgian manufacturer making only chocolate products without
added sugar.

Stevia
Cacao
Nuts
Fruits
Chocolate pre-manufactured in Mexico

Industry effects
diversification

Belgiums industrial sectors are a diversified segment, which can be

classified into energy, construction and manufacturing units. Amongst
the manufacturing segments, most industries have been in Belgium since
the 19thcentury and thus are the most developed ones in the country.

Multinational Perspective

Belgium's economy is dependent on international trade. From year-to-year, foreign trade

accounts for approximately 70 percent of the nation's economy. This makes Belgium
particularly sensitive to disruptions in global trade

The nation's main

trade partners are in
the EU. In fact, in
1998 some 76
percent of
Belgium's exports
went to nations in
the EU.

The kingdom has a variety of trade partners so that problems in one export market are
mitigated by export diversity. For instance, since companies were able to shift exports to other
markets, Asia's economic problems in the late 1990s had little significant impact on Belgium.

Regional Institutional
Diversification- Home Region
Orientation

Belgium's economy is reliant on services, transportation, trade, and

industry. Coal mining, which has declined in recent years, and the
production of steel and chemicals are concentrated.

Who are the principal import export

partners?
The various Belgium import partners
are:
Netherlands (19.4%)
Germany (17.2%)
France (11%)
UK (5.7%)
US (5.5%)
China (4.1%)

The following countries are the biggest

export partners of Belgium:
Germany (19.8%)
France (17.4%)
Netherlands (12.2%)
UK (7.2%)
US (4.8%)
Italy (4.7%)

THANK YOU!

Sources
Belgium. (2015). Retrieved from

http://www.heritage.org/index/country/belgium.
Belgium, B. C. (2014). Business Culture In Belgium. Retrieved from

http://businessculture.org/western-europe/business-culture-in-belgium/ .
Belgium, E. i. (2015).
https://www.nbb.be/doc/dq/e/dq3/histo/iee1534.pdf . Retrieved from
National Bank of Belgium.
Belgium, S. E. (2013). http://www.worldbusinessculture.com/Meals-andEntertaining-in-Belgium.html. Retrieved from Meals and Entretaining in
Beligium.
Terri Morrison, W. A. Kiss Bow and Shake Hands: The bestselling guide to
doing business in more than 60 countries.
Trade, S. (2015). https://es.santandertrade.com/analizarmercados/belgica/llegar-al-consumidor.