USA
Doing Business
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Entertaining
Business entertaining is more often used to further business talk than to develop a personal relationship.
As you might expect in a culture that views time as a commodity, Americans may schedule business meals at breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Business discussions may precede and follow a meal, with the meal conversation being more social in nature.
Alcohol is usually not ordered at lunch. You might let your companion order his or her drink first and then follow suit.
Working lunches are often held in the office.
If you’ve done business with an American company for a while, you may be invited to a sporting or cultural event, or asked to play golf.
Spouses may be included in business dinners.
Toasts are not as common as elsewhere, with the exception of formal dinners.
