Introduction:
Etiquette can be defined as any acceptable conduct or way of doing business, and includes the expectations that others have when doing business with you. Etiquette greases the world of business. It allows meetings and engagements to run smoothly and helps businesses to operate. Etiquette helps to build trust and confidence between management and employees, between different employees, and with customers and other business leaders.

Professionalism
Using the right etiquette in business situations indicates that you are confident and have self-control. According to Paula Williams, owner of business etiquette consulting company Ravenwerks, most disrespectful behavior in business is unintentional and can be avoided by consistently following good etiquette practices. She suggests that you always give credit and compliments to everyone who deserves them, and do not talk about coworkers in a negative way.
Meeting Etiquette
You can build confidence in your employees and co-workers by following good meeting etiquette. Be prepared beforehand to avoid wasting time. Let everyone attending know the purpose of the meeting, what will be discussed and how long the meeting should last. At the end of the meeting, make sure you thank everyone for their time and reiterate how those who contributed during the meeting have helped. Do not assign action items to people who are not present and make sure that everyone has a copy of the minutes, or a written summary of the meeting.
Email Etiquette
Lydia Ramsey, author of business etiquette guide Manners that Sell, argues that courtesy is just as important when sending email as it is when speaking face-to-face. She suggests that anything you send online should seen as an extension of yourself, and should be as courteous and impressive as your handshake and your personal appearance. Emails should be written in the same format as letters and use specific subject lines. Delete extraneous information when forwarding a message, and send clear and always address and sign your emails.
Phone Manners
Good phone etiquette gives a good impression to customers and colleagues. Always return phone calls promptly, even if you cannot answer the caller's question. When you call someone and get their secretary, make sure you identify yourself and the reason for your call. Similarly, when receiving a call, identify yourself and your department. Answer the phone politely, even if the call is inconvenient. You can also make a good impression by personalizing the call and spending a few minutes on non-business discussions.
Social Situations
Diane Gottsman, founder of the Protocol School of Texas, cites studies that show 85 percent of job success is based on the ability to put others at ease. For this reason, it is important not only to make a good first impression, but to also use good etiquette in business social situations. She suggests always dressing appropriately--poor appearance is disrespectful to your colleagues--and carry business cards at all times. Before any business-oriented social situation, try to refresh your memory about the people you are likely to meet, and admit right away when you have forgotten someone's name.

* What went wrong in this exchange?

In business and in the workplace, on the domestic front and in our social lives, we all stand to benefit from more effective communication skills. Every country has its own way of saying things. The important thing is what lies behind people’s words. Communicating across cultures begins with the basic understanding that one size does not fit all. Simply because you practice certain cultural habits or patterns does not mean the rest of the world does as well. Failing to recognize and adapt to this cultural diversity can mean the difference between success and failure.

The main criterion for effective communication is to understand the culture of the country. Culture provides a framework for acceptable behavior and the differences in ideals need to be recognized, valued and appreciated before any real communication can take place. Gestures and styles of conversation may vary between your country and Germany. Topics and gestures you may deem normal and acceptable could possibly be viewed as taboo here. Such errors in communication may have a serious impact on the success of the negotiation process. While Germany is an extremely culturally aware nation, they also have expectations when it comes to others understanding their culture as an independent country – so preparation is a must if you are to build a positive image from the beginning of negotiations.

Germans value order, privacy and punctuality. They are prudent, hardworking and industrious. Germans respect perfectionism in all areas of business and private life, and in their approach to work they tend to focus on achieving the task at hand. This, coupled with their well-defined structures, implies that interpersonal relationships play a secondary role in business dealings. There is a strict separation between private life and work in Germany and therefore it takes time to forge more personal relationships. Business relationships with Germans are often based on mutual advantage, with the overall task as the central focus. The attention paid to targets to be achieved is evidenced, for example, in the precision of timetables, meeting planning and achievement of milestones. Close adherence to time schedules is also considered vital.

As we know, German business meetings are highly formal and scheduled much in advance. Punctuality is of utmost importance. Plus, in German, people are addressed by their surname.

First, here in this case, what we have found that, the meeting was fixed earlier. Germans are very punctual. But, professor and the head of the mechanical engineering department of UP Institute of Technology and Science (UPITS) Dr Mathur were late by half an hour than the pre-arranged time. So German library chief, James Wandel was annoyed as Dr Mathur was late.

Secondly, Dr Mathur tried to show friendly behavior with James Wandel. But we know that, Germans tend to make a strict distinction between work and social life. Dr. Mathur was not professional according to the German culture and James Wandel could not accept it.

Thirdly, we know, people are addressed by their surname. So here again, Dr. Mathur made a mistake.

Fourthly and the final mistake that Dr. Mathur made is he did not start his conversation with a greetings. I marked this point at the very last because of priority of being punctual and other points stated above is more important than this one.

* Was Mr. James Wandel right in his reaction?

These days the business world is becoming extremely intertwined as people from different cultures and nations begin to work together. However, at times there is likely to be some conflict and misunderstanding because of our up-bringing and the culture we were brought-up in.

According to me, I think, Mr. James Wandel was not right in his reaction. Both Mr. James and Dr. Mathur should have understood each other’s culture. The key is to understand one’s culture so that you are not shocked or at best “lost” which could cost you dearly in business dealings. It is impossible to know everything about every other culture, but at least get to know as much as you can.

Mr. James Wandel should have made it clear to Dr. Mathur that, what he wants from Dr. Mathur. He must have made it clear to Dr. Mathur how much serious he is about timing issues and behavior. At the same time, Dr. Mathur should have an idea before about German culture.

* What can one learn from this case about business and professional interactions?

Cross-cultural experiences can be numerous things. It could be as simple as having a potluck, joining a book club, or participating in a forum. Cross-cultural experiences can also be moving to or visiting a different neighborhood, city, state, or country. All of these activities involve an exchange of ideas about people's identities.

The evolution of the globalized societal landscape is directly connected to the occurrence of cross-cultural experiences. This is because, with more understanding about the world cultures, we can continue to evolve as a unified group of individuals. The world environment is defined by how we interact with each other. It involves relationships as inclusive as a country's interaction with another country or as intimate as someone's friendship with his roommate. Globalization relies on not only preserving these relationships but also, more importantly, improving them. Cross-cultural experiences allow us to go beyond tolerating our neighbors. In time and with an open mind, they allow us to understand them. So because cross-cultural experiences help person A to understand person B, they improve not only the interaction between persons A and B, but also these two people's interactions with those around them in general.

The understanding that we get from being exposed to the different world cultures makes us more compassionate, generous and loving to our neighbors. By understanding a person's culture, we can appreciate the things that are unique to each group as well as those that they have in common. It is by realizing these common grounds that we become one unified society. The reoccurring picture of the global alliance against terrorism is a good example of this. There is no better display of humanity and the evolution of a unified world than the overwhelming support of people from every continent to ameliorate the damages done on the United States and to prevent any further terrorist acts.
When we completely immerse ourselves in a different culture abroad, or even if we are simply looking at an exhibit of a museum or reading Rigoberta Menchu's book, we become one step closer to knowing a culture. The knowledge that we gain allows us to understand what we have in common with a person who sits next to us in the office or a person who lives on the opposite side of the globe | | | |
Consequently, we individually contribute to humanity by being more compassionate in our everyday interactions. With the spread of understanding, more people seek to educate others about themselves in return. The learning then continues and, therefore, the world continues to become unified.
Conclusion
In order to make an effective communication, one must understand the culture of the other party. If he does not have any idea before, it is wise to get some source have some idea and after that interact accordingly. At the same time, it is everyone’s duty to respect the culture and norms of other people at the same time. If one can do so, a good communication can be established and it can give a better feedback in terms of business aspect

Bibliography: * P. D. Chaturvedi, Mukesh Chaturvedi, Business Communication, Pearson, Delhi, 3rd Edition, 2013 * Paul R. Timm & Chirstoper G. Jones, Business Communication, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs * Courtland L. Bovee & John V. Thill, Business Communication Essentials, Pearson, Delhi, 4th Edition, 2011