Unit 2 Essay
Columbia Southern University
Intercultural Management
Unit 2 Essay
There are many things that make Spain’s culture so different from the United States. Even
within Spain itself, there are differences. If you are going to be successful in opening and
running a business in the country of Spain, it is important to know what kinds of cultural things
are considered appropriate and inappropriate. Researching and understanding these differences
are important to ensure successfulness. Here are just a few things that would be important to
understand when opening a business in Spain.
Just to start off, places of business in Spain have different working hours than we do.
Most traditional shops in Spain have hours that, to us, would seem inconvenient. They usually
open at nine or ten in the morning and work until two in the afternoon. Then, they enjoy a two-
hour lunch break and then return to work between four to seven or eight in the evening. Although
these are considered traditional times, larger companies who do a lot of business with American
businesses, may keep Western business hours that align closer to our nine to five.
(Schoenmakers, 2017). During the long lunch breaks, it is most common for everyone from an
office to actually go out and socialize. It is rare that lunches are used for business meetings since
they are meant to be utilized as a period of relaxation and enjoyment. Also, the use of frequent
coffee breaks is usual for people in Spain. It is important to take all of these time constraints into
account when trying to plan meetings. The morning is the best time to schedule meetings, and
with plenty of time in advance. Also, when setting up times to meet with potential staff, or
Columbia Southern University
Intercultural Management
Unit 2 Essay
There are many things that make Spain’s culture so different from the United States. Even
within Spain itself, there are differences. If you are going to be successful in opening and
running a business in the country of Spain, it is important to know what kinds of cultural things
are considered appropriate and inappropriate. Researching and understanding these differences
are important to ensure successfulness. Here are just a few things that would be important to
understand when opening a business in Spain.
Just to start off, places of business in Spain have different working hours than we do.
Most traditional shops in Spain have hours that, to us, would seem inconvenient. They usually
open at nine or ten in the morning and work until two in the afternoon. Then, they enjoy a two-
hour lunch break and then return to work between four to seven or eight in the evening. Although
these are considered traditional times, larger companies who do a lot of business with American
businesses, may keep Western business hours that align closer to our nine to five.
(Schoenmakers, 2017). During the long lunch breaks, it is most common for everyone from an
office to actually go out and socialize. It is rare that lunches are used for business meetings since
they are meant to be utilized as a period of relaxation and enjoyment. Also, the use of frequent
coffee breaks is usual for people in Spain. It is important to take all of these time constraints into
account when trying to plan meetings. The morning is the best time to schedule meetings, and
with plenty of time in advance. Also, when setting up times to meet with potential staff, or
