IX.  BUSINESS TRAVEL

Business Customs:  Danish business people are likely to get
down to business right away and are generally conservative and
efficient in their approach to business meetings.  Advance
appointments are usually necessary for business meetings.
Punctuality is a must, it is considered rude to be late for a
business meeting.  Handshakes are the accepted form of
greeting.  Danes shake hands both for greetings and goodbyes.
Unlike in the United States, men do not stand when a woman
enters or leaves a room.  Some American forms of greeting can
be misunderstood.  The standard American greeting "How are
you?" is sometimes literally construed and hence
misunderstood.  "I'm pleased to meet you" is preferable and
conveys a more sincere message.  Red is a positive color in
Denmark.  As in many other parts of the world, the number 13
is considered an unlucky number.  Business gifts are not a
normal custom in Denmark.  Flowers for the hostess are a
suitable gift if invited to someone's home.  Business
entertaining is usually done at lunch, but also often at
dinner in a restaurant.

Danes work shorter hours than Americans.  The standard work
week is 37 hours.  Mandatory vacation is five weeks, of which
three are taken during summer, one often around Christmas, and
one during the winter.  Danes treasure their leisure time,
most of which is spent with the family.  Business persons
should not expect to meet with their Danish counterparts after
4.00 pm on weekdays.  On Fridays, many Danes leave early,
generally between 2 - 3 pm.  Do not plan meetings for
Saturdays, Sundays, or on national holidays.

Travel Advisory and Visas:  Delta Air Lines provides non-stop
service between Copenhagen and New York.  Scandinavian
Airlines System (SAS) provides non-stop service from
Copenhagen to New York, Chicago, Seattle and Los Angeles.
Citizens from non EU countries have to apply for both
residence and work permits before arriving in Denmark, if
their stay is expected to last for more than three months, or
if they have already been resident in Denmark or one of the
other Scandinavian countries for the last nine months.  In the
United States, applications may be submitted to the Danish
embassy, or one of its diplomatic missions in the larger U.S.
cities.  Americans don't need visas if staying in Denmark for
less than three months and may transact business as long as
they don't set up an office.

Holidays (1995):  January 1 (New Year's Day),  April 13
(Maundy Thursday), April 14 (Good Friday), April 17 (Easter
Monday), May 12 (Prayer Day), May 23 (Ascension Day), June 5
(Whit Monday and Constitution Day), December 25 (Christmas
Day), December 26 (Second Christmas Day).

Business Infrastructure:  Denmark (Greenland and the Faroe
Islands not included) covers an area of 43,000 sq.km of which
the Jutland peninsula accounts for 29,776 sq.km.  There are
406 islands of varying sizes, of which Zealand is the biggest
with a area of 7,488 sq.km, while Funen covers 3,486 sq.km.
The country is small and, although the main islands of Zealand
and Funen are separated from the Jutland peninsula by water,
communications and transport are highly developed.  The
infrastructure is excellent everywhere.  There are 70,000 km
of good roads in Denmark (including 1000 km of freeway) and a
3,000 km railway network.  Bridges and ferries provide fast
links between the various parts of Denmark.  There are 13
civilian airports of which Copenhagen International Airport
(Kastrup) is the largest. It is Scandinavian Airlines System's
consolidation hub for U.S.-bound traffic.  Copenhagen also has
a modern seaport.  Other major ports are at Esbjerg, Aalborg,
Aarhus, and Fredericia. The Port of Copenhagen includes a free
port (see VI above). Telecommunication services are highly
developed.  Denmark is a central link for satellite
communications between the former East Bloc and western Europe
and the United States.  Its telephone system provides first
class digital service, and two cellular systems (NMT and GSM)
offer excellent trans-European and inter-Scandinavian mobile
communications.  Very few non Danes speak Danish so almost all
Danish international business people speak another language.
Most speak English and often also German.  A high proportion
of the Danish population has a working knowledge of these two
languages.

For expatriates working in Denmark, rental of a house or an
apartment is the most common arrangement.  Housing costs are
comparable to those in major American cities.  Denmark has a
high standard of living.  Private and public health services
are very good.  Expatriates living in Denmark are covered by
the Danish health system.  The price level for food and
durable consumer goods is considerably higher than that of the
United States, but about the same as in most other West
European Countries. Automobiles, however, are more heavily
taxed than in other European countries and cost about three
times what they would in the United States.  Americans will
recognize many U.S. food and other consumer item brands in
Danish stores.