Turkey

Doing business & staying in touch

As Turkey's capital, Ankara is an administrative hub where formal conventions prevail. For business meetings, a dark suit (with tie) is the norm for men. Women are advised to wear business suits with trousers or skirts below the knee. Visiting businesswomen will usually be treated with the same respect as male colleagues. However, women should be aware that after-dinner invitations to accompany the men to a revue bar or belly-dancing club might imply going to an upmarket brothel, and a woman's company will be resented. Women are advised to clarify the nature of the establishment before going.
English is widely spoken in business circles though to have even the most basic knowledge of Turkish wins considerable respect. Punctuality is expected, with lunch meetings commonplace. Business cards and formal greetings are widely used.
Most Turks prefer to do business with someone they know, trust and respect so establishing a personal relationship is an important part of deal-making. Once a relationship has been established, communication is direct. It is customary for business visitors to address new acquaintances by their first names followed using 'Bey' (sir) or 'Hanim' (lady).
Secretaries are rarely empowered to take important messages or even know the boss's schedule, so when phoning, it is usual for callers to be told to ring back 'one hour later' or fax your queries. Once the appropriate contacts have been made, however, business visitors are usually treated with personal warmth and courtesy.
As a Muslim nation, Turkey observes the festivals of the Islamic calendar so avoid scheduling meetings during Ramadan. Alcohol consumption is socially acceptable across most of Turkey, however many choose abstinence so it is important to check to be sure.

Office hours:
Mon-Fri 0830-1200 and 1330-1730.

Economy:
The agricultural sector, previously of great economic importance, now accounts for only 8.9% of the GDP. It remains a major employer however, and Turkey is self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs like maize, sugar, wheat and barley.
Manufacturing and services are the most important and fastest growing sectors, with banking and the construction industry enjoying major growth in recent years. The services sector makes the greatest overall contribution to the country's economy, accounting for 59.3% of Turkey's GDP. The country's tourist industry is also of primary importance: in 2007, over 27 million tourists visited Turkey, raising US$18.5 billion in revenue.
Underlying structural problems coupled with years of mismanagement and world events brought the Turkish economy to its knees in 2001. In the face of this crisis, the government introduced an International Monetary Fund-backed austerity program that succeeded in cutting inflation from 70% to its current level of 6%. Unemployment was at 9.7% in 2007. The economy was expected to grow by 5.4% and despite a major current account deficit, investor confidence is high, with foreign direct investment attracting nearly US$22 billion in 2007.
Istanbul and Antalya are the most popular venues, followed by Ankara, Marmaris and Bodrum. There are many 4- and 5-star hotels, which provide facilities and can host conferences and meetings to international standards. The Crowne Plaza Istanbul (website: www.ichotelsgroup.com) has conference facilities for up to 1,000 people, as does the Radisson SAS Conference and Airport Hotel (website: www.istanbul.radissonsas.com), which is conveniently close to Atatürk International Airport and the World Trade Centre.

GDP:
US$608 billion (2010).

Main exports:
Clothing and textiles, manufactured goods, transport equipment and food.

Main imports:
Machinery, appliances and parts, mineral fuels and oil, road vehicles and iron and steel products.
Main trading partners:
Germany, UK, Italy, Russia and China.
Staying in touch in Turkey

Telephone:
The cheapest way to make calls is from PTT telephone booths, which are found in all areas. These operate using phone cards, which can be bought from kiosks, or by using major credit cards.

Mobile phone:
Mobile phone coverage is generally good, but can be patchy in some rural areas in eastern Turkey. As Turkey is outside the EU, roaming charges are very much more expensive than for mobile phone use in the UK and the rest of the EU.

Internet:
There are internet cafés throughout Turkey, even in small towns and rural villages. Almost all hotels (including even small guesthouses and budget hostels) offer free WiFi Internet Access, as do many restaurants, bars and cafés.

Post:
Turkish post offices are recognisable by their yellow PTT signs.
Post office hours:
major outlets Mon-Sat 0800-2400, Sun 0900-1900; smaller post offices have the same opening hours as government offices.

Media:
The Turkish media tends to be self-censoring on controversial religious, cultural and political issues. Journalists, novelists, film-makers and broadcasters have been prosecuted under laws against ‘insulting' the country, the armed forces, and ‘Turkishness'. English-language newspapers include The Turkish Daily News. An edition of the British Sunday Times is printed in Istanbul. The state broadcaster TRT operates several TV and radio channels. Private channels include ATV, Kanal D, Show TV and Star TV. CNN Türk is the Turkish channel of news network CNN.

Press:
• The main newspapers are Hürriyet, Milliyet, Sabah, Zamam Cumhuriyet and Yeni Asir.
• English-language daily newspapers include The Turkish Daily News.

Television:
• Four state-run channels are operated by the state broadcaster, Turkish Radio and Television (TRT).
• Private channels include ATV, Kanal D, Show TV and Star TV.
• CNN Türk is the Turkish channel of news network CNN.

Radio:
• TRT stations include TRT 1 (cultural and educational), TRT 3 (classical, jazz and popular music) andTRT 4 (Turkish folk and classical music).
• Best FM, Show Radyo and Capital Radio are commercial stations.
• Radyo Foreks broadcasts news.