Businesspeople are expected to dress smartly, although trousers and a shirt are becoming more common than the traditional suit-and-tie. Most Finnish businesspeople speak English and/or German. Finnish is a complex language for visitors to master; courses can be arranged through the Helsinki University Language Centre, University of Helsinki, Kluuvikatu 7 (tel: (9) 1912 3234; www.helsinki.fi). Finns are a naturally reserved people and do not like speaking for the sake of it. Garrulous people are sometimes viewed with suspicion.
Punctuality is essential for business and social occasions and a handshake is customary when meeting for the first time. Business cards should always be exchanged. Be aware of the holiday seasons in Finland (many Finns take a winter holiday in February, and business virtually shuts down for the summer holidays from late June to the end of July).
Meetings and business deals are often conducted by telephone or at a sauna. Although saunas are traditionally regarded as retreats, meetings often take place in this relaxed and informal environment.
If invited to someone's house for dinner, lateness (over 10 minutes) is seen as a discourtesy. Shoes are usually removed before entering the house and a gift for the host, such as a bottle of wine or a bunch of flowers, is well received.
Standard office hours are 0800 to 1615 Monday to Friday, although many businesses open earlier and close later in major cities. Some open on Saturday morning.
Office hours:Mon-Fri 0800-1615, though some places stay open till 1700.
Economy:The Finnish economy was sluggish in the 1990s but buoyant in the early years of the new millennium. As a result, the nation has a budget surplus and low levels of debt, placing Finland in a much better position to weather the global economic downturn than the debt-laden economies of Western Europe.
The Finnish economy has traditionally been driven by the export of timber and paper and heavy manufacturing, but the rise of the Nokia mobile phone company has made Finland a leading light in the world of telecommunication - which along with optics account for some 30% of Finnish exports. Nevertheless, experts are predicting that growth in the Finnish economy will slow to 2.3% in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis. Finland's GNP per capita is around â¬34,000, which puts it on a par with the most successful Western European economies.
Although only 8% of land is used for agriculture, Finland is virtually self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs such as grain, dairy products and root crops. However, industry is heavily dependent on imported components. Finland has exploited its geographical position to develop strong trading links to Scandinavia, Western Europe and Russia. The national airline, Finnair has massively expanded its network, particularly in Asia, dramatically increasing the number of tourists visiting Finland en route to other countries.
Unemployment continues to be a problem in rural areas - the overall rate stands at around 7%, but this is inflated by the statistics from Lapland, where unemployment regularly exceeds 11%. In southern Finland, the rate is just 4.7%. Although the economy has been liberalised, the traditional network of social welfare services remains strong - helped by a low rate of population growth - and Finland ranks consistently highly on standard-of-living indices.
There is a wide selection of meeting facilities from state-of-the-art conference centres to ice castles. Nearly all hotels have some sort of conference facilities, which sometimes include a sauna.
US$281.2 billion (2008).
Main exports:Machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, timber, paper and pulp.
Main imports:Food, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel.
Main trading partners:EU (mainly Germany, Sweden and UK), Russian Federation and USA.
Local and international calls can be made from street-side telephone booths and, in larger cities, telecentres. Most public telephones operate using a pre-paid card purchased from R-kiosks, shops and post offices. Shops also sell cards that can be used to make discounted international calls.
Mobile phone:Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies and GSM 900/1800 coverage is excellent - as you might expect from the home of Nokia. You may find it cheaper to buy a Finnish SIM card, available for about â¬15, which includes â¬10 of calling credit.
Internet:Wi-Fi is widely available in hotels, restaurants and on some public transport. There are also hotspots in some cities. Most large conurbations have commercial internet cafes.
Post:Letters and postcards sent by airmail usually take about three days to reach European destinations, and around one week to reach the USA or Australia. Stamps are available from post offices, bookshops and newspaper shops, stations and hotels.
Post office hours:Generally Mon-Fri 0900-1800, with regional variations. Helsinki's central post office at Mannerheiminaukio 1, 00100 Helsinki, is open Mon-Fri 0700-2100, Sat-Sun 1000-1800.
Media:Finland has a strong and independent media with privately-owned newspapers that reflect a broad spectrum of political views. Public communications network YLE provides national radio and TV programming. Freedom of the press is enshrined in Finnish law, and Finns read the newspapers avidly.
Press:• There are numerous daily newspapers, with the most respected being Aamulehti (www.aamulehti.fi) and Helsingin Sanomat (www.hs.fi).
• Ilta-Sanomat (www.iltasanomat.fi) and Iltalehti (www.iltalehti.fi) are tabloids with an unwavering focus on the sensational and lurid.
• News for Swedish-speakers is provided by the daily Hufvudstadsbladet (www.hbl.fi)
• Apu (www.apu.fi) and Seura (www.seura.fi) are weekly illustrated news magazines.
• Kauppalehti (www.kauppalehti.fi) is one of the leading daily business newspapers.
• Foreign newspapers and magazines are widely available, and The Helsinki Times (www.helsinkitimes.fi) is a good weekly newspaper published in English.
• Yleisradio Oy (YLE) is a public service broadcaster that operates several channels in Finnish and Swedish.
• MTV3 and Nelonen (Channel 4) are private stations.
• Many homes have cable and satellite TV showing local and international television.
• Foreign programmes are generally broadcast in the original version with subtitles.
• Yleisradio Oy (YLE) is a public service broadcaster that operates radio channels in Finnish, Swedish and Sámi languages.
• Commercial stations include Groove FM, Classic FM, Radio Nova and The Voice.
