DOING BUSINESS IN THE NETHERLANDS Introduction

The findings of this research are presented in three major areas of discussion. These areas of interest are social mores, the Dutch sense of community, and attitudes and orientations that affect the conduct of business.

The Netherlands is a country of 14.6 million inhabitants and somewhat less that 16,500 square miles.2 The resulting high population density has led the Dutch to value and practice privacy in everyday living to an extent found in few other parts of the world.3 One manifestation of this desire for privacy is a tendency on the part of the Dutch to stay at home or very close

1American Forces Information Service, The Netherlands (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1987), 56.

2Ibid., 50; Catherine Morrison, 1992: Leading Issues for European Companies (New York: The Conference Board, Inc., 1989), 1.

3Anthony Bailey, The Light in Holland, 3rd ed. (New Yo

. . .
Statesman's YearBook, 19931994, 129th ed. (New York: St. Martins, Press, 1993), 901. represents the major political parties in the countrythe Christian Democrats and the Liberals. In the context of religion, Northwest Europe generally and the Netherlands in particular are characterized by lower levels of religiosity than are found in the United States.16 In Holland, 63 percent of the people believe in God, compared to almost 90 percent in the United States. A belief in life after death is held by 50 percent of the Dutch, while only 20 percent believe in the Devil. In the context of religious orientation or lack thereof, the principal groupings are Catholic, Protestant, and LiberalHumanist.17 Roman Catholic church membership approximates 5.2 million, or 35.6 percent of the Dutch population.18 Protestant church membership approximates 4.8 million, or 32.9 percent of Holland's population. The remaining 4.6 million Netherlanders profess to no religious affiliation, and comprise the LiberalHumanist group of the Dutch population. The 31.5 percent of the Dutch population without religious affiliation is in stark contrast to the situation in the United States. Religious orientation often affects the way the Dutch conduc
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Information Service, Row Publishers, Alfred Knopf, European Community, Business Holland, Social Affairs, United Provinces9, Mores Netherlands, States16 Holland, Community Dutch, conduct business, business holland, social mores, forces information, ed york, forces information service, doing business, information service, foreigner doing business, foreigner doing, affect conduct, orientation dutch, doing business holland, affect conduct business, 3rd ed york,
Approximate Word count = 2346
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)

More Essays on DOING BUSINESS IN THE NETHERLANDS Introduction