Grecia

GREECE

1.Introduction

Welcome to Greece, in the next minutes we are going to show you some of the most important aspects of this country, including the general overview and advising you about things you should know as a tourist. Etiquette, manners and cross cultural communication have become critical elements required for all international and global business executives, managers andemployees. Take into consideration that the appreciation and respect for regional, country and cultural differences, best known as cultural diversity, is the most important element of successful business.

2.General Overview

Greece (and the Greek Islands) is a country with a particularly rich history and famous personalities.
In 1453 BC, the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople andgradually the rest of Greece, which had already been dominated by the Venetians. The country suffered a lot under the Ottoman occupation and people tried to rebel many times. However, all rebels were suspended, until March 1821 when the Greek War of Independence started. The country finally got its freedom in 1829, when the first independent Greek state was formed and Ioannis Kapodistrias was set asgovernor.

During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In World War II, Greece was first invaded by Italy (1940) and subsequently occupied by Germany (1941-44); fighting endured in a protracted civil war between supporters of the king and other anti-Communists andCommunist rebels. Greece resisted a lot the Axis forces during this war, but it eventually lost it. Most of the Greek territory was conquered by the Germans and some parts by the Italians. Following the latter's defeat in 1949, Greece joined NATO in 1952. After the Second World War, the Dodecanese islands also became part of the Greek state. In 1967, a group of military officers seized power,establishing a military dictatorship that suspended many political liberties and forced the king to flee the country. In 1974, democratic elections and a referendum created a parliamentary republic and abolished the monarchy. Since 1975, the regime of Greece is Parliamentary Republic.

In 1981, Greece joined the EC (now the EU); it became the 12th member of the European Economic and Monetary Union in2001. In 2010, the prospect of a Greek default on its euro-denominated debt created severe strains within the EMU and raised the question of whether a member country might voluntarily leave the common currency or be removed.





2.1Economy (GDP, Inflation, population, etc.)

The economy of Greece is the 34th or 42nd largest in the world at $299 or $304 billion by nominal gross domesticproduct or purchasing power parity respectively, according to World Bank statistics for the year 2011. Additionally, Greece is the 15th largest economy in the 27-member European Union. In terms of per capita income, Greece is ranked 29th or 33rd in the world at $27,875 and $27,624 for nominal GDP and purchasing power parity respectively.

Greece has a capitalist economy with a public sectoraccounting for about 40% of GDP and with per capita GDP about two-thirds that of the leading euro-zone economies.

Tourism provides 15% of GDP. Immigrants make up nearly one-fifth of the work force, mainly in agricultural and unskilled jobs. Greece is a major beneficiary of EU aid, equal to about 3.3% of annual GDP. The Greek economy grew by nearly 4% per year between 2003 and 2007, due partly toinfrastructural spending related to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and in part to an increased availability of credit, which has sustained record levels of consumer spending. But the economy went into recession in 2009 as a result of the world financial crisis, tightening credit conditions, and Athens' failure to address a growing budget deficit. The economy contracted by 2.3% in 2009, 3.5% in...