Nike International Group Business Trip to IRAN

1
Nike International GroupBusiness Trip toIRAN

• Presented by Top Row
• Lani Pennington
• Fredrik Jaderholm
  Jason Bair
• Bahram Ghiasinejad
• Mike Weiby

2
Agenda

• Geography
• History
• Language
• Culture
• Business and Culture
• Conclusion
• Q A

3
Geography

• Area
• 20 of U.S. mainland, an area that would include
  WA, OR, NV, CA, AZ
• Capital
• Tehran
• Population
• 68,278,826
• Median age
• 22.9 years old
• U.S. 35.8 years old
• Climate
• Mostly arid or semi-arid,
• subtropical along Caspian sea
• Elevation
• Lowest point Caspian Sea -91 ft
• Highest point Damavand 18,600 ft
• Oil and Gas
• Contains 7 of the world's proven oil reserves
  and ranks second in worlds natural gas

4
History

• Background
• Known as Persia until 1935
• Became an Islamic republic after the 1979
  revolution
• Conservative clerics established a theocratic
  system of government
• Women were forced to cover their hair
• Fought a bloody war with Iraq from 1980 - 1988
• Economy grew 7 during the past two years, and is
  forecasted to grow another 6.5 in 2004 and 2005
• Low levels of public debt, a healthy trade
  surplus and rising government expenditure
• Demographic changes and restrictive social
  policies has created pressure for political
  reform
• Religions
• 89 Shi'a Muslim
• 10 Sunni Muslim
• 1 Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian and Baha'i

5
Languages

• Persian, Persian dialects 58
• Turkic, Turkic dialects 27
• Kurdish 9
• Luri 2
• Balochi 1
• Arabic 1
• Other 2

• English is required in schools, universities use
  some English text books
• Persian also referred to as Farsi and is written
  from right to left
• Books and magazines open from right to left
• Names and slogans can be difficult to translate

6
Culture

• Humility
• Highest valued characteristic
• Hospitality
• Guests are highly respected and treated like
  family
• Family Values
• Very close-knit relationships, extremely
  protective of one another, great respect for
  elders
• Poetry
• Philosophers like Rumi are beloved and known
  worldwide
• Tea
• Served after every meal as well as during the
  day, and is used during social interactions
• Dancing
• Men, women and children are eager to dance at
  almost every family and social gathering
• Food
• Colorful and delicious dishes are the
  cornerstone for all social gatherings

7
Delicious Shirin Polo (Rice with Currants,
Pistachios, Orange Peel, Almonds) and chicken
kabob
8
Business and Culture

• Work Week
• 5.5 days for a total of 40 hours
• Attire
• Women must wear scarves, men wear suits without
  ties
• Time
• People are more relaxed about time in business
  and everyday life and being on time is not as
  important
• Money
• Is not the main drive in life and achievements
  are measured against what was lost along the way
  in terms relationships or values
• Reputation and Trust
• Gaining trust in the community is the key to
  success and the only way to get there is through
  ones good reputation
• Ethical Behavior
• No campaign contributions
• No vendor gifts
• No use of company private jet
• Common to bribe with cash

9
Things to Remember

• Acknowledge one another and say hello
• Apologize if your back is toward someone
• Do not toss/throw objects
• Men and women greet with a kiss on each cheek
• Be careful using hand gestures, e.g., thumbs-up
• Expect people to be late for meetings or parties

10
Conclusion

• Culture is a shared system of values, beliefs,
  attitudes, expectations and norms in a community
• Humility, hospitality, trust and family values
  are the most important aspects of life that shape
  the Iranian culture
• Awareness of these cultural values will help our
  strategic planning to be more accurate and will
  help achieve our business objectives

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• Q A