What does "foreign minister" mean?

Foreign-related secretaries mainly go to foreign-related government agencies and export-oriented enterprises to engage in secretarial, file management, human resources management and other work. Foreign-related work requires higher language. Foreign-related secretary is an international profession with the characteristics of foreign-related, auxiliary and transactional.

In foreign countries, foreign secretaries usually work in export enterprises, foreign enterprises, private enterprises or joint ventures. They must contact customers all over the world and provide services. Their work is international and very important.

In China, foreign-related secretaries refer to secretaries who work in foreign-funded enterprises, foreign institutions in China and foreign-related units and departments in China. They are a new type of export-oriented and compound secretary after the reform and opening up. They can master more than one foreign language, operate office automation equipment, understand economy and law, and master the theory and skills of secretarial work. They are professionals who help their superiors to implement management.

Let's take a look at how the Oxford English Dictionary explains "foreign secretary" in detail.

A person entrusted with private or secret affairs; A salesman writes for another person; esp。 A person who is employed to correspond, keep records and usually handle various other affairs for another person or for a society, company or public body.

Secretary's foreign etiquette guidance

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I. Taboos around the world

1. Words and deeds in foreign activities are taboo.

Behavior taboos: Yan Ji's posture is skewed, dancing, pointing at people, pulling and pulling, getting too close, looking around, looking at the distance, frequently looking at her watch, stretching, playing with things and scratching her head.

Taboo: Yan Ji is absurd and obscene, other people's resumes, women's private affairs, salary income, private property, clothing value, criticizing elders, criticizing religion and mocking different customs.

Tone taboo: Yanji argues loudly, speaks loudly, speaks ill of others, gets to the bottom of the matter, quarrels and insults others, and makes rude remarks.

Politeness taboo: Yan Ji snubbed others, talked alone until the end, expressed her position easily, interrupted opposition, pestered, interrupted and said goodbye at will.

2. Photo taboo of foreign activities

In foreign activities, when people take pictures, they must not violate the taboos of specific countries, regions and nationalities. Yan Ji took photos at random at border crossings, airports, museums, private rooms, exhibitions of new products and technologies, and exhibition halls of precious cultural relics. With permission, Yan Ji used a flash when shooting ancient paintings and other ancient cultural relics. People should consciously avoid taking pictures in places or areas where "No Photographing" signs are used. In general, it is forbidden to take pictures of strangers (especially women).

3. Hygienic taboos in foreign activities

Personal hygiene: avoid untidy and dirty clothes, shoes, hats or neckline cuffs. In formal occasions, it is forbidden to dig chewing gum, blow your nose, pick your nose, pick your ears, pick your teeth, cut your nails and other unsanitary actions. Yan Ji, who suffers from infectious diseases, participates in foreign affairs activities.

Environmental sanitation: Don't spit everywhere, throw cigarette butts and ashes, throw scraps of paper or other unclean things, bring rain gear and mud and dirt under your shoes indoors, and place spittoons and other unclean appliances in conspicuous places indoors.

Second, the etiquette of foreign-related visits.

(1) Foreign guests should pay attention to the following work when arranging visits.

1. Project selection. The following factors are mainly considered when choosing the tour items: ① The purpose and nature of the tour make the arrangement of the tour items targeted. ② The wishes, interests and characteristics of the guests. (3) According to the local actual situation, select some visiting projects.

When choosing a visit project, you should also consider the following factors:

1) Cooperate with business talks as much as possible. For example, some cooperation projects are involved in the talks, and visiting a relevant unit is helpful to understand the situation and problems.

2) In order to make tourists know more about the basic situation of the country they are going to, arrange to visit places or units with typical significance. For example, many foreign guests want to know more about the current situation of reform and opening up in China, and they can arrange for them to visit special zones or development zones and organize them to visit corresponding units according to each other's requirements.

3) Arrange corresponding visiting units according to the majors, interests, hobbies and wishes of visitors. Science can visit scientific research institutions, doctors can see health care, and so on.

4) For some female guests, they can visit social welfare, culture and art, maternal and child health care and other projects according to their interests.

2. Arrange the layout. After the project is determined, it is necessary to make a detailed plan, explain it clearly to the reception unit, and inform all the reception staff.

3. companionship. According to the etiquette of international communication, foreign guests are usually accompanied by people with corresponding status when visiting. If you are accompanied by a high-ranking host, you should inform the other party in advance.

4. introduction Visiting industrial and agricultural projects is generally introduced while watching, and confidential content should not be introduced. As far as possible, the general situation of the visit project will be sent in writing in advance, which not only saves the introduction time, but also allows guests to visit the site as much as possible. The accompanying personnel should understand the requirements of foreign guests, be prepared for all kinds of questions that foreign guests may ask, and don't ask questions without understanding.

5. photography. Photography is allowed where you can usually go. If you encounter a project that does not allow photography, you should explain it to the guests first, and erect a foreign language instruction board at the scene.

6. Dining arrangements. When you go to a distant place, or go sightseeing, you should consider the time and place of eating. If you want to have an outing, you should prepare food, drinks and tableware. Some places should reserve a lounge.

(2) Etiquette for visiting abroad. The articles recommended for visiting abroad should meet the purpose of the visit, but they should also be decided by the guests themselves and not forced by others. During your visit, you can have extensive contacts and conversations to enhance understanding and friendship. At the same time, we should also pay attention to each other's customs and religious habits. If you want to take pictures, you need to ask the receptionist in advance whether there is a rule against taking pictures. After the visit, thank the host. If the host sees you off at the door, you should wave when you get on the bus.

What we are talking about here is not ordinary sightseeing, but a visit as a protocol activity.

Third, the business ribbon-cutting ceremony

(1) business ribbon-cutting ceremony supplies

Some special equipment needed in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, such as red ribbons, new scissors, white tulle gloves, trays, red carpets, etc., require the organizers to carefully select and prepare.

The red ribbon is the "color" in the ribbon-cutting ceremony. As the protagonist, nature is the focus of attention. According to the traditional practice, it should be made of a whole piece of unused red silk with a few flowers in the middle. Now, in order to encourage economy, some units can also use a narrow red ribbon of about two meters instead, or use red cloth strips, red ropes and red paper strips as their elasticity. Generally speaking, the flowers on the red ribbon are not only bright, huge and eye-catching, but also the specific number is often directly related to the number of people who cut the ribbon at the scene. Generally speaking, there are two kinds of flowers on the red ribbon. First of all, the number of flowers is one more than the number of ribbon cutters. Secondly, the number of flower groups is one less than the number of people who cut the ribbon at the scene. The former can make everyone who cuts the ribbon always between two flowers, which is particularly formal. The latter is different from the routine and innovative.

The new scissors were specially used by the ribbon-cutting artist when he officially cut the ribbon at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. It must be every hand that cuts the ribbon at the scene, and it must be brand-new, sharp and smooth. Be sure to check one by one in advance whether the scissors to be used to cut the ribbon have been ground and used well. We must ensure that the ribbon-cutting artist can "start and fall" when he officially cuts the ribbon, instead of making up the knife again and again. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the organizer can wrap the scissors used by each ribbon-cutting person and give them to each other as a souvenir.

White tulle gloves are specially prepared for ribbon cutters. At the formal ribbon-cutting ceremony, it is best to wear a pair of white tulle gloves when cutting the ribbon to show seriousness. When preparing white tulle gloves, it is necessary to ensure that they are sufficient in quantity, and that they are of moderate size, brand-new, flat and flawless. Sometimes, white tulle gloves may not be ready.

Tray, in the ribbon-cutting ceremony, was held in the hands of the etiquette lady, used to hold red ribbons, scissors and white tulle gloves. The trays used in the ribbon-cutting ceremony should be brand-new and clean. It usually prefers silver stainless steel products. In order to show formality, you can spread red flannel or silk when using it. As far as its quantity is concerned, when cutting the ribbon, a tray can provide scissors and gloves to the ribbon cutter in turn and hold red ribbons at the same time; You can also configure a tray for each ribbon-cutting machine, and let the red ribbon be caught by the tray. The latter method is more formal.

The red carpet is mainly used for the place where the ribbon-cutter stands when he officially cuts the ribbon. Its length depends on the number of people who cut the ribbon, and its width should not be less than one meter. Laying the red carpet at the ribbon-cutting scene is mainly to upgrade the grade and create a festive atmosphere. Sometimes, it may not be paved properly.

(2) Business ribbon-cutting ceremony process

When organizing the ribbon-cutting ceremony, there is no need to be innovative, innovative and sensational, divorced from your actual ability. Diligent housekeeping is something that business people must keep in mind whenever and wherever they are.

From the operational point of view, the current ribbon-cutting etiquette mainly includes four aspects: the preparation, the personnel, the procedure and the method of ribbon-cutting. Below, focus on it.

First of all, the preparations for ribbon-cutting must be meticulous. Holding other meetings involves site layout, environmental sanitation, lighting and sound preparation, media invitation, personnel training and so on. It goes without saying that when preparing these aspects, we must be careful and strive for perfection.

In addition, we have carefully selected and prepared some special tools for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, such as red ribbons, new scissors, white tulle gloves, trays and red carpets.

Secondly, people who cut the ribbon must be selective.

At the ribbon-cutting ceremony, of course, people are the most active, not things. Therefore, the ribbon-cutting personnel must be carefully selected and trained in advance. In addition to the host, the ribbon-cutting personnel are mainly composed of two main parts: the ribbon-cutting person and the assistant. Below, we will briefly introduce the main etiquette requirements for them.

It is a high honor to be a ribbon cutter at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. The level of ribbon-cutting ceremony is often closely related to the identity of the ribbon-cutter. Therefore, when choosing ribbon-cutting personnel, the most important thing is to choose the ribbon-cutting person.

A ribbon-cutter is a person who cuts the ribbon with scissors at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Traditionally, the ribbon-cutting person can be one person or several people, but generally there should not be more than five people. Usually, ribbon-cutting staff are usually held by superiors, partners, celebrities, employee representatives or customer representatives.

The list of ribbon-cutting artists must be determined before the ribbon-cutting ceremony is officially held. Once the list is confirmed, the other party should be informed as soon as possible to make preparations. Under normal circumstances, when determining the ribbon-cutting person, we must respect each other's personal opinions and don't force each other. When several people need to cut the ribbon at the same time, they should tell each ribbon cutter who he will share the responsibility with. Doing so is a kind of respect for the ribbon-cutter. Don't "get cold feet", just drag your feet before the ribbon-cutting begins and find someone to make up for it temporarily.

When necessary, before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the ribbon-cutting people can be gathered together to inform each other of the relevant precautions and conduct some training. Generally speaking, a ribbon cutter should wear a suit, skirt or uniform and comb his hair neatly. No hats, sunglasses or casual clothes are allowed.

If only one person cuts the ribbon, you can cut it in the middle, right away. If more than one person cuts the ribbon, be sure to pay attention to their ranking when they cut the ribbon at the same time. The general rule is: the middle is higher than both sides, and the right is higher than the left. The farther away from the person standing in the middle, the lower the ranking, that is, the main trimmer should be in the middle position. It should be noted that the reason why the ribbon-cutting ceremony is stipulated as "the right side is higher than the left side" is mainly because it is an international practice and the ribbon-cutting ceremony should be observed. In fact, if no foreign guests attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the traditional practice of "the left side is higher than the right side" in China will be implemented.

Shearer refers to a person who helps the ribbon cutter in a series of ribbon-cutting processes. Generally speaking, most of the shearers are the female employees of the host. Nowadays, people usually call them waitresses.

Specifically, the hostesses serving at the ribbon-cutting ceremony can be divided into greeters, tour guides, waiters, lottery winners, flower girl and tray girls. The usher's task is to be responsible for seeing off at the event site. The task of the wizard is to guide the ribbon cutter to go on stage or exit during the ribbon cutting process. The waiter's task is to provide drinks for the guests, especially the guests who cut the ribbon, and arrange a rest place. The task of the color puller is to unfold and straighten the red ribbon when cutting the ribbon. Flower girl's task is to hold a bouquet when cutting the ribbon. The task of pallet porters is to provide ribbon-cutting supplies, such as scissors and gloves, to ribbon-cutters.

Generally speaking, there should be more than one usher and waiter. The guide can be one person, or one person for each ribbon cutter. Generally, it should be two people pulling the lottery. The number of flower stands depends on the specific number of flower groups, which should generally be one flower. Pallet porters can be one person, or one person can be assigned to each ribbon cutter. Sometimes, a hostess can wear several hats.

The basic conditions of a miss etiquette are good looks, tall figure, young and healthy, elegant temperament, sweet tone, quick response, wit and flexibility, and good at communication. The best makeup of the hostess should be: light makeup, curly hair, monochrome cheongsam with uniform style, fabric and color, with flesh-colored pantyhose and black high heels. Don't wear any jewelry except rings, earrings or earrings. Sometimes, the hostess can wear dark or monochrome clothes. However, they must dress as neatly as possible. When necessary, you can temporarily hire a hostess from other units.

Third, the ribbon-cutting procedure must be orderly.

In general, the ribbon-cutting ceremony should be held at the location of the upcoming buildings, projects or trade fairs and expositions. The square outside the main entrance and the lobby inside the main entrance can be given priority. At the event site, you can decorate it a little. It is even more necessary to hang a big banner with the specific name of the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the ribbon-cutting place.

Fourth, business signing etiquette.

After a long negotiation, a company in a southern city finally negotiated a big business with a multinational company in the United States. After reaching the contract, both parties decided to formally hold a signing ceremony for this purpose.

Because the negotiations between the two sides were held in China at that time, the Chinese side was responsible for the signing ceremony. On the day when the ceremony was officially held, to China's surprise, before the formal signing, the United States changed its mind almost on the spot.

It turned out that when the Chinese staff placed the national flags of China and the United States on the signing platform, they mistakenly changed the current international practice of "upper right" to the traditional practice of "upper left" in China, and placed the China national flag on the right side of the signing platform and the American national flag on the left. As a result, the American personnel became angry and even refused to enter the signing hall. Although the storm subsided after mediation, it taught people a lesson: in business communication, we must know the etiquette of signing a contract.

Signing a contract is signing a contract. In business communication, it is regarded as an important achievement, which indicates that the relationship between the parties concerned has made greater progress and reached a consensus to eliminate misunderstandings or conflicts between them. Therefore, it is highly valued by business people.

In the practice of business communication, although the gentleman's agreement, verbal commitment and "keeping promises" have played a role to a certain extent, it is a written contract that is "unfounded in words and based on trust" that can win people's trust and reassure the communication object.

A business contract refers to a clause that is formally concluded and notarized according to law and must be abided by in order to determine the respective rights and obligations of both parties in certain business cooperation. Many times, Heshan is also called a contract. At other times, people refer to contracts with relatively simple terms. In business dealings, contracts with preconditions, such as waiting for lawyer's review, formal signature and license execution, are also called quasi-contracts. Strictly speaking, the quasi-contract is the predecessor of the contract, and it is also a step to finally reach the contract.

In order to save trouble, under normal circumstances, business people often confuse contracts, contracts and quasi-contracts and call them full contracts. Although this is not very accurate, it will also help you "simplify the complex" and reduce trouble.

According to the rules of etiquette, it is a "milestone" in the history of the development of the relationship between the parties to pay attention to and use etiquette in strict accordance with the norms for the signing of contracts. For the sake of solemnity, when signing a contract, a series of stylized activities are often held as usual, called signing ceremony. In the specific operation, it is divided into two parts: the drafting stage and the signing stage.

In real life, business people will come into contact with all kinds of business contracts. Common contracts are purchase and sale contracts, loan contracts, lease contracts, cooperation contracts, processing contracts, infrastructure contracts, warehousing insurance contracts, insurance contracts, freight contracts, liability contracts and so on. Next, let's first introduce the formal practice of contract drafting.

V. Etiquette of business handover

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In business communication, the success of cooperation between business partners is a great event worthy of celebration. Practically speaking, in the fierce competitive environment, clear interests and unpredictable business situation, the cooperation between business partners is really hard-won, so it has been highly valued by all parties concerned. Holding a warm and grand handover ceremony is a common form of activity, which is usually used to celebrate the success of business partners in business transactions.

Handover ceremony generally refers to the special celebration ceremony held when the construction unit formally hands over the completed construction and installation projects or large-scale equipment, such as factories, commercial buildings, hotels, office buildings, airports, yards, stations, planes, ships, trains, machinery and materials. , after acceptance to the user.

The significance of holding the handover ceremony is that it is not only a celebration of successful cooperation between business partners, but also a thank-you to all sectors of society who have given themselves care, support, help and understanding. It is also a publicity activity for the reception unit and the construction and installation unit to skillfully use the opportunity to improve their popularity and reputation.

Handover etiquette generally refers to the relevant norms that must be observed when holding the handover ceremony. It usually includes the preparation, procedure and participation of the handover ceremony. Below, we will introduce them separately.

First, we must prepare for the handover ceremony. To prepare for the handover ceremony, we should mainly pay attention to the following three things: guest invitation, venue layout, item preparation and so on.

The invitation of guests should generally be the responsibility of the host of the handover ceremony-the construction and installation unit. When drawing up the guest list, the construction and installation unit should also take the initiative to solicit the opinions of its partner-the reception unit. The receiving unit should not be too picky about the list drawn up by the construction and installation unit, but it can make some reasonable suggestions as appropriate.

Generally speaking, the more people attend the handover ceremony, the better. If too few people attend, it will inevitably make the ceremony seem deserted. However, when determining the total number of participants at the macro level, we must take into account the venue conditions and reception capacity, and avoid greed.

In principle, the personnel attending the handover ceremony should include: relevant personnel of the construction and installation unit, relevant personnel of the receiving unit, relevant personnel of the higher authorities, relevant personnel of the local government, relevant personnel of industry organizations and social organizations, celebrities from all walks of life, journalists, relevant personnel of the cooperative unit, etc.

Among the above-mentioned personnel, except the relevant personnel of the construction, installation and receiving units, other personnel shall deliver or send a formal written invitation in advance to show their respect for each other.

When inviting relevant personnel from higher authorities, local governments and industry organizations, you don't have to insist, but you must strive for it and show sincerity. Because of the handover ceremony, the construction, installation and receiving units can get in touch with higher authorities, local governments and industry organizations in various ways, which can not only publicize their work achievements, but also help the parties concerned to further understand and communicate with each other.

Six, business celebration etiquette

Celebration is the general name of all kinds of celebration etiquette. In business activities, business people have many opportunities to attend celebrations. They may be ordered to organize the celebration ceremony of their own unit, or they may be invited to participate in the celebration ceremony of other units.

As far as content is concerned, the celebration ceremonies held by the business community can be roughly divided into four categories:

The first category is the anniversary celebration of the establishment of this unit. Usually, it is held on Friday and Wednesday. That is, on the fifth anniversary, tenth anniversary and multiples of this unit.

The second category is the celebration of our unit's honor. When the unit itself won the honorary title and its "fist product" won awards at major exhibitions at home and abroad, such celebrations will basically be held.

Third, celebrate the great achievements of our unit. For example, there were no production accidents for thousands of days, the number of products produced exceeded 654.38+10,000 units, and the glorious sales of a commodity reached 654.38+100 million yuan. These hard-won achievements are often celebrated.

The fourth category is to celebrate the remarkable development of this unit. When this unit forms a group, determines new partners and merges with other units, branches or chain stores, it is naturally worth celebrating.

As far as form is concerned, the biggest feature of various celebration ceremonies held by various institutions is that they should be pragmatic and not practical. If we can thus enhance the cohesion and sense of honor of all employees in this unit and make all sectors of society know this unit again and look at it with new eyes, then we will hold a celebration with great fanfare and invest more people, money and materials, and any rational and shrewd businessman will do whatever it takes. Therefore, if you do nothing to promote the new image of the unit and enhance the pride of all employees in the unit, there is no need to celebrate even if you spend a few dollars.

For business people, organizing celebrations and attending celebrations often have different requirements in many aspects. Celebration etiquette, that is, etiquette norms related to celebrations, consists of two basic contents: the etiquette of organizing celebrations and the etiquette of participating in celebrations. Below, introduce them respectively.

Organizing and preparing a celebration, just like production and sales, must first make a master plan for it. If business people are assigned to complete this task, they need to remember two points: first, they should embody the characteristics of the celebration. Second, we should arrange the specific content of the celebration.

Needless to say, since celebration is a form of celebration, we should focus on celebration and organize every specific activity as enthusiastically, joyfully and grandly as possible. Whether it is a special occasion to hold a celebration, a special scene during the celebration, or the mood and performance of all participants, it is necessary to reflect the atmosphere of prosperity, excitement, joy and joy. Only in this way can the purpose of the celebration-shaping the image of the unit, showing its strength and expanding its influence-be truly implemented.

The warm, cheerful and grand features of the celebration should be fully reflected in the arrangement of its specific content.

Seven, overseas business etiquette

With the increasing frequency of international business contacts, many white-collar workers have begun to become "international people" who often fly around. To communicate with business people all over the world, you need to fully understand the business etiquette of various countries, which will be of great help to your business work.

Hungary

Hungarian residents are mostly magyars, and they have the unrestrained character of the Oriental. Most businessmen attach great importance to business ethics. For business activities in Hungary, it is best to wear a dark conservative suit. It is absolutely necessary to set a time in advance to visit government departments or large companies. Hungary, like other eastern European countries, likes to bargain in business negotiations, and usually needs a discount.

The best. The currency of this country is forint, so it is forbidden to enter or leave the country, and the entry of foreign currency is not limited, but the amount must be strictly declared. Officially, tipping is not encouraged, but it is still popular in private. The recent exchange rate between the US dollar and the forint is about 1: 240.

Thailand

Wear a suit when visiting government agencies at all levels in Thailand, but it is enough for businessmen to wear a T-shirt and tie when meeting. When visiting a large company or government department, you must book the time in advance, and you can print your business card in English, Thai and Chinese in two days. Thai importers and exporters are mainly Chinese. At present, Thai businessmen are also increasing, but most of them are engaged in government business. If you need to do business around Bangkok, you'd better take a taxi, which is convenient and economical.

Switzerland

Switzerland is located in the south of Central Europe, with an area of over 40,000 square kilometers and a population of nearly 7 million. German, French and Italian are the official languages. According to Swiss business etiquette, it is usually more appropriate to wear a three-piece suit. When visiting major companies or government agencies, you must book the time first and remember to be on time. Executives of general companies or government agencies go to work from 7 am to 8 am.

Swiss people are rigorous and conservative, pay attention to credibility, but sometimes they are stubborn. You must be patient to do business with them. Once the other party decides to buy your product, it will continue to buy it almost indefinitely. On the contrary, if the other person reveals the word "no", you don't need to continue to work hard, because they rarely change their minds easily.

Abide by the contract, be honest and trustworthy. The Swiss are exemplary. Most large Swiss companies are located in Zurich, which is the largest city in China and the hub of industry and commerce, finance, culture and land and air transportation. Swiss banking is very developed. There are more than 5,000 large and small banks in China, three fifths of which are headquartered in Zurich.