Content norms constitute another main aspect of the communication of politeness.
In much business interaction small talk is a category of content rules that appears to be
shared cross-culturally as a component of opening segments. This category of discourse
was observed in the opening position in the video tape-recorded data and its existence
was furthermore confirmed by the informants.
Hospitality encounters within the business domain irrespective of the timing, also
perform a significant role at the level of interaction as demonstrations of politeness. The
characteristic feature of hospitality, which is the provision by a host of food and
beverages, is an expression of politeness which is common to many cultural communities.
Reports from both Australian and Japanese businessmen indicate that the frequency and
lavishness which characterise Japanese-initiated displays of hospitality far exceed what
is considered the norm in the Australian cultural system