Interesting quotes from an artcle entitled:
The Relativity of Time. Attitudes about punctuality vary from country to country.
"In many areas (including most of Southern Europe, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East), time is a servant, not a master. The idea that a person should be ruled by the clock is amusing. In these countries, it's fine if a person is on time. But it's also fine if a person is late. After all, life is complex, and many things happen. If you spot a friend on the way to an appointment in Paris, surely it is more important to chat with your friend than to rush to some arbitrary deadline!"
"In contrast, time is money in the United States and most of Northern Europe. Minutes are a precious resource. There are never enough of them. When someone is late, they have wasted your time, which is a serious insult."
"It is impossible to say which way of looking at time is correct. Both are appropriate--in their own environments. We generally prefer the prevailing attitude of our native culture."
"Absolute punctuality is expected in Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and Japan. In those countries, you'd better be there early, because every minute counts. And being late demonstrates that you cannot be trusted to keep your word or manage your time.
Countries where virtual punctuality is expected include the United States, Canada, Denmark, and Sweden. In those countries, most people will not be insulted if you are less than five minutes late. (Remember, that's most people--there are sticklers for exact punctuality in all cultures.)
Some countries consider you to be on time if you arrive less than a half-hour late. Such relatively punctual countries include Norway, Austria, Belgium, France, and much of Asia.
Countries that practice moderate punctuality allow someone to arrive an hour late. These include Spain, Portugal, Italy, and most of Latin America.
And then there are the nations of the Middle East and Africa, where punctuality is not traditionally valued. In such places, people could show up hours late (or not at all) without conveying an insult."
