In social interactions, silence is used as a politeness strategy to avoid embarrassment or unwanted impositions (Nakane 2007). Thus, silence can be seen as a sign of solidarity and good relations on Batara's part. In this conversation, the long silence could have meant politeness. Batara may have felt uncomfortable explaining why the CEO was not present at the meeting. Considering this to be a normal procedure for doing business in Indonesia, Batara avoids talking about it and chooses to discuss the information previously sent by fax (line 6). Batara probably saved Jonathan from an embarrassing moment because he was unfamiliar with the business culture in Indonesia. These characteristics of corporate culture will be discussed below