"Before you buy your boss that tie tack--

Q Mr. King, there are rules on how to eat and rules on how to entertain. But in business, is there etiquette for giving gifts to the people you work with?

Indeed there is. Some people who have been around gift-giving situations are accustomed to these rules. But by and large, most people do not know what the guidelines for corporate gift giving are.

The generally accepted guideline is propriety--an appropriate gift should be in good taste. I should not be garish, impractical or unusable.

A really good gift is something that has utility. But it should also be something that is not too inexpensive or too lavish. Both an employer and an employe need to be very careful when they give or exchange presents so that it not be seen as being too much or too ostentatious.

Q Are there limits on how much money companies should spend on gifts?

There really are no set dollar limits. They vary from company to company, and the range is enormous. At some companies, the rule is to give, literally, only token gifts. Some firms themselves give employes elaborate and very costly gifts, depending upon the employe's level within the organization. For top executives, items in the range of $5,000 to $6,000 are not unusual.

Q What should people keep in mind when giving a gift to a subordinate?

It should be done on an individual basis. Presumably, the giver should know what the person likes--for example, a piece of crystal or antique porcelain.

You should take the time to select individualized gifts. If there are 10 female secretaries, why not give 10 different perfume bottles--all comparable in price and size? It shows that you spent an extra 3 minutes rather than just calling up a store and saying: ""Send me 10 perfume bottles, and giftwrap 'em.'

Q Is it appropriate for a man to give a personal item, such as an expensive bottle of perfume, to a woman subordinate?

The gift shouldn't be too personal. It's O.K., for example, to give a crystal perfume bottle with nothing in it. But giving the perfume itself presumes that the giver knows what the person's favorite perfume is. Jewelry is too personal, too. However, a pretty silk scarf would be all right. By the same token, a woman boss shouldn't give a male subordinate anything that is too personal, such as an article of clothing other than a necktie.

Q Is it all right to give a present to your boss?

I think gift giving can go both ways. In the case of giving a present to a more senior person, it should be merely a token--something to say happy birthday or happy anniversary. It should not be too lavish, lest it be misinterpreted by your superior.

Q Are there situations when giving a gift is not appropriate?

The tone of a company has a great deal to do with the gift-giving notion altogether. Some companies don't encourage gift giving at all--either from a superior to a subordinate or vice versa. For example, law firms in Tennessee do not give gifts--not even paperweights --to their employes or to their clients. Their clients don't give them gifts, either. It's just an unwritten rule that has developed with lawyers in that state.

Q Are there any basic ground rules for giving presents to clients?

Traditionally, you can send flowers to a client on special occasions, such as the opening of a new office. But in terms of giving a permanent gift, that's done only during the holiday season.

Q What are some of the common gift gaffes that managers make and later regret?

Some people get caught up with trying to get corporate identification on a gift. If you put the name of a corporation in 4-inch letters on a silver tray, people are going to put it in the pool house or in the garbage. The gift should carry its own weight.

Giving a holiday gift to some of your employes or subordinates and not to others really is a gaffe.

If you're sending a present overseas, you want to make sure that you prepay any customs duty. You don't want the recipient to get a $25 gift with a $75-duty bill.

Q What gifts are overdone?

Mundane things. Another ordinary pen-and-pencil set is really a shame.

Q Is food an appropriate gift?

Food and candy are always fine gifts. They're almost like flowers--everyone can use them. Chocolate is especially popular.

Q Are there instances in which a gift is required?

When doing business overseas, particularly in the Orient, you'd better be prepared to exchange gifts with anybody you're dealing with professionally. The Japanese always exchange gifts. They will give you something, and you need to give them something in return.

Q Such as?

Something that we have found enormously popular with the Japanese is antique English silver. We sell a lot of silver knives and forks for serving fish, at $275 a set."