german business culture presentation

GERMAN BUSINESS CULTURE Oliver Sandino, Guojie Wang, Lidia Li, Juvenal Torres

Brief history: ■ West-central Europe ■ Capital:  Capital:  Berlin ■ German Empire founded after russia!s "ictor# in $ranco-russian War %&'()*(&+ ■ Mid &,t centur#. German# /as not a unified countr# ■ German# surrendered in WWI and 0ecame a repu0lic %&,&'+ ■  After World War War II. German# and Berlin split into into four 1ones of occupation occupation ■ &,2,. te tree /estern 1ones /ere united to form te $ederal Repu0lic of German#. and te So"iet 1one 0ecame te German 3emocratic Repu0lic ■ In &,4& te Berlin Wall /as 0uilt. di"idin5 te cit# in t/o

6 3imensions of German Culture ■ Lo/ Conte7t Culture8 3irect and $ocused ■ Indi"idualistic8 Indi"idualistic8 Initiati"e and Self-Assertion "alued ■ Time 9rientation8 Meticulous and unctual ■ o/er 3istance8 :ertical ;ierarc#< E7pertise ■ Communication St#le8 $acts. not Arro5ance

Greetin5s8

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 A =uic>. firm andsa>e is te traditional 5reetin5? E#e contact /en sa>in5 ands. sometimes 0o/ ead?  A"oid sa>in5 ands /it o ne and in #our poc>et?

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Sa>e ands at te 0e5innin5 and te end of meetin5?

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Wen /omen enter a room it is considered polite for men to stand?

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 Address Germans /it full. correct title and last name?

Bod# lan5ua5e ■ In German#. lots of p#sical distance and a moderate tone are appropriate in most situations? ■ 3irect e#e contact is important. A"oidin5 A"oidin5 it seems insecure or unfriendl# to tem? ■ Ne"er put #our ands in #our poc>ets /ile spea>in5?

Gift 5i"in5 ■  A "isitor tin>in5 of 5i"in5 5i"in5 a 5ift sould coose one tat tat is small and of 5ood 5ood =ualit#. 0ut not o"erl# e7pensi"e? ■  Accepta0le 5ifts at 0usiness 0usiness meetin5s are items of office office e=uipment. 5ood 5ood =ualit# pens /it #our compan#@s lo5o ■ Gifts are usuall# opened /en recei"ed?

 Appearance and 3ress ■

Business dress is conser"ati"e

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Men /ear dar> suits< solid. conser"ati"e ties and /-ite s-irts Women dress in dar> suits and /-ite 0louses C-e/in5 5um /-ile tal>in5 is considered rude

Meals  3inin5 eti=uette

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9utdoor eatin5 is popular in German#. German#.

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ets are sometimes e"en /elcomed

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Man# forei5n dises a"e 0een adopted into German cuisine%i?e? spa5etti+

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Beer and /ine are part of a normal dinner and alcoolic drin>s are usuall# offered to 5uests?

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Not drin>in5. is completel# accepted? 3o not insist?

Time Structure of T#pical Business 3a#

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Strict re5ulations concernin5 openin5 and closin5 ours of 0usinesses and sops

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German Wor>in5 Time Re5ulations re5ulate /or>in5 ours on a le5al 0asis

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Most industries a"e collecti"e a5reements tat re5ulate /or>in5 ours and olida#s

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Wor>in5 /ee> of more tan 2' ours on a"era5e durin5 a 4 mont period must not 0e e7ceeded

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Sunda#s and national olida#s are non-/or>in5 da#s

3ecision Ma>in5 traditions

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3ecision-ma>in5 process slo/. opposed to ris>

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E"er# detail of  proposal /ill 0e carefull# and torou5l# e7amined

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recise and detailed a5endas. are usuall# follo/ed ri5orousl#?

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Meetin5s al/a#s aim for decisi"e outcomes and results

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In ne5otiations. Germans are direct and fran> a0out te# /ant and te# e7pect #ou to do te same?

Gender Roles ■ 4) of /omen a5es &6-46 /or> outside of ome. and onl# ) in professional positions ■ Te  D@s Dinder. Dce. und DirceF %Cildren. Ditcen. and Curc+ ■ Social le5islation entices /omen from returnin5 to /or>

 Attitude to/ards Autorit# ■ Stron5 respect for autorit# ■ Su0ordinates Su0ordinates rarel# contradict 0oss ■ Relationsip 0et/een 0oss and su0ordinates tend to 0e formal

 Attitude to/ard Conflict Resolution ■ 3isputes*disa5reements 3isputes*disa5reements are a normal process for findin5 mutual understandin5s ■ Cief caracteristic of professionalism< e7press and accept criticism ■ Critical remar>s are e7pressed arsl# and plainl#

Walmart in Germany Why Walmart failed in Germany  ■ CEO of German branch was American, didn’t speak German ■ sta hired to greet them at the door and bag their groceries ■ Other competitie retailers in the market ■ German laws preented easy go hiring and !ring

"nternational #$siness ■ https%&&www'yo$t$be'com&watch()*y#+C-.ldg

Wor>s Cited ;a5er. Micael? Intercultural Competence and German Business Culture? Global Business Languages. Languages. 4?& %H)&)+8 2? ;inner. Micael B? Culture!s influence on 0usiness as illustrated 0# German 0usiness culture? China Media Research 6?H Research 6?H %H)),+8 26? Expanded Academic ASAP ? W Stedam. J"onne. and Rafi> I Bee>un? Etical Kud5ment in Business8 Culture and 3ifferential erceptions of Kustice Amon5 Italians and Germans? Business Ethics: A European Revie . HH?H %H)&+8 &',-H)&? immer. 9li"er? Beneat te Culture WarF8 Corpus Cristi rocessions and Mutual  Accommodation  Accommo dation in te Second German Germ an Empire? Empire ? !he "ournal o# Modern $istor% . 'H?H %H)&)+8 H''-2?