Culture PresentationGermany

Prepared By : Group 3

Keshav Kesher Ronak Rutvi Saurabh Shantanu Vibhor Vivek

Germany Key Factors

Germany officially the Federal Republic of Germany is a country in Western Europe. It is a major power with the world's fourth largest economy by nominal GDP and the fifth largest in purchasing power parity

The capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany is a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and the OECD.

Germany is a federal parliamentary republic of sixteen states Literacy Rate : 99% ( male & female both)

 81,757,600 ( As on Jan. 1, 2010) It is most populous country in the European Union

German is the official and predominant spoken language in Germany It is one of 23 official languages in the European Union, and one of the three working languages of the European Commission along with English and French.

Euro

Population

Languages

Currency

 Germany has a number of large cities; The most populous are: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt and Stuttgart

It has the largest national economy in Europe, the fourth largest by nominal GDP in the world, and ranked fifth by GDP (PPP) in 2008

Alliance '90/Greens Christian Democratic Union Christian Social Union Free Democratic Party Left Party Social Democratic Party

Cities

Economic Health

Political parties and leaders

The Celts are believed to have been the first inhabitants of Germany. Followed by Franks (870), Roman Empire till 1806.

The Thirty Years' War, 1618-48

dispute over the succession to the Bohemian throne. left the empire divided into hundreds of small principalities virtually independent of the emperor. The Peace of Westphalia largely settled German affairs for the next century and a half. Most important German power after the Peace of Westphalia were Austria and Prussia.

Prussia joined with Austria and Russia to defeat Napoleon at the Battle of Leipzig in late 1813 and then to the final victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Despite Napoleon's defeat, some of the changes he had brought to Germany during the French occupation were retained. As a result of these reforms, some areas of Germany were better prepared for the coming of industrialization in the nineteenth century.

The Rise of Bismarck and the Birth of the Second German Reich Struggle between Austria and Prussia for supremacy in Germany continued, reaching its climax in the defeat of Austria in the Seven Weeks' War (1866) and the formation of the Prussian-dominated North German Confederation (1867). The architect of this new German unity was Otto von Bismarck, a conservative, monarchist, and militaristic Prussian prime minister. After King Wilhelm I & Bismarck, under Wilhelm II Germany got diplomatic isolation and the disastrous defeat in World War I (19141918). Added to this were a crippling currency debacle, a tremendous burden of reparations, and acute economic distress.

With consent of victorious countries, guiding principles of the Allied Control

Council was of Germany's complete disarmament and demilitarization, destruction

of its war potential, rigid control of industry, and decentralization of the political and economic structure. For purposes of control, Germany was divided into four national occupation zones. The city of Konigsberg (now Kaliningrad) and its adjacent area was transferred to the USSR. The U.S., Britain, France, and the Benelux countries agreed to set up a German

state comprising the rest three Western zones.

The USSR reacted by clamping a blockade on all ground communications between the Western zones and West Berlin, an enclave in the Soviet zone.

The Federal Republic of Germany was proclaimed on May 23, 1949, with its capital at Bonn. In free elections, West German voters elected the Christian Democrats. The East German states adopted a more centralized constitution for the Democratic Republic of Germany, put into effect on Oct. 7, 1949.

The Western allies declared that the East German Republic was a Soviet creation
undertaken without self-determination and refused to recognize it. In 1955 under an agreement, West Germany and Italy became members of the Brussels treaty organization created in 1948 & renamed the Western European Union. West Germany also became a member of NATO. The division between West Germany and East Germany was intensified when the

Communists erected the Berlin Wall in 1961.

Helmut Kohl of the Christian Democrat Party became chancellor in 1982.

The fall of the Communist government in East Germany left only Soviet objections
to German reunification to be dealt with. On the night of Nov. 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall was dismantled, making reunification all but inevitable.

In July 1990, Kohl asked Soviet leader Gorbachev to drop his objections in
exchange for financial aid from (West) Germany. Gorbachev agreed, and on Oct. 3, 1990, the German Democratic Republic acceded to the Federal Republic, and Germany became a united and sovereign

state for the first time since 1945.

A reunited Berlin serves as the official capital of unified Germany

Religious Tradition
Church Tax North East Protestant South & West Catholic Non Religious Hamburg & East German Jewish Population Substantial Muslim minority
Others 36% Chrisitian 64% 33% Protestantism

31% - Roman Catholic

German Dish
Meat

Potatoes

German Dish
Sauce

Vegetables

Meat

Pork

Beef

Poultry

vegetables

Peas

Carrots

Cabbage

Potatoes

Mashed

Fried

sauce

Cuisines
Similar to English and American Cooking Styles (The Netherland, France, Poland, Austria) Sausage is the most famous food product Available in Restaurants

Region Variance Season

Typical German Food

Dessert Apple strudel Apple pie

Drinks

Beer

Natural Environnent
Rivers
Main & Lahn Fulda Landscape Rhein Weser
(highlands) (flatland)

Taunus, Westerwald, Vogelsberg Darmstadt Mannheim

It is the part of Germany with the most different landscapes in one area There are hills and flatlands in every type. Also there are many forests

Climate
Main-region Taunus Vogelsberg one of the warmest region in Germany rainy and rough weather

Modern Life

The molecular cuisine trend

Beer is not just for drinking

Smoking Ban in Germany

Germans Love of Gardens

The Germans are Hiking Again

Fitness Trends

Make Way for the Girls!

The Germans and their Cars

Modern Life(Cont)

Enjoyment and celebrations, travel and living everyday culture and way of life

Destination Germany

German wine miracle

In fine shape fashion and design

Dance in Germany
Renowned for dancing as it consists of 250 ballet companies & more than 1600 dancers employed by theatres. Dominated by traditional

classical approach.
Tanz-Theatrepopular dance form most

Music: A Vibrant Spectrum of styles

Krautrock, Hamburger Schule, Volksmusik, Classical, Trance & German Hip-hop. More Music forms came into existence during World War I & World War II. First form of German pop music was Cabret. Beethoven , the famous German music legend

One in three Germans belongs to Sports Organization

German Sports Federation has 26 million members

German Football Federation has 6.3 million members-the largest membership of any sports organization

German Gymnastics Federation has more than 4.7 million members

German Tennis Federation has 2.1 million members

German Handicapped sports association has 300000 members.

Features of German Sports

Autonomy-free from Govt. Intervention Sponsoring sports through 91000 German Sports association (non profit organization)- Not liable to tax

Federal Youth Games Festival held annually from 1951 to develop youngs people interest in sports Youth Trains for Olympia is a school team event to promote cooperation between schools and sports club

Football/Soccer
Most popular 2 million play just for fun Interest was only about a 100 years ago. Bundesliga (Federal League) is the highest level league

Mens World Cup

Sponsored by ADIDAS Won first title in 1954 Has won 3 world cup titles
1954 vs. Hungary
1974 vs. Netherlands

1990 vs. Argentina

Womens World Cup

More popular than Mens Champ 2003 Renate Lingor, up for the FIFA Player of the Year (12/18)

Cycling/Radsport
Jan Ullrich was first winner for Germany in 1997 No German winner ever since the race started in 1903 1996-2005 He finished second in 1996. Finished 4th in 2005

Winter Olympics
From the first Winter Olympics to 2002, Germany is ranked first. Germany hosted its first and only Winter Olympics in 1936. Supposed to host in 1940, but was cancelled because of WWII

Summer Olympics
From the first Olympics to 2004, overall Germany ranks third. Hosted two Summer Olympics 1936 Berlin and 1972 Munich.

Work Hierarchy
The basic German business structure is

highly hierarchical with strongly defined

roles. TOP DOWN approach prevalent. Senior management makes the strategic decisions, while are middle and lower for management responsible

operational day-to-day management. The proper term for German "teamwork" is probably "consensus-seeking"

Work Structure
Deep seated rules and

regulations.
Believe in time is money. Very clear defined roles. Averse principle Greater power distance. Difficult to bring social change to the "open-office"

Work Structure Cont

Likes to work in teams. Roles clearly defined and leader authority is final and he/she has the last call. Direct communication is valued. Dont hesitate to tell a

distinct NO if not happy with others work.

Work Management
Way to address Corporate attire Making appointments Negotiation Entertainment for business success Conduct

Way to address
First names are usually reserved for family members, as well as
friends and close colleagues The highest ranking person enters the room first, regardless of gender or age Professional rank and status in Germany are largely determined

by the individual's achievements. Therefore, if you come from a

highly hierarchical culture

Corporate attire
Germans tend to dress in more conservative, muted colours, both in

business and social environments

Suits are seldom worn by clerks and other office staff, and are standard dress for only managers at the upper levels. On a daily basis that Germans tend to dress up much more than North Americans.

Making appointments
Never underestimate the importance of punctuality Make your appointments well in advance Preferred times for business appointments are between 10:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. or between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Avoid scheduling appointments on Friday.

Germans generally have six weeks of paid vacation. Therefore, be prepared to take
this into consideration when making appointments

Negotiation
When designing your card, keep in mind that German businesspeople will want to
learn as much about your background and qualifications as possible Rational reasoning is the cornerstone of business negotiations and

communication. personal feelings and relationships cannot be relevant to business negotiations, as this can compromise the fairness or integrity of the deal. German businesspeople are traditionally less impressed by glitzy advertising illustrations, and memorable slogans

Negotiation cont..
Personal matters are not to be discussed during business negotiations
Decision-making in German business culture is slow, protracted, and every detail relating to your proposal will be painstakingly examined Interruptions are also quite common if the other person has the feeling you are getting off topic

Entertainment for business success

Breakfast meetings are not part of German business culture.
Lunch is the primary meal for business discussions and is usually served from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m

The person who extends the invitation will be the person who pays

Conduct
Giving compliments is not part of German business protocol and

Compliments, especially from strangers or very casual acquaintances

can, in fact, be taken with suspicion Group harmony and the other's face are generally secondary to individual needs and comfort. Substantial gifts are not usual, and certainly not before a deal has been reached if you don't want your intentions to be misinterpreted Fine chocolates can also be an appropriate gift when you are invited to a home. An elegant, tasteful silk scarf can be an acceptable gift for the lady of the house

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