Germany is a federal parliamentary republic located in Western Europe. It has a population of over 81 million people and Berlin is its capital and largest city. Germany has a highly skilled workforce and the fourth largest economy in the world. Culturally, Germany has a rich history and is known for its engineering and automobile industries. The culture places high value on rules and hierarchy in areas like business and work life. Sports, especially soccer, are very popular among Germans.
2. Germany – Key Factors
Germany officially the Federal Republic
of Germany is a country in Western
Europe.
Germany is a federal parliamentary
republic of sixteen states
Literacy Rate : 99%
( male & female both)
The capital and largest city is Berlin.
Germany is a member of the United
Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, and
the OECD.
It is a major power with the
world's fourth largest economy by
nominal GDP and the fifth largest
in purchasing power parity
3. • 81,757,600 (
As on
Jan. 1, 2010)
• It is most
populous
country in the
European
Union
Population
• 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.
Languages
• Euro
Currency
4. • Germany has a
number of large
cities;
• The most
populous are:
Berlin, Hamburg,
Munich, Cologne,
Frankfurt
and Stuttgart
Cities
• 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
Economic
Health
• Alliance '90/Greens
• Christian Democratic
Union
• Christian Social Union
• Free Democratic
Party
• Left Party
• Social Democratic
Party
Political parties
and leaders
5. 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.
6. 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 (1914–1918).
Added to this were a crippling currency debacle, a tremendous burden of
reparations, and acute economic distress.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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
10. Religious Tradition
• Church Tax
• North East – Protestant
• South & West Catholic
• Non Religious – Hamburg & East German
• Jewish Population
• Substantial Muslim minority
Chrisitian
64%
Others
36%
31% - Roman
Catholic
33% -
Protestantism
16. Cuisines
• Similar to English and American
• Cooking Styles – (The Netherland, France, Poland,
Austria)
• Sausage is the most famous food product
• Available in Restaurants
Variance
Region
Season
18. Natural Environnent
Rivers
Main & Lahn Rhein
Fulda Weser
Landscape
Taunus, Westerwald, Vogelsberg (highlands)
Darmstadt Mannheim (flatland)
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 one of the warmest region in Germany
Vogelsberg rainy and rough weather
19. 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
20. Modern Life(Cont…)
Enjoyment and celebrations,
travel and living – everyday
culture and way of life
Destination Germany
In fine shape –
fashion and design
German wine
miracle
21. • Renowned for dancing as
it consists of 250 ballet
companies & more than
1600 dancers employed
by theatres.
• Dominated by traditional
classical approach.
• “Tanz-Theatre”- most
popular dance form
Dance in Germany
22. • 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
Music: A Vibrant Spectrum of styles
23. 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.
24. 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 young’s people interest in sports
•Youth Trains for Olympia is a school team event to promote co-
operation between schools and sports club
25. 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
26. Men’s 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
27. Women’s World Cup
• More popular than
Men’s
• Champ 2003
• Renate Lingor, up
for the FIFA Player
of the Year (12/18)
28. 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
29. 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
30. Summer Olympics
• From the first
Olympics to 2004,
overall Germany
ranks third.
• Hosted two Summer
Olympics 1936
Berlin and 1972
Munich.
31. 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 middle and lower
management are responsible for
operational day-to-day management.
• The proper term for German "teamwork" is
probably "consensus-seeking"
32. Work Structure
• Deep seated rules and
regulations.
• Believe in “time is money”.
• Very clear defined roles.
• Averse to the "open-office"
principle
• Greater “power distance”.
• Difficult to bring “social change”
33. 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. Don’t hesitate to tell a
distinct “NO” if not happy with other’s work.
34. Work Management
• Way to address
• Corporate attire
• Making appointments
• Negotiation
• Entertainment for business success
• Conduct
35. 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
36. 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.
37. 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
38. 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
39. 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
40. 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
41. 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