Culture Presentation- Germany Prepared By : Group 3

KeshavKesher Ronak Rutvi

Saurabh Shantanu

Vibhor Vivek

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

• 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

• 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

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.

History

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.

History cont…

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.

Post-war Germany

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.

West & East Germany

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

Berlin wall falls, Germany reunifies

Religious Tradition

• Church Tax• North East – Protestant• South & West Catholic• Non Religious – Hamburg & East German• Jewish Population• Substantial Muslim minority

Chrisitian64%

Others36%

31% - Roman Catholic

33% - Protestantism

German Dish

German

Dish

Meat

Vegetables

Sauce

Potatoes

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

VarianceRegion

Season

Typical German Food

Dessert

Drinks

•Apple strudel

•Apple pie

• Beer

Natural Environnent

Rivers 

Main & Lahn RheinFulda Weser Landscape Taunus, Westerwald, Vogelsberg (highlands)Darmstadt Mannheim (flatland) It is the part of Germany with the most different landscapes in one areaThere are hills and flatlands in every type. Also there are many forests ClimateMain-region

Taunus one of the warmest region in GermanyVogelsberg rainy and rough weather 

Modern LifeThe molecular cuisine

trendBeer is not just for

drinkingSmoking 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

In fine shape – fashion and design German wine miracle

• 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

• 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

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 young’s people interest in sports•Youth Trains for Olympia is a school team event to promote co-operation 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

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

Women’s World Cup

• More popular than Men’s

• 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 middle and lower

management are responsible for

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 to the "open-office"

principle

• Greater “power distance”.

• Difficult to bring “social change”

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.

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

THANK YOU !!!