Denmark

by David Winter

Capital and Flag

● Capital City: Copenhagen● The name of the flag is Dannebrog

which is also referred to as the “flag of the Danes,” or “the red flag” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, 2014)

● The colors red and white are indicative of blood on the battlefield and the Christian faith respectively (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

● The flag was first used in the 1300s (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Image: (Proud to British, 2014)

Language and Religion

● Language: Danish is the most spoken language, but English is used for commerce (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

● Danish seems to be a challenging language to learn● Here is an example of a Danish word:

speciallægepraksisplanlægningsstabiliseringsperiode (denmark.dk)● The religion of Denmark is Evangelical Lutheranism, funded and

supported by the government (Global Road Warrior, 2014)o Bible and Book of Concord are recognized as the basis for the

church and are viewed as inspired by God● Many from other denominations with smaller numbers (Global Road

Warrior, 2014) ● Nominal Christianity with many atheists (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Tourist Attraction

● Den Blå Planet (Blue Planet): National Aquarium in Denmark● It is the largest Aquarium in Northern Europe with 20,000+ animals and 7

million liters of water (National Aquarium Denmark, Den Blå Planet, 2014)● It costs about 144 DKK (Danish Krones) for admission which equals about

25 USD (National Aquarium Denmark, Den Blå Planet, 2014)

Image: (architecturelinked.com, 2014) Image: (pipeinsulation.blogspot.com, 2014)

Tourist Attraction● Kronborg Castle: Renaissance style castle from 1574 (Unesco World

Heritage, 2014)● It is well known as the setting for Shakespeare’s Hamlet as Elsinore

castle (Unesco World Heritage, 2014)

Image: (copenhagennet.dk, 2014) Image: (panaromio.com, 2014)

National CuisineSmørrebrød is an open faced sandwich eaten at lunchtime (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Image: (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Frikadeller: meatballs with pork and veal served with boiled potatoes and gravy (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Image: (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Stereotypes by Americans

● Belief that Danes are introverted to extreme degreeo Idea is rooted in the example of Shakespeare’s

Hamlet (Global Road Warrior, 2014)o The Danes are very warm and sociable

● Belief that Danes are scattered island tribe with Viking rootso The truth is that Danes are not Vikings o Denmark has a well ordered and good-humored

(Global Road Warrior, 2014)

● Julenisse: like Santa only he has a dark side (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

● Sometimes give rice pudding to keep him happy (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

● New Year’s Day: Fireworks are used as a shield from the power of evil spirits (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

● Children fling unusable pots and dishware at the house doors to drive off the evil spirits as well (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Superstitions

● Taking your pointer finger and placing it to your head and swirling it around in a circle as you are driving is viewed as offensive to fellow drivers (Wibbeke, 2014)

● Forming a “V” symbol with your fingers while your palm facing your body is understood as impolite and lewd (Executive Planet, 2007)

Hand Gestures

● Etiquetteo Hand shake, eye contact, smile (Global Road Warrior,

2014) o Address people with last name and title (Global Road

Warrior, 2014)o Make effort to pronounce names correctly (Global Road

Warrior, 2014)● Body Language

o Reserved in nature (Global Road Warrior, 2014) o Confusing for travelers/businessmen to interpret

(Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Business Culture

● Relationship buildingo Equality and consensus among group members

(Global Road Warrior, 2014)o Conducting of business over meals (Global Road

Warrior, 2014)o Punctuality is of paramount importance to Danes

(Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Business Culture

● Communication Styles in Decision Makingo Danes possess a very straightforward, almost

confronting style of communicating (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

o It is wise business tact to demonstrate interest in learning some of the Danish language (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

o Light humor is acceptable so long as it refrains from insulting others (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

o Listen well, do not interrupt speakers, it is considered impolite (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Business Culture

● Power Structures in Decision Makingo Person with most authority will make final

decision when group cannot agree (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

o Men and women present ideas as equals to the team, so it is important for traveling businessmen to recognize and treat women as equals despite their own cultural norms (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Business Culture

● Denmark ● The Danes are very

reserved, creating difficulty for travelers in interpreting nonverbal communication (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

● USo Little expression in

their body language overall (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

o Some individuals from other cultures more expressive (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Similarities and Differences: Body Language

● Denmarko Communication

equal for all team members

o Direct communicators who dislike interruption

Similarities and Differences: Communication Styles

● USo Direct communicators like the

Danes, but sometimes appearing rude (Global Road Warrior, 2014)

o Conduct business online or over the phone

(Global Road Warrior, 2014)

● Denmark○ Reach decisions by

consensus usually○ Most powerful

individual makes final decision if necessary

○ Treat all equally

Similarities and Differences: Power Structures

● USo Varies depending on

business, large companies tend to be more stratified, smaller ones reach decisions by consensus

(Global Road Warrior, 2014)

Definition: “the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally” (Hofstede, 2014)Denmark is a small power distance country, rated 18 on the spectrum, where equality is valued and rate of independence demonstrated by employees is highest among the European Union nations (Hofstede, 2014)

Denmark: Small Power Distance Country

● Individualism: the extent of collaborative dependency among the participants of a society (Hofstede, 2014)

● We are considering the emphasis a society places on individual or group responsibilities

● Denmark rates a soaring score of 74 as individualist nation (Hofstede, 2014)

● It is culturally normal for Danes to be caring for immediate families individually rather than extended family all living together (Hofstede, 2014)

Denmark: An Individualist Country

● Definition of Masculinity Dimension: related to the reasons behind the actions of individuals (Hofstede, 2014)

● In masculine cultures, people are striving to be the best they can be

● In feminine cultures, people express concern for the needs of others and their standard of living (Hofstede, 2014)

● Denmark is feminine culture with great emphasis on group agreement before making a decision (Hofstede, 2014)

Denmark: A Feminine Society

● Definition of Indulgence Dimension: level to which people attempt to manage the meeting of their various wants (Hofstede, 2014)

● The alternative is restraint, or a withholding of meeting one’s desires

● Denmark is very high on this spectrum because they enjoy fun times and relaxing activities (Hofstede, 2014)

Denmark: An Indulgent Society

● Denmark is a much smaller power distance country than US, because individuals treated with greater equality

Compare and Contrast on Power Distance

● The US is still fairly low on this spectrum but is higher than Denmark partially because of the emphasis on speciality of all people (Hofstede, 2014)

● US still fully supports the equality of all people

● Denmark is mostly an individualist society but more consensus oriented in its style of conducting business

Compare and Contrast on Individualism

● US is even more individualistic than Denmark

● Members of workforce should show independence and personal diligence (Hofstede, 2014)

● US families are very independent (Hofstede, 2014)

● While Denmark is considered a feminist country, the US is a masculine country

● US culture preaches the message of “do the best you possibly can in order to better your financial circumstances (Hofstede, 2014)

● The US emphasizes the idea of continual improvement (Hofstede, 2014)

● Americans are often considered to “live to work” (Hofstede, 2014)

Compare and Contrast On Masculinity

● Denmark and the US are fairly similar in their ratings on this dimension; Denmark scored 70, the US scored 68

● The US, however demonstrates behavior that is opposite to its overall cultural philosophy

● For example, drugs are rampant in usage while US claims to fight a war against them (Hofstede, 2014)

● Another example is the statement “Work hard, play hard” (Hofstede, 2014)

Compare and Contrast on Indulgence

● It was recently announced in September of 2014, that Wembley Stadium of Copenhagen, Denmark will host the final and semifinal games for EURO 2020, a European soccer tournament (BBC World News, 2014)

● The Danish company Velux has made known that it is closing a factory of in Bagvaerd Denmark, costing 65 people their means of employment (BBC World News, 2014)

Current Events

architecturelinked.com. (2014). Retrieved from http://architecturelinked.comBBC World News. (2014, September 19). Retrieved from BBC World News Web Site: http://www.bbc.comCentral Intelligence Agency. (2014, June 22). CIA World Factbook. Retrieved from CIA World Factobook: https://www.cia.govcopenhagennet.dk. (2014). Retrieved from google.com: http://google.comDenmark: Public Behavior. (2007, October 18). Retrieved from Executive Planet: http://www.executiveplsnet.comGlobal Road Warrior. (2014). Retrieved from Global Road Warrior: www.globalroadwarrior.comHofstede, G. (2014). The Hofstede Centre. Retrieved from Geert-Hofstede Web Site: http://geert-hofstede.comMediaMeasurement. (2012). Retrieved from MediaMeasurement: http://www.mediameasurement.comMinistry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark. (2014). Denmark.dk: The Official Website of Denmark. Retrieved from

Denmark.dk: denmark.dkNational Aquarium Denmark, Den Blå Planet. (2014). National Aquarium Denmark, Den Blå Planet. Retrieved

from National Aquarium Denmark, Den Blå Planet: www.denblaaplanet.dkpanoramio.com. (2014). Retrieved from google.com: http://google.compipeinsulation.blogspot.com. (2014). Retrieved from google.com: http://google.comproudtobebritish.co.uk (2014). Retrieved from google.com: http://google.comUnesco World Heritage. (2014). Kronborg Castle. Retrieved from Unesco: http://whc.unesco.orgWibbeke, E. (2014). WorldSmart. Retrieved from Global Business Leadership Web Site: http://www.globalbusinessleadership.com

Works Cited