Doing Business in Germany: A Concise Guide to Understanding Germans and Their Business Practices PDF
Preview Doing Business in Germany: A Concise Guide to Understanding Germans and Their Business Practices
THE BUSINESS Doing Business in Germany R International Business Collection I E EXPERT PRESS M A Concise Guide to Understanding H S. Tamer Cavusgil • Michael R. Czinkota • Gary Knight DIGITAL LIBRARIES O F Editors Germans and their Business E R EBOOKS FOR Practices BUSINESS STUDENTS Curriculum-oriented, born- Andra Riemhofer digital books for advanced business students, written Germany is the strongest economy in Europe, and one of the largest by academic thought worldwide. The business climate is good, people are highly skilled, Doing Business leaders who translate real- and consumers have plenty of spending money in their pockets; world business experience for companies that are doing business internationally, Germany is into course readings and a market that simply cannot be overlooked. in Germany reference materials for However, many business relationships with Germans come students expecting to tackle to an end even before they begin; intercultural differences very management and leadership often result in misunderstandings, frustration, and an unnecessary challenges during their A Concise Guide professional careers. loss of time and money. Especially with Germans, even small things can be crucial when you are speaking to a (potential) POLICIES BUILT business contact. BY LIBRARIANS to Understanding This book aims at helping students and professionals avoid the • Unlimited simultaneous D common pitfalls that international business people typically step O usage I into when dealing with Germans for the very fi rst time. Unlike with N Germans and their • Unrestricted downloading G and printing the other business- or textbooks focusing on culture, this book will B U • Perpetual access for a do more than just arm you with some simple “Dos and Don’ts;” it S one-time fee will provide interesting and easy-to-understand descriptions and IN Business Practices E • No platform or anecdotes that highlight the cultural standards and dimensions S S maintenance fees that are (typically) theoretically discussed in scientifi c texts. Essen- I N • Free MARC records tially, while talking about what makes “the average” German tick, G • No license to execute readers will be equipped with the relevant background knowledge. ER M The Digital Libraries are a The focus of the book is to help readers understand how certain A comprehensive, cost-eff ective concepts and values infl uence the way Germans like to do business. N Y way to deliver practical It will guide them on how to successfully interact with Germans, Andra Riemhofer treatments of important whether at trade shows, during virtual and face-to-face meetings, business issues to every or when they are negotiating their fi rst contract. student and faculty member. Andra Riemhofer is a German freelance business development consultant who helps international companies do business with Germans and achieve results (more) quickly. She holds an applied For further information, a free science university diploma in Business Administration, along with an MA in Intercultural Communications and Cooperation. trial, or to order, contact: [email protected] International Business Collection www.businessexpertpress.com/librarians S. Tamer Cavusgil • Michael R. Czinkota • Gary Knight Editors ISBN: 978-1-94819-884-4 Doing Business in Germany Doing Business in Germany A Concise Guide to Understanding Germans and their Business Practices Andra Riemhofer Doing Business in Germany: A Concise Guide to Understanding Germans and their Business Practices Copyright © Business Expert Press, LLC, 2019. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations, not to exceed 400 words, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published in 2019 by Business Expert Press, LLC 222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017 www.businessexpertpress.com ISBN-13: 978-1-94819-884-4 (paperback) ISBN-13: 978-1-94819-885-1 (e-book) Business Expert Press International Business Collection Collection ISSN: 1948-2752 (print) Collection ISSN: 1948-2760 (electronic) Cover and interior design by Exeter Premedia Services Private Ltd., Chennai, India First edition: 2019 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America. For my dear friend, Ines, whom I most likely would not have met had there still been two Germanys. Abstract Germany is the strongest economy in Europe, and one of the largest worldwide. The business climate is good, people are highly skilled, and consumers have plenty of spending money in their pockets; for compa- nies that are doing business internationally, Germany is a market that simply cannot be overlooked. However, many business relationships with Germans come to an end even before they begin; intercultural differences very often result in mis- understandings, frustration, and an unnecessary loss of time and money. Especially with Germans, even small things can be crucial when you are speaking to a (potential) business contact. This book aims at helping students and professionals avoid the com- mon pitfalls that international business people typically step into when dealing with Germans for the very first time. Unlike with the other business- or textbooks focusing on culture, this book will do more than just arm you with some simple “Dos and Don’ts;” it will provide inter- esting and easy-to-understand descriptions and anecdotes that highlight the cultural standards and dimensions that are (typically) theoretically discussed in scientific texts. Essentially, while talking about what makes “the average” German tick, readers will be equipped with the relevant background knowledge. The focus of the book is to help readers under- stand how certain concepts and values influence the way Germans like to do business. It will guide them on how to successfully interact with Germans, whether at trade shows, during virtual and face-to-face meet- ings, or when they are negotiating their first contract. Keywords Germany; Business Culture; International Marketing; Business Etiquette; Business Development; Trade Shows; Made in Germany; Dual Vocational Education and Training (Duale Berufsausbildung); Mittelstand; Hidden Champions; Cross-cultural Management Contents List of Figure and Tables.........................................................................xi Preface ................................................................................................xiii Acknowledgments .................................................................................xix Chapter 1 Where to Locate Germany on the (Economic) World Map ........................................................................1 Geography and Population ................................................1 ( Industry) Clusters and the Relevance of the Mittelstand ........................................................................8 Regional Peculiarities .......................................................14 Chapter 2 What You Should Know About (Our) History.................19 Be Aware of Biased Viewpoints ........................................19 P atchwork Central Europe and the Power of the Church ............................................................................19 “Great” Wars and the (First) German Nation ...................22 N azi Germany and the Preliminaries of the Second World War .......................................................................24 The Two Germanys of 1949–1990 and Beyond ...............27 Chapter 3 What You Should Know About Our Economy ................33 Labor Market and Employment .......................................33 Things We Are (Especially) Good At ................................36 Talents We Might Lack ....................................................39 “Made in Germany” and the Dual Education System ......40 The Relevance of Chambers and Trade Associations .........44 How We (Like to) Spend Our Money ..............................46 Chapter 4 What (Else) Makes People in Germany Tick? ...................53 What We Vote for (in Life): Current Issues in Politics ......53
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