this is all bout germany.it covers business culture,history,market challenges and opportunities,hofstede's analysis

3. Location : Central Europe
Area: 357,104 Sq . Km
Capital City: Berlin
Inhabitants:83 .3 Billion
Administration: Democratic- Parliamentary System
State system: 16
Gross national income: Eur.3529.98 Billion
Language: German
National Currency :Euro
Population Growth rate:0.44%

7.  Germany is a part of G-7,G-8,G-20
 Highest state authority is federal government
 Strict taxation laws
 Strict hiring and firing protocols
 Starting of business will take at least 5
months
 Welcomes foreign direct investment
 Free trade zones

8.  4th in terms of GDP
 5th in terms of purchasing power
 World‟s second largest trader both in terms
of imports and exports
 Managed to stay stable in the periods of
recession
 40 fortune 500 companies are headquartered
in Germany

10.  German economy –world‟s 4th largest one
 Allows free market principles with some
government regulations
 Largest consumer market in European union
 World‟s largest trade events-MEDICA,
Hannover Fair, Automechanika
 Attractive points-Volume of trade, number of
consumers, location

11.  Innovative high quality and stylish products
 Products of multimedia, healthcare, electronic
and computer components
 Price is not a determining factor
 Regional difference among consumers across
the country
 High-quality products, services at
competitive prices, and locally based after-
sales support
 Deductions, allowances and write-offs help to
move effective tax rates

12.  GDP declined significantly
 Slow economic growth
 Increase in wages, flexibility of bargaining power
of employees
 Declining workforce
 Barriers for biotech agricultural products
 Complicated procedures of bureaucracy and its
cost
 Relatively high marginal tax rates and
complicated tax laws
 More protection to Local suppliers

13.  Labour restrictions
 Fiscal austerity programmes
 Business starting and ending-a tedious
process
 Higher power for trade unions
 Import and export control laws
 Environment friendly manufacturing units
 Joint ventures and strategic alliances is
difficult
 Separate law for EU countries and Non-EU
countries

15.  World class manufacturing facilities
 Quality enhancing process
 Well connected communication network
 Technically skilled workforce and training
institutes
 Best of the raw materials available
 Best of the automobile giants
 2nd in terms of technology,15.6 % of research
in world
 Better media and advertisement

17.  Work day-Fairly short ,Morning 7.00 or 8.00 to 3.00.
 4:00 is often considered pushing the feasible limit
 Getting fired from work is tough.
 It should go through company council
 Established unions
 Quick decision makers
 Minimum 6 weeks of paid vacation

18.  Iron
 Vehicles
 Electronics
 Food and beverages
 Coal
 Steel
 Textiles
 Shipbuilding
 Machine tools

20.  Power in the hands of a few managers
 Larger companies (AG & GmbH) have a Supervisory Board
(Aufsichtsrat) which appoints the Management Board
(Vorstand)
 Management board is the final decision-maker
 Individual's specific roles and responsibilities are tightly
defined and compartmentalized.
 Slow to change to new situations
 Methodical approach
 Chairman of a company has considerably less personal power
than in certain other countries

21.  Encourage foreign investment in Germany
 Gmbh (limited liability company) or an AG (joint stock
company) are treated no differently from German-owned
companies
 No special nationality requirements on directors or
shareholders
 Five free trade zones in Germany z established and operated
under EU law: Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven, Deggendorf ,
Duisburg and Hamburg
 Germany does not have a statutory minimum wage. However,
binding minimum wages have been established in 16 sectors
so far (e.g:, Construction, electrical trades, painting, mail, or
waste management)
 Political acts of violence against either foreign or domestic
business enterprises are extremely rare

22.  Complex safety standards
 Complicate access to the market
 Timely testing and certification
 Imported goods must be accompanied by a
customs declaration, which has to be submitted
in writing, and an invoice in duplicate
 Consumer-ready food products into Germany
face many market access restrictions and very
strict food laws
 Administers the use of the “Green Dot,” a
recycling symbol

23.  Technically capable in their respective areas
 Strong, clear leadership
 Responsibility is expected to be delegated by
the manager to the member of the team
 Manager-subordinate relationship as distant
and cold
 Subordinates tend to respect the technical
abilities of their superiors and this will impact
on their willingness to implement instructions

25.  Do not sit until invited and told where to sit.
 Meetings adhere to strict agendas, including starting and
ending times.
Treat the process with the formality that it deserves
 Germans prefer to get down to business .They will be
interested in your credentials
 Make sure your printed material is available in both English
and German
 Contracts are strictly followed
 You must be patient and not appear ruffled by the strict
adherence to protocol. Germans are detail- oriented
 Decision-making is held at the top of the company
 Final decisions are translated into rigorous, comprehensive
action steps that you can expect will be carried out to the letter
 Avoid confrontational behaviour or high- pressure tactics.

26.  Appointments are mandatory and should be made 1 to 2 weeks in
advance
 Letters should be addressed to the top person in the functional area,
including the person's name as well as their proper business title
 If you write to schedule an appointment, the letter should be written
in German
 Punctuality is taken extremely seriously
 Maintain direct eye contact while speaking
 Men enter before women
 Germans signal their approval by rapping their knuckles on the
tabletop
 Eldest or highest ranking person enters the room first

27.  Masters of planning
 Careful planning, in one's business and
personal life, provides a sense of security
 Work and personal lives are rigidly divided
 If you must remain after normal closing, it
indicates that you did not plan your day
properly
 Maintaining clear lines of demarcation
between people, places, and things is the
surest way to lead a structured and ordered
life

28.  Truth and directness before diplomacy
 Germans will give a factual rendition of their
own capabilities
 Time and a place for humour in Germany
 Presentations are expected to be supported
with a lot more specific detail

29.  Pre-planners
 Argue their view point thoroughly and
support it with well-researched data
 Designated specialist from each area
 Strong, debate is expected and encouraged in
order to promote the development of the
'right' answer
 Expected to contribute to the debate when
discussions touch their area of expertise

30.  Greetings are formal
 A quick, firm handshake is the traditional greeting
 Titles are very important and denote respect. Use a
person's title and their surname until invited to use their
first name. You should say Herr or Frau and the person's
title and their surname
 In general, wait for your host or hostess to introduce you
to a group
 When entering a room, shake hands with everyone
individually

31.  Business dress is understated, formal and
conservative
 Men should wear dark coloured, conservative
business suits
 Women should wear either business suits or
conservative dresses
 Do not wear ostentatious jewellery or
accessories.

32.  Do not need a personal relationship
 People often work with their office door
closed
 Expect a great deal of written
communication, both to back up decisions
 Germans are suspicious of hyperbole,
promises that sound too good to be true, or
displays of emotion
 They will be interested in your academic
credentials and the amount of time your
company has been in business

33.  Remain standing until invited to sit down. You
may be shown to a particular seat
 Do not begin eating until the hostess starts or
someone says 'guten appetit„
 Do not rest your elbows on the table
 At a large dinner party, wait for the host to place
his/her napkin in lap before doing so yourself
 Send a handwritten thank you note the following
day to thank your hostess for her hospitality
 The host gives the first toast