Overview
The Federal Republic of Germany; with its capital city of Berlin, is located in Central Europe. With a population of 80,722,792 people; 65 to 70% of that practicing Christianity. The common language spoken in Germany is German, or Deutsch. With a total land mass of 137,846 square miles, Germany became one country again after the demolition of the Berlin Wall ending the Soviet Unions control over East Germany reuniting the country after nearly 30 years. Germany has prospered and once again become a nation to be recognized. ‘’Germany is also considered to have a moderate climate with no specific long periods of hot or cold weather’’. Although most of Europe uses the Euro, Germany has adopted the Deutschmark as its currency.
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Under this Republic, the current leader or Chancellor today is Angela Merkel, the first female Chancellor to be elected in Germany. It is widely considered by most that Merkel is the undisclosed “leader of the free world”. Most recently, Businesses in Germany have been shaken considerably due to the election of Donald Trump.” The United States is Germany’s most important single export destination and President Donald Trump’s protectionist comments have unsettled German politicians and business leaders.” (Euronews).
Business Norms
As evidenced by the graph below, the average working hours in Germany, among other countries in Europe, differ greatly from the United States and have continued to reduce over the years. Over the years in Germany, the normal 40 hour work week has been considered a thing of the past, instead adopting a “less can be more attitude” (Savannah Cox). Adopting a policy known as Kurzarbeit, German officials declared an average 35-hour work week Monday through Friday, with 24 vacation days throughout the year. This policy was designed to enhance the quality of life, and has actually dropped Germanys unemployment rate down to 4.8% and, allowing Germany to keep up with the rest of the world in what it exports. Germans are able to accomplish this by adopting a zero tolerance attitude when it comes to work time. That means that any lollygagging is severely frowned upon.
Customs, Traditions, Etiquette
The Federal Republic of Germany
Following the Second World War, Germany was rebuilt out of practically nothing into one of the richest countries of the world. This well-known transformation is known as the "Wirtschaftswunder" (wonder of economics). Yet in the recent reunification of West and East Germany, German leadership has ignored crucial lessons from this successful period of transformation. Three problems highlight this claim:
When it comes to death, Germans own the highest rate of dying. They are required by law to purchase a coffin even if their loved one's are cremated. Over fifty percent of the German population is cremated to avoid burial services. Those who chose to be buried are only allowed to “rest” in cemeteries for ten to thirty years due to space limitations. Healthcare in Germany is only a bit different from American Healthcare. German Residents are required to belong to a sickness fund, and insurance companies are required to accept them. The residents pay half of the sickness fund costs, and employers pay the other half. There is also a limitation on out of pocket expenses, so it’s almost impossible for Germans to be in debt from any medical bills.
Germany, a country rich in culture and heritage, yet plagued by the fallout of World War I and World War II, has progressed to become the centerpiece of the European Union and the world’s third richest economy. The first German Empire dates back to the Roman Empire starting in the 8th century AD. During the Middle Ages the German Empire fended off many attacks against their soil from the Hungarians and the Slavs. Fighting and power struggles continued until the 1400’s, when the modern world gradually came into existence with intellectual, economic and political changes.
They do careful planning, in one's business and personal life, provides a sense of security. Germans have a proper time for every activity. When their business day ends, they are expected to leave the office and if they must remain after normal closing, it indicates that they did not plan their day accordingly. Germans treatment of time shows their perspective of time. They do not watch the clock, instead they are more concerned about discussing broad themes and philosophies right before details are addressed about negotiations. Being on time may actually mean
Danes feel and truly believe, “work gets itself done” (Buettner, 2011, p.41). The people only work a total of thirty seven hours a week and are sure to take up to six weeks of vacation a year. They work as little as possible, but enough to see a steady progress. The focus is on family, hobbies and clubs. Dan Buettner asked, about how the few hours and if they did see a loss of productivity as compared to the United States. The fact is that we as Americans do waists a lot of time while at work. We take a few breaks throughout the day, we check personal message while at work, mixing business and pleasure while in the office. He was told, “our work is important to our identities. But we get it done and go home to our families and friends” (Buettner, 2011, p.42). I personally love that idea, focus more and work when at work, then coming home and being more present with your family. This happened just this past weekend with our children and my husband. He is a supervisor at work, but even when we are out as a family, he is often pulled way to handle a work phone call. My job can do the same, a parent wants to talk to you about their child at my son’s football game, or my boss will call with a question. If we as a family could learn to leave work at work, and home time for family and hobbies, I know it would make our personal combined happiness
Whether you look back two years or one hundred, the outlook of Germany has evolved drastically. From World War I starting in 1914 to 1933, when Adolf Hitler became the Chancellor of Germany, most people around the world were appalled at what Germany had become, including me. This is because when Hitler took over Germany, the country took a turn from what they thought would better, but instead did the opposite. It turned the country into shambles and I believe they lost all the dignity they had left. Then, around a century later, the outlook of Germany changed when the Berlin wall fell. Germany then became one of the most powerful countries in the world, with a thriving economy and society. Germany has not had an ideal past and we are all aware of that, but now it is time to move forward and give their citizens and country empathy.
This six-hour workday has already been done in companies in France and Sweden, and that might
Germany is made up of two political parties, which are the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. There is also another party called the Christian Social Union, which is in the same parliament as the Christian Democratic Union. Germanys political party is similar to the United States political party because we only have two political parties, but our parties are just
It has been a fact over the years, that the human body only has so much energy that it can be used over the course of a day. Even when that energy is properly managed, it will still eventually go away. That’s why longer working days are so devastating on workaholics. In the United States, working varies from person to person, usually on location, culture, lifestyle, and the profitability of the individual’s livelihood. A lot of Americans work a lot of hours and are more productive. Americans work more productive that Americans on the average are overwhelmed and the long hours are really affecting their health and family life.
As it began, our century drew to a close, with Germany once again the economic powerhouse and political hub of Europe. What is remarkable is how quickly this happened, how unbidden and unanticipated: the toppling of the Berlin Wall in November 1989; the reunification a year later; the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War in late December 1991; a resurgent impetus to West European integration in 1992; and NATO enlargement, which was consecrated in April 1999. Unquestionably, this chain of events has profoundly affected Germany’s situation over the past decades. For the first time since the establishment of the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) in 1949 and the painstaking process of
The common stereotype of is hard working Germans and the laid back TV watching Americans is not true. From experiences that Americans are generally much more hard working than Germans. For example, it is not uncommon to meet people who work two 40-hours-a-week jobs, or who work full time while also taking a full-time course load at a college. Both are completely non-existent in Germany (there are rules against working too much, intended to protect workers; two full-time jobs are not allowed). Many Germans work only 35 hours a week, others 37.5, all take long vacations, and I estimate that over the whole year, the average German with a job works about two thirds the hours of the average working American.
Therefore, it can be concluded with Germany joining a globalist entity such as the European Union, German identity no longer meant the same as it once did. Since Germany was required to follow the terms and conditions written by the European Union, Germany could no longer maintain their independence regarding laws or customs. With Chancellor Angela Merkel also being a large supporter of the European Union, it is no surprise that Chancellor Merkel and her political party the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) suffered massive losses in the 2017 elections following the rise of right-leaning political figures such as President Donald Trump in America and Marine Le Pen in France.
Along with every other nation around the globe, Germany has its own unique past. From the days previous to Bismarck to present time, the Germans have undergone significant trials and tribulations. Unfortunately for Germany the world will forever equate German history with Hitler and the Third Reich. As educated people, we need to be able to get past this stigma and appreciate the Germans for who they truly are. After the ending of the Second World War, Germany was divided in two: a free western Germany, and the communist East Germany. West Germany flourished while East Germany struggled to breathe under the heavy shadow of the Soviet Union. In 1990, after the Berlin Wall fell, Germany finally became one again with the union of East
Germany is a major economic and political force within Europe, and a founding member of the European Union (EU) since 1993. With a
Germany is a very strong country and is a leader in the economic and business environment. They have spent their energy working to innovate create new technologies. They focus on their people as a key asset and ensure they are trained and are a valuable element in the global work force. (http://reports.weforum.org/manufacturing-growth/germany/). This is clearly seen in the precision and skill of the processes and work force at the