Germany - Culture Smart! The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture

Germany—powerhouse of Europe and pillar of the Eurozone—feels reassuringly familiar. However, despite superficial appearances, this is a country that operates very differently from the USA and Britain. German history is more than a thousand years old and the relatively new German nation-state encompasses an astonishing variety of cultural and regional differences. German society is also in a state of flux, as people respond to immigration and a tough economic climate. Traditional attitudes such as formality and rigid protocol are softening as German business globalizes. Culture Smart! Germany aims to show you how to be a good and sensitive guest. It tells you what treatment to expect, what pitfalls to avoid, and how to build rapport and credibility with this culturally rich and inventive people in the heart of Europe.