1. John EP

2. In an ideal world ...
•the policemen would be English
•the car mechanics would be German
•the cooks would be French
•the innkeepers would be Swiss
•and the lovers would be Italian
In a living hell ...
•the policemen would be German
•the car mechanics would be French
•the cooks would be English
•the innkeepers would be Italian
•and the lovers would be Swiss

3. •Outsourcing is the process by which a
company contracts another company to
provide particular services.
•These services/ functions would be
otherwise carried out in-house, by the
company’s own employees.
•Outsourcing is becoming more and more
popular in today’s business environment,
and most companies outsource some
work or other.

4. There are several different kinds of outsourcing,
based on the nature of work outsourced. Some
companies tie up with service providers for narrow
functions. However it is also common these days to
outsource entire operations.
Outsourcing can be placed in two broad categories,
namely Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO)
and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO).
Business process outsourcing can again be sub
divided into call centre outsourcing, human
resources outsourcing (HRO), finance and accounting
outsourcing and claims processing outsourcing.

12. A high context culture is one in
which the communicators
assume a great deal of
commonality of knowledge and
views, so that less is spelled
out explicitly and much more is
implicit or communicated in
indirect ways.

13. A low context culture is one in
which things are fully (though
concisely) spelled out. Things
are made explicit, and there is
considerable dependence on
what is actually said or written.

14. In a low context culture, more
responsibility is placed on the listener to
keep up their knowledge base and remain
plugged into informal networks.
Low context cultures include Anglos,
Germanics and Scandinavians. High
context cultures include Japanese, Arabs
and French.

15. Monochronic vs Polychronic
Monochronic cultures like to do just one
thing at a time. They value a certain
orderliness and sense of there being an
appropriate time and place for everything.
They do not value interruptions.
Polychronic cultures like to do multiple things
at the same time. A manager's office in a
polychronic culture typically has an open
door, a ringing phone and a meeting all going
on at the same time.
The Germans tend to be monochronic.

16. Implications
German businessman cannot
understand why the person he is
meeting is so interruptible by
phone calls and people stopping by.
Is it meant to insult him? When do
they get down to business?

17. Future vs Present vs Past Orientation
Past-oriented societies are concerned with
traditional values and ways of doing things.
They tend to be conservative in management
and slow to change those things that are tied to
the past. Past-oriented societies include China,
Britain, Japan and most spanish-speaking Latin
American countries.

18. Future vs Present vs Past Orientation
Present-oriented societies include the rest of the
spanish-speaking Latin American countries. They see
the past as passed and the future as uncertain. They
prefer short-term benefits.
Future-oriented societies have a great deal of
optimism about the future. They think they
understand it and can shape it through their actions.
They view management as a matter of planning,
doing and controlling (as opposed to going with the
flow, letting things happen). The United States and,
increasingly, Brazil, are examples of future-oriented
societies.

19. Quantity of Time
In some cultures, time is seen as being a limited
resource which is constantly being used up.
Implications
Time-plentiful cultures tend to rely on trust to
do business. Time-limited cultures don't have
time to develop trust and so create other
mechanisms to replace trust (such as strong
rule-by-law).

20. Power Distance
The extent to which people accept differences in
power and allow this to shape many aspects of life. Is
the boss always right because he is the boss, or only
when he gets it right?
Implications
In high power distance countries (most agrarian
countries), bypassing a superior is unsubordination. In
low power distance countries (US, northern
europeans, Israel), bypassing is not usually a big deal.
In the US, superiors and subordinates often interact
socially as equals. An outsider watching a party of
professors and graduate students typically cannot tell
them apart.

21. Individualism vs Collectivism
In individualist cultures, individual uniqueness, self-
determination is valued.
Implications
A market research firm conducted a survey of tourist
agencies around the world. The questionnaires came
back from most countries in less than a month. But the
agencies in the asian countries took months to do it. After
many telexes, it was finally done. The reason was that, for
example, American tourist agencies assigned the work to
one person, while the Filipinos delegated the work to the
entire department, which took longer. The researchers
also noticed that the telexes from the Philippines always
came from a different person.

22. Organisation
Germans are often uneasy with uncertainty, ambiguity
and unquantifiable risk. This has become manifest in both
social and business spheres. Socially, Germans lean
towards conservatism and conformism.
When doing business in Germany it is possible to notice a
heavy emphasis on careful planning, consideration,
consultation and consensus. This has developed an
appreciation for detail, facts and statistics. Organisation is
a means of negating uncertainty and averting risk.

23. Aversion to Risk
The emphasis on conformity combined with a fear of the
unknown makes Germans very apprehensive about risk.
Security is guaranteed through risk analysis.
This is achieved through careful deliberation and scrutiny
based upon factual evidence as opposed to intuition or
'gut-feeling'. Written documentation is seen as the safest
and most objective medium for analysis. A painstaking
review of details ensures all relevant information has been
taken into consideration.

24. Communication
Germans value their privacy. Mentally there is a divide
between public and private life. As a result, Germans wear
a protective shell when doing business. Since intimacy is
not freely given, this may be interpreted as coldness.
However, this is not the case. After a period of time walls
and barriers eventually fall allowing for more intimate
relationships to develop.
Communication styles in Germany may be perceived as
direct, short and to the point. Formality dictates that
emotions and unnecessary content do not have a place in
conversation.

25. Meeting & Greeting
Firm, brief handshakes are the norm when doing business
in Germany. When several people are being introduced
take turns to greet each other rather than reaching over
someone else's hands. Avoid shaking hands with one
hand in your pocket. When women enter a room it is
considered polite for men to stand.
German etiquette requires you to address someone
using Herr (Mr.) or Frau (Mrs/Ms) followed by their
surname. Only family members and friends use first
names. Professional titles should also be used for doctors,
academics, etc. Try and establish professional titles prior
to any meeting.

26. Doing Business - Punctuality
When doing business in Germany, remember that punctuality is a
serious issue. Business people work hard and are under a lot of
pressure. Germans typically plan their time very carefully. It is
considered bad etiquette to be late or early as it shows disrespect
for peoples' time.
Doing Business - Humour
A common misconception is that the German sense of
professionalism and strict protocol when doing business leaves no
room for humour. An element of this true in that jokes are not
commonplace. Yet Germans, just as much as anyone else, like to
laugh and as long as it is appropriate, tasteful and in context then
humour is acceptable.

27. Meetings and Negotiations
Germans plan ahead. Therefore, ensure you
book meetings at least 2-3 weeks in advance.
This is also applicable if you wish to have
lengthy telephone conversations. Meetings
are usually held between 11-1 p.m. and 3-5
p.m. Avoid Friday afternoons, the holiday
months of July, August and December and
any regional festivals.

28. Meetings and Negotiations
Meetings are functional, formal and usually
stick to a set agenda including start and finish
times. The phrase 'let's get down to business'
is definitely appropriate for German business
meetings as small talk and relationship
building are not priorities.

29. Meetings and Negotiations
When entering a room the most senior of
you should enter first. The most senior
German counterpart should be greeted
initially before any others present. Wait to be
told where to sit. Treat the whole process
with great formality.

30. Meetings and Negotiations
The Germans will analyse proposals thoroughly.
Ensure the information you provide is in written
format and presented scientifically. Logical
conclusions based on empirical evidence will only
normally carry any weight. Remember decisions
will not be made on your sales technique or charm
but on concrete facts that demonstrate a sound
opportunity with minimal risk.

31. Meetings and Negotiations
Decisions are made slowly and methodically.
Do not try to rush proceedings or apply
pressure. If anything, enquire as to areas in
which you may be able to furnish them with
additional or more specific information. Try
and back-up information with insight from
personal experience or professional
qualifications. Once a decision has been
reached minds are very rarely changed.

33. VISION STATEMENT
To be among the Top 10 Global IT &
Business Process Outsourcing Services

34. Wipro Technologies of
Bangalore, India, was having
trouble persuading German
companies to outsource
offshore their chip and software
design work to Wipro— until the
company hired Walter
Ortmueller...

35. Using a middleman “from the
same country generates
automatic trust,” says Mr.
Ortmueller, whose twenty years
of contacts in the
industry now help him scout
and win clients for Wipro.

36. Outsourcing is finally beginning
to crack the European market,
once a staffing strategy was
added of using a heavy sprinkling
of local representatives from the
same cultural background as the
target clients...

37. “Local presence was a must for the
customers” in Europe, says Sangita
Singh, Wipro’s chief marketing
officer. And she adds, Using locals
also provides “the cultural and
linguistic ties that make the clients
smile and helps us build stronger
relationships,”

38. Offshore outsourcing is growing
dramatically in Europe, although still
behind the U.S. pace due to
European labor laws that make
relocating jobs through offshore
outsourcing a long and costly
process.
To avoid layoffs, many European
companies outsource only work and
projects that require new hiring...

39. When Mr. Debjit Chaudhuri first came
to Germany in 1999 to open an
outsourcing office for India’s Infosys
Technologies, Ltd., a Bangalore based
consulting and IT services firm,
German companies “didn’t know what
I was talking about,” he says. “You
need to build confidence, trying to
keep it as German as possible, while
giving you the benefits of outsourcing.”