Austria is a historic country with many deep roots and customs. This report will help US expatriates adjust and transition to life in Austria. Austria is one country, however, people need to understand the differences between eastern and western Austria. The business behavior of people from Vienna is much different than that of people from Vorarlberg. A great idea is to try to speak with a local person before meetings to understand their culture, the people of Austria, and the region.
Austria is made up of about 90% Germans. The official language of Austria is German. 98% of the population speaks German as a first language. There are distinct differences between the many regional dialects, and also a wide variation in the standard Hochdeutsch spoken from region to region. In the province of Carinthia, Slovene is the official language. Other languages spoken in Austria include Croatian and Hungarian.
Family is an important part of the Austrian social culture. The family is generally small because of a lack of migration, and very closely knit within a certain town or village. Austrians typically devote weekends to family activities and spend time outdoors with each other. Eating dinner in the evening with family is the norm and on Sundays usually the family will go to their grandparent’s house for dinner. Weekends are generally devoted to family activities such as outdoor activities.
An Austrian home is a place of pride. Austrians keep their home clean and tidy and is typically a place where people will be more relaxed. Ina formal culture such as theirs, only close friends and family are invited into the house, so it is a place where more informal communications may occur. Also, neighborly etiquette has its rules that must be follow...
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...ndship. Austrians are more formal and punctual than most of the rest of the world. The have prescribed roles and rarely step out of line. Traditional good manners call for the man to walk in front of a woman when walking into a public place as a symbol of protection. Also, a man should open the door for a woman and allow her to walk into the building. Compliment carefully as Austrians may find personal compliments embarrassing. Always stand when an elder or higher ranked person enters a room as a sign of respect. Traditionally, there has been little acceptance of women in high positions of responsibility and power in business. Women, especially foreign women, must establish their position and ability immediately in order to conduct business successfully in Austria. Finally, in case of emergency, emergency phone numbers are: Police – 133, Fire – 122, Ambulance – 144.
The country of Austria is a landlocked country located in central Europe, just north of Italy and Slovenia. Austria also borders Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Switzerland, and Lichtenstein. In comparison to the United States, Austria is about the size of Maine at 83,870 square kilometers. The terrain includes mountains, or the Alps, in the South and West, and flat land in the North and East (“Austria”). Mountains cover about three-fourths of the country. Austria is also known for its many valleys, lakes, and forests (Beller). The climate is temperate, with moderate summers and cold winters. Both seasons receive regular rain, except for frequent snow in the Alps during winter. The majority of the population lives in the Northeast flatland due to the poor soil and steepness of the mountain region. The Danube River runs through the northern part of the country with the capital, Vienna, on its banks (“Austria”).
In the northeast the sierra slopes downward to a vast, flat tropical jungle, the selvas, extending to the Brazilian border and forming part of the Amazon Basin. The mountain attains a maximum width of about 965 km (about 600 mi) in the north and constitutes some 60 percent of the Peruvian land area; it is covered with thick tropical forests in the west and with dense tropical vegetation in the center and east.
The ethnology and culture behind a country expresses its unique beliefs and customs in its entirety. Every country develops at its own pace depending on the government and economic system, resources available, the environment and the originated social and traditional practices of its people. The country of Switzerland is prominently known for its great flourish of development due to the advanced lead of technology, trade and successful economy. This case study will bring myself and other classmates to answer the common questions about Swiss culture, to pertain past and present data, relating to the ethnic backgrounds, culture, and traditions within the country that may not be familiar with the average student. This will also result in being
And like many Austrian Germans in his time, his German nationalism began to grow as well. He and his friends would even great each other with the German greeting: “Heil”. However, at the time he lived in Vienna, everywhere you’d look was prejudice and racist people. Most of them were against the Jews even though they played a Christian act. It may be very hypocritical and deceiving, but everyone was practically acting the same way, so no one could correct each other and lead them down the right path.
Uruguay republic, in east central South America, is the second smallest country on the continent. This country is bounded on the north by Brazil, on the east by Brazil and the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Atlantic Ocean and the Río de la Plata, and on the west by Argentina. The Uruguay River forms Uruguay's western boundary in full. Uruguay's land mass in whole is a small 176,215 sq km. Uruguay's capital city is Montevideo which is the main port, and economic center of the country. The currency of Uruguay is the peso uruguayos (7.97 peso uruguayos equal U.S.$1). This country's main sport entertainment is soccer.
Ethiopia was the second country, after Armenia, to adopt Christianity as the official religion. Approximately two thirds of the Ethiopian population is Christian; among them, the majority belongs to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Religion plays a major role in everyday life. Moreover, "the Orthodox Church dominates the political, cultural and social life of the population" (A-Z World Culture). Religious life is an important value to the Christian community. Holidays and Festivals are celebrated with great and colorful events. Important Christian holidays include Meskal (Finding of the True Cross), Gena (Christmas), Timkat (Epiphany), and Fasika (Easter). During these festivities, government offices, banks, business offices and retail stores are usually closed. For the three-day celebration of the Christ’s baptism, the Orthodox community gathers in churches for a mass service. As explained in the A-Z World Culture website, the event is celebrated “with colorful and dramatic processions attended by devotees and priests”. The procession is then followed by loud singing and blowing of horns while the priests and members of the Church carry the Tabot (replica of the Ark of the Covenant). Ethiopian Christians’ devotion to religious life is also seen during the fasting periods. For instance during Siklet (Suffering Friday), “devotees abstain from eating dishes containing meat and dairy products” (A-Z World Culture). Ethiopian Christians believe fasting is a way to attain forgiveness for their sins. Some fasting periods are short lasting from a few days to two weeks. Others may last two months, like the Lenten season that leads up to Easter. Easter is one of the greatest Christian holidays. It is actually considered...
The rest of the book is spent discussing each of the countries in detail. For each country the authors give a brief explanation of the history of the culture. Then they give tips on what each country expects from a visiting businessman. This includes tips on whether or not it is okay to be late for meetings, proper behavior during a business lunch or dinner, and how to properly address people you come in contact with during your business trip. They also give a guide t...
During the seventh and eighth centuries, the Swedes were merchant seamen well known for their trade. In the ninth century, Nordic Vikings raided and ravaged the European Continent as far as the Black and Caspian Seas. During the 11th and 12th centuries, Sweden slowly became a united Christian kingdom that later included Finland. Queen Margaret of Denmark united all the Nordic lands in the "Kalmar Union" in 1397. Frequent tension within the countries and within the union gradually led to open conflict between the Swedes and the Danes in the 15th century. The union's final disintegration in the early 16th century resulted in a long-lived rivalry between Norway and Denmark on one side and Sweden and Finland on the other.
Ecuador is located in South America, on the Equator it also extends out to sea to the Galapagos Islands. The people of Ecuador speak Spanish, Quechua, and now English is starting to be part of the curriculum for students. Ecuador is the home to all my family, and possible the retirement place for my parents. This is all possible since Ecuador branched out of the Gran Colombia. Going even further into the past Ecuador did not just have one start on being what/where they are now. The history of Ecuador is said be divided into five different phases or eras: Pre-Colombian, The Conquest, The Colonial Period, The War of Independence and the Republican Era. These eras needed to happen so the place I call home could be what it is now. It also has gone through changed within the flag, which is used as a representation – or a symbol to show off were one is from. The people of the city also are the heart of it all, and with time they learn to adapt to new life and customs without losing the traditional ones. Ecuador has gone through many changes to get where it is now. The struggle has been hard for most but at the end the nations is a strong nation.
Austria-Hungary themselves had a very interesting history that, due to all the different types of people, cultures, and ethnicities played a role in why World War I happened. After Austria’s defeat in the Austro-Prussian War in 1866, emperor Franz Josef had to re-configure the empire. Technically, Josepf was the emperor of Austria and king of Hungary with both countries having a common system of taxation, army, and foreign policy. Internal and constitutional affairs were kept separate, but after the defeat, Hungarians had their own constitution, legislature, and capital. This came to be know as the Dual Monarchy and it encompassed people of many ethic origins and nationalities. Minority nationalities, filled with new found nationalism after
Austria was formed during the Napoleonic Wars. Napoleon I, leader of the wars, had conquered the Roman Empire in 1804. Austria feared that Napoleon I was going to attack the country. As a result, Austria banded with other regions, forming the Austrian Empire. Near the end of the Wars, the Austrian Empire demonstrated that it was one of the most powerful forces, which also included the Kingdom of Hungary. The Empire was fraught with internal problems. The Magyars, the original rulers of Hungary, demanded more control, while the regions within the Empire demanded independence. However, the majority of the Habsburg government in Austria showed that the emperor had commanding power, which was not to be shared
In Germany, they are well known for being extremely direct and straightforward. Austrians are more direct than Americans, but they have less intensity than the Germans. This is something that I admire tremendously. Hearing from an Austrian perspective that Americans seem superficial by always trying so hard to be nice. This is quite interesting to me and I understand their perspectives in saying that American friendships always seem fake because they are never as direct as sometimes necessary. I have begun to notice the lack of directness now that it has been pointed out to me. My experience with this was from host mother. She was very sweet and considerate, however, it was her house so she was going to politely directly tell me that she has
Albania: The Development of a Developing Country Albania, a small country located in Southeastern Europe, is a nation that does not have a true identity – its people are Muslim and Christian, it is a country that is both poor and poor, it is as urban as it is rural, and has evolved from monarchy to socialism and now to fledgling democracy. In other words, Albania and its people have seen it all. The extremes of Albanian society are vivid, and underlying tensions are evident. But Albania is not “another Yugoslavia” – there is no doubt that the internal environment of Albania has been and somewhat continues to be tense, although the breaking point has never been fully reached. Albania is a country with a fervently tense past (especially during the Cold War era), yet many people do not know about it, and few would be able to find the country on the map.
Family is a fundamental social institution in society, the family, is considered the primary and most important agent of socialization. Family typically consists of a man and woman and their children or two or more people who usually reside in the same home and share same goals and values. Traditionally, in all societies, the family has always been seen as a social institution; that has the biggest impact on society.