Contents. Organisational Structure Hierarchy Strategy. 4 his Guide. Country Proile Map Country Climate Population History Religion Language Currency

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1 2 DENMARK Contents 4 his Guide 6 Country Proile Map Country Climate Population History Religion Language Currency 18 Famous Danes 23 Visa Requirements 29 An International Career in Aalborg Organisational Structure Hierarchy Strategy Decision Making Process Meetings Negotiations Decisions Conception of Time Perception of Time Appointments Business Behaviour Meeting & Greeting Dress Code Wining & Dining Use of Business Cards Communication Gift Giving 33 To Start With Labour Mobility ABC 39 Management Culture Being Danish 59 Self-assessment Test

2 DENMARK 3 61 Questions to Ask Yourself 63 Important Sectors Key Facts: he Danish Graduate Labour Market Top 5 Companies in Denmark 67 What will I earn? 73 Taxation Matters First Steps Where do you pay taxes? Double Taxation Self-employment 103 Checklist for an International Move 109 Test: Successful Expat Skills! 111 More Information Useful Addresses Internet Sites Further Reading Expertise in Labour Mobility Career Consult Looking for work in... Guides 121 Quiz on Denmark An International Career in Silkeborg Main Routes to Employment Stong Employability Skills for the Danish Labour Market General Advice on Job-hunting he Application Letter he Curriculum Vitae he Application Procedure he Interview Online Recruitment Sample CV About the Authors Acknowledgements

3 DENMARK 7 Country Proile Country he oicial name of Denmark is Kingdom of Denmark. It is a constitutional monarchy, with Queen Margrethe II at the head of the monarchy, member of the oldest royal family in Europe (dating back to the year 965). Denmark has a multi-party system in which no single party holds an absolute majority. he afairs of the democratic government are decided by a cabinet of ministers, which is led by a prime minister. Currently the cabinet consists of minister from the Social Democrats, the Social Liberal Party and the Social People s Party, with the irst female Prime Minister, Helle horning-schmidt. he cabinet and the Prime Minister are responsible for their actions to the parliament (Folketinget) with 179 members. Since 2007, Denmark is divided in ive regions with 98 municipalities. Denmark is located in Northern Europe and it forms, together with

4 DENMARK 39 Management Culture Denmark is an egalitarian society. Interestingly, this is visible in their language: they have many gender-neutral words. In the Danish society, women are highly respected in business. hey generally receive equal pay and have access to senior positions, which relects the equality within the Danish society. Regarding maternity and paternity leave, Danes are particularly generous. Usually, it is easy for working mothers to arrange lexible working hours, so they can maintain both a career and a family. In general, Danes attached value to rules. If someone is not following the rules, most of the time someone will speak up. Danes expect courteous behaviour from everyone. So talk in a moderate modest tone and do not call too much attention to yourself. Most Danes are modest and down-toearth. hey believe in the right to think and speak freely. Danes are hard workers with very high standards. hey tend to be interested in their work, motivated and committed. Workers value quality, and to maintain a high productivity they work very hard and expect

5 DENMARK 67 What will I earn? A high salary level does not say much about what a person can aford. A comparison of purchasing power based on net income is more useful, since it takes into account what remains after tax and social security deductions. Purchasing power, the relationship between income and the cost of your shopping basket, gives an idea of what can be bought in a certain country with a particular level of income. We also give you an indication of regular rent prices because accommodation always takes up a large part of your salary, certainly if you are looking for a shortterm lease. he rent prices include all ancillary costs. Some caution is however required when directly comparing rents as the apartments may vary considerable from city to city in terms of size, comfort and location. Net pay is lowest compared to gross pay, in Frankfurt, Berlin, Warsaw, Brussels and Copenhagen, where tax and social security rates are highest. Purchasing power is highest by far in the US, followed by Western Europe and then Oceania. Tokyo is by far the most expensive city for renting an apartment.

6 DENMARK 85 Main Routes to Employment here are several methods to ind a job in Denmark. Searching for a speciic job advert is one common option. his is possible both via newspapers and via the internet. Vacancies in Danish newspapers are an important starting point for your job hunt. Most vacancies can be found in the national dailies Jyllands- Posten, Berlingske Tidende and Politiken, especially in the Wednesday and Sunday editions. he Jyllands-Posten also has a special job-hunting website in Danish ( he weekend edition of Børsen, the inancial daily, carries mainly marketing job adverts. he specialist journals Computerworld (IT sector), Danks Industri (industrial sector), Ingeniøren (technical specialists), Civiløkonomer (economical and marketing professionals) and DJØF-bladet (legal professions) each contain vacancies for their own particular readers. Some of these specialist magazines are published by the Danish trade unions, which traditionally play an important role in the recruitment process. Some trade unions are important for graduates since they work closely

7 DENMARK 121 Quiz QQUIZ to test your understanding of this ELM Guide on DENMARK: Management culture & job-hunting in DENMARK Questions and Answers: 1. Denmark s oicial currency is: a. he Danish krone b. he Euro 2. Which language is spoken and understood by most Danish? a. English and French b. English and German c. German and French d. All of the above 3. he business culture is strictly hierarchical and very formal. a. True b. False