German and Dutch intercultural communication

Master's Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: 7,5 (Dutch grading scale), Maastricht University, language: English, abstract: This master thesis has been written at the faculty of Economics and Business Administration of Maastricht University, the Netherlands. To start with, I would like to say that I am really delighted that I have been given the opportunity to complete my Master of Science in International Business at the University of Maastricht. The study in Maastricht, including the Bachelor of Science and the study abroad, has been an important phase of my life and I would like to express my elation of being a student at this University. 'Culture is more often a source of conflict than of synergy. Cultural differences are a nuisance at best and often a disaster.' (Prof. Geert Hofstede, Emeritus Professor, Maastricht University.) This quote plays an important role in this master thesis because it stresses the ambiguity of culture and shows the importance of a well functioning cultural fit since synergy is defined as 'the blending of individuals or groups that creates an emerging culture that has greater potential than the individual parts'. In the case that a firm correctly takes two cultures into account it can achieve higher returns and effectively perform in the intercultural context.