[EdwardDiego]

What got me about German business, as a Kiwi working with Germans, was a few things:

1) How cosy everyone in a given sphere is with each other

2) The nearly inevitable strip-club and coke in relationship building

3) The prevalence of kick-backs in contracts, although obviously euphemistically renamed.

4) How Germans accepted corruption as part of life

5) How they were proud that their corruption still got things built, unlike, say, the Italians

Now I don't really have much experience outside of these two countries, so maybe this is the norm around the world. But shit.

My DE parent company turned up on Muddy Water's[1] short list because of interesting share assignments, (paying above average for acquisitions) and unusual interactions with related entities. And I'm really not surprised.

And I really struggled to not use the word cosy repeatedly in this, because it was applicable to much of it, and really sums up Germany's informal corruption as I've experienced it.

Not that I claim NZ is any better, but here slight corruption doesn't feel like an accepted norm.

[1]: https://www.muddywatersresearch.com/

[scanny]

I think NZ is far better off than most other nations, we consistently rank 1st or 2nd as the least corrupt country on earth [0] (I am also a kiwi living in Germany :) ). Also anecdotally I cannot think of a single corruption scandal on par with anything here in DE or even across the Tasman.

0. https://www.transparency.de/cpi/

[Glawen]

I never experienced corruption in Germany, people have always been very honest. However I don't navigate in the business sphere.

I did notice strange things which suggest corruption, like constantly rebuilding perfect roads, every time by the same companies but of course I got no proof.