American Politics are International Politics
When my class arrived in Prague this summer to study international business, one of the first activities we attended was a presentation on the political history of the city and country as a whole. During the presentation, we were prompted to ask questions and listen intently. It was interesting to learn that, although as a citizen of the United States I rarely pay attention to worldwide politics, many countries abroad keep a close eye on American politics. It was a very eye-opening day for me. I asked the speaker what her thoughts on the American political situation were, and I was surprised to hear that she and mostly everyone else was keeping a close watch on the presidential race. This presentation really put into perspective just how much foreign countries are impacted by things that happen in our country. It was also interesting to hear an outsider’s opinion on our presidential candidates and who they were most likely to support.
A Generalized Comparison: European vs American Business
As my class ventured around Prague and Berlin early this summer, we visited many businesses, small and large, and got to see how different they were from businesses back home. Speaking to companies such as Nike (Berlin), Budvar (Czech), and Skoda (Czech), I came to these generalized comparisons:
Innovation: American businesses tend to be more risk-tolerant and open to innovation than European Businesses.
Laws and Regulations: Especially when it comes to safety in the workplace, Europe is not as strict as America.
Work/Life Balance: There is a clear difference between the value of work/life balance in the US and Europe. Europeans generally value it much more than Americans. This can be seen in their shorter work weeks and more opportunities to work from home.
These are just a few differences that I noticed as a spoke to businesses across Prague and Berlin. Of course, These comparisons are generalizations and may not apply universally, as there are significant variations within both European and American business practices based on industry, country, and company-specific cultures.
