Bu siness skills: b et ter me etings 1 — 21 business englisch bu sin es s e n g L is

blink of an eye: in the ~ 
,
von einem Augenblick 
auf den anderen, im Hand- 
umdrehen
burn brightly
,
hier:
von 
Enthusiasmus geprägt sein
construction permit
,
Baugenehmigung
ease of doing business 
[i:z]
,
etwa: 
Bedingun-
gen für eine Wirtschafts-
tätigkeit
employment law 
,
arbeitsrechtliche 
Bestimmung, Beschäfti-
gungsgesetz
enforce sth.
,
etw. durchsetzen
entrepreneurial
[)QntrEprE(n§:riEl]
,
unternehmerisch 
(denkend)
Lithuania 
[)lITju(eIniE]
,
Litauen
release sb. 
[ri(li:s]
 
,
hier: 
jmdn. entlassen
DOING BUSINESS IN THE UK
Every year, the World Bank rates 190 countries for their 
“ease of doing business”. To do this, the bank uses a 
range of data relating to starting a business, construction 
permits, getting credit, paying taxes, trading across 
borders and enforcing contracts. In the 2019 rankings, the 
UK came eighth, with New Zealand, Singapore and Hong 
Kong in the first three places. In fourth place, Denmark was 
the top European country, then the UK, Norway, Sweden 
and Lithuania. Germany is ranked in 22nd place. English-
speaking countries high on the list include the US (6th), 
Australia (14th), Canada (23rd) and Ireland (24th).
WORKING CULTURE AND SECURITY
Bele and Reinhard Stein quickly recognized that the UK 
has a different business culture to Germany. “Britain is 
much more of an elbow society” is how Reinhard describes 
the workplace there. At the architectural studio where 
he worked during the 1997–98 Asian financial crisis, he 
says that around a quarter of employees were suddenly 
released. “You start to realize that one year you might be 
up, but the next year you might be down. They can get 
rid of you in the blink of an eye.” He contrasts this with 
Germany, where there is “a safety belt of employment laws 
that mean you can’t get rid of people so easily”.