3.2.1 germany as a worldwide marketplace

WHY LEARN GERMAN? KNOWING GERMAN ENHANCES CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

PRO-DEUTSCH ! Second Revised Edition 2007 96

Major International Trade Fairs in Germany

Industry Name and Location

Visitors

*Books/publishing Frankfurt Book Fair / Frankfurt 286,621 in 2006

Books/publishing Leipzig Buchmesse / Leipzig 127,000 in 2007

*Consumer electronics IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin) / Berlin 212,494 in 2006

Food ANUGA / Köln 161,000 in 2005

Furniture IMM – International Furniture Fair / Köln 125,000 in 2005

Games (video) Games Convention / Leipzig 183,000 in 2006

Industry/technology CeBIT (Centrum der Büro- und Informationstechnik) /

Hannover

385,400 in 2007

Photography Photokina / Köln 162,000 in 2006

Toys/games International Toy Fair / Nürnberg 80,000 in 2007

*Travel & Tourism ITB Berlin (International Tourism Show) / Berlin 177,154 in 2007

*denotes world’s largest

3.2.1 Germany as a Worldwide Marketplace



Table 1. International arrivals to the U.S. by region & country of residency - January-December 2006

Region / Country 2006 2005

Total – all countries 43,502,211 41,148,537

Western Europe 9,675,462 9,879,934

United Kingdom 4,176,211 4,344,957

Germany 1,385,520 1,415,530

France 789,815 878,648

Italy 532,829 545,546

Source: U.S. Department of Commerce; Office of Travel and Tourism Industries 2007

Table 2.

Numbers of overnight stay for international guests in Germany in 2005

Region / Country 2005 2004

Netherlands 8,430,000 8 020 000

U.S.A. 4,420,000 4 320 000

United Kingdom 3,770,000 3 970 000

Switzerland 2,930,000 3 220 000

Italy 2,480,000 2 680 000

Belgium 1,940,000 2 080 000

Source:: Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland, 2007

3.2.2 Travel and Tourism Statistics



Sample 1

3.2.3 Sample Letters from Corporate Leaders on the Value of Knowing German



Sample 2



Sample



Employment Possibilities

The following list provides examples of career titles German majors may wish to contemplate. This is only a

sampling and does not represent all careers you might consider. Some occupations may require education beyond

a bachelor’s degree and/or may require experience/education in another field.

BUSINESS

Business Executive

Import/Export

International Law

International Banking and Finance

Public Relations

Personnel Manager

Fashion Industry

Receptionist, Secretary, Stenographer

Sales

Textbook Representative

Lawyer

Automobile Industry

COMMUNICATIONS

International Telephone/Teletype

Operator

Foreign Correspondent / Photographer

Translator

Advertising (Ethnic / Foreign Markets)

Film and Entertainment

Interpreter

Editor (University Press)

EDUCATION

Teacher

University/College Professor

Textbook Author/Editor

Commercial Schools (Language schools, institutes)

ESL (English as a Second Language)

University Study Abroad / International Students Officer

Overseas Teaching for Foreign Corporations

Diplomat

Missionary worker

GOVERNMENT SERVICES

Peace Corps

Diplomatic Corps

Court Interpreter

Federal Agencies

Customs

INS

Intelligence

Aid Agencies

Armed Forces

United Nations

SCIENCE

Technical Liaison to U.S. firms in foreign

countries

Anthropology

Scientific Research and Translation

Archeology

Museum

Library and Information

Science

Archivist

TRAVEL SERVICES

Hotel and Restaurant Staff

Management Airline Industry

Travel Agent

Tour Guide

Foreign Travel Advisor

3.2.4 Career Planning Resources for German Majors at Southwest Missouri State University



Marketable skills of German majors

CULTURAL COMPETENCIES PRACTICAL/ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS

• cross-cultural communication

• understanding of cultural differences

• knowledge of culturally specific behavior,

customs, and values

• working social and professional competence

in German

• language competence for speaking, writing,

reading and listening

• understanding of German history, literature,

music, and folklore

• oral and written comprehension

• following oral and written instructions

• attention to detail and good observation skills

• ability to instruct/motivate

• computer skills

• generating innovative ideas and solutions

• identifying resources

• evaluate/assess processes and products

• coordinating work with others

ANALYTICAL SKILLS COMMUNICATION SKILLS

• critical thinking

• creating and clarifying ideas

• gathering and analyzing information

• defining and analyzing complex problems

• ability to conduct research

• clear and concise writing

• understanding of audience needs

• ability to persuade/influence

• effective use of language

• oral presentation/public speaking

Books and articles related to foreign language careers

Great Jobs for Foreign Language Majors. Julie DeGalan, Stephen E. Lambert. Lincolnwood, IL: VGM Career Horizons, 1996.

Opportunities in Foreign Language Careers. Wilga M. Rivers, Marguerite Duffy. VGM Career Horizons, 1994.

Almanac of International Jobs and Careers. A Guide to Over 1001 Employers. Ronald L. Krannich, Caryl R. Krannich. 2nd ed. 1994.

How to Get a Job in Europe. Robert Sandborn. Chicago: Surrey Books, 1995.

Careers in International Business. Edward J. Halloran. 1996

Careers in Travel, Tourism, and Hospitality. 1997.

Careers for Foreign Language Aficionados and Other Multilingual Types. H. Ned Seelye, J. Laurence Day. 2nd

ed. Chicago: VGM Career Books, 2001.

Careers in Foreign Languages. Blythe Camenson. Chicago: VGM Career Books, 2001.

Liberal Arts Advantage: How to Turn Your Degree into a Great Job. G. Giangrange. New York: Avon, 1998.

Great Jobs for Liberal Arts Majors. B. Camenson, S.E. Lambert, J.A. Degalan. Chicago: McGraw-Hill, 1997.

Exploring Careers Using Foreign Languages. E.W. Edwards. New York: Rosen, 1990.

Source: Southwest Missouri State University / http://careerservices.smsu.edu/



American students have found German to be an especially useful language for expanding career opportunities. Teaching,

translation and related areas (e.g., publishing, media, marketing) offer the most direct application of German language

skills. Who speaks German? Foreign Service officers, journalists, Montessori teachers, professors, politicians, Peace Corps

volunteers, hotel management staff, bankers, research chemists, software engineers, musicians, flight attendants and

corporate lawyers do. Combining language skills and cultural knowledge with other training can provide a variety of

possibilities for students of German. These include various fields of government service, business and banking,

communications, science and technology, music and fine arts, travel and tourism and many others. German can take

you anywhere! Here are just a few possibilities:

Education

Teaching at the middle and high school level is certainly a worthwhile goal. Should you wish to teach at the college level, you

will need to work toward a PhD. There are also numerous additional options for those graduates interested in the field of

education: a '93 alumna of German is currently a program coordinator in the International Programs Office at the

University of Michigan. Another graduate is Senior Associate Executive Search Consultant for educational institutions while

others are career counselors, exchange program coordinators or foreign language audio and computer lab directors.

Travel and Tourism Industry

Graduates may be interested in working in the travel industry and might seek a position as customer service agents or inter-

national flight attendants as did several of our alumni. A '89 alumnus attended the Institute of Certified Travel Agents,

completed the Austrian Travel Counselor Specialist Program, and currently runs his own travel agency.

Translating and Interpreting

You may want to explore the field of museum curators and translate documents, treatises, catalogues and even movie

scripts for a museum. Interpreters and translators may also opt to work freelance at Olympic Games, World Expositions,

Deutsche Welle, the German Information Center, or the UN, to name only a few organizations. Several of our graduates

work as technical translators for Austrian or German firms in the U.S. or abroad.

Political Organizations:

Many political organizations have international ties and need employees competent in languages. One of our

graduates worked as a congressional aid in Washington while another spent a semester as an intern at the UN in

Vienna. Another alumna has secured a post in the Foreign Service and is planning a career as an intelligence analyst in

European affairs. Working for political advocacy groups may also interest our graduates. See the following ad: "Wanted:

Program Assistant for implementation of international development programs, National Democratic Institute for

International Affairs."

Journalism and Publishing

Graduates in German will have learned how to research, write, and discuss their ideas not just in one but two languages.

These are skills necessary to be successful in international journalism. Entry-level positions in publishing usually involve

copy-editing and proofing, such as in the following announcement: "Wanted: Editor (entry level) to edit/proof translated

research articles, patents, etc., at Corporate Translations, Inc."

3.2.5 Career Opportunities for German Graduates



Business and Law

A number of our graduates have found employment with German and Austrian firms or international firms. A

'95 alumnus is working for "Commodity Components Inc." in Massachusetts, an electronics components company that

supplies Siemens Austria and IBM France, among other European firms. A 1990 graduate is working for Electro-Wire Products

as program coordinator for a BMW project. She suggests: "Those searching for job tips: send resumes to German firms." The

recent Daimler-Chrysler merger may offer further opportunities. Others have pursued an MA or a PhD in Business/ Business

Administration. Graduates may be interested in working in the area of international law. One alumna is teaching introductory

U.S. law courses at the Humboldt University in Berlin.

AREAS EMPLOYERS STRATEGIES • U.S. Government

• Translation and Interpretation

• Teaching

• Journalism

• Linguistics

• Diplomacy

• Civil Service

• Foreign Service

• Security

• Intelligence/Law Enforcement

Agencies

• Census Bureau

• Armed Services

• Immigration and Naturalization

• State Department

• Customs Bureau

• Joint Publication Research Services

• Learn federal, state and local job

application procedures

• Attend special foreign language

programs and study abroad

• Obtain experience in the Armed

Forces

• Arts, Media and Entertainment

• Advertising

• Translation

• Broadcasting

• Editing

• Museums

• News agencies

• Publishers

• Libraries

• Recording Agencies

• Sports Management Agencies

• Learn about the customs and culture

of the country you are interested in

• Keep current with international

papers and broadcasts

• Industry and Commerce

• Banking

• Word Processing

• Customer Services

• Marketing

• Intercultural Training

• Manufacturing

• Banks and other financial institutions

• Import-export firms

• Multinational companies

• Manufacturers

• Retailers

• Law firms

• Find out what companies do

business with and in the country you

are interested in

• Consult resources in the Career

Services office and on the internet

• Consider business college

coursework

• Travel and Tourism

• Interpretation

• Airline industry

• Hospitality

• Travel agencies

• Hotel chains

• Airlines

• Cruise lines

• Take courses in hospitality

management

• Seek a part-time job in the industry

• Improve your computer skills

• Scientific and Professional

• Computer Sciences

• Engineering

• Law

• Medicine

• Information Sciences

• Corporate and research libraries

• Hospitals and laboratories

• Foreign firms operating in the U.S.

• Large hospitals with foreign clientele

and operations

• Environmental organizations

• Develop good communication skills

• Consider an M.A. in library science

• Accrue office managerial skills

• Service and Education

• Teaching

• Social Work

• Administration

• Health Services

• Hospitals

• Social service agencies

• Universities and colleges

• Study and travel abroad organizations

• English language institutes

• Civic organizations in the U.S. and

abroad

• Civil rights organizations

• Familiarize yourself with teaching

certification in the U.S. and abroad

• Notify local hospitals and chambers

of commerce of your willingness to

help

Source: excerpts from www.bgsu.edu (Bowling Green State University)



To demonstrate how desirable German skills are on the job market today, encourage your students to do a job search

under keyword “German” on a major employment search engine, such as Monster or Hotjobs. Of the jobs found, a

representative sample of 38 different types of jobs that require or recommend German were chosen. They are listed below by

category. Keep in mind that these are in no way representative of all careers in which German is useful or necessary. Rather,

they are the results of a specific day’s listing. Some of the very obvious careers for German speakers, such as teacher,

translator, musician, were not listed. But this does give you an idea of some concrete careers available in which German is

needed.

In Business

Account Manager

Chief Financial Officer

Communications Specialist

CPA / Accountant

Credit Analyst

Customer Service Specialist

Division Controller

Equity Analyst

International Controller

Management Trainer

Senior Financial Analyst

Tax Accountant

In Computers

Customer Service/Web Support

Representative

Manager of Desktop Software

Development

Systems Support Coordinator

Systems Analyst

Software Sales Consultant

Troubleshooter / Support

User Interface Software Engineer

In Engineering

Advanced Product Engineer

Application Engineer

Benchmarking Coordinator Engineering Specialist

Process Engineer

Also look at the following samples (next pages) and links:

The Germany-USA career center: http://www.germany-usa.com/

The state of Virginia lists foreign-owned companies in Virginia at

http://www.runet.edu/~geog-web/alliance/vaworld/data.html

The German Information Center website lists seven German-American Chambers of commerce:

http://www.germany-info.org/newcontent/be/be_6.html

Contact your regional office about a list of German companies in your area.

American Chamber of Commerce in Germany http://www.amcham.de/

For ideas about career possibilities with American companies in Germany:

http://www.amcham.de/links/index.htm

The newly expanded web site for the International Engineering Program at the University of Rhode

Island clearly shows career possibilities (corporate partners/internships) in that field:

http://www.uri.edu/iep/. Designated as the National Resource Center for International Engineering, the

URI/IEP site has additional useful information such as the rationale for international engineering education

(good fuel for any language teacher) and a list with links to all IE programs at American colleges and

universities. CDS international: http://www.cdsintl.org/fromusa

3.2.6 Sample Internet Job Ads Listing German Skills as Desirable



In a general search of all categories and geographical areas with the keyword “German,” the following results

were found on various employment websites on one particular day (jobs posted only on June 19, 2007)

165 results with the keyword “German” resulted in various opportunities, some of which are listed here:

Account Executive, Boston, MA

Automobile Technician/Mechanic, West Los Angeles, CA

Chef, Charlotte, NC

Design Engineer, Auburn Hills, MI

Electrical Engineer, Irvine, CA

Finance Marketing and Portfolio Analyst, Memphis, TN

Logistics Specialist, Seattle, WA

Massage Therapy Instructor, Shelton, CT

Rigger - Cruise Line, Miami, FL

Video Game Master/Technician, Los Angeles, CA

Wind Controls Senior Engineer, Spartanburg, SC


Account Strategist, Chicago, IL

Associate Software Engineer, Princeton, NJ

Finance Management, Houston, TX

Medical Interpreter, Rochester, MN

Teacher (Language Instructor), Los Altos, CA

Trademark Assistant, Mountain View, CA


Clinical Pharmacist, San Diego, CA

Information Technology General Analyst, Arlington, VA

Nanny, Atlanta, GA

Nurse, Columbus, OH

Program Director – Language Center, Ithaca, NY


New Product Development Director, Rochester, NY

Product Usability Manager - Medical Technology, Dallas, TX

Technical Business Analyst, San Francisco, CA



Major German Companies in the U.S. Major U.S. Companies in Germany

More than 1,100 companies in German-speaking

countries have subsidiaries in the United States, e.g.,

subsidiaries of German, Austrian and Swiss companies

More than 750 American companies do business in

German-speaking countries

• Adidas

• Aldi (Aldi, Trader Joe’s)

• Allianz (The Allianz Group)

• Audi

• BASF (Badische Soda- und Anilin Fabrik)

• Bayer

• Bayerische Landesbank

• Beck’s

• Bertelsmann

• BMG (Bertelsmann Musik Gruppe)

• Blaupunkt

• BMW

• Bosch (Robert Bosch Corporation)

• Braun

• Daimler-Chrysler

• Degussa

• Deutsche Bank

• DHL (DHL Holdings)

• DKV (Deutsche Krankenversicherung)

• E-on

• Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (Tengelmann)

• Hapag-Lloyd

• HypoVereinsbank

• Leica

• Langenscheidt

• Melitta

• Mercedes-Benz

• Porsche

• SAP

• Siemens

• T-Mobile (Deutsche Telekom)

• Thyssen Krupp

• Volkswagen

• America Online (AOL)

• Citibank

• Federal Express

• Ford

• Hewlett-Packard

• Microsoft

• Starbucks

• Merck

• Merrill Lynch

• United Parcel Service (UPS)

Source: STAT-USA on the Internet, U.S. Department of Commerce

3.2.7 Major German Companies in the U.S. – Major U.S. Companies in Germany



In the U.S., there are more than 2,800 German subsidiaries and affiliates. Listed below is a selection of the most

noteworthy. They turn over 500 billion in sales per year. According to figures from the Center for Transatlantic

Relations, German firms directly employ some 730,000 Americans and support hundreds of thousands of

additional jobs.

German Parent Company Turnover

in U.S. in

billion €

Employees Major Subsidiaries Business

Daimler Benz Stuttgart 81.5 105,000 Mercedes Benz of North

America, Montvale, NJ;

Freightliner Corp., Portland. OR

Automobiles

Trucks

Siemens AG, Wiesbaden 24.4 93.700 Siemens Energy and

Automation, Atlanta, GA;

Siemens Medicalo System,

Iselin, NJ; Siemens Osram

Sylvania, Iselin, NJ; Siemens

Rolm Communication, Iselin, NJ

Automation technology,

medical equipment,

lighting technology,

communications

technology

Volkswagen, Wolfsburg 17.3 35,400 Volkswagen of America, Inc.,

Auburn Hills, MI

Automobiles

BMW, München 13.1 21,400 BMW of North America, LLC,

Woodcliff Lake, NJ; Technical

Training Center, Port Jersey, NJ

Automobiles

Tengelmann

Warenhandelsgesellschaft

Mühlheim (Ruhr)

11.0 61,000 The Great Atlantic and Pacific

Tea Company (A&P), Montvale,

NJ

Retail (Food)

Thyssen Krupp AG, Düsseldorf 9.1 27,400 The Budd Company, Troy, NY Automotive supply

Bayer AG, Leverkusen 8.9 21,200 Bayer Corporation, Pittsburgh,

PA

Chemical/pharmaceutical

information technology

(Agfa)

BASF AG, Ludwigshafen 7.8 14,200 BASF Corp. Chemical

Bertelsmann 7.3 27,600 Random House, Inc., New York,

NY; Gruner+Jahr USA

Publishing Co., New York, NY;

BMG Music Services, New

York, NY; Fremantle Media

Enterprises USA, New York, NY;

Arvato Services North America,

CA

Media and entertainment

products; publishing

E-on 4.5 11,600 Eon-Light USA, South

Hackensack, NJ

Lighting

Source: STAT-USA on the Internet, U.S. Department of Commerce

3.2.8 German Presence in the U.S. – a Selection of Companies with Significant Holdings



Table 1. Ranking of GTable 1. Ranking of GTable 1. Ranking of GTable 1. Ranking of Germany's Foreign Trading Partners, 2006 (in ermany's Foreign Trading Partners, 2006 (in ermany's Foreign Trading Partners, 2006 (in ermany's Foreign Trading Partners, 2006 (in €€€€) ) ) )

No. Import Country Of Origin € Mil Export Country Of Destination € Mil

1 France

2 Netherlands

3 China

4 USA

5 United Kingdom

6 Italy

7 Belgium

8 Russia

9 Austria

10 Switzerland

63,490.4

60,518.9

48,750.9

48,517.0

42,829.0

40,325.8

35,499.7

30,181.8

29,895.1

25,205.7

France

United States

United Kingdom

Italy

Netherlands

Belgium

Austria

Spain

Switzerland

Poland

86,775.8

78,011.4

65,340.5

59,971.4

55,876.5

49,249.2

48,921.1

42,159.2

34,725.7

28,820.4

Source: Federal Office of Statistics, Germany 2006

Table 2.Table 2.Table 2.Table 2. Ranking of U.S. Trading Partners in Foreign Trade, 2006 (in Ranking of U.S. Trading Partners in Foreign Trade, 2006 (in Ranking of U.S. Trading Partners in Foreign Trade, 2006 (in Ranking of U.S. Trading Partners in Foreign Trade, 2006 (in US $US $US $US $))))

No. Import Country Of Origin $ Bil

1 Canada

2 China

3 Mexico

4 Japan

5 Germany 6 United Kingdom

7 Republic of Korea

8 Taiwan

9 Venezuela

10 France

303.4

287.8

198.3

148.1

89.1

54.3

45.8

38.2

37.2

37.1

Trading Partners Trading Partners Trading Partners Trading Partners

Most exporting companies (62%) traded with only one foreign country. A small percentage of companies, less

than 0.5% shipped to 50 or more countries. Over 88% of all companies exported to at least one of the top 25

trading partners in 2001. The greatest number of companies shipped to Canada (100,515), followed by Mexico

(45,565), the United Kingdom (39,107), Japan (29,166) and Germany (26,228).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2003

3.2.9 Ranking of Foreign Trading Partners for Germany and the U.S.



The following is a listing of German-owned and German joint-venture companies in Alabama.

M = manufacturing

S = Sales office

D = Distribution operation

Se = Services

Source: Alabama Germany Partnership

www.alabamagermany.org

Company Location Products and/or Services Activity*

Alabama Precision Mold

Bayer Pursell

CRH North America

Defense Research

Degussa Corporation

DML, Division of Vermont America

ETEC/Durawear

Feralloy Corp

Hoechst Celanese

Hoerbiger Drivetech

Hüls America, Inc.

I.B. Chemical Co.

IMD Corp.

Kauth

Knauf Fiber Glass

Kommerling

Laempe + Reich

Lampi LLC

Lehigh Portland Cement

MAHA

Mercedes-Benz U.S. Int'l

Oris Automotive Parts AL, Inc.

Phenolchemie

Rehau Corporation

Sherman Utilities Structures

Schenker International, Inc.

T.L.T. Babcock

Ultraform Co.

Vermont American

Wolf System

ZF Industries, Inc

Cottondale

Birmingham

Clanton

Anniston

Theodore

Muscle Shoals

Birmingham

Birmingham

Bucks

Auburn

Theodore

Bucks

Birmingham

Auburn

Lanett

Huntsville

Trussville

Huntsville

Leeds

Pinckard

Vance

Bessemer

Theodore

Cullman

Birmingham and

Tuscaloosa

Birmingham

Alabaster

Theodore

Auburn

Bay Minette

Tuscaloosa

plastic injection molds/repair molds

lawn and garden products

auto seat frames

defense hardware

chemicals

cutting tools

ceramic

sheeted and slit steel

chemicals

automotive wet friction products

chemicals

coating machines

stamped auto parts

fiberglass insulation products

plastic injected windows

fluorescent and halogen lights

portland cement

passenger cars

automotive parts

chemicals

plastic injected products

prestressed spun concrete poles

freight forwarder

conveyor components, industrial fans

engineering plastic

precision investment castings

purchasing operation

automotive axle systems

M

M

M

M

M

M

M,D

M

D

M

M,D

M

M

Se

M

M

M

M

3.2.10 Alabama-based Companies with Operations in Germany



German companies are at home in Alabama: Steel giant only the most recent one to make major

investment in state

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A partnership with roots in

luxury automobiles and moon rockets is thriving

between Alabama and Germany, with Thyssen

Krupp AG only the latest German company to

locate in the state.

Once known overseas for farming, poverty and

strained race relations, Alabama is now home to 50

German industries that state officials say employ

upward of 12,000 people. Thousands more work in

related companies.

Thyssen Krupp made a splash May 11 when it said

it would build a mammoth, $3.7 billion steel plant

near the Gulf of Mexico in Mobile County. But

before it, there were other German companies in

Alabama including BASF AG, Degussa AG and —

the crown jewel of all — DaimlerChrysler AG's

Mercedes-Benz.

Like others, ThyssenKrupp said it selected Alabama

because of a combination of incentives, location

and other factors. "We see many similarities

between Alabama and Germany," spokesman

Christian Koenig said. "Generally speaking, both

Germany and Alabama are great places to do

business. More specifically, both have a well-trained

work force and a strong work ethic."

The surge in German industry dates to 1993, when

Mercedes picked a farming community west of

Birmingham for its first U.S. assembly plant. The

factory now makes three different vehicles and

employs more than 4,000 people.

German manufacturers weren't the only ones lured

to Alabama in the wake of Mercedes — Japan-based

Honda Motor Co. and Hyundai Motor Co. of South

Korea have both since constructed plants in the

state. But Germany remains Alabama's largest

international market, with exports of $3.6 billion

last year, according to the International Trade

Administration.

Neal Wade, director of the Alabama Development

Office, said the state's recruitment of international

industries can be defined by two periods: before

Mercedes and after Mercedes. "Everything changed.

Doors were opened to us internationally that had

never been opened to us until Mercedes came

here," he said.

Alabama's ties to the European nation go back

further than Mercedes, however. German

immigrants founded the north Alabama city of

Cullman in 1866, and Huntsville has a thriving

space industry because of the late German rocket

scientist Wernher von Braun.

Von Braun, the chief rocket engineer for Nazi

Germany, moved his team of scientists to what was

then a Tennessee Valley cotton town after World

War II. Huntsville boomed and became the home of

the Saturn V rocket, which first took astronauts to

the moon in 1969. Hajo Drees, the German-born

head of Alabama's industrial recruitment efforts in

Europe, said the von Braun story and Mercedes are

both "great selling points" for Alabama in Germany.

Speaking by telephone from Germany, where he

was on the road trying to recruit a small automotive

supplier to the state, Drees said the strong German

presence in Alabama helps lure more companies

there.

"It becomes a quality-of-life issue," Drees said.

"Germans are respected (in Alabama). You can feel

it." Some of that feeling is nothing but old-fashioned

Southern hospitality, but some of it is calculated.

Trying to make Alabama feel like home for

Germans, the non-profit Alabama-Germany

Partnership was formed to help foster friendships

and make the transition to life in America easier for

European ex-pats. Its one-room office in

Birmingham has ties to Germany's U.S. consulate.

3.2.11 German Companies are at Home in Alabama



The director of the partnership, Patricia Coghlan,

said at least three Alabama universities have

German-language programs, and several towns have

German festivals, including a dry Oktoberfest in

Cullman, where alcohol sales are illegal.

German-owned industry has developed its own

synergy in the state partly because executives who

speak German willingly help the state's recruitment

efforts by writing letters, making phone calls and

meeting with potential new industries.

"Part of it is their ability to ask, `Did you get what

you were promised? Are these good people? Can

you trust them?'" she said.

Source: Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

ALABAMA TOP TRADING PARTNERS 2006

Rank Country US $

1 Germany 3,619,063,544

2 Canada 2,246,168,787

3 Mexico 960,105,663

4 Japan 774,662,026

5 United Kingdom 742,277,411

6 China 662,243,101

7 Republic of Korea 485,982,331

8 Netherlands 355,527,651

9 Brazil 325,418,232

Source: Huntsville Times, June 17, 2007



Oct. 30, 2005, by Mark Roth

For many German companies, growth is coming from everywhere but their own country:

Home sour home: Growth everywhere but at home

On this day, the bowling ball is missing.

At the 13-acre Veka Inc. plant in Beaver County

near Zelienople, the bowling ball is a prime prop.

During trade shows, it is dropped from 10 feet in

the air onto Veka's decking material to prove a

point: that the reinforced polyvinyl chloride-and-

glass fiber beams made at the plant are just as tough

as their all-wood competitors.

The bowling ball routinely shatters the wood fiber

composite decking of other competitors at the same

shows, "so they really hate this demonstration,"

Mark Ammer, Veka's manufacturing director, said

with a smile.

Veka's decks, along with its fast-growing line of

PVC fence railing and its mainstay window and

door frames, are one reason the German-owned

company has been experiencing a booming business

of about $200 million in annual sales in the

Western Hemisphere and nearly $750 million

worldwide.

But even though Veka has plants in Germany as

well as in the United States, Russia, Poland, France,

Spain, the United Kingdom, China, India, Canada,

Mexico, Brazil and Chile, almost none of its sales

growth is coming from inside Germany, said Veka

President Walter Stucky. And that sums up the

paradox of the German economy today. Powered by

Veka and other German-based firms in the

international market, Germany is the world's No. 1

export nation. But at home, its economy has barely

grown at all over the past four years and its

unemployment is mired at 11 percent, about twice

the level in the United States. What explains this

contradiction?

Much of the answer can be seen in the challenges

that face Germany's small and medium-size

companies, which employ 70 percent of the

nation's workers.

One of those firms, tucked into an unassuming

building in Carnegie, is Vollmer of America.

Vollmer, headquartered in Biberach in south-

western Germany, makes high-end machinery to

manufacture saws and cutting tools for industry, as

well as machines that sharpen them. The U.S.

headquarters in Carnegie is overseeing a growing

market for the firm's machines on this side of the

Atlantic, said Vollmer of America President Ralf

Kraemer.

The company as a whole is growing, too, Mr.

Kraemer said, but not because of any purchases

inside Germany. Much of the reason for the

lackluster German economy lies in how costly it is

for employers to hire a worker there, compared

with other parts of the world. Stephen Silvia, an

international relations professor at American

University in Washington, D.C., said that a typical

American firm pays fringe benefits equal to 20 to

40 percent of wages, while the latest German

figures show that companies there shoulder a fringe

benefit burden of 65 to 75 percent of wages. The

reason for the discrepancy is Germany's vaunted

social welfare system, in which the state provides

generous unemployment, retirement, disability and

other benefits.

And even though recent reforms have shaved those

benefits, they are still significantly higher than in

the United States, and are stratospheric compared

with low-cost nations in Eastern Europe and the

developing world. At Vollmer, Mr. Kraemer noted,

3.2.12 German Companies: Growth Everywhere Else but Germany



the company's tax burden for its employees here is

"much, much lower" than in Germany, even though

the U.S. workers actually get higher benefit

payments than their German counterparts. There

are other significant differences between the

German and American labor markets. Many of

Germany's labor contracts are negotiated by

national associations of employers, which tends to

standardize high wages throughout the nation.

Anti-dismissal rules

It is also much harder to lay off an employee in

Germany than in the United States. "In America, if

you need to reduce your labor force, you say, 'Sorry,

I don't have a job for you anymore,' " said Michael

Brandl, an economist who teaches at the McCombs

School of Business at the University of Texas. "In

Germany, it's much more difficult to do that. You

essentially have to apply to the government for

permission to lay people off."

German law requires companies to take into

account seniority, age, marital status, dependents

and disability in deciding who to let go, Dr. Silvia

said. So if a company does want to lay off an

employee, it has to choose a single person over a

married one, a younger over an older, an able-

bodied over a disabled, and so forth, and each one

of those decisions can be appealed to special labor

courts. The biggest impact of the anti-dismissal

rules, Dr. Silvia said, is that they discourage

companies from hiring older workers, because once

such a worker is signed on, it is almost impossible

to furlough him. And since many of Germany's

unemployed are older workers displaced from the

shrinking steel, chemical and coal industries, their

prospects of ever working again are grim. Other

obstacles: In Germany's service industry, there are

restrictions stretching all the way back to the

medieval guilds on who can be a baker, a mechanic,

a hairdresser, or any of dozens of other worker

categories; and overall, German employees work

many fewer hours than their American counterparts

each year.

"A typical worker in Germany has six weeks of paid

vacation, 38½ hours of work per week and

unlimited sick leave," said Christian Terwiesch, a

professor at the Wharton School of Business at the

University of Pennsylvania and a German native. "If

you just sum up the labor hours over the year ...

you get a 20-percent cost disadvantage for German

companies" because of the extra employees they

have to hire to cover all those days off.

"I think the predominant theme among the work

force in Germany right now is fear," Dr. Terwiesch

said. "I go back to Germany three or four times a

year, and I have never seen the average person so

pessimistic about his future."

Larry Feick, interim dean of the Katz Graduate

School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh,

said it's natural for consumers everywhere to hold

back when an economy worsens and nemployment

rises. But that tendency is worse in Germany, he

said, because "Germans are much more pessimistic

by nature, and their savings rate is higher by

nature." So instead of trying to spend their way out

of a recession with credit cards, the way some

Americans might do, Germans are socking money

away in a society that discourages buying on credit.

The German government under outgoing chancellor

Gerhard Schroeder has tried to implement some

labor market reforms.

The biggest one was to reduce unemployment

benefits after one year to the same level as welfare

benefits, and put more pressure on unemployed

people to look for jobs. But Dr. Terwiesch said

cutting unemployment benefits by itself "is not the

right move, because at the same time they have to

open up the labor market to create more jobs and

give the unemployed a fair chance to work."

To make matters worse, there is still a huge gap

between the more prosperous western part of

Germany and the former Soviet territory in eastern

Germany. Unemployment in many East German

cities is 20 percent or higher, and young people

have fled those regions in search of jobs elsewhere.

German taxpayers also continue to pay a "solidarity

tax" of more than $100 billion a year to subsidize

the East German economy.

The depth of these problems has made many

observers pessimistic that the new German

government, which will consist of a coalition of the

nation's two largest political parties, will be able to

have much success at righting the economy over the

next few years. As the government tries to figure

out its next moves toward reform, large German

companies have begun to lead the way on their

own, particularly in the auto industry.



Jawboning workers

One significant new deal in recent weeks was

Volkswagen's decision to build a new sport utility

vehicle at its main German plant in Wolfsburg

rather than in Portugal, but only after union leaders

agreed to a special contract that called for longer

work hours and 20 percent lower wages for that

model's production force.

Smaller companies such as Veka and Vollmer can't

jawbone their German workers into cheaper

contracts by threatening to shift production to

lower-cost countries, but they can thrive by tapping

into the much more vibrant world market. By

investing heavily in technology and automation,

Veka has remained the only German company in its

field in North America, Mr. Stucky said, and now

produces 15-20 percent of the more than 30 million

PVC window and door frames in the U.S. market.

Vollmer has found a new growth market in making

and repairing diamond tipped cutting tools used in

the metalworking, rubber and composites

industries, Mr. Kraemer said, but unlike Veka, it's

not likely to build production plants in the United

States. One reason, he said, is that the German

labor system still has one significant edge over

America for manufacturing firms like his -- a strong

apprenticeship system that produces highly skilled

workers who develop a lifetime loyalty to their

firms.

Still, Mr. Kraemer has never regretted coming to

the United States because it offers something

Germany has not yet achieved - a greater sense of

individual autonomy.

"I love going back to visit in Germany, but I don't

get homesick," Mr. Kraemer said. "It's really what

makes me feel very comfortable here - that we are

in charge of our own destiny." Mr. Stucky agrees. "I

always said if there's a chance to move to the U.S.,

I'll take it, and now I've been here for 18 years," he

said. Why did he want to make the move?

"Basically, it was the way business is done here.

There's a lot less bureaucracy."



3.2.13 Does Speaking a Foreign Language Have an Impact on Earnings?

This article is best used with students who are

focused on selecting a career. It is important to stress

that the best job options are available to students who

combine German skills with other competencies.

This is a question that most Americans face and answer in

their education years. It is more relevant as the use of English

as the international common language becomes more

extended. Learning a second language is a possibility

many consider at some point. Language courses are an option

or a requirement in elementary, secondary, and college

education. Private foreign language institutions,

educational materials, and distance courses are

regularly advertised in newspapers and magazines. Reports

in the popular press suggest that speaking a second

language has become a “desirable skill in the work force,

one employers are willing to pay for.”

Despite the salience of the decision of whether to invest in

a second language and the anecdotal evidence that suggests that

it is a valuable skill in the labor market, little research has

been undertaken on the labor market returns to learning a

second language in the United States. The literature

on language acquisition and labor market outcomes has so

far concentrated on the returns to learning English for

immigrants. In this paper, we estimate the returns to

speaking a second language for college graduates who

are native English speakers in the U.S.

We find that college graduates who speak a second

language earn, on average, wages that are two percent higher

than those who don’t. We include a complete set of controls

for general ability using information on grades and college

admission tests and reduce the concern that selection

drives the results controlling the academic major

chosen by the student. We obtain similar results with

simple regression methods if we use nonparametric methods

based on the propensity score and if we exploit the temporal

variation in the knowledge of a second language. The

estimates, thus, are not driven by observable

differences in the composition of the pools of

bilinguals and monolinguals, by the linear functional

form that we impose in OLS regressions, or by

constant unobserved heterogeneity.

To reduce the concern that omitted variables bias our

estimates, we make use of several instrumental variables

(IVs). Using high school and college graduation

requirements as instruments, we estimate more

substantial returns to learning a second language, on the

order of 14 to 30 percent. These results have high

standard errors, but they suggest that OLS estimates may

actually be biased downward.

The estimation of the returns to speaking foreign

languages may have important policy implications. Many

states regularly update their high school graduation

requirements. There is much discussion on the skills

that secondary education should provide. Skills rewarded

in the labor market seem of paramount importance among

these. The relative labor market value of second

language skills should thus weigh heavily in these choices.

Colleges and other educational institutions also need to

make decisions on graduation requirements. This paper

should provide helpful input to these issues.

Furthermore, our results may help us understand

individual decisions on whether to learn a second

language. Human capital theory guides our

understanding of the individual’s decision. One should

invest in the acquisition of a foreign language if the

present value of the future returns for doing so exceeds

the costs. Some of the returns from learning a second

language consist of the direct consumption of services

produced by the individual’s knowledge of the language.

Speaking a second language while traveling abroad,

asking an immigrant shopkeeper for a product in her

native language, and relating to foreign friends are all

examples of these. This paper cannot address them.

The value of the labor market skills that learning a

foreign language provides is the other important

component of the returns to learning the language. Our

objective is to quantify it.

There are several reasons that can make the knowledge of

a foreign language useful in the American labor

market. First, American companies export and

import products to the rest of the world. Knowledge

of a second language may be a valuable asset for

such companies doing business abroad or for

companies catering to immigrants or people of

foreign background within the U.S.



Offering a service in the language of the prospective customers may be demanded from several

government agencies that deal with foreign affairs: diplomatic service, CIA, military intelligence, and the like.

Additionally, an extensive literature suggests that learning a second language may help individuals

develop their cognitive and communicative abilities. Research in linguistics underlines the possible

advantages of bilingualism in terms of intellectual and academic achievement. If speaking a second

language is important for improving cognitive capabilities, we should find that the individuals who speak

a second language are more productive and earn higher wages; at the same time, access to foreign media

and literature may help innovation and adoption of best practices from abroad and improve workers’

productivity.

Source: Introduction from Working Paper 02-16, The Returns of Speaking a Second Language, October 2002.

http://www.phil.frb.org/files/wps/2002/wp02-16.pdf



• The need for Business German knowledge has only become more dominant over the last decade. A global

mindset for Americans is essential for keeping our role as a major player in the international

market.

• A study of 1,250 businesses and industries in the Atlanta and the Southeast indicated they want access to a supply of

college graduates with international business skills.

Among the most desired skills of future employees were: 56% knowledge of the business customs of other

countries, 53% knowledge of the management practices of other countries; 48% knowledge of a foreign language

• Number of departments in colleges which offered Business German courses

1991 - 97 departments

1999 - 141 departments

Here is the breakdown:

Courses offered

German for Business 132

German for Engineering 16

German across the Curriculum 28

Minors offered

German for Business 67

German for Engineering 11

Degrees offered

Bachelor in German for Business 74

Bachelor in German for Engineering 10

MA in German for Business 7

Source: Excerpts from article by Cothran, Bettina and Anne-Katrin Gramberg: Business German: The Next Step - The Birth of a New

Discipline; in: Unterrichtspraxis, 33 (2000): 148-171

3.2.14 The Growth in Business German



The following article was published in March 2005 in the Handelsblatt.

Amerikanische Studenten entdecken die deutsche Sprache: US-Universitäten locken mit

Praktika und speziellen Fächerkombinationen MONICA VON WYSOCKI, NEW YORK HANDELSBLATT, 11.3.2005. Fremdsprachen erfreuen sich bei

Amerikas Studenten wachsender Beliebtheit. Jeder zehnte der insgesamt 14 Millionen US-Studenten lernt derzeit eine

Fremdsprache. Dies ist der höchste Anteil in den vergangenen dreißig Jahren. Und das Fach Deutsch liegt mit fast 100 000

eingeschriebenen Studenten auf dem dritten Platz des Rankings für Fremdsprachen an US-Universitäten - hinter Spanisch und

Französisch. Das geht aus einer Analyse der Modern Language Association of America hervor. Am Ende der Liste stehen

Portugiesisch und Koreanisch.

Diese Entwicklung ist schon deshalb bemerkenswert, weil nach Erhebungen des Goethe-Instituts vom Jahresanfang das

Interesse am Fach "Wirtschaftsdeutsch" weltweit zurückgegangen ist. Demnach ist die Zahl der Studenten, die am Goethe-

Institut die Prüfung im Fach "Wirtschaftsdeutsch International" abgelegt haben, in den vergangenen Jahren um ein Drittel auf nur

noch 763 Studenten gesunken. Die amerikanischen Universitäten haben sich erfolgreich von diesem Trend

abgekoppelt und locken ihre Studenten mit Doppelstudiengängen wie etwa einer Kombination aus Deutsch und

Ingenieurwissenschaften.

Die Modern Language Association of America kommt in ihrer Analyse zu dem Schluss, dass die amerikanischen

Studenten nun zunehmend die Wichtigkeit von Fremdsprachen in einer globalisierten Gesellschaft begreifen. "Heute sind

schon die Erstsemester viel pragmatischer eingestellt und fragen direkt: Was habe ich davon, Deutsch zu studieren?",

sagt Harald Zils, Gastprofessor an der Binghamton University.

Eine wachsende Zahl von US-Universitäten hat den Trend erkannt und bietet entsprechende Progamme an. So hat die

Georgia Tech University, eine Hochschule mit 17.000 Studenten, ein Deutschprogramm für Studenten der

Ingenieurwissenschaften entwickelt. Zum Studium gehört auch ein bezahltes Praktikum bei einem Unternehmen in

Deutschland.

"Der Student kann dann beispielsweise ein Semester an unserer Partneruniversität TU München studieren und ein

Praktikum bei Siemens machen", sagt Bettina Cothran, Professorin an der Georgia Tech University. Für die Studenten kann das

Praktikum bei Siemens auch den Einstieg in das Berufsleben bedeuten. Auch die Unternehmen profitieren von dieser

Entwicklung an den US-Universitäten. "Wir sind bisher von keinem Praktikanten der Georgia Tech enttäuscht worden

und haben fast alle Absolventen entweder bei Siemens in Deutschland oder in den USA fest angestellt", sagt Ricardo Wiedenbrüg,

der sich bei Siemens mit den Universitätskontakten beschäftigt.

Seit 15 Jahren baut die Georgia Tech University immer weitere Partnerschaften mit deutschen Unternehmen auf. Konkret

schlägt sich die Pflege dieser Partnerschaften in den Einschreibezahlen der Universität nieder. Die Georgia Tech verzeichnete

eine Steigerung von 23 Prozent innerhalb von drei Jahren im Fach Deutsch.

Auch das International Engineering Program (IEP) der University of Rhode Island bietet diesen Doppelstudiengang an und

vermittelt die Studenten an deutsche Partnerunternehmen. Seit 1990 entstanden an der Universität 30

Partnerschaften mit Unternehmen in Deutschland und der Schweiz. Französische Unternehmen sind dagegen nicht so

begehrt. Mit ihnen gibt es nur drei Partnerschaften.

Source: www.handelsblattmachtschule.de

3.2.15 American Students Discover German



Here are a few more general links to “all things German.”

• http://german.about.com/

• www.redensarten-index.de

• http://webgerman.com/german/

• www.germanculture.com

The main portal of the Goethe-Institut worldwide is also an excellent cyber starting point

• www.goethe.de

3.2.16 General Links

3.2.1 germany as a worldwide marketplace

Documents