SHANGHAI SOUTH CHINA ALL CHINA - AHKs

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A Voice of Success Learning German is on the Rise in China It is true that English is the language that most employees and managers have in common in many German companies in China. In the conference room of a German company’s regional branch office in Shanghai, we will most likely listen to the German manager flown in from Frankfurt lining out the company’s strategies in English. The Japanese head of the Tokyo branch and the Chinese head of the Greater China office will join him in confirming that English is language No. 1 when it comes to business. But is that really the end of the story? A Growing Interest at its Roots Considering the omnipresence of English in international business, it may come as a surprise why so many young Chinese are still eager to learn German. The number of students learning the language for using it “on the job” appears to be rising, while the number of students signing up for German Language and Literature Studies - especially with regards to philological contents - accounts only for around one fifth of all learners. The latest related numbers are dating back to 2005, when the Permanent Committee for German as a Foreign Language (StaDaF) conducted a survey headed by the Goethe-Institut. Most of the approximately 30,000 Chinese learners of German language in 2005 did course-related studies of German, many of them intending to study abroad. The example of the Goethe- Jinchuang Language Center Shanghai, where the number of course participants skyrocketed from 524 in the first year to 1,243 in the second, shows that a large part of the growing interest is related to business. It is straightforward to find reasons for this trend. Most people only use foreign languages when they have to and speak their mother tongue whenever they can and think it is remotely appropriate. That often leaves German as the dominant language within German companies abroad, especially when it comes to the ‘unofficial’ communication called Flurfunk in German that refers to the informal flow of information within the office. Encounters in the corridor and chats in front of the coffee machine are examples of talk at work, but not entirely about work. There is not much doubt that English is sometimes just a much more efficient language than German. It has become like a joker or – to borrow a comparison from finance - a Master Card: accepted everywhere and much easier to use than cash. Nevertheless German managers still tend to use German abroad for the same reasons they use cash more often than their credit card: it can be faster, more efficient and more secure. German as a Strategy Tool Understanding the informal communication flow among their foreign co-workers is only one secondary aspect of how Chinese employees benefit from learning German. Below are five important business reasons why basic knowledge of German among local employees can be essential for German companies in their success abroad. 1. Staff Retention In China it has become a big issue that many employees are leaving their company after a very short period of time. While the reasons may be complex, all have more in common with atmosphere at work than one initially might think. Office communication consumes more time than communication at home - so it is straightforward that it should proceed without much barriers. Modern language institutes like Goethe-Institut and its network focus on the training of communication skills in German: The participants interact in small groups and practice speaking patterns that come right out of real-life situations. 2. Engagement More active and engaged employees are often those who have a more complete knowledge of the company’s whole cycle. The better one knows how each work flow is integrated into the bigger picture, the more likely it is that this person will act with increased foresight and initiative. A lot of such crucial company information is often available only on the German company website and documentation in German language, making some basic language skills necessary. www.china.ahk.de Goethe-Jinchuang Language Center Shanghai Goethe-Jinchuang Language Centre offers the courses and examinations of the renowned Goethe-Institut in Shanghai. The school adopts the principles of communicative teaching and small class system; participants learn actively and with fun. Class types range from standard intensive to individual and company courses and special preparation for TestDaF. The school has also established a centre for advanced teacher’s education. 628 Julu Lu, Shanghai 200040 ' 021 3222-0316 | * 021 6289-7762 www.goethe-slz.sh.cn 3. Security The issue of security is closely connected to the subject of staff retention and engagement. Employees that are better integrated and educated are likely to make fewer mistakes and even prevent security threats. 4. Branding German brands in China reflect an image of precisely manufactured, innovative goods. It pays off to have a company’s goods perceived as originating from Germany; in turn there is no complete German branding without German language. 5. Cultural Preparation The company’s staff abroad – and not only its management - frequently face the need of getting in touch with German colleagues or travel to Germany for business purposes. Basic cultural preparation can easily be integrated into class hours. The five above mentioned aspects - staff retention, engagement, security, branding, cultural preparation - all make it more likely for a company integrating German language in its policy and philosophy to become a longterm winner abroad. So why shouldn’t it be done in China, where the German language is already well received and popular? There is no need to cancel the seminars in Business English of course, or to make it an obligation for all staff to sound like they carry a German passport. Speaking German is not a religion, but is something to believe in, too. Mr. Matthias von Gehlen is Director of Goethe-Jinchuang Sprachlernzentrum Shanghai. For further information, please contact him at * direktor@goethe-slz.sh.cn 2010 April - May 61
COMMUNITY 62 April - May 2010 ENVIRONMENT Sun Shining High on PV Business Conference Unveils New Cooperation Models and Investment Opportunities in the Solar Sector Germany is the world leader in renewable energy. Offering both opportunities for investment as well as know-how for project development, Germany is an ideal partner for China. There were plenty of reasons to launch the 1 st Sino-German Cooperation Conference on PV Project Development, System Integration and Investment, that was held on 15 th January in Shanghai. The event organised by NRW.INVEST, promotion agency for one of the most dynamic areas in Germany, in cooperation with the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Shanghai, econet china and WOTAX international, offered a glimpse on new opportunities for cooperation between China and Germany. From Export to Cooperation Until now, most of the business between those countries was limited to sourcing of the solar modules in China. Around 95% of the Chinese production output – the country has become the world’s biggest producer of solar modules – was meant for export, heading mostly to Europe. With the financial crisis, the export market plummeted and the Chinese government started fostering domestic demand. Facing this backdrop, new cooperation opportunities are emerging: Chinese companies are increasingly interested in buying assets abroad, and acquiring know-how and market share. An expansion opportunity for them lies in German investing - possibly in NRW - one of the most attractive countries due to its high level R&D potential, efficient infrastructure and status of an energy and economic centre of Europe. Another area for cooperation is the development of projects in China. Thanks to an increasingly generous incentive programme, projects are springing up across the country. While the cell and module manufacturing industry has reached a certain maturity, there is still a need for knowledge and experience in the field of project design and system integration. This is where cooperating with Germany’s leading system integrators can come in handy. First Milestone in Green IT Mr. Jörg Heil of hartung:consult (left) accepting the certification from Mr. Frank Quosdorf hartung:consult, an SAP consultancy with a track record of successfully planning and implementing SAP for more than 200 enterprises in China, is the first to achieve a 5-star econet green IT rating for its Shanghai office. According to Frank Quosdorf, co-founder and lead developer of the certification system, the hartung certification marked an important milestone on the road to lowering China’s sky-rocking energy consumption. The econet Green IT rating and certification system has been jointly developed by Mr. Quosdorf and econet china, an initiative for promotion of Sino-German cooperation for sus- Support from the Top Presentation from experts on investment issues and cooperation structuring in the solar industry enabled Ms. Magali Menant (econet china), Mr. Michael Voigt (Bayer Technology Services) and Mr. Qing Zhou 周庆, Secretary of Party Working Committee of the Investment Promotion Bureau of Jiangsu Jintan Economic Development Zone the forum participants to gather ideas on possible development schemes. Panel discussions engaged the participants in the latest development issues. Mr. Li Junfeng, Deputy Director of the Energy Research Institute of the NDRC and renowned expert of the renewable energy scene, depicted the Chinese solar energy market landscape and provided insider knowledge on opportunities for Sino-German cooperation. A highlight of the event was the panel with Dr. Niels Kegel (Monitor Group), a European expert of the solar industry, Mr. Zhou Rudong, Head of Chinese corporates at Commerzbank and Mr. Xu Dajiang, Strategic Planning Director of Trina Solar. Here, concrete ways of potential cooperation were identified and worked out together with the panellists. Following the conference, members of the German company delegation pursued their journey to Changzhou, a hotbed for the solar industry in Jiangsu, the Chinese sister province of North Rhine- Westphalia. Visits to leading companies in the field such as Trina Solar filled the agenda. A dinner hosted by Vice Party Secretary Dai underlined the interest and support of the government for an increasing Sino-German cooperation in the area of solar PV. For further information on projects and investment opportunities in the solar sector, please contact Ms. Magali Menant, Head of the Building, Energy and Environment department of German Industry and Commerce in Shanghai. ' 021 5081- 2266 ext.1698 | * inquiry@econet-china.com tainability under the roof of the German Chamber in China. The econet Green IT rating is part of a larger scheme named China Green IT initiative, aiming to contribute to lowering IT-driven energy consumption in China by 30% within five years. Mr. Jörg Heil, General Manager of hartung:consult, reasoned, “We are benefiting from the ideas and recommendations the econet Green IT experts brought to us covering all segments of IT operations from managing our assets to operating our server room.” Following this first audit and certification, econet china will promote the initiative among the German community and hopes to gather more Best Practice examples. Quosdorf advanced by mentioning that “the initiative plans to certify up to one enterprise per week and soon result in a larger number of companies taking an active role in showing China’s ability to contribute to a sustainable society.”
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SHANGHAI SOUTH CHINA ALL CHINA - AHKs

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