U.S. Business and Today's Germany A Guide for Corporate Executives and Attorneys

U.S. firms doing business in Germany are succeeding far better than usually reported. Indeed, 14 of the top 1,700 American companies with direct investment in Germany placed among the top 100 German industrial firms in sales in 1994, a fact that made big news in Germany but was never mentioned in the U.S. press. Here now, in one succinct, readable volume, is all of the vital information that American companies, and companies elsewhere, will need to enter and succeed in this lucrative German market. Certainly there are drawbacks, but attorneys James A. Hart and Dieter Schultze-Zeu make clear there are significant advantages as well, and in certain important ways it may be even easier to do business there than in other major industrial countries such as Japan.

The authors look carefully at the scope of U.S.-German business, and then compare the three economic superpowers — Germany, Japan, and the United States — in terms of such variables as gross domestic product, economic growth, and industrial production. They review the political, economic, and social considerations that have emerged from the unification of West and East Germany, and show their effects on the ways in which business in Germany is now done. They examine the principle methods of selling to Germany, the impact of the German government and legal system on American businesses. Then they discuss in detail specifics such as the legal forms of business, Germany's accounting and tax laws, and laws relating to product liability, anti-trust, labor, and social security. Also covered are the German banking and accounting systems, stock markets, and the presence of U.S. commercial banks in Germany. Of special interest are case histories of several important U.S. companies doing business there. An exceptionally useful guide for corporate executives, attorneys, and a cogent introduction to the German business environment for students, researchers, and analysts in the academic community.

JAMES A. HART is an international lawyer specializing in German business.

DIETER SCHULTZE-ZEU has earned a J.D. in law after study at Berlin, Frankfurt, and Kiel Universities. He served as district judge in Mainz and then for 10 years as a corporation lawyer for Vickers in London. In 1972 he became a founder and a senior partner of Ackermann and Schultze-Zeu in Berlin. As a lawyer and notary he has represented numerous American clients. He authored "Foreign Trade Laws of the German Democratic Republic" published by Chase Manhattan Bank in 1977, was editor of Berlin Law Letter, and has published many articles in German law reviews. He is also a member of the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany