Apr
6
2010
The idea of selling food stuff online goes way back to the dot.com period 10 years ago. But the early attempts did not fare well and in recent time we can only point to one really big succes – Tesco from UK, which generate 10 percent of it’s revenue from online sales. Quite impressive.
Now the German newstarter from Dortmund – Froodies – tries to take on the local market in Ruhr.
The concept behind Froodies has been nominated to the best internet business idea of 2010. On the 13th. of April we’ll know if Froodies claimed the title.
Apr
5
2010
We all know that ‘Gründlichkeit’ is a German virtue. But it may have gone too far in Hamburg, where long-term unemployed, who receive state money under the Hartz IV reform will have to do jobtraining in a fake Supermarket – selling inflatable cheese, bottles full of tinted water and paying with plastic money.
Photo: Oliver Trenkamp
According to Der Spiegel Hamburg’s simulated shopping trip is costing German taxpayers millions and delivering little success.
Many find these kind of jobtraining schemes nonsense and humiliating. I guess the Germans looked to the danish experience when designing labor market reforms. The Danish experience shows that education is not a good tools for getting long-term unemployed back to work and public training schemes doesn’t work either. The best way is to have private companies train the unemployed. But during the crisis with low demand for labor one shouldn’t expect miracles from these training schemes.
Mar
31
2010
Normally you would expect Germany bashing from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This time it’s different. In the yearly consultation on German economy, IMF has a very positive assessment of the German labor market, which is usually regarded as hopelessly stiff.
But the introduction of Kurzarbeit – a scheme introducing government subsidy for short-time work – did wonders. German unemployment bare rose during the recession -- 1,5 million employees or 3.5 percent of the labor force were supported on Kurzarbeit at it’s peak – many of them in the export sector.
“Unemployment figures barely moved during the recession, which is quite remarkable. Some observers even talk of an employment miracle” Juha Kähkönen, Chief of IMF mission for Germany
Whereas the labor market has held up good, growth are picking up at a slow pace. IMF project a growth of 1.2 percent this year accelerating to 1,7 percent I 2011.
IMF Article IV Consultation with Germany
Mar
29
2010
This is so funny. According to Der Spiegel a German Company now has the permission to brew beer and produce clothing under the name ‘Fucking Hell’. While it may be offensive for the British, the beer and clothes are supposedly named after the Austrian town called Fucking and Hell means Light in German.
Well, it really sounds like a sophisticated joke, and there could be more to come. What about the towns of Kissing and Petting in Bavaria, or Pissing in Eastern Germany. What should they produce?
Mar
28
2010
Now Schalke 04 takes the lead in the German Bundesliga after at 2-0 victory over Leverkusen. But the team from Gelsenkirchen is not only on top of the League, moneywise it’s doing quite well as also.
The yearly ‘Football Money League’ from Deloitte shows that Ruhrgebiet has two team in among the most succesfull Football clubs moneywise. Schalke 04 is number 16 in the moneyleague with yearly revenues of 124,5 millon €. Borussia Dortmund is number 18 with revenues of 103,5 million €.
Well, have to admit that other German clubs perform good as well. Bayern München is number 4, Hamburger SV number 11 and Werder Bremen number 17.
Number 1,2 and 3 are Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Manchester United.
Mar
24
2010
It might be that China has become the Worlds biggest exporter in front of Germany, but Germany has shown muscles in China by raising it’s exports to China by 7 percent in 2009. Only that Ruhr and Nordrhein-Westfalen (NRW) is not doing good in China.
Since 2005 has raised it’s exports to China by 33 percent, clearly behind the German average of 59 percent in the same period. Whereas 24 percent of all German exports to China came from NRW in 2005, the share is now down to 19 percent – probably because China is demanding more and more German cars – Audi’s – produced elsewhere.
On the other hand NRW has something to offer for the Chinese. Out of 102 foreign companies making direct investments in NRW, 47 was from China, like the big Telecommunication specialist Huawei, who invested 20 million Euros in a new seat in Düsseldorf, whereby creating 200 high-qualified jobs.
Mar
22
2010
This is not about being political correct, but simply a question about attracting the best talents. This was – according to HR manager Thomas Sattelberger – the main point behind the decision in Deutsche Telekom to put in force quota for Women in the Management layer. By 2015 the share of Women in Management should be 30 percent, reflecting the overall share of Women in the huge Telecom Company.
While such a statement is sure to raise publlic debate, it seems that the vast majority of the major German companies will not follow in the footsteps of Deutsche Telekom. According to a survey conducted by the Magazine WirtschaftsWoche 85 percent out of 160 companies surveyed on the German stock exchanges, will not have quotas for Women.
Mar
21
2010
5 Germans make it into the top 100 list on the Forbes list of the richest persons in the world. And the richest German is of course Karl Albrecht, the founder of the huge Retailer Aldi. He’s good for 19,5 billion euro, which makes him the 10th richest in the world. Karl Albrecht rules Aldi Süd from Mülheim an der Ruhr, and his brother Theo Albrecht rules Aldi Nord from Essen. Theo is btw, the 3rd. richest German – 13,9 billion euro.
Only Michael Otto, from Otto Group, stand between the two Aldi-brother. Micheal Otto, who lives in Hamburg, is no. 2 in Germany. His fortune is 15,5 billion euro.
A woman, Susanne Klatten, Bad Homberg, makes it into the 4th place in Germany with respectable 9,2 billion euro on the bank account. Her fortune is based on heritage from a stake in BMW.
Placed at no. 99 in the world and no. 5 in Germany we find August von Finck, Thurgau, with 6,1 billion euro. August is son of banker Wilhelm von Finck, founder of insurance giant Allianz and private bank Merck, Finck & Co. They where sold to Barclay’s Bank in 1990 and yes, it gave him lot’s of money.
Btw. Bill Gates is no longer the richest in the world. It’s a Mexican, Carlos Slim, a local Telecom Tycoon. He is good for 44,4 billion euro.
Mar
20
2010
This is the official video for Ruhr 2010. I’ll soon go and visit ‘Zollverein’ in Essen, the old Coalmine, which is now UNESCO World Heritage. Will I see you there?
Mar
18
2010
Das Ruhrgebiet atmet nicht mehr Staub, sondern Zukunft
It’s true, Ruhrgebiet, the 170 year old Coal region of Germany, is trying to get rid of the dusty image of a region in decline and is betting big on a future on the Cool side of life. Throwing more than sponsor 60 million Euros into new Cultural activities, the local Community, which consist of 5,3 million people in 53 towns, will show the entire World that the region has an exiting new future. Where the old Coal jobs disappear, new jobs in Tourism and Experience Economy will arise.
Sure it has backing from the fact, that Ruhr was elected Cultural Capital of Europe 2010 and thus get’s a lot of international exposure. The need for Ruhr to change has been obvious for many years, even if the mining industry received 120 billion Euros in state subsidy since 1958. Of 200 Coal mines at the peak, only 4 are still in use today, and they might close in the coming years.
Since 1989 old industrial sites have been transformed into tourist attractions and created 300.000 jobs in Tourism. But this cannot continue and jobs has now to found elsewhere. The jury is still out, whether the project of creating new Cool jobs in the Cultural sphere – Museums, Theaters, Arts, Music – will succeed.
In one little town, Hamm, in the north-east corner of Ruhrgebiet they began the transformation quite litterally already when the Maximillian Coal mine closed. The artist Horst Rellecke transformed the old buildings into the world largest Elephant sculpture, made of glass. At quite impressive sight.