Germany Team 7

Basic chemical plant Freeport, TX

 Sean Jones- Vice President of E-Solutions  Background Originally from Texas Went to UT Asked to transfer to Germany  Adjusting to the Culture Cultural Awareness Seminar Village Living – Slower Pace Learning Language  How would you sum up your first few months? “Very difficult language to learn, probably gave me the biggest headache”

 Business Etiquette  Risk Adversity Ambiguity Ex Pat Testimony  Were there things that surprised you about the way people thought or worked?  “Many things, very process oriented, detailed, slower in decision process, argumentative, risk adverse. Germans are very conscientious; they want many people to agree, no one wants to stand out.”

 Employee Challenges Relationships/ Interactions with employees Managing As a result- changed his management style  How do the employees in the business environment see you? “As entrepreneurial and adventurous but sometimes not believable. They want you to show them that you have things under control and that you know what you’re doing. Identifying problems gains trust, but you can’t just say I think we can work though it you have to show them how you are going to accomplish it.”

 Mr. Fareed Mohammed  V.P. Technology/Architecture  Germany 4 ½ yrs 2002 – 2007  Decision making “Analysis Paralysis”  Still manages team

 Advice  Be open minded  You get out what you put in  Transfer of knowledge Remember the position of both sides and try to combine the knowledge you have gained from both countries.

 Why did you chose your specific university?  The reputation of the university  The unique degree programs that are offered  Its location related to cost  Convenience and proximity to friends and family

 Do you have any plans to continue studying for an advanced degree?  Most of the students plan on pursing some sort of graduate level degree  Globalization has caused an increased competition in a now multinational job market

 How many languages do you speak?  German and English among others  Understand Ancient written languages

 What kind of job do you hope to get once you graduate?  A job directly related to their area of study  What they want from their future job  Work Domestically or Internationally?  Most answered Internationally  Most companies operate internationally

 What do you think about globalization?  Most students felt globalization was a positive thing  Do you think your school has prepared you to compete for jobs in the global marketplace?  Most students felt that their school had prepared them for globalization  Those who didn’t feel prepared had not studied abroad or planned to work internationally

 Do you feel there are any cultures that are closely related to your native culture? Why?  There are similarities in other cultures  Difference are what stand out

 If you could tell Americans one thing about your culture, what would it be?  Varied in detail but were related to German scheduling and planning  Confirmed by our expatriate and repatriate experience

 What are some stereotypes you have of Americans?  The questions themed around Americans being self centered and egotistic  Obese and live off fast food