The German or British Way?

The first annual conference of the German-British Forum offers the opportunity to discuss the future of European business, taking into account the differences between the British and the German way of doing business, and what the two countries can learn from each other. The topics central to the discussion are:

• Are the differences between the "Rhine" and "Anglo-Saxon" corporate cultures starting to blur as business becomes more global?

• Can Germany still afford consensus between management and unions? Does greater labour flexibility weaken the bonds of loyalty and experience linking companies and their staff?

• Should businesses have any role in cushioning the social consequences of a drive to rationalisation? Does the emphasis on "shareholder value" mean that a wider group of "stakeholders" will automatically lose out? Which system is best suited to creating jobs?

• What are the most appropriate ways of meeting the diverse economic challenges from the US, the Far East and Eastern Europe? What is the link between the physical location of a company and its international competitiveness? How do shifting patterns of foreign investment affect countries' economic performance? What changes need to be made in adapting our structures of corporate governance?

• What does business want from the European Union? Does the thrust of EU policy support the objective of expanding jobs, growth and innovation across Europe? What is the impact on job and wealth creation of increasing European economic integration? Is the aim of expanding the EU eastwards feasible at a time of high unemployment and budgetary rigour?

• Will the drive to economic and monetary union by 1999 help or hinder growth? What are the lessons of economic experience in Germany, France and Britain for the reform programmes in central and Eastern Europe?