On Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:33:37 -0700, "John R. Carroll"
wrote:
snip
It's happened here to George. One that wasn't mentioned was Siemens or
Thyssen. I forget which one
I wouldn't say it's indicative. Would you?
snip
It is indicative, but not definitive, and appears to have
involved both Siemens and Thyssen.

Before we charge more windmills by attempting to impose
German style corporate goverance/labor relations on American
corporations, it is critical that far more in-depth work be
done. This may well be another situation where something
works and works well in the German society/culture but is
not exportable. FWIW -- much of their vocational education
appears to fall into this category.

Siemens was indeed involved in paying hidden commissions
[bribes].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siemens
snip
Bribery case

Siemens agreed to pay a record $1.34 billion in fines in
December 2008[25] after being investigated for serious
bribery, involving Heinz-Joachim Neubürger, former chief
financial officer, Karl-Hermann Baumann, another former CFO
and ex chairman, and Johannes Feldmayer, a former management
board member.[26] The investigation found questionable
payments of roughly €1.3 billion, from 2002 to 2006 that
triggered a broad range of inquiries in Germany, the United
States and many other countries.[27]

In May 2007 a German court convicted two former executives
of paying about €6 million in bribes from 1999 to 2002 to
help Siemens win natural gas turbine supply contracts with
Enel, an Italian energy company. The contracts were valued
at about €450 million. Siemens was fined €38 million.[28]
snip

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/st...line-item.html

Thyssen

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/bu...s-1311321.html

http://meetings.abanet.org/webupload...Newsletter.pdf

http://www.whitecollarcrime.co.za/news.php?item.101

http://www.economist.com/blogs/freee...vereign_debt_0


Unka George (George McDuffee)
...............................
The past is a foreign country;
they do things differently there.
L. P. Hartley (1895-1972), British author.
The Go-Between, Prologue (1953).