Business Diplomacy: Collaboration between industry and government, Den Haag - Hoofdinhoud

International business and government relations in a complex global economy

Doing business internationally means dealing with differences between countries in terms of formal and informal institutional arrangements. To survive in today’s global economy as an international firm requires skills and resources for managing complex interactions with governments, multilateral institutions, and global social movements; being efficient and competitive is not sufficient. The current situation that international businesses face is highly complex; global companies need to manage rapidly changing political/economic business environments, thereby dealing with multiple stakeholders such as host governments and NGOs. International businesses need to establish long-term relationships with stakeholders and develop cooperative strategies. They sometimes experience problems with the management of obstacles outside their direct sphere of control. And they also have to deal with the fragmentation of international rule sets and the return of traditional risks like expropriation and nationalization. These issues extend beyond the continuing challenges of efficiency and competitiveness.

The need for business diplomacy

All this forces international businesses to deploy diplomacy. But are they prepared for these challenges? Do they possess the skills and resources? And how do stakeholders such as governments respond? Are they willing to be open about intensified relations with international businesses? Our invited guest speaker will deal with these questions and explain how a global company such as Royal DSM is employing business diplomacy. He will call for more transparency in international business – government relations and for a more intensified collaboration between industry and government in order to solve today’s global challenges.

Business diplomacy research seminar

This public lecture is the conclusion of a one-day research seminar on business diplomacy where scholars from around the world will have presented and discussed their research papers. The ultimate aim is to produce a special issue on business diplomacy for The Hague Journal of Diplomacy.

Program:

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  16.00-16.15 - Introduction to Business Diplomacy: Findings from the expert meeting “Business Diplomacy: International Relations in International Business”, Shaun Riordan, Senior visiting fellow,Clingendael Institute
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  16.15-17.00 - Business diplomacy: collaboration between industry and government Atzo Nicolai, President ofl DSM Netherlands
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  1700-17.30 - Q&A and discussion moderated by Prof. Jan Melissen
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  17.30 - Drinks

This event is co-organized by

Jennifer Kesteleyn, PhD Student, University of Ghent Jan Melissen, Director of Research, Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael Shaun Riordan, Senior Visiting Fellow, Netherlands Institute of International Relations Clingendael Huub Ruel, Senior Researcher, University of Twente.