The Spring 2002 Issue contains a.o. the following articles:

BUSINESS

The United East India Company
The year 1602 saw the establishment of the United East India Company, or VOC (Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie). This Dutch company was not only the oldest multinational in our modern world economy, but also became by far the largest, during a period of two centuries. In this issue, a short analysis of the business life of this company; the reasons behind its establishment, success and ultimate downfall.
www.voc2002.nl

EXPATRIATE MANAGEMENT

Meetings in an International Environment
We are a meeting society – a world made up of small groups that come together to share information, plan, solve problems, criticize or praise, make new decisions or find out what went wrong with old ones. Successful international meetings recognize and effectively manage cultural differences, while first and foremost putting the emphasis on our common interests as members of the same race – the human race.
An analysis of the virtues, needs and increasing complexities of meetings and the influence of the different national cultures on the involved processes and expectations.
Robin Mulder, e-mail: robin.mulder@hi.nl

EXPAT LIVING

Corporate Culture in a Cross-Cultural Perspective
New Ways for Leaders, Managers and Purveyors of Culture to Approach the Cross-Cultural Development of the Desired Working Culture
After a merger or take-over, the success of the new organisation often also depends on the successful cooperation between the representatives of various cultures. The responsible leaders face a difficult task in mobilising the intelligence and creativity of staff from various cultures and in securing their commitment. Many know full well that bridging different cultures requires a great deal of energy. Stereotyping is the biggest pitfall when trying to achieve successful cooperation between different cultures. Leaders, managers and purveyors of culture can follow new avenues, described in this article, in their ambition to achieve a joint working culture when starting from different international cultures.
Pim Hattink and Frans Breumelhof