Most leadership literature is based on American experience. Is it possible to identify a more European approach?

The productivity boom benefits the U.S. more than Europe. Five reports explore why.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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Over a ten-year time span, from 1993 to 2003, the early expectations and eventual experiences of European executives were examined in a longitudinal study. In 1993, a cross-sectional sample of executives was polled about their plans and forecasts concerning the coming single market. In 2003, a similar sample of executives was surveyed regarding what they felt had come to pass over the first decade of the single market. The highlights of the study are presented in this article.

Editor's Note: a bit topical, but interesting...

The aging of European populations will threaten living standards and prosperity.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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Is Europe too resistant to change? This is a tough question for Europe's businesses to address as they strive to commercialise ideas that will become winning products and services in the global marketplace. Likewise it is a pressing question for policy makers, as stimulating innovation is one of the most pressing items on the EU agenda. This EBF debate offers discussion on the question by the following: Günter Verheugen, Eric von Hippel, Jos Peeters, John Van Reenen, Mårten Mickos, Tim Jones, Keith Goffin and Rick Mitchell, Svend Otto Remøe, and David Tebbutt.

A number of barriers are limiting growth opportunities in the European market today. This comprehensive report-the result of surveys of about 450 business leaders from the European Union, the United States and Japan-looks at the major business barriers within the single market. We also lay out five key actions companies can take to overcome those barriers.

The E.U.'s growth to 25 countries is forcing multinational managers to recast how they "glocalize."

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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How can Europe breed and grow more pan-European high potential ventures?

What's happening with the European economy these days? With a few notable exceptions, Europe's economies remain mired in a cyclical downturn, with a less-than-promising longer-term outlook. This report, a joint project of Accenture and the European Policy Centre, takes a look at what has transpired in the four years since the Lisbon Summit of the European Union. Despite significant progress in some areas, such as the information society, the Lisbon process seems to have foundered. This report does more than analyze what has taken place. It also makes recommendations for greater-and more sustainable-European economic growth.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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Recent geopolitical events have polarised attitudes in Europe and the US - but how has this affected business? Is Europe more or less confident than it used to be of its distinctive business model? More than ten years after the creation of a European single market, have European companies started to resemble each other (as some economists predicted)? Or is corporate diversity as strong and rich as ever? What are Europe's sources of competitive advantage? How can they be exploited? What will be the impact of EU enlargement?

These are some of the questions EBF's distinguished panel of contributors - a mix of academics, business advisers and business executives - address in the current edition.

Includes articles by:
Jan Svejnar
Frits Bolkestein
Slawomir Magala
Wolfgang Wagner
Roland Berger
Joan Ricart
Geoffrey Owen
Dan Steinbock
Franklin Berrebi
Yves Doz, Jose Santos and Peter Williamson

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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The founding fathers of European socialism are testimony that the principles of good management are universal, no matter what the ideology.

What a treat! European Financial Management has a cool paper by Jay Ritter discussing the differences between the US and European IPO markets. For instance: did you know that in Germany there is a "when issued market" that allows trading in the shares prior to issuance. For what it is worth, this is sort of like how the opening lines are set on NFL football games in Las Vegas. The only question on this one is where to put it. Should it be a corporate story or an international story. Either way, it is a real keeper! [FinanceProfessor.com Annotation]

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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In the third issue of EBF (autumn 2000) the question was posed: Will the internet encourage more responsible business? The debate provoked interest not just because of the 'new' economy angle but because Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) slowly seems to be moving from the periphery of corporate strategy into mainstream European thinking. Here EBF publishes more contributions to that debate. Valérie Swaen and Isabelle Maignan impressively review some of the recent research in the area and outline a wide variety of definitions and measurement methods useful for executives. Next, Viscount Etienne Davignon describes an important campaign to gather and spread best practice in CSR across Europe, Jane Nelson of the Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum reviews the obstacles to further progress, and
Judy Kuszewski and Peter Zollinger of Sustainability introduce new research on corporate sustainability reporting. Finally Josep Lozano, a Professor at Esade, Barcelona argues that companies need to go beyond social responsibility and embrace social innovation.

Editor's Note: I found the contributions by Valérie Swaen & Isabelle Maignan, Jane Nelson, and Judy Kuszewski & Peter Zollinger to be the most worthwhile.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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Business schools in Europe appear to be focusing more on managing their reputation and identity than on disputing the rankings. This is a wise strategy.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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For the more chauvinistic European executive the very question could be impertinent. For the unthinking global imperialist it can be equally dismissed. As far as most of us are concerned this question presents an important challenge at the end of a decade which has seen growing support for the gospel of shareholder value, ever closer European integration, and the rise and rise of an Internet economy which seemingly respects no barriers.

In this section you can read the widely differing conclusions of eight experts - two businessmen, four academics, a consultant and a journalist - invited by EBF to give their views.

There is the writer and commentator Will Hutton, for example, who claims America's economic "miracle" has been greatly exaggerated and that Europe's hour will come soon.

There is Andrew Campbell, whose writings on corporate strategy have forced many business people to re-think their position on diversification and who, by contrast with Hutton, champions the newly "enlightened" Anglo-Saxon model.

Next comes Bob Bischof, a successful Anglo-German entrepreneur, whose short essay will surely shake the complacency of Little Englanders, followed by a joint contribution from the distinguished French academics Jean-Paul Larçon and Bernard Ramamantsoa praising European diversity.

Vic Luck, Managing Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers Management Consulting Practice in Europe, Middle East and Africa, draws on his wide experience of working with businesses in many different countries; while in a more philosophical contribution Philippe de Woot, author of an agenda setting book on this topic, urges mangers to consider the shared values of European society.

Finally Klaus Esser, chairman of Dusseldorf based Mannesmann, concludes with some positive but carefully chosen words about shareholder value.

Editor's Note: this was the first issue of EBF (an excellent magazine) and thus is several years old. Nevertheless, the discussion is of long-lasting relevance and significant interest.

A follow-up set of articles on this topic can be found at:
http://www.ebfonline.com/at_forum/at_forum.asp?id=33

The European Union is emerging as a formidable competitor among world economies, thanks to an aptitude for cross-border management and an ease with cultural diversity.

Silicon Valley still dominates the technology map, but European high-tech clusters are closing in.

Editor's Note: aside from the main topic, this article offers a decent overview of the concept of technology clusters.

In today's challenging economic environment, the entrepreneurial skills of Europeans have never been more important. A new study on entrepreneurship identifies significant barriers that must be overcome if the entrepreneurial culture in Europe as a whole is to be strengthened.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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It was meant to be the decade that launched Europe as a global economic superpower. Companies operating inside the EU would achieve new economies of scale as internal trade barriers tumbled, cross-border competition would hasten the restructuring of inefficient businesses, and national protectionism would become a thing of the past. But what has happened since the 'arrival' of the Single Market on 1st January 1993? To what extent do businesses really treat Europe as a single entity? Which sectors have benefited, which remain frustrated by politicians' inability to tear down national rules and regulations? Has the euro made a difference? How does Europe compare to other regions of the world? And what are the chances of Europe being the most competitive knowledge-based economy by 2010?

Update: this debate is continued with three supplmental articles at
http://www.ebfonline.com/at_forum/at_forum.asp?id=372 (the pricing article is quite interesting actually)

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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"Europe's top performing employers see people as a vital strategic asset. In a survey undertaken by Hewitt Associates in France, Germany, UK and Austria top performers ranked human resources (HR) first when asked what would have most impact on their ability to compete in Europe...Hewitt Associates' 'Best Employer Best Results' survey sought to understand how the management and development of an organisation's people resource affects business. Furthermore, it aimed to identify what makes the best, the 'Best'."

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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Companies, investors and policymakers have had their faith in financial markets shaken recently, even though questionable market practices and conflicts of interest were already rife. Read the EBF debate which addresses the root causes of the problem, possible solutions and the outlook for international accounting standards and further European integration. EBF's distinguished contributors are: Bocconi Professor Valter Lazzari; Tony Jackson, ex-market analyst and former head of the FT's Lex Column; Sir David Tweedie, chairman of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB); Stefano Micossi of Italy's Assonime; Olivier Lefebvre and André Went of Euronext; Cees Maas of ING; Andreas Grünbichler and Patrick Darlap of the Austrian Financial Market Authority; Christopher Huhne, MEP; Jaap Winter; and Brett Savill and Alexander Bregonje of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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US experience shows that changing the chief executive is not necessarily a panacea for improved company performance. Europeans should take note.

Here is a collection of reports and articles from Accenture which attempts to deliver distinctive points of view on important issues affecting the European business landscape.
- EU Enlargement and Transformations in Central & Eastern Europe
- European eCommerce and Competitiveness
- Scenarios for the Future in Europe
These perspectives are based on specially-commissioned surveys, interviews with CEOs, case studies of leading companies and research by Accenture's Policy and Corporate Affairs team.

Note: Older EBF articles are not currently online. I'm not sure if this is temporary or permanent. If you click you will be taken to the Archive.org site to find an archived copy.

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Analysis of France over the last 20 years suggests that the Bourse is playing a bigger role in the economy - but the link to innovation and productivity is more complex.

BusinessWeek correspondents and editors have chosen 50 individuals at the forefront of change. They are presented in the following categories:
- MANAGERS
- INNOVATORS
- AGENDA SETTERS
- FINANCIERS
- ENTREPRENEURS
- CHALLENGERS