De politicoloog in de internationale onderneming

Abstract

The political scientist whose task consists of giving political advice to management in support of its active adaptation policy with regard to political developments, is as yet a rather new phenomenon. The main purpose of this article is to show for what reasons international enterprises may decide to employ political analysts and how these specialists fullfil their task by tracing political risks and helping to minimize and/or evade them. A short description is given of changes in political environments which force international enterprises to take political circumstances more fully into consideration in the formulation of their policy than before. These changes include the growing influence of political authorities in business and the passing of the colonial order with the concomitant rise of the third world. Apart from these changes in political environments a number of criteria can be distinguished (as Richard D. Robinson has done) which determine the political vulnerability of specific industries. The practical consequences of the increased vulnerability are that international entrepreneurs ate limiting the consequences of political risks as much as possible by investment guarantee systems and the like and for instance by taking political scientists into their service. With regard to strategic business policy these political scientists may be asked to advise on the political stability in the country concerned, on the nature of the political regime and the attitude of its government with respect to private (foreign) enterprises. The rise of regional groupings and the relations of the host country with the country of origin of the international enterprises must also be taken into consideration. With regard to tactical business policy political factors such as the social forces behind a particular governmental policy, the political attachments and position of the governmental officials with whom the international enterprises has to work etc. have to be evaluated. These and other relevant political factors are mentioned and illustrated and in conclusion some methodological remarks are made.