An up-to-date look at the latest thinking on Corporate Governance, capturing the wealth of experience of some 60 company secretaries in the world's top companies, whose job it is to make corporate governance work. A must for anyone who has ever had to make tough decisions on their board and wondered how their peers might have done it.

Social and environmental issues can be very complex and overwhelming for managers. A partnership seems like an obvious solution. But what type of partnership is appropriate, what are the pitfalls and how can they be overcome? The authors use the experiences of a number of experts in companies, NGOs and governmental bodies to find the answers.

It is a well-known claim today that pressure on companies to become more responsible in increasing. However, is this based on fact or is merely wishful-thinking? The evidence obtained across nine stakeholder groups in Europe is sobering indeed in the context of globalization and the constant striving for competitiveness. This book provides an honest and in-depth analysis of how stakeholders themselves assess and influence corporate sustainability. It is an eye-opener, both for companies and for the stakeholders.

Most academics and certainly most sustainability managers agree that research on the "business case" for sustainability has been very inconclusive. In fact many have simply decided that the business case for sustainability is elusive. This book goes further than ever before in trying to be more specific about the economic rationale for corporate sustainability, by approaching this issue on an industry-specific level. To do this, empirical evidence was gathered from managers in nine industries, along with their stakeholders, during an extensive and ambitious research project. The book gives a detailed and representative insight of the business case in the nine sectors but also a unique cross-industry perspective on this issue.

"Ulrich Steger’s new book, Corporate Diplomacy, opens the door to a new perception of what responsible and sustainable leadership is all about and broadens our vision to better grasp the complexity of the global agenda." —Jürgen Dormann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Aventis SA

"This book is a timely reminder that we are all sitting in the same boat, whether we represent business, NGOs or government: we all carry a joint, yet differentiated responsibility for the fate of future generations. For me it is also a stark manifestation of the fact that diplomacy simply understood as defence strategy, or a tactic to camouflage discord, is not sustainable. Corporate diplomacy hinges on the social and environmental responsibility and the credibility of a company, as much as it is about explaining and positioning its business case." —Dr Claude Martin, Director General, WWF International

"Ulrich Steger deals with the challenges of how to communicate efficiently with public networks, whether they are governments, unions, NGOs, the press or the general public, both in normal times and in times of corporate crises. The IMD background of Ulrich Steger guarantees that we are not exposed to theory but to well researched and structured practice." —Hans-Dietrich Winkhaus, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Telekom, former CEO of Henkel

"Whatever happens with globalization, corporate diplomacy will be a twenty-first century growth area, and Ulrich Steger is particularly well qualified to explore the emerging agenda and get under the skin of the new breed of corporate diplomats. But read this book well. Above all, understand the competing styles of diplomacy - from 'Nice Guy' through to 'Stealth Bomber' - before you take the plunge." —John Elkington, Co-founder and Chairman of SustainAbility

"Rather than traversing the familiar ground of 'corporate social responsibility', Corporate Diplomacy charts a new course, more appropriate to the turbulent and uncertain waters that lie ahead. With the anti-globalization wave on the rise, and its associated swarm of internet-savvy NGOs, organized criminals, and global terrorists, 'managing stakeholders' will no longer be sufficient. More important will be the development of a corporate 'early warning system' that seeks out weak signals, engages extreme views, and engenders open-mindedness. In this book, Steger has provided both the strategic logic and the tools to chart this course." —Professor Stuart Hart, Director, Center for Sustainable Enterprise, Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina

"Corporate Diplomacy deals with a topic that has become highly relevant for corporations: how companies should best address a public policy agenda which increasingly includes sustainability issues outside the traditional role of business to create wealth and jobs. The book offers valuable insights and advice to corporate management on how to fulfil this new diplomatic role." —Björn Stigson, President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

Social and environmental issues can be very complex and overwhelming for managers. A partnership seems like an obvious solution. But what type of partnership is appropriate, what are the pitfalls and how can they be overcome? The authors use the experiences of a number of experts in companies, NGOs and governmental bodies to find the answers.

An up-to-date look at the latest thinking on Corporate Governance, capturing the wealth of experience of some 60 company secretaries in the world's top companies, whose job it is to make corporate governance work. A must for anyone who has ever had to make tough decisions on their board and wondered how their peers might have done it.

Most academics and certainly most sustainability managers agree that research on the 'business case' for sustainability has been very inconclusive. In fact many have simply decided that the business case for sustainability is elusive. This book goes further than ever before in trying to be more specific about the economic rationale for corporate sustainability, by approaching this issue on an industry-specific level. To do this, empirical evidence was gathered from managers in nine industries, along with their stakeholders, during an extensive and ambitious research project. The book gives a detailed and representative insight of the business case in the nine sectors but also a unique cross-industry perspective on this issue.

Fast alle Energieszenarien stA1/4tzen sich auf Trends, die auf ein enormes Wachstum des Energiebedarfs in den nAchsten Jahrzehnten hinauslaufen. Auf internationalen Konferenzen beschAftigt man sich indes mit dem Gegenteil: einer massiven Verringerung der Treibhausgasemissionen, vor allem der durch den Verbrauch von Energie verursachten CO2-Emissionen. Experten verweisen auch auf das politische Risiko der AbhAngigkeit vom ErdAl und die ErschApflichkeit von Ressourcen. Wie soll diese Kluft A1/4berbrA1/4ckt werden? Wie lAsst sich das bestehende Energiesystem nachhaltiger gestalten? Die Hoffnungen richten sich vor allem auf den technischen Fortschritt und Innovationen. Bislang liegen jedoch keine konkreten VorschlAge vor, inwieweit Innovationen tatsAchlich dazu beitragen kAnnen, einen stAndig wachsenden Energieverbrauch mit den Limitierungen im Hinblick auf die RessourcenverfA1/4gbarkeit und die Umwelt sowie den strukturellen Anforderungen an ein Energiesystem in Einklang zu bringen. Die vorliegende Studie fA1/4hrt wirtschaftswissenschaftliche, juristische, naturwissenschaftliche und philosophische Kompetenzen im Hinblick auf derartige VorschlAge zusammen. Aufbauend auf einer soliden Rekonstruktion der mitunter verwirrenden Vielfalt der Begriffe werden Beurteilungen des bestehenden Energiesystems vorgelegt und Nachhaltigkeitspotenziale aufgezeigt. Die strategisch gebA1/4ndelten Handlungsempfehlungen berA1/4cksichtigen die vielfAltigen Zielkonflikte umwelt- und energiepolitischen Handelns und werden durch ImplementierungsvorschlAge ergAnzt.

Fast alle Energieszenarien stutzen sich auf Trends, die auf ein enormes Wachstum des Energiebedarfs in den nachsten Jahrzehnten hinauslaufen. Auf internationalen Konferenzen beschaftigt man sich indes mit dem Gegenteil: einer massiven Verringerung der Treibhausgasemissionen, vor allem der durch den Verbrauch von Energie verursachten CO2-Emissionen. Experten verweisen auch auf das politische Risiko der Abhangigkeit vom Erdol und die Erschopflichkeit von Ressourcen. Wie soll diese Kluft uberbruckt werden? Wie lasst sich das bestehende Energiesystem nachhaltiger gestalten? Die Hoffnungen richten sich vor allem auf den technischen Fortschritt und Innovationen. Bislang liegen jedoch keine konkreten Vorschlage vor, inwieweit Innovationen tatsachlich dazu beitragen konnen, einen standig wachsenden Energieverbrauch mit den Limitierungen im Hinblick auf die Ressourcenverfugbarkeit und die Umwelt sowie den strukturellen Anforderungen an ein Energiesystem in Einklang zu bringen. Die vorliegende Studie fuhrt wirtschaftswissenschaftliche, juristische, naturwissenschaftliche und philosophische Kompetenzen im Hinblick auf derartige Vorschlage zusammen. Aufbauend auf einer soliden Rekonstruktion der mitunter verwirrenden Vielfalt der Begriffe werden Beurteilungen des bestehenden Energiesystems vorgelegt und Nachhaltigkeitspotenziale aufgezeigt. Die strategisch gebundelten Handlungsempfehlungen berucksichtigen die vielfaltigen Zielkonflikte umwelt- und energiepolitischen Handelns und werden durch Implementierungsvorschlage erganzt."

This book delivers new IMD insights on an emerging challenge - how to deal with overwhelming complexity. Global organizations face a complex decision-making environment. On one side, diversity of cultures, customers, competitors and regulations creates complexity; on the other, competitive pressures cause expanding countries to extract more synergies across products and regions. In such a climate, a new way of thinking, acting and organizing is needed beyond the familiar 'control' mindset.

Drawing together insights from across the expert faculty, "Managing Complexity in the Global Organization" presents IMD's framework on how to understand complexity and its four key drivers (diversity; interdependence; ambiguity and flux), along with solutions on specific issues in a variety of functions, industries and markets. The focus is on providing practical solutions based on real-life examples.

Corporate Governance is the hot topic of the new millennium. Gone are the days when CEOs set agendas and earned 500 times more than average employees. Now, transparency rules. Corporations must establish new systems of accountability, and encourage long-term participation in decision-making by both shareholders and staff. Those that succeed will be better equipped to create wealth, solve complex problems, and compete in global markets.
The role of the directorate and the need to ensure an effective framework for its accountability to owners is paramount to success. In line with this thinking, Mastering Global Corporate Governance argues that one of the key responsibilities of the Board is leadership, and that the root of good corporate governance lies in the strength of a corporate leader. In particular, it focuses on two 'burning issues' for senior executives: how can the boards of global companies best lead their companies through the fundamental dilemmas that face all boards?; and how can Boards, entrusted with ultimate responsibility for the way a company exercises leadership, provide that leadership?