An UnAmerican Business: The Rise of the New European Enterprise

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An UnAmerican Business challenges the widely held belief that the American Enterprise Model is the only form of capitalism to guarantee business success. Why should it continue to set the world standard for companies? The corporate scandals of the last few years that have beset the US business scene have shaken many people’s belief in the American model and Donald Kalff now presents a compelling alternative - a European Enterprise Model. In this book, he outlines a European way of doing business that is founded on very different values of culture, ethics and economic considerations, but which is at the same time highly competitive. Kalff shows us how inflexible, inefficient and ineffective the American approach to business can be and challenges us to reject the broadly held view of the American Enterprise Model. He believes that the root cause is the web of expectations spun around listed companies, both in the United States and in Europe, by the consultants and financial institutions; companies are driven to optimize their profit per share as the presumed route to an ever-increasing return on shareholder investment. An Un American Business identifies eight areas where European companies could add significant economic value through the introduction of more advanced business models (rather than sacrificing it to shareholder expectation). All those who believe that change is inevitable will find Donald Kalff’s optimistic assessment of the future prospects for European companies persuasive and compelling. About The Author Dr Donald Kalff is co-founder and CEO of Immpact, a biotech company, advisor to strategy consultants Roland Berger and visiting professor at the Leiden University School of Management, Netherlands. He has a PhD from Wharton Business School. Table of Contents The revolution of the 1990s The empire strikes back Confidence restored The American view of the model The American Enterprise Model A second look Wrapping up The 1990s were not what they seemed The US economy performed poorly US corporate results were dismal A legacy of vulnerabilities Sacrificing the shareholder An indictment The end of the road Economic policies in the US and in the EU The corporate gloss loses its shine Can the franchise be renewed? In summary Unintended consequences and unaccounted costs The hero of the 1990s Corporate head office Battlegrounds The Gulag Archipelago A European Enterprise model The foundations of growth Ownership, control and economic benefits Governance The European manager The management agenda A sense of inevitability The competitiveness of Europe Rekindling internal growth A world of partnerships The new foundations Taking stock