Attachments of MPs to companies; one-week visits of businessmen to Congress; annual ten-day meetings between high administration officials and large companies directors.
In carrying out its functions, SMO has no religious, ideological or political bias. Privately financed by corporate subscribers, its funds are augmented through sales revenues from its publications. For large scale projects additional funding is obtained from the public and private sector.
Overall supervision of SMO's activities is the responsibility of an executive board consisting of representatives of SMO's main subscribers. A board of Trustees ensures that SMO's publications meet the required scientific and academic standards. The activities of SMO, including the design, co-ordination and execution of its varied projects, are carried out by SMO's director and staff, together with the help of outside experts.
SMO has three main functions:
Future watch
A vital aspect of SMO's work concerns its comprehensive monitoring and objective analysis of current trends and future developments. In this way SMO is instrumental in providing the business world with the information it needs for preparing medium and long term strategies in today's continually changing environment.
Information
The basis of effective participation in policy formation is right understanding of the issues, and the foundation of that understanding is relevant information. SMO carries out research on a broad range of issues and trends affecting corporate life. The results are edited, published and distributed among a broad readership in a non-partisan manner.
SMO publications include:
SMO books which contain extensive treatment of topics researched by SMO staff or by authors commissioned to expound their ideas; SMOse a quarterly review, which monitors significant both national and regional, social-economic and political trends; SMO Notities, which constitute studies on topics considered to be of interest to SMO's readership but which are not subject to scrutiny by SMO's board of trustees.
Dialogue
SMO provides an independent platform for the free exchange of ideas in order to realise awareness and deepen understanding of issues and trends on which policy formation should bye facilitated and to collect information adequate for the purpose. Discussion takes place in small groups or at conferences attended by prominent individuals in business, the political sphere, the media and the academic community.
As the business environment changes, SMO changes and adapts the focus of its research and activities and takes on new projects to meet the demands of its membership. However complex issues of oingo9ing interest to society and enterprise, such ass environmental issues and information technology, occupy a more permanent place on the SMO agenda.
At the regional level SMO seeks to promote economic strength in response to growing regionalisation and decentralisation.
At the national level SMO engages in projects which address long-term strategic issues of crucial importance to the continued wellbeing of society and the development of enterprises into the 21st century.
At the international level SMO is active in the following ways:
- SMO initiates projects engaging national companies in joint activities abroad
- Apart from the IABP SMO participates in 1 other international networks - The Counterpart Group of private business associations. Member organisations all work to promote dialogue and to collect and distribute information on issues and trends affecting society and enterprise. Regular contact is maintained through annual international conferences hosted by one of the member organisations. Leading international experts, from the worlds of business, government, politics and finance attend these conferences.
Current SMO activities:
Regional
Economic development in the inner cities
This project aims to identify ways and means to stimulate the local economy in deprived neighbourhoods in the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Nijmegen. An initial approach to the inner-city problems will be applied requiring collaboration between public and private parties, indulging local government, the local business community and neighbourhood citizen groups. The project is seen as a pilot premix, which could eventually serve as a model for addressing similar projects in other large cities.
National
SMO has recently taken the initiative to create three platforms for dialogue:
SMO ict-Forum
Purpose is to identify new markets for ict applications in the agricultural sector and the sectors of health, education and transport. Suppliers of ict together with policy makers from each sector will jointly analyse possible new applications.
SMO Environmental Forum
Purpose is to help certain enterprises to develop specific markets for the application of environmental technologies in the government and non-profit sphere.
Platform for future financing of Netherlands infrastructure
Increasingly the private sector is taking on a more important role in the financing of infrastructure projects. SMO intends to organise a series of discussions with relevant stakeholders from government, industry and the financial sector, to bring into focus current trends regarding public private financing and to chart our future developments.
Social and economic aspects of stimulants
This project aims to investigate possible future trends in the use of stimulants. This information will be used to anticipate future directions in government policy aimed at an integrated approach and control of the use of stimulants.
International
Taskforce 'Exclusive Economic Zones'
This taskforce unites Dutch enterprises and organisations that have special expertise which the United Nations can use in its efforts to help countries exploit their respective 200-mile coastal zone. Dutch companies can offer expertise regarding the exploitation of minerals on the seabed, fishfarming, the generation of energy from tidal and temperature change and the development of tourism. |
