North Africa & Middle East European Affairs Consulting (JISR) is a consulting company set up to help building bridges between these regions, so close and yet sometimes so apart, and to advise them how to operate more effectively in each others’ markets. It combines intimate knowledge of both the Middle East and of Europe with years of experience in assisting companies to overcome political or regulatory hurdles and to appreciate the broader context and the strategic benefits. It does so according to the highest professional standards.
Challenges
The historic and cultural links among the countries and peoples of Europe, Northern Africa and Arabia are complex and intimate. The great cultural awakening in the 19th century could have been a basis for a constructive relationship, but various circumstances prevented Europe from rising to the occasion. Today’s developments can form the basis for new constructive and mutually beneficial political and economic engagement. In Brussels, the capital of the European Union, new ideas start to emerge, but without sufficient input from business and civic society organisations from the MENA region itself.
New opportunities
In the countries of the Northern Africa and the Middle East, as well as in the European Union (EU), the present political and social developments should lead business to seize unique new opportunities, in their own commercial interest and that of their home countries. The open or sometimes hidden social and political crises in many countries show clearly that companies need to stay connected not just to markets but also to the societies which have nurtured them. Their operations need to benefit all stakeholders and their communities and countries. This has far-reaching implications for corporate strategy, management and operations.
Stakeholder value approach
New opportunities arise continuously to build sustainable shareholder value through innovative strategies, trade and investment in two of the world’s most intertwined regions. But business also needs to take account of the political and social paradigm shifts which are happening, integrate them as opportunities and move towards a stakeholder value approach.
JISR is more than just a consultancy. It also fulfils the role of a think tank, to challenge received ideas and to develop more inclusive strategies. It helps to shape innovative corporate strategy, management and operations. JISR combines a holistic analysis of developments with specific operational expertise, to build sustainable corporate value in changing political and social environments.