the future of the Service Industry, February 2005

Club of Amsterdam

Services – a future in The Netherlands?

pdf version

Supporter
PricewaterhouseCoopers

The future of trade and services
Ever since the 17th century, known as its Golden Age, the Netherlands succeeded remarkably well in keeping its leading position in world trade. Even today a considerable part of its welfare stems from trade. In this context trade should be seen as exchange of property rights. Many people in the Netherlands earn, directly or indirectly, money by conducting and enabling such transactions in trade. A major part of the service sector is directly or indirectly engaged in facilitating and creating value in these trade transactions.

On the one hand it is necessary to keep the costs of the transactions as low as possible: lower transaction costs lead to more trade. On the other hand it is obvious that the transactions should be profitable and create value. Globalisation and information technology bring about rapid changes in the way trade transactions take place. It creates new opportunities for trade and services. Therefore it is necessary that one should be aware of these changes and opportunities, and know how to react and invest in knowledge on transactions. For instance, formal barriers to trade, such as transport costs and import restrictions, will gradually disappear. It makes informal trade barriers such as cultural differences, legal infrastructure, rules and regulations of local governments, red tape and especially trust between trading partners of more importance.

The more knowledge we have on these aspects, which are partly tacit knowledge, the better we can strengthen our position as traders. This is one of the main massages of the report on “The Netherlands as a trading nation” published by the Scientific Council for Government Policy in 2003. Prof. Den Butter was the director and initiator of that project of the council. Now he is engaged in founding the Amsterdam Trade University which is an institute of highest international standards for research and education in the fields of legal, technical, financial, cultural, administrative and business knowledge related to trade transactions. Frank A.G. den Butter

The anti-service paradox of the service industry’s interpretation of service
Many service providers have been heavily disappointed by CRM and other contact management technologies. Why? Because they hoped that they could reduce their service efforts. Where their motivation should have been to improve their service levels. Because that is what customers expect and demand nowadays. Bob Stumpel

The impact of mobile communication in the service industry
Buddy Kluin will discuss the impact of Mobile Communication on the business of a professional football club. He will show us “a day in the life of an Arsenal football supporter”. We will see Tommy Lee travelling from his home town to Leeds using his PDA. We will see how modern technology provides him with information, and also changes his life as a football supporter.
Arsenal as a professional football club in England transformed their organisation and their business model to manage doing business in a new way.

Today we are in Amsterdam, hometown of Ajax also a famous professional football club.
Does modern communication technology also affect the business of Ajax?
And their football fans, what’s in it for them? Buddy R. Kluin

19:30
Welcome by our Moderator Sjirk van der Goot, Executive Consultant and Founder, Perceive commercial management services
19:45
Part I:
Frank A.G. den Butter: The future of trade and services
Bob Stumpel: The anti-service paradox of the service industry’s interpretation of service
Buddy R. Kluin: The Impact of Mobile Communication in the Service Industry

20:45
Coffee break

21:15
Part II: Panel with the Speakers

and our Moderator Sjirk van der Goot
The panel is followed by an open discussion.

Frank A.G. den Butter
Professor of Economics, Vrije Universiteit and former member of the Scientific Council for Government Policy

Present affiliation:
Professor of Economics, Free University (1988- ), Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Major previous affiliations:
Research Fellow Econometrics and Special Studies Department, de Nederlandsche Bank (1973-1988, from 1979 deputy director of the department); Director Tinbergen Institute, Amsterdam (1989-1996); Vice Dean and Director of Research, Free University, Amsterdam Member of Scientific Council for Government Policy (at the Prime Minister’s Office; 1998- 2002), The Hague, The Netherlands; Chairman Royal Netherlands Economic Association (1997-2003); Founder and director of Applied Labour Economics Research Team (ALERT: 1988-2002); Head of Department of Economics, Free University, Amsterdam; Member Board European Association of Labour Economists (EALE); Member Social Economic Policy Committee of Social Economic Council (1992-2002); Consultant for OECD and Dutch Ministeries of Finance Ministries of Finance, Economic Affairs, Social Affairs and Employment, Spatial Planning, Housing and Environment, and Infrastructure.

Major other present functions:
Chairman Supervisory Committee Economic Institute for the Building Industry (EIB); Member of Central Statistical Committee (CCS), Member Royal Dutch Society of Sciences, Various other governmental and scientific committees.

Major present research interests:
Futures studies, interaction between policy and research, institutional organisation of policy analysis, applied labour economics, flow approach to labour markets, technology and employment, economic models of the environment, time series analysis, macroeconomic modelling, monetary economics.
Publications include several books and articles in e.g. Journal of Econometrics, Journal of Monetary Economics, Applied Statistics, Empirical Economics, Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Economic Modelling, Journal of Policy Modeling, Environmental and Resource Economics, Social Indicators Research, Open Economies Review, Energy Policy, Economics Letters, De Economist, European Journal of Political Economy, LABOUR, Applied Economics, Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv.

(1948; married, two children)
http://www.feweb.vu.nl

Bob Stumpel

(in business since 1978)
Bob started his career as a copywriter and concept maker, later developing into a business strategist and consultant. He built two advertising agency groups in The Netherlands, developing both to a level of ‘biggest independent agency in the Benelux’, and then merging them into international agency networks. He is a long time pioneer in helping marketers to use or integrate new technologies, new media and new channels to enhance or revive more traditional marketing and communication routines.

Bob is a co-founder and board member of Result, an international growth consultancy, and a co-founder and managing partner at Cellspace, a radical marketing communications agency. Bob works or worked for clients like Nivea, Kimberly Clark, Courvoisier, Balantine’s, Mazda, Toyota, Lexus, Lotus, Robeco, Rodamco, Cisco, LogicaCMG, Microsoft, KPN, Sonera, Mindport, Irdeto, Compuserve, Sony, Philips, Cannon Films, Cannon Movie Theaters, UIP, Universal, Sony Music & Entertainment, VNU, Sanoma, RTL, several governemental bodies, and many NGO’s.

He’s a co-founder and board member of DDMA, the Dutch DMA. He recently launched Cellspace, his third marcom agency adventure. As an international account co-ordinator he is presently responsible for the roll-out of the successful social software provider Open Business Club (OpenBC.com) in 6 countries, taking the role of country manager for OpenBC in The Netherlands.
http://www.cellspace.nl
http://www.result.com
http://www.openbc.com

Buddy R. Kluin
Co-founder and lead strategist, Y-now

As of summer 2003 Buddy started Y-now, the network agency for rephrasing and implementing corporate, commercial and connected strategy.

The business of Y-now value networks is making our clients more valuable. Y-now is founded on the principle that our clients should get delivered results – not just reports. We advice and guide senior management in the development of their business strategy.

Given the complex environment in which most companies find themselves today, it is essential not only to formulate a good strategy, but first and foremost to implement it.

To really make this work, it is important to implement change with the right speed. Going to fast, the organization will not be able to follow and adopt the changes. Moving too slowly, the momentum is lost and targets will not be achieved. We measure our success by our client’s results.

For more than four years now, Buddy focuses on the opportunities related to the mobile & wireless medium. He helps his clients to master the complexities of using new technologies as a key enabler for competitive advantage in emerging ecosystems. The clients are able to make the best possible strategic decisions about their future needs and understand how to maximize the value of current IT operations. While implementing mobile & wireless technology he helps his clients to capture real and measurable advantage.

Previous employment includes Capgemini, where he worked as a principal management consultant and Cambridge Technology Partners, where he has been responsible for the set up and expansion of the Digital Business Strategy Group in Europe acting as director. He and his DBS Group helped many companies using the Internet possibilities. At that time working in Boston (MA) he also gave lectures at Harvard Business School and MIT.

Buddy brings more than 20 years of thorough industry experience. His experience stresses a unique combination of marketing & sales, management consulting, program- and change management covering several industries such as financial services, public service, telecommunications, the process industry, energy & utilities. Many assignments have addressed the overlap of Business- and Technology Strategy and Organisational Development.

He has been particularly skilled at working with senior and executive management on complex business problems, and in facilitating complex organisational issues towards strategic decisions and directions.

His extensive experience in managing complex projects, translates into a strong ability to assess and address organisational, human resource and management issues.

He is a visiting lecturer at the University of Amsterdam, and as of the spring of this year Buddy will join the Asian Centre for Consulting Excellence in Singapore, acting as Executive Vice President Consulting.

Buddy holds a MSc. in Psychophysiology from the Catholic University in Tilburg.
http://www.buddykluin.nl
http://www.y-now.com

Sjirk van der Goot
Executive Consultant and Founder, Perceive commercial management services

Sjirk van der Goot is Executive Consultant and Founder of Perceive commercial management services, the professional services agency that empowers its customers to be more successful with their customers, employees, business partners and shareholders by supporting:
1. the renewal and improvement of their commercial management strategy, process & behavior and
2. a professional introduction of their new brands, products and services in the market.

Perceive commercial management services provides research, advice, coaching, training, business development and interim management in the areas of branding, marketing, sales and communications.

Sjirk has 20 years professional experience in a variety of commercial, management and consulting roles at major multinational companies like Hewlett Packard, Time Warner, Cap Gemini Ernst & Young and Cogent IPC.

He graduated in Communication and Law from the Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.

Next to his work for Perceive Sjirk is also a popular party DJ and resident lecturer at the HAN University in Arnhem and Nijmegen.
http://www.perceive.nl