Page 25 - Crossing Cultural Boundaries - Cees den Teuling

counties of the former COMECON), attracted by the huge demand of businesses for the modernisation of mainly all business processes.
In the early 1990’s, on instigation of the Employers’ Associations in the Netherlands (VNO, NCW) the “Netherlands Senior Experts” (NMCP-PUM) was founded. As a non-governmental Organisation, the NMCP-PUM supports on request mainly SME’s and Business Development organisations in less-developed countries, by providing consultancy services. Advisory is delivered by seasoned, experienced former entrepreneurs and managers with a track record of at least thirty years in their profession. The consultants are engaged as volunteers, with compensation for costs as travel, hospitality and daily allowance by the NMCP-PUM and some additional contribution from the beneficiaries. NMCP-PUM’s budget is sponsored by the Netherlands Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economic Development and the Employers Association (VNO-NCW). NMCP-PUM has a network of 265 Representatives in 70 countries around the world, mainly in Central Europe, Africa, Asia and Latin-America. It is connected with local entrepreneurs, partners and business support organisations. Knowledge is shared on a one-to-one basis by approximately 3000 senior experts through short-term or repetitive consultancy missions on site and/or online coaching.
Regarding Russia, from 2001 until 2011 NMCP-PUM provided assistance and support to mainly SME organisations in Russia, in a total of 2065 advisory missions. Russian SME organisations, in a variety of sectors, benefitted from a single or multiple advisory sessions on site. Caused by the positive development of GDP in Russia, the NMCP-PUM program was terminated after 2011.
Another initiative to promote mutual business connections between Russia and “free-market” oriented economies and the dissemination of the “Western” style in Management and Marketing was the foundation of the “Presidential Programme” for younger Russian managers and entrepreneurs in 1998 by the Russian government. Based on Agreements with governmental organisations or “agencies” in a variety of economies (e.g. Germany, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Japan, Finland, Austria, the USA.) thousands of selected Russian managers and entrepreneurs were granted to absolve a four to six-week traineeship in a foreign country with combined business training and an internship in a host-company or organisation (Monk, 2006).
23