THE BUSINESS STRATEGIES OF THREE MUNICIPALITIES Most Carbon 20 municipalities do today address business development in terms of

attracting, maintaining and further support the local business sector, but in varying degree and with differences in focuses. Five of the municipalities have specifically formulated overall policies, strategies and/or actions plans in terms of presenting a coherent framework for the business development. In the following, focus is on three of those: Herning as case of having strong focus for long, and then the two

“newcomers” of Allerød and Albertslund that have chosen to implement respectively a rather limited versus a comprehensive approach.

In 2007 Herning organisationally linked the business and city development under the same department and began to renew the business policy with the overall

“vision” of: “Creating a good and dynamic environment for growth and

profitability of companies and citizens on a sustainable basis”. In 2011 Herning together with the local business organisation developed a specific strategy for 2011-2014 emphasising that maintaining Herning as attractive for business is a common interest that need combined action and attention from both the municipality as well as the business organisation.

The strategy specifically state, that the “municipality is and need continually to be an active player to proactively boost business development though networks, innovations and projects” (Herning Kommune, 2011: 2). With the subtitle of “here are all possibilities open” the strategy emphasis that the municipality should do its outmost to help find solutions for solving any problems.

The strategy presents several initiatives with responsibilities shared among both the municipality and the business organisation. These initiatives are presented in three overall “tracks” in terms of sectorial focuses, crosscutting themes and networking initiatives.

In the sectorial track, three (broad) sectors are judge to be of special importance for Herning in terms of competences and potentials. “Climate, energy and food” is highlighted as one of three focus sectors, together with “Health care”, as well as the

“Experience economy”.

As crosscutting issues, the strategy highlights: increased focus on innovation in companies and together in public-private cooperation; an upgrade of the workforce – both those in employment and unemployed – through enhancing education, continued education and job training; Secure proper infrastructure; and increased branding of Herning as a business hub.

The network track suggests establishing several different focused networks e.g. on the highlighted sectorial focuses, but also including networks that reach outside the municipality borders in terms of cooperating with neighbouring municipalities and keeping a global/international perspective that can benefit possible export (ibid).

The strategy clearly depart from a cluster strategy of furthering specific current strong sectors, but do also apply a global and international perspectives pointing at some of the elements advocated by Cook in respect to his extending of cluster to platform.

In contrast to Herning, Allerøds policy is less ambitious. Until recently Allerød did not – as one of few municipalities in Denmark – provide direct local business support.

A core element of the strategy – established while the Major of Allerød was chairing the group under the Local Government Regional Council on business

development – is to establish such local business support. Allerød suggest to team up with several other municipalities around Copenhagen to engage (pay) the specialised business support unit - Growth House - for the capital region,

“Væksthus Hovedstaden”, to provide direct general business service on behalf of the municipalities – not just the specialised business support.

The policy does set directions in terms of an overall aim of being “a business friendly municipality”, where Allerød shall work to improve its authority task for the companies in terms of prober response time and service oriented mind-set. The policy further also calls for the municipalities to think in PPP possibilities in respect to own services. However, the strategy neither point at specific areas nor distribute responsibilities for exploring such possibilities. Finally, periodic (2-4 annual) business information meetings are suggested on various topics e.g. the municipalities’ procurement, tendering and other projects (Allerød kommune, 2011b).

The policy does follow many of the focus area in a DKLG leaflet arguing for the value of having a local focus on business development. However, the policy is rather overall without specifying any focus and themes, neither the actual responsibilities for its implementation (Allerød Kommune, 2011b; KL, 2005).

Another newcomer in respect to an active business policy, Albertslund, has opposite followed Herning in making the business policies an important strategic element in the future development of the municipality. Based on a process of both consulting internally and externally in terms of inviting all companies to provide inputs, Albertslund in 2013 published a business strategy that was followed close after by an action plan that outline the specific initiatives and actions to be taking during the next couple of years (Albertslund Kommune, 2013a; 2013b).

Albertslund links the business strategy to the societal challenges in general and more specifically in respect to the agendas central for the municipality e.g. as basic provider of welfare services. Albertslund specifically calls for using the business development as base for finding new smart (and cheaper) solutions in the public sphere (Ibid) and thereby articulating what Sørensen and Torfin argued in respect to a move beyond NMP.

The municipality has committed to be a green city and to similar agreements – e.g.

EU Covenant of mayors. Contributing to the green agenda is thereby seen as central element in the business strategy.

The strategy and action plan of Albertslund applies, like Herning, both strategic – as well as crosscutting “tracks” with network initiatives included within the latter.

The strategic tracks are however not termed as sectorial focuses in respect to local strength (as in Herning), but as thematic focuses. By this distinction, Albertslund

emphasises that it is not specifically addressing businesses within specific important sectors, but potentially addressing these thematic focuses in the communication with all the local companies. These thematic focuses cover: “Green Growth”,

“Growth through new health and welfare solutions”, and “upgrading of the workforce” (Albertslund Kommune, 2013a; 2013b).

To promote these, the municipality have established four crosscutting “tracks”:

increase and target the business support; foster increased innovation by companies also together with the municipality; increase focus on cooperation internationally;

as well as increase branding (Albertslund Kommune, 2013a; 2013b).

With the strategy, Albertslund highlights that the municipality offers itself as a real world “living lab” in terms of partnering with private entities to test and develop new solutions (ibid).

LINKS TO THE GREEN AGENDA AND FINDINGS FROM WORKSHOPS