ch. 1. Research on commercial diplomacy : a review and implications / Shirin Reuvers, Huub Ruël -- ch. 2. Commercial diplomats as corporate entrepreneurs : an institutional perspective / Robin Visser, Huub Ruël -- ch. 3. The value of commercial diplomacy from an international entrepreneurs perspective / Sander Busschers, Huub Ruël -- ch. 4. The effectiveness of commercial diplomacy : a survey among embassies and consulates / Lennart Zuidema, Huub Ruël -- ch. 5. Measuring export support performance / Gorazd Justinek -- ch. 6. The commercial diplomat in interaction with international business : results of an empirical study / Olivier Naray -- ch. 7. Competitors or collaborators : a comparison of commercial diplomacy policies and practices of EU member states / Annette Stadman, Huub Ruël -- ch. 8. Entering the United States federal procurement market : success factors and barriers for foreign firms / Tim Vehof, Huub Ruël, Jan Telgen -- ch. 9. Lobbying of commercial diplomats : institutional setting as a determining factor / Elena Bondarouk, Huub Ruël.

Little attention has been devoted to the topic of commercial diplomacy, defined as the application of diplomacy to help bring about specific commercial gains through promoting exports, attracting inward investment and preserving outward investment opportunities, and encouraging the benefits of technology transfer. The spectrum of actors in commercial diplomacy ranges from the high-policy level (head of state or prime minister to ambassador) and the lower level of specialized diplomatic envoys like trade representative, commercial attaché or commercial diplomat. This volume focuses on how to organize diplomacy to support international entrepreneurs. It takes an interdisciplinary perspective, combining the fields of business administration and public administration, more specifically international entrepreneurship and international relations. This is the first interdisciplinary book that extensively explores the organization of diplomacy for international entrepreneurship at the micro level: the diplomats' and individual entrepreneurs' perspective.