A lot has changed in the world since the coronavirus outbreak. This also applies to international business. Clemens Kool thinks it is very difficult to sketch what international business will look like in the coming years. “Economists are not good at making predictions, so I have to be careful with what I say. What you see now, is that some sectors are doing very well with this crisis and others are being hit hard and wondering if and when they can go back to what used to be normal. Companies in the latter group need to think about redesigning their policies and become more aware of the vulnerability of their existing business model. For example, many companies rely heavily on very cheap goods from Asia, where complex value chains are involved. Semi-finished products move from one country to another where new components are added. This crisis shows how vulnerable those long, complex chains are. So many companies have to do a thorough analysis and wonder if they still want to depend on suppliers from countries like China and India. And they have to ask themselves what they will do to withstand the next economic shock. There is a lot of uncertainty due to this crisis, but one thing is certain: international business will look different in the coming years.”