ABSTRACT
Trust and credibility have become important factors in a company's performance. A company dialogue is a meeting where companies discuss all relevant public interest issues with stakeholders or individuals searching for consensus or agreement when assessing actions or options for action. In Germany, dialogues by means of citizens' panels or consensus conferences have only been conducted in the political arena, although they have the potential to be useful for companies. A dialogue that obeys certain principles such as interactivity, openness, timeliness and neutrality should result in: more and better information for everyone; greater transparency; room for new arguments; clear differentiation between consensual and contentious points; and more adequate risk assessment. Participants in the dialogue were representatives from environmental and consumer organisations, industry, retailers, journalists, toxicologists, experts in cosmetics, cosmetic chemists, dermatologists and specialists in allergies. Dialogues can be organised in various forms. Three different forms are round tables, citizens' panels and consensus conferences.
