Businesses, Associations and a Multiactor Diplomacy

Abstract

Purpose

One of the reasons the science and art of business diplomacy is interesting, is because it puts the role of the nation in another, somewhat reduced, perspective. Instead of the nation, it puts a company at the focal point of an exchange of interests with NGOs and other national and international players. This is a reflection of a world that becomes ever more complicated: a truly multiactor world, implicating great global challenges for international companies.

Design/methodology/approach

However, changing the perspective from the nation state to that of business is not enough, no matter how multinational or big the enterprise is. To have a true perspective on the challenges diplomacy faces, it is better to add another perspective. A perspective in which the business and the multiactor aspect merge: in associations.

Findings

Here the international and diplomatic dimensions of associations are defined, a model for change is presented, and cases are discussed. Each case is discussed in terms of business diplomacy, using recent literature and definitions. Certainly not all actions by associations can be called diplomatic, but some can and these are significant.

Originality/value

Combining this insight and the possible impact of associations with available literature on the definition and nature of business (economic, corporate, commercial) diplomacy, a different light will be shed on the concept of business diplomacy. Perhaps it is better to speak about “multiactor diplomacy,” in which traditional, business, and other forms of diplomacy all have their place. The chapter ends with conclusions and specific recommendations.

Citation

Noordhoek, P. (2017), "Businesses, Associations and a Multiactor Diplomacy", International Business Diplomacy (Advanced Series in Management, Vol. 18), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 197-215. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1877-636120170000018007