Corporate Political Activities and the Strategic Management

Abstract

At this present rate of supersaturation of the markets, the interaction between economic actors and political officials gains a momentum without precedent. Difficulties faced by corporations generate lobby activities intended for soliciting financial support, public-private partnerships are sought, witch provide income and safety during crisis, and governments are also inclined to dialogize with the business. There is also an increased risk of occurrence of negative externalities, such as corruption, especially in emerging economies. All this, along with the natural tendency of the corporations to pursue at all levels achieving their interests, increasing profits, creating competitive advantage, lead to an intense corporate political activity. We propose to examine in the article an overview of business strategies and corporate policies, as they appear in the literature and a comparative analysis on this type of action in various parts of the world. In concluding this article, in fact an “introduction” to the corporate political activities, we'll build a glossary of keywords, which, by its very nature, will create an overview of the issues discussed.competitive advantage, political capabilities, corporate political activities, stakeholders, public choice, interest group, lobbying, campaign finance/campaign contributions, statism, corporatism.