Corporate Activism

Under Corporate Activism public operation is understood by companies to influence public debates and policy decisions through campaigns and public support for their advocacy, d. H. To win lobbyism . In the USA this is an important component of public affairs and is also gaining in importance in Germany and Europe.

In the USA , large companies copied political action and communication strategies of social movements, trade unions, environmentalists and other "activists" from the 1970s onwards. They worked together with consultants who came from these left-wing, business-critical movements, got to know the methods and techniques and applied them to mobilize others for their own corporate interests. Often these campaigns were and are participation-oriented , taking part as a citizen is the focus. For this purpose, employees of the company, their families and also retirees, sometimes neighbors at locations or customers and suppliers are included. Because of these grassroots democratic approaches, the term grassroots movement is also referred to as astroturfing , grassroots advocacy, grassroots lobbying or grassroots campaigning.

See also

• Agenda setting
• Think tank
• Interest group
• campaign
• Lobbying
• public relation
• Public affairs

literature

• Edward A. Grefe, Martin Linsky (1995), The New Corporate Activism: Harnessing the Power of Grassroots Tactics for Your Organization, New York: Mcgraw-Hill, ISBN 0070244316
• Marco Althaus (2008, ed.), Campaign! 3, New strategies in grassroots lobbying for companies and associations, Berlin: Lit, ISBN 3825809706
• Suresh P. Sethi (1982 Spring), Corporate political activism. California Management Review, 23 (3), 32-42.