Title: The relevance of business diplomacy in internationalisation processes: an empirical study

Authors: Rui Monteiro; Raquel Meneses

Addresses: School of Economics and Management, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-464 Porto, Portugal ' School of Economics and Management, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-464 Porto, Portugal

Abstract: Globalisation has dramatically changed the landscape of international business and multinational corporations face rising demands concerning the management of the environment in which they operate. Studies in diplomacy have been increasingly related to the specific business practices of international firms, i.e., business/corporate diplomacy. The goal of this study was to assess how useful this type of diplomacy could be as a strategic management mindset in helping firms to overcome the intrinsic challenges of doing business abroad. For this purpose, we carried out a theoretical sampling of eight international Portuguese firms. A framework of analysis was then built and applied, based upon the premise of the literature review. The results showed that the theoretical assumptions were largely confirmed. A new category emerged from the empirical findings - moderators - that affect the scope this form of diplomacy could have, depending on the number of variables related to the firm specific setting and their impact on the foreign environment.

Keywords: internationalisation; business diplomacy; corporate diplomacy; international business constraints; globalisation; multinational corporations; MNCs; strategic management; Portugal; moderators.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2015.070221

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2015 Vol.15 No.1, pp.20 - 44

Received: 14 Feb 2014
Accepted: 10 Nov 2014
Published online: 29 Jun 2015 *

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