AbstractsBusiness Management & Administration

Abstract

With the increasing recognition of the influence that business activities have over the global community and the increasing loss of trust in the business sector, the focus upon the concept of business NGO partnerships has come to the fore. Today we can observe various types of cross sector partnerships in which different actors and stakeholders work together to find better ways of minimizing the impact of business activities on the global issues such as global warming and maximizing the benefits of partnerships. It is not, however, an easy task to work with someone from a different cultural background with different organizational structures. The lack of interaction between businesses and NGOs has resulted in a weakened relationship and lead to both misunderstanding and mistrust between the communities. To address these problems and build the strong relationships necessary for sustainable partnerships, dialogue is considered to be the most useful and productive way for businesses to communicate with stakeholders such as NGOs, and improve the relationships between them. By creating opportunities for dialogue and mutual understanding, the relationship between the two sectors will be strengthen, leading to strong feelings of trust from each side toward the other. This thesis will take a close look at the communication activities being practiced in currently functioning business NGO partnerships and explore the relationships between them. The initial attention is paid to the role of dialogue and formation of trust in the relationships. The research framework is a case - study approach with a qualitative interpretation. In the component of the case study, the semi- structured interviews are conducted with key representatives from companies and NGOs who are currently engaged in partnerships. The interviews will provide us with the information necessary to answer the constructed research questions: 1) Do companies engage in dialogue, defined as two-way symmetrical communication, with NGOs?, 2) Is there trust between NGOs and businesses?