COMMERCIAL DIPLOMACY IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD

International Environment ◽

Globalized World

The beginning of 21st century has witnessed the consolidation of a process of globalization, where since the 1980s the hegemonic position of the United States has weakened and the international environment is moving towards a multipolar system with emerging economies adopting an increasing power. In this context, new non-state actors, such as non governmental organizations or multinational firms, have adopted an important role in the stage of international relations that in the past was limited to states and international organizations. The globalization process forced firms to operate internationally, and the financial crisis started in 2008 provoked the contraction of domestic markets and obliged governments and many firms from industrialized economies to look beyond the limits of their home states if they wanted to survive and benefit from the enormous opportunities offered by the new potential foreign markets. In order to achieve this, both governments and multinational firms should adapt diplomacy and its capabilities to their own specific needs. Commercial diplomacy includes policies, practices, instruments and organizational structures that governments and multinational firms should adopt at different levels to survive in today’s rapidly changing global business environment. Only by interacting between them and with the rest of actors within the international sphere, states and multinational firms will benefit from the switch in the balance of economic power.

Democratization, Nationalism and Regional Security in the Southern Caucasus

Government and Opposition ◽

10.1111/j.1477-7053.1997.tb00777.x ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 32 (3) ◽

pp. 399-420 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

S. Neil MacFarlane

Keyword(s):

International Development ◽

The United States ◽

Regional Security ◽

Political Rights ◽

The European Union ◽

Pressure Groups ◽

Democratic Reform ◽

Independent States

FOR SOME YEARS NOW, WESTERN ACADEMICS AND POLICY-MAKERS HAVE embraced the cause of democratic reform in Central and Eastern Europe. To take but one well-known example, President Clinton in the 1994 State of the Union Address cited the absence of war among democracies as a reason for promotion of democracy around the world. Assistance to former Warsaw Pact and newly independent states has been made conditional to varying degrees on the acceptance of democratic change. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, the United States Agency for International Development and associated non-governmental organizations have unleashed armies of promoters of democracy throughout the region to: observe elections; monitor human rights; draft new constitutions and laws defending civil and political rights; train judges and police personnel; and organize and assist political parties, media and non-governmental pressure groups. In short, they have sought to transplant the fabric of civil society and democratic institutions. These armies have landed on terrain often quite foreign to them and have often displayed little sensitivity to the social, economic and political context in which they are operating. This may have contributed to results other than those intended.

Academic Analysis and U.S. Policy-Making on Africa: Reflections and Conclusions

Issue A Journal of Opinion ◽

10.1017/s0047160700501309 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 38-48

Author(s):

David S. Wiley

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Foreign Policy ◽

Policy Making ◽

The United States ◽

Think Tanks ◽

Scholarly Community ◽

Private Foundations ◽

The Voice

Late in the 1980s, several major U.S. private foundations concluded that the concern for Africa in the country was weak. This weakness was reflected in the faint focus on U.S. foreign policy toward Africa in all three branches of government, in the halting voice for Africa or for U.S. interests there in the non-governmental organizations (think-tanks, religious organizations, lobbies), and in the small concern for U.S. policy or for affecting it in the African studies scholarly community. Indeed, the voice for Africa in the United States was neither strong nor effective.

Preliminary Investigation into the Role of Physiotherapists in Disaster Response

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x00005227 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 462-465 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Rosalind M. Harrison

Keyword(s):

Disaster Response ◽

Potential Role ◽

Preliminary Investigation ◽

The United States ◽

Multiple Roles ◽

Burn Patients ◽

Telephone Interviews ◽

Non Governmental Organizations

AbstractIntroduction:Increasingly, disasters and disaster response have become prominent issues in recent years. Despite their involvement, there have been almost no investigations into the roles of physiotherapists in emergency disaster responses.Additionally, physiotherapists are not employed in emergency disaster response by many of the principal non-governmental organizations supplying such care, although they are included in military responses in the United States and United Kingdom, and in Disaster Medical Assistance Teams in the US.This paper, based on a small qualitative study, focuses on the potential role and nature of input of physiotherapists in disaster response.Methods:A qualitative approach was chosen due to the emergent nature of the phenomenon. Four physiotherapists, all of whom had been involved in some type of disaster response, agreed to participate. Semi-structured telephone interviews were used to explore participants' experiences following disaster response, and to gain ideas about future roles for physiotherapists. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and later analyzed using coding and categorization of data.Results:Four main themes emerged: (1) descriptions of disasters; (2) current roles of the physiotherapist; (3) future roles of physiotherapists; and (4) overcoming barriers. Although all four physiotherapists had been ill-prepared for disaster response, they took on multiple roles, primarily in organization and treatment. However, participants identified several barriers to future involvement, including organizational and professional barriers, and gave suggestions for overcoming these.Conclusions:The participants had participated in disaster response, but in ill-defined roles, indicating a need for a greater understanding of disaster response among the physiotherapy community and by organizations supplying such care. The findings of this study have implications for such organizations in terms of employing skilled physiotherapists in order to improve disaster response. In future disasters, physiotherapy will be of benefit in treating and preventing rescue worker injury and treating musculoskeletal, critical, respiratory, and burn patients.

Using Qualitative In-Depth Interviews to Assess Smartphone Users’ Persuasion Knowledge Related to Health Mobile Apps Supported by Commercial, Governmental, and Non-Profit/Non-Governmental Organizations (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.16518 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Eunsin Joo ◽

Anastasia Kononova ◽

Shaheen Kanthawala ◽

Wei Peng ◽

Shelia Cotten

Keyword(s):

Health Information ◽

Personal Information ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

The United States ◽

Personal Health Information ◽

Persuasion Knowledge ◽

Non Profit ◽

Mhealth Apps

BACKGROUND Mobile health (mHealth) apps used for promotion raise important questions about privacy of sensitive personal health information and digital advertising literacy. Although it is common that different types of organizations support mHealth apps for promotional purposes (e.g., sponsorship, owned apps), there is little understanding of users’ perceptions regarding the safety of personal data stored in mobile apps. Persuasion knowledge, or recognition of a sponsor’s presence, characteristics, intents, competencies, and persuasion tactics, is crucial to investigate because the abundance of mHealth apps makes it difficult for users to identify their true purpose and estimate privacy-related risks. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to investigate smartphone users’ persuasion knowledge related to mHealth apps used as a promotional strategy by commercial, government, and non-profit/non-governmental organizations. This study also examines users’ willingness to share demographic and health information via those apps. METHODS In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted at a large Midwestern university in the United States. Smartphone users (N = 25) were recruited from the local community. RESULTS Participants had a high level of persuasion knowledge regarding the types of app-supporting organizations and their promotional intents, but only after being probed. Participants expressed concerns about losing control over sharing personal information with mHealth apps supported by different organizations. They used alternative digital identities to protect themselves from privacy invasion, security risks, and advertising spam associated with mHealth app use. Yet, participants did not engage in reading privacy policies and statements when downloading such apps. Participants were prone to share greater amounts of personal information with the apps backed by non-profit and government agencies than by commercial companies. They were willing to “trade” some personal information for high quality and functionality of commercially supported mHealth apps. Participants inclined to share lesser than greater amounts of personal information with sponsored/branded mHealth apps and indicated that information for sharing should be more general than specific. There was a sense of fatalism in discussing health-related risks linked to mHealth app usage; and some participants did not perceive the risks to be serious. CONCLUSIONS Despite high levels of persuasion knowledge related to using mHealth apps for promotion, smartphone users didn’t show a great effort in evaluating app providers and app financial sources. This may bring serious consequences related to privacy of personal and health information as it can be continuously collected and managed by the supporting organizations and third-parties. Discussion of and recommendations for safe and ethical uses of mHealth apps associated with organization/company promotional strategies and privacy protection are provided. Theoretical implications are discussed in the context of the persuasion knowledge model and dual-processing theories.

STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND PERFORMANCE OF HEALTH NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS IN NAIROBI CITY COUNTY, KENYA

Journal of Strategic Management ◽

10.47672/jsm.669 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 1-16

Author(s):

Emmaculate Odhiambo ◽

Reuben Njuguna

Keyword(s):

Strategic Planning ◽

Strategic Management ◽

Management Practices ◽

Research Work ◽

Business Environment ◽

Strategy Evaluation ◽

Study Results ◽

Evaluation And Monitoring

Introduction: The contemporary business environment in which organizations operate is increasingly becoming uncertain and unpredictable, and it has been established that little is known of the implementation of strategic planning practices among not-for-profit organizations in developing countries, despite increased inability to meet estimated project timelines, quality and budget allocation. Purpose: This study aimed to examine how strategic management practices influence health NGOs' performance in Nairobi City, Kenya. Methodology: The study was grounded on theories that include: Ansoff's strategic success theory and stakeholder theory. The study was grounded on positivism research philosophy with a descriptive research design guiding the research. The study targeted the senior managers of the 98 health NGOs operating in Nairobi County. Stratified random sampling was used in the selection of the desired respondents. The sample participants for the research were 131 employees from health NGOs. The study relied on frequencies, means and standard deviation in presenting descriptive results. The inferential statistics used were correlation analysis, regression analysis and analysis of variance. Findings: The study results showed a positive and significant correlation between strategic planning, strategy evaluation and monitoring, and health non-governmental organizations' performance. The study concluded that strategy formulation as well as strategy evaluation and monitoring have a positive relationship with the performance of health NGOs. Recommendations: The study recommends that NGOs improve their strategic management practices by strengthening their collaborations with stakeholders, reviewing threats and opportunities and involving employees in strategic planning and implementation. The study recommends for further research work be conducted to review the influence of internal organization environment on NGOs' performance in Kenya.

Whose hegemony? The world in the context of competition for the new global rule

Medjunarodni problemi ◽

10.2298/medjp1804391k ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 70 (4) ◽

pp. 391-411

Author(s):

Marina Kostic

Keyword(s):

World War Ii ◽

International Relations ◽

Theoretical Perspective ◽

World Order ◽

The United States ◽

New Paradigm ◽

The World ◽

Domestic Affairs

The subject of this article is the relation between hegemony and the world order in which hegemony (understood as leadership of a certain country or group of countries through the consent of others), and not a mere change of balance of power, represents a key for the change of the world order (understood as establishing a new leadership and rules in the world). This means that changes in the distribution of power do not necessarily mean the change of the existing world order, i.e. leadership and rules of conduct in international relations, but that this requires counter-hegemony too, which can be described as the collapse of the foundations on which the existing consent for leadership and the world order is based upon and creation of the foundations of a new world order. This means a criticism of the existing liberal-democratic paradigm, its crisis and establishing of a new paradigm of international relations, as well as the attitude towards the domestic affairs of the countries. Just as the engagement of the United States after the World War II and then after the Cold War represented the establishment and expansion of American hegemony, the activities of Russia and China today can be best understood and seen through the concept of counter-hegemony. It includes three elements: the desire for reform of those international institutions that still maintain US hegemony and/or the creation of new ones in which there is no US participation; working with elements of civil society such as non-governmental organizations, scientific and other expert organizations, the media and churches; as well as the prevalence of different principles regulating international relations (multipolarity and noninterference in domestic affairs instead of global leadership and interventionism under the guise of responsibility to protect and democracy promotion). We approach this issue within the framework of neo-Marxist, precisely neGramscian, theoretical perspective on international relations, and use literature review and content analysis as research methods.

Global Health Equity and Advocacy: The roles of international Non-Governmental Organizations

Health Culture and Society ◽

10.5195/hcs.2012.41 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 103-114 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S G Lurie

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Global Health ◽

Health Equity ◽

Social Systems ◽

The United States ◽

Fund Raising ◽

Community Empowerment ◽

Civil Society Organizations ◽

Non Governmental Organizations

International health equity and community empowerment are promoted through local and global collaborations with non-governmental organizations (NGO’s). Civil society organizations and inter-agency partnerships assume central roles in addressing global health inequity, within the context of national health and social systems, local realities and priorities. Community health promotion through public-private collaboration by NGO’s on health needs assessments and fund-raising is designed to increase support for local programs in the United States. This paper compares health promotion and advocacy roles of an international non-governmental organization in global and local arenas, based on community case studies by the author in rural Hungary and North Texas from 2009 to 2011, using ethnographic and qualitative research methods. Findings confirm the need for systematic evaluation of the effects of complex socioeconomic, political and multi-ethnic contexts, and the impacts of prevention programs and healthcare on health equity.

Working With Refugees in the U.S.: Trauma-Informed and Structurally Competent Social Work Approaches

Advances in Social Work ◽

10.18060/21282 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 18 (1) ◽

pp. 66-79 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jason Ostrander ◽

Alysse Melville ◽

S. Megan Berthold

Keyword(s):

Social Work ◽

Social Workers ◽

Well Being ◽

The United States ◽

Social Work Training ◽

Social Work Practitioners ◽

Macro Social Work ◽

The Impact

Social workers, government, and non-governmental organizations in the United States have been inadequately prepared to address the impact of trauma faced by refugees fleeing persecution. Compounding their initial trauma experiences, refugees often undergo further traumatic migration experiences and challenges after resettlement that can have long-lasting effects on their health and mental health. Micro and macro social work practitioners must understand the impact of these experiences in order to promote policies, social work training, and clinical practice that further the health and well-being of refugees and society. Social workers are in a unique position to provide multi-dimensional, structurally competent care and advocacy for diverse refugee populations. The experiences of Cambodian refugees will be used to examine these issues. We will explore the benefits of an ecological perspective in guiding interventions that support refugees, and will apply the framework of structural competence to highlight multidimensional implications for social work with refugee populations.

Organizational structures for cancer control

10.1093/med/9780199550173.003.0017 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Lorraine Caron

Keyword(s):

Cancer Control ◽

Organizational Structures ◽

Comprehensive Cancer Control ◽

Patient Representatives

Chapter 17 discusses how comprehensive cancer control initiatives guided by well-known frameworks are being established through concerted stakeholders’ collaborations that include government, non-governmental organizations, as well as public/patient representatives.

Old and New Italian Manufacturing Multinational Firms

10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199936694.013.0015 ◽

2013 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Fabrizio Onida ◽

Giuseppe Berta ◽

Mario Perugini

Keyword(s):

Twentieth Century ◽

Multinational Firms ◽

World Market ◽

Business Environment ◽

New Wave ◽

Private Business ◽

Global Business ◽

Public And Private ◽

Post War ◽

Rapid Transformation

Only two Italian multinationals born in very early twentieth century are surviving today (Fiat and Pirelli), while a number of public and private business that in the early post-war period had reached significant positions in the global business environment (such as Olivetti, Montecatini, SNIA, IRI-Ilva, Farmitalia) gradually disappeared or were sold to either Italian or foreign ownership. Since the mid-1980s a new wave of private SMEs ("fourth capitalism") became new protagonists of a rapid transformation from strong exporters to growing multinationals competing in sizeable world market niches. The chapter provides an overview of successes and failures of this peculiar pattern of multinational growth and decline of Italian firms.