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How do firms compete in the non-market? The process of political capability building

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Richard S. Brown
Richard S. Brown*
Affiliation:
Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg, 777 W. Harrisburg Pike, Middletown, PA 17057, USA, Phone: +(215) 820-2575, Fax: +(717) 948-6456
*
Corresponding author: Richard S. Brown, e-mail: rsb24@psu.edu
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Abstract

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This paper contributes to both corporate political activity (CPA) research and capabilities theory research by offering models that better describe the process that managers undertake to nurture a political capability. This is done through the interplay of four factors inherent in political actions, namely (i) corporate structure, (ii) firm-government linkages, (iii) political access and (iv) public policy pressure. Additionally, recognizing that political capability attainment is not a binary endeavor, I offer a political capability continuum to better categorize the magnitude by which differing firms allocate resources toward molding public policy. This paper adds to the scant literature on management-focused CPA research that integrates the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm and political action research.

Type
Research Article
Information
Business and Politics , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , October 2016 , pp. 263 - 295
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston 

References

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