THE ROLE OF GOLF IN BUSINESS NETWORKING AND CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT IN GERMANY

Abstract

The paper reviews how beneficial golf can be as a strategic business networking and corporate engagement platform in the German business world. It is based on the Social Capital Theory and the Strength of Weak Ties of Granovetter, discussing the way golf can be used to establish strong, as well as weak social ties and help professionals establish trust, share knowledge, and open new opportunities in the business world. Investigating the use of qualitative research with survey and thematic analysis of answers, the research results indicate that informal and extended social side of golf can create a special environment to develop and build genuine relationships because it is not directed on traditional office environment. This exclusivity of the sport and its cultural value in Germany will play a role in its use as representation of prestige and as a method of accumulating social capital, though there is also a number of implications following this, in the accessibility and inclusivity of the sport. The results demonstrate the dual ability of golf to foster bonding among secure networks and bridging among various professional categories, and the need of utilizing golf in succeeding corporate relations, brand popularity and personnel interaction. The paper also presents and discusses implications to the business persons and organizations who hope to use golf as a networking tool, especially the fact that they should strike a balance between preserving traditions and inclusiveness and adapt to the changing trends in culture and technology. Suggestions to future studies involve examination of long-term effects, organizational involvement in knowledge transfer, and demographic relationships inside the network of any business in golf.