Business Diplomacy and Justification: New Post-Pandemic “Rules of the Game"

The pandemic disrupted normal life worldwide in 2020-21 and created room for the recreation of society as a “moral community” (Neal, 1998). History shows that moral norms and power structures that are developed during social crises impact the future “rules of the game” for transnational businesses. During the pandemic, many governments made health their top priority and imposed restrictions that harmed some business interests. By doing so, they demonstrated both a willingness and an ability to prioritize other goals than economic growth, and post-pandemic this may lead to prioritizing other of the UN SDGs. This study contributes to the existing literature with the suggestion that firms will be motivated to engage in diplomacy when economy is not the sole priority for governments and governments have demonstrated the strength and willingness to impose restrictions on business. In short, the incentives come from the acknowledgment of societies’ need to balance and mediate between different priorities and actors from different spheres with different interests. Benevolence seems to be increasingly important for trust in businesses and for justification.