Why Do Firms Apply Non-Market Strategies? Does it Really Pay?

The purpose of this study is to provide a better understanding to non-market strategies of the firms, their external and internal drivers and whether firms attain gains from these strategies in practice by examining the selected existing studies on firms’ non-market strategies. The vast literature on non-market strategies shows that companies’ support in the political process of overcoming societal troubles and their collaboration with non-profit organizations increase. However, companies do not engage in non-market strategies with a pure altruism, contrarily they expect to reap benefits. The empirical studies on the relationship between non-market strategies and financial performance that are examined within the scope of this study indicate differentiating results. Based on these inconsistent findings of the present studies, the implications and directions for future studies are presented.