ABSTRACT
This chapter provides a general overview of the basic theoretical challenges facing industry associations, the principles on which they are based, how they are governed and the diversity of functions they perform. The chapter includes experiences from a variety of industries. It analyzes industry associations in selected areas to reach a better understanding of variations in their work while stressing that associations can thrive in extremely varied settings. The chapter also provides important insights into their complex life and includes associations in minerals, foods, textiles, steel, chemicals, shipping, airlines, finance and advertising. It focuses that there is variation as well as similarity across the industries. The chapter explores the key features of the challenges they face and place them in the context of other organizations in global business. Global industry associations are found in more or less all sectors of the economy, and we begin the analysis with an overview of the population of the world’s industry associations.
