Regional Business Associations, Representation and Regional Governance: The Engineering Employers’ Federation Northern Association in North East England

It has been noted that in practice involvement of the ‘business community’ often equates to involvement of the main business associations (Morgan and Rees, 2001). This notion is reinforced by the view that the ‘representation of business is too important to be left to business itself’ (Grant, 1993: 124). Many suggest that professionally run and suitably experienced organizations such as business

associations are necessary if the effective representation of business interests and conveyance of the ‘business view’ is to take place (Grant, 2002).