A chamber of commerce (also referred to in some circles as a board of trade) is a form of business network. Professional network is a term that describes the professional contacts a businessperson or professional may have Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to advocate on behalf of the business community. Local businesses are members, and they elect an board of directors or executive council to set policy for the chamber. The board or council then hires a President, CEO or Executive Director to run the organization.
Generally, chambers of commerce serve the following purposes:
- Creating a Strong Local Economy
- Promoting the Community
- Providing Networking Opportunities
- Speaking with Government on behalf of Business
- Political Action, such as getting pro-business candidates elected to office
In some areas, Chambers may serve other purposes, such as arbitrating disputes between business or serving as a "Better Business Bureau," but this is not generally the case. The Better Business Bureau (BBB, founded in 1912 is an organization based in the United States and Canada.
The first chambers of commerce were founded in 1599 in continental Europe (Marseille, France and Brugge, Belgium). Marseille, ( English alt Marseilles mɑrˈseɪ — French: maʁsɛj locally — Provençal Occitan: Marselha maʀˈsijɔ Bruges (Brugge is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The world's oldest English-speaking chamber of commerce is that of Glasgow, Scotland, that was established in 1783. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Year 1783 ( MDCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or
Contents |
Characteristics
Membership in an individual chamber in an area can range from a few dozen to well over 300,000 (as is the case with the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry). The Paris Chamber of Commerce ( Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Paris or CCIP is a Chamber of Commerce of the Paris Some chamber organizations in China report even larger membership numbers. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Chambers of commerce can range in size from a single city or town chamber, to a county chamber, to a regional chamber, up to an international chamber of commerce.
Chambers do not operate in the same manner as the Better Business Bureau in that, while the BBB has the authority to bind its members under a formal operations doctrine (and, thus, can remove them if complaints arise regarding their services), the local chamber membership is strictly voluntary. The Better Business Bureau (BBB, founded in 1912 is an organization based in the United States and Canada. In addition, Chambers represent the interests of all businesses, while the BBB represents the interests of the general public.
Chambers of commerce also can include economic development corporations or groups (though the latter can sometimes be a formal branch of a local government, the groups work together and may in some cases share office facilities) as well as tourism and visitors bureaus. Economic development is the development of economic wealth of countries or regions for the well-being of their inhabitants
Some chambers have joined state, national, and even international bodies (such as EUROCHAMBRES, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Worldchambers). The International Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit private international organization that works to promote and support global trade and Globalization. In the majority of countries, the use of the term "chamber of commerce" is regulated by federal law, though this is not the case in the US. Currently, there are about 13,000 chambers registered in the official Worldchambers Network registry, and the chamber of commerce network is the largest business network globally.
Chamber models
There are basically two chamber business membership models worldwide, 'compulsory / public law' or 'continental / private law'.
Compulsory/Public law chambers
Under the compulsory or public law model, companies of a certain areas are obliged to become members of the chamber. This model is common in European Union countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain). The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. The main tasks of the chamber are foreign trade promotion, training, and general services to companies. The chambers also have a consultive function; this means the chambers must be consulted whenever a new law related to industry or commerce is proposed.
Continental/Private law chambers
Under the private model, which exists in English-speaking countries like USA, Canada or the UK, companies are not obligated to become chamber members. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located However, companies often become members to develop their business contacts and, regarding the local chambers (the most common level of organization), to demonstrate a commitment to the local economy. Though governments are not required to consult chambers on proposed laws, the chambers are often contacted given their local influence and membership numbers.
See also
References
External links
Companies law (or the law of business associations) is the field of Law concerning business and other organizations An industry trade group, also known as a trade association, is an organization founded and funded by Businesses that operate in a specific Industry. The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC is the world's largest not-for-profit business federation representing 3000000 businesses (via its Federation of local chambersDictionary
chamber of commerce
-noun
- (business) an association of businesses to promote their interests in a community
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic