Actorsfirms

Actorsfirms is a term used in some organizational and sociological writings to emphasize that firms function as active actors within complex networks of people, technologies, standards, and institutions. The form without a space—actorsfirms—appears less common; more typically scholars refer to actor-firm or firm as actor to reflect the influence of the firm as an intentional agent in interaction with other actors. The concept draws on actor-network theory and related approaches, which treat both humans and nonhuman entities (machines, platforms, regulations) as actants in social and economic processes. In this view, firms do not simply optimize resources in isolation; their strategies, alliances, and governance choices emerge from ongoing negotiations with suppliers, customers, competitors, regulators, and digital infrastructures.

Applications of the actor-firm perspective include analyses of supply chains, platform ecosystems, corporate governance, and innovation systems, where outcomes depend on the relational work of many actors and the configurations they enable. The term is not standardized and is used variably; some sources use it to highlight organizational agency, while others use it to discuss how firms influence and are influenced by networks and institutions.

See also: actor-network theory, firm, organizational agency, network governance.