There is a word that has been linked to business. Well it is a word that has been used to describe how many businesses in fact do business. This word has taken on a bit of a tongue in cheek meaning as well. That word is networking.
It may seem a cliché but the word networking seems to be mentioned almost exclusively when it comes to business. And so it and business have been given somewhat of a bad rep. This is not completely undeserved, but let's start at the beginning.
The word networking comes from the idea, clearly of a network: of a system of connections that communicate and connect one another. A simple enough idea. The reason it is associated with business is that people often refer to meetings and drinks as networking opportunities and GDS International is included in this too.
Networking has been given a bad rep, because instead of seeming to build real connections, networking is just about using those connections to your advantage. While the idea of networking is tied our ideas of business, all professional people network in one way or another, whether they know it or not.
Networking is a word that describes a kind of relationship, and how that relationship might work. It does not really deserve its bad reputation, well not completely.