Managing Stakeholder Relationships Research Articles

Management of relationships with stakeholders in healthcare companies using a sustainability balanced scorecard

In managing relationships with stakeholders within the medical services sector, it is imperative to strike a strategic balance between addressing socio-economic challenges and safeguarding the country's environment and natural resources, all while considering stakeholder needs. Consequently, it is necessary to establish a set of indicators for analyzing and managing stakeholder relationships in alignment with sustainable development objectives. The proposal entails creating a list of key indicators for each subsystem of the Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBCS). These indicators will serve as our compass, guiding us in assessing the degree to which strategic objectives in managing stakeholder relationships align with healthcare companies' sustainable development goals. This alignment, we believe, holds the key to a more sustainable and prosperous future for all. Causal connections between the indicators of SBCS subsystems – "Activators" – "Processes", "Processes" – "Stakeholders", "Stakeholders" – "Results" – have been established. The results of modeling the interconnections between these subsystems have allowed conclusions to be drawn regarding the existence of statistical relationships among their elements, which are pertinent to consider in developing strategies for healthcare, structuring the goals of their sustainable development, and determining the means of achieving them. Based on the analysis results, the following indicators, exhibiting the most robust mutual relations, have been identified: under the "Results" subsystem – the ratio of expenditures to revenues, cash flow coefficient, utilization level of energy-efficient resources, expenses for outfitting ecological offices and premises; within the "Stakeholders" subsystem – the percentage of satisfied patients within the total, number of executed social projects, utility expenses (electricity, water, heat) in administrative costs; within the "Processes" subsystem – the growth rate of provided medical services volume, funding ratio, proportion of non-recyclable material costs in material expenses; within the "Activators" subsystem – training and development costs per employee, coefficient of innovative growth, dynamics of eco-awareness development measures. These indicators enable the monitoring and controlling of the achievement of economic, social, and environmentally sustainable development objectives. Keywords: management, stakeholders, balanced scorecard, sustainable development, strategic objectives, strategic map.

Managing geopolitical risks: the global oil and gas industry plays a winning game

Purpose Geopolitical risks associated with the return of great power politics and growing nationalism have generated new challenges for foreign investors across industries. Oil and gas companies are well acquainted with such risks and have developed strategies to manage them. This paper reviews five of these strategies: divorcing ownership control from operating control in designing collaborative ventures; proactively managing stakeholder relationships; ensuring transparency and communication; diversifying risks while proactively positioning for emerging opportunities; and deliberately planning for exit should such an eventuality arise. Firms outside of oil and gas can draw on these strategies as they navigate the emerging geopolitical context. Design/methodology/approach This paper reviews five strategies that oil and gas companies can use to manage geopolitical risk: divorcing ownership control from operating control in designing collaborative ventures; proactively managing stakeholder relationships; ensuring transparency and communication; diversifying risks while proactively positioning for emerging opportunities; and deliberately planning for exit should such an eventuality arise. Findings This study identifies several strategies that oil and gas companies have used to manage geopolitical risks. These tools will be increasingly important in the shifting global political landscape. Originality/value Drawing on the experiences of oil and gas companies, this study has identified several strategies that companies can use to shield themselves from the risks that are currently emanating from geopolitics. While these best practices originate in the experiences of oil and gas firms, the ability to deftly manage geopolitical risks is becoming an important prerequisite for companies across industries.

Assessment of Strategic Leadership Practices in Small Business Settings

Scholars have considered strategic leadership as a 21st-century imperative. The new millennium seems to have been characterized by a complex competitive business landscape in the organization’s internal and external environments. Strategic leadership has been discussed and considered the way forward. There is extensive leadership literature but with emphasis on how large and medium size businesses should reposition strategically for success. Despite their numerous efforts, small businesses do not seem to have gained enough mastery within their environments and have been marked with limited success. The study assessed strategic leadership practices within small business settings. This was achieved by reviewing relevant literature on leadership practices in small businesses. The review focused on the relationships between the themes and ideas connected to the study. The outcome indicates that the failure of small businesses partly seems to be a result of the minimal application of strategic leadership principles and practices. Major strategic leadership practices found to be effective for small businesses include the need to plan strategically through the visioning and setting of achievable goals, effective allocation of resources, attracting and retaining the right talent, managing risk, fostering innovation, managing stakeholder relationships, and learning continuously. These discoveries served as major recommendations for consideration by small business owners and strategic leaders.

Metamodern model for managing stakeholder relationships in non-profit organisations

It is posited that this article is an important theoretical addition in the field of strategic communication as it seeks to eradicate the conceptual tension between the two dominant discourses, namely modernist and postmodernist explanations of how organisations should manage stakeholder relationships. Modernists believe in a single truth, accept metanarratives and believe that grand theory represents knowledge and can explain everything, whilst postmodernists reject the absolute standards and grand theories typical of modernism in favour of awareness and tolerance of differences, ambiguity and conflict. This article links these two perspectives in a new metamodern model for stakeholder relationship management, aimed specifically at the South African non-profit sector. A conceptual theoretical framework was developed and tested by means of exploratory qualitative and interpretative research through interviews with senior management in the non-profit sector. The findings suggest that a metamodern perspective requires constant negotiation between modernism and postmodernism. We also highlight the need for formaltraining in stakeholder relationship management. This entails adopting a micro-perspective by regularly identifying current strategic issues, mapping the stakeholders involved and linking them to these issues, and designing focused communication strategies to manage stakeholder relationships. The main research implications are that stakeholder relationship management is afunction which should not simply be delegated to the communication specialist, and that it should be practised from a metamodern perspective and not a modernistic or postmodern perspective. The originality and value of this research initiative lies in the development of a metamodern model for stakeholder relationship management for the non-profit sector which has been proposed and tested in practice.

The activities and impacts of a community-based volunteer ambulance service in Cape Town, South Africa.

IntroductionVolunteering yields valuable benefits to communities, yet globally there is limited published data regarding emergency medical volunteering in communities. Hout Bay Volunteer Emergency Medical Service is thought to be the oldest volunteer ambulance service in Cape Town. The objective of this paper is to quantify the contribution of the community service to the Western Cape Government Health: Emergency Medical Service. This paper describes the inputs, key stakeholder relationships, and the impact of COVID-19 on volunteer input and community needs.MethodsElectronic Computer-Aided Dispatch records were used for analysis. Data extracted included detailed information about all recorded incidents between 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2020. Data were analysed in Google Sheets using Pivot Tables and summary statistics.ResultsBetween 2015 and 2020 HBVEMS responded to approximately 12% of all call-outs in the Hout Bay area, which equates to 2187.16 h of operational time spent on calls. This excludes standby time, i.e., time spent waiting to be dispatched. There was an expected noticeable difference between response times for ambulances based within Hout Bay, and those from outside Hout Bay. Despite a decline in average call-out rate during the 2020 Level 5 lockdown, the volunteers were able to do more shifts and thus more calls within the community. Call-outs during 2020 were visualised as a ratio of trauma to medical calls. In this period there were noticeably fewer trauma calls.ConclusionsThere is a growing need for emergency medical care, and volunteer ambulance services can have a meaningful impact on the continent. The findings support the benefit of developing community-based ambulance services, especially in areas that are remote due to distance or topography. The model can be expanded to other communities across the continent. A key factor for success is actively managing stakeholder relationships which include community-based relationships as well as governmental or formal emergency medical services relationships.

Managing divestments as projects: Benefits of stakeholder orientation

We review research at the intersection of corporate divestiture and stakeholder orientation to synthesize implications for divestment project management. Divestitures are corporate restructuring projects, implying application of project management techniques and concepts can facilitate the achievement of desired goals. Managing stakeholder relationships during divestment plays a critical role in determining divestment outcomes. Findings suggest that managers practice stakeholder relationship management through determining divestiture mode, unit selection, participative management, and parenting. Moreover, stronger stakeholder orientation reduces the costs of stakeholder relationship management. For example, stronger stakeholder orientation facilitates spin-offs that align with investor interests, but they require careful consideration of a parenting relationship between a divesting firm and divested unit. Meanwhile, sell-offs involve an additional stakeholder of a new owner and may require greater stakeholder management. When divestitures are more complex, more participative project management can increase the success of corporate restructuring.

Managing stakeholder relationships for improved situation awareness during volcanic emergencies: An Eastern Caribbean case study

During periods of volcanic unrest, civil authorities around the world depend on information from scientists to guide their decision making. In some instances, limited experience among these authorities cause scientists to take on decision-making responsibility usually reserved for non-scientists. These actions increase the managerial risks faced by scientists as they can lose credibility and could be legally liable for the negative outcomes. Using semi-structured interviews and content analysis we sought to understand how scientists at The UWI Seismic Research Centre (UWI-SRC) managed scientific communication at the science-management interface during volcanic emergencies in the Eastern Caribbean. Thematic analysis of the interviews yielded two major themes: (1) communication practice and (2) stakeholder relationships. Our findings indicate that strong relationships between volcano scientists and authorities coupled with purpose driven communication methods can improve decision making capacity among public officials, reducing public vulnerability. To reduce managerial risk, we propose the prioritisation of situation awareness when communicating volcanic hazard information. We present a format for scientific advisories based on the three levels of situation awareness: perception, comprehension and projection. A case is also made for the role of routine science-emergency management interaction in facilitating effective hazard communication.

Strategic agility in international business: A conceptual framework for “agile” multinationals

Abstract Strategic agility is a fuzzy concept that may be counter intuitive as well as confounding to some scholars in terms of the agile strategies' contextual issues. At the same time, the need to be agile is crucial for firms, especially for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) that operate in culturally different host countries. Thus, a deep understanding of strategic agility is very intriguing for both academics and executives, as several gaps are apparent in the extant literature. In this paper, we review mainstream studies on agility in the international business context, discussing its relevance and proposing main aspects of strategic agility to clarify further this indistinct concept. Moreover, we provide a novel conceptual framework based on the integration of agility in different operational areas (e.g. Information Technology, supply chain and production) that organizations should foster to become an “agile multinational”. Our synthesis represents an innovative strategic direction for MNEs to understand better strategic agility, which clearly extends the concept of flexibility, while managing stakeholder relationships in order to develop key dynamic capabilities. Finally, we also discuss the main contributions of the other articles included in this special issue, thus providing specific examples of agility in well debated IB contexts (e.g., emerging markets). We also suggest some future research areas for this complex and ambiguous concept.

The effect of stakeholder culture on managers’ perceptions of stakeholder attributes in Australian not‐for‐profit organizations

AbstractWe examine the relation between stakeholder culture and managers’ perceptions of stakeholder attributes of power, legitimacy, and urgency in Australian not‐for‐profit (NFP) organizations. Examination of this relation is important because managers’ perceptions of stakeholder attributes determine how stakeholder relationships are managed, which affects (positively or negatively) the ability of NFP organizations to fulfil their social mission. Data were collected through a survey of top managers of 478 NFP organizations. Our results show that the stakeholder cultures of altruist and instrumentalist, manifesting different moral values, differentially affect NFP managers’ perceptions of the three stakeholder attributes for clients and government. Specifically, an altruist stakeholder culture affects managers’ perception of client legitimacy, while an instrumentalist culture affects managers’ perception of government power. We also investigate the mediating effects of power and legitimacy on the relation between stakeholder cultures and urgency. We find that managers’ perceptions of power and legitimacy act as crucial cues for managers to perceive stakeholder urgency. Our study contributes to the stakeholder management literature and has important implications for managers of NFP organizations in managing stakeholder relationships in the contemporary environment.

Bridging the divide

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present an analysis of the development of a new graduate certificate course in Petroleum Data Management. The course was developed in response to an identified gap in skills and training in data management that was perceived to be a substantial risk in terms of: industry sustainability, efficiency and potentially wider implications of safety as assets are transferred between operators and for decommissioning. The aim of this paper is to critically reflect on how academia and industry can work together to support emerging professions in information management.Design/methodology/approachThe paper draws on observations and interviews from key stakeholders involved in the course development.FindingsThe course development process was ultimately successful but also challenging and lessons have been learned which will be of interest to the wider professional and academic body. These include: securing resources and industry engagement for course development, negotiating cultural differences between academic and industry and managing stakeholder relationships throughout the lifecycle of the course development.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates the challenges and opportunities of developing a university course in collaboration with industry partners. Oil and gas exploration and production is a data-intensive industry but it was only relatively recently that attempts have been made to set industry standards and roles of “data manager” or “data analyst” have been created to manage these. This paper has wider implications for understanding the professionalisation of the nascent data management disciplines and contributes to the ongoing dialogue around the changing library and information science profession.

Mapping multiple stakeholder value in service innovation: an industrial case study

The understanding of value is changing to include not only customers and shareholders but also the role of other stakeholder groups in creating value. This industrial case study presents an example of multiple stakeholder value consideration in service innovation. The paper employs a case study methodology, and the data was collected from workshops, interviews, and thematic discussions. The main result of this case study is a description of a service innovation process that considers stakeholders and multiple stakeholder value, and that offers new perspectives on strategies for managing stakeholder relationships. The findings of this study highlight the emergence of service innovation through a complex, multidimensional and networked value co-creation.

Mapping multiple stakeholder value in service innovation: an industrial case study

The understanding of value is changing to include not only customers and shareholders but also the role of other stakeholder groups in creating value. This industrial case study presents an example of multiple stakeholder value consideration in service innovation. The paper employs a case study methodology, and the data was collected from workshops, interviews, and thematic discussions. The main result of this case study is a description of a service innovation process that considers stakeholders and multiple stakeholder value, and that offers new perspectives on strategies for managing stakeholder relationships. The findings of this study highlight the emergence of service innovation through a complex, multidimensional and networked value co-creation.

Examining the association between stakeholder culture, stakeholder salience and stakeholder engagement activities

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the association between stakeholder culture, stakeholder salience and firm response to stakeholder demands, based on the stakeholder culture framework.Design/methodology/approach– The study was conducted in a field setting involving 292 mid-level managers who completed measures of stakeholder culture and stakeholder engagement activities (SEAs) in their organizations.Findings– Results show that managers in organizations with different stakeholder cultures differentially ascribe and weigh the three attributes of power, legitimacy, and urgency when determining stakeholder salience. In addition, stakeholder culture is also associated with how managers respond to stakeholder issues in terms of SEAs.Research limitations/implications– Findings of the study justify the need to extend the stakeholder salience theory beyond the values of senior managers to include organization-level factors. This study is largely exploratory and the relationships that have been observed are associational in character.Practical implications– Results show that both ascription of stakeholder salience and the nature of SEAs are associated with stakeholder culture prevalent in an organization. This implies that managers may face constraints in managing stakeholder relationships, regardless of their personal values and beliefs, and may have to make deliberate efforts to modify the culture.Originality/value– Despite the fact that researchers have been urged to examine how organization-level phenomena guide managerial thinking and decision making with respect to stakeholder relationships, empirical research on the topic is lacking. This study contributes to the emerging research on firm-level perspective on stakeholder management.

RESOLUSI KONFLIK TN TESSO NILO : TINJAUAN RELASI PEMANGKU KEPENTINGAN DENGAN POWER STAKEHOLDERS ANALYSIS

Conflict in Tesso Nilo National Park (TNNP) involves many actors that threaten its existence as an area aimed to conserving the ecosystem to the survival of the sumatran elephant. This study finds significance when it can identify the actors and provide one approach to managing stakeholder relationships through the power stakeholder analysis (PSA). The study results shows the actors involved in this conflict are: TNNP institution, local communities, migrant communities, investors of oil palm plantations, cooperatives, bad apparatures, local government, law enforcer and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). TNNP, local government and law enforcer are on the quadrant with the characteristics of stakeholders who have the power and high potential. Stakeholders in this quadrant can do a collaboration in order to strengthen the management. Investor of oil palm plantation, the national land agency (BPN) and NGOs are actors who have high power but low potential. Management of relationships that can be offered is that TNNP withstands the pressure from oil palm plantation investors to invest in the region of TNNP and take action to mitigate the impact of NGOs and BPN different perspective. Local communities and migrant communities have high potentials but have low power. TNNP can increase their capacity in national park management.

World Masters Games 2017: organisational delivery models

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore how multiple partners could be managed to ensure the successful delivery of the World Masters Games (WMG), 2017. Specifically, its objectives are to understand how event organisers manage relationships with multiple delivery partners, what tools and practices are used to ensure consistency and what risks and benefits exist. Design/methodology/approach – An applied, qualitative, exploratory method used thematic analysis to obtain findings from seven semi-structured interviews of senior managers involved in five international sports event held in Australasia. Findings – Findings were interpreted into nine themes related to event delivery partnerships such as reducing inconsistency, localising delivery through specialists, managing stakeholder relationships, managing workloads and taking an athlete-centred approach. Recommendations include establishing relationship strategies for each partner, determining the degree of control over delivery, crafting contracts appropriate to each partner, creating a suite of tools to aid consistency, recruiting an executive team with Games/mass participation event experience and a senior management team with sport or venue operations experience, centralising knowledge and planning, up-skilling partners as necessary and fully engaging local communities. Research limitations/implications – The sample was restricted to five event organisations and only a small number of participants per organisation were interviewed. This study collected the experiences and opinions from the event organisers’ point of view and did not capture the same from delivery partners. Originality/value – The literature revealed little specifically on operational delivery methods adopted by sport events; therefore this study adds to the conversation on sport event delivery models from an outsourcing perspective.

The Maine Tidal Power Initiative: transdisciplinary sustainability science research for the responsible development of tidal power

The Maine Tidal Power Initiative (MTPI), an interdisciplinary team of engineers, marine scientists, oceanographers, and social scientists, is using a transdisciplinary sustainability science approach to collect biophysical and social data necessary for understanding interactions between human and natural systems in the context of tidal power development in Maine. MTPI offers a unique opportunity to better understand how group structure and process influence outcomes in transdisciplinary sustainability science research. Through extensive participant observation and semi-structured interviews we: (1) describe MTPI’s organizational structure; (2) examine MTPI’s research approach and engagement with stakeholders from different sectors of society (i.e., industry, government, and the local community); and (3) identify challenges and opportunities for involving different disciplinary expertise and diverse stakeholders in transformational sustainability science research. We found that MTPI’s holistic mission, non-hierarchical structure, and iterative stakeholder engagement process led to important benefits and significant challenges. Positive outcomes include knowledge development, a transferable research framework, shared resources, personal reward, and a greater understanding of the local environment and community. Challenges identified include balancing diverse interests and priorities, maintaining engagement, managing stakeholder relationships, and limited resources. Lessons learned from the process of integrative collaborative research in Maine can offer guidance on what should be considered when carrying out similar transdisciplinary sustainability science projects in other research contexts.

Applying Stakeholder Theory in Sustainability Management

This essay examines links, similarities, and dissimilarities between stakeholder theory and sustainability management. Based on the analysis a conceptual framework is developed to increase the applicability and the application of stakeholder theory in sustainability management. Concluding from the analysis, we identify three challenges of managing stakeholder relationships for sustainability: strengthening the particular sustainability interests of stakeholders, creating mutual sustainability interests based on these particular interest, and empowering stakeholders to act as intermediaries for nature and sustainable development. To address these challenges three interrelated mechanisms are suggested: education, regulation, and sustainability-based value creation for stakeholders.

Do public relations professionals understand corporate governance issues well enough to advise companies on stakeholder relationship management?

The King Reports on Governance for South Africa are internationally respected for proposing integrated reporting in a triple bottom-line business context to improve corporate governance. The most recent report, King III, views stakeholder relationship management as a key tenet of corporate governance. This raises the question whether public relations professionals (PRPs) understand the principles of corporate governance well-enough to inform and guide organizations on the management of stakeholder relationships. The views of senior PRPs at selected top performing companies were elicited on their practice of stakeholder relationship management in line with corporate governance principles. It was found that their knowledge on corporate governance was limited, although they recognized its importance. They propose six role functions for managing stakeholder relationships on a strategic or managerial level; these role functions are aligned with the King III principles on stakeholder relationships. The following three were of particular importance: developing a corporate strategy, giving advice to senior management and managing crisis communication. Different terminologies were used to build relations with stakeholders and different approaches were used to profile stakeholders. It is recommended that organizations leverage their public relations functions on strategic and managerial levels in support of their corporate governance efforts. In turn, PRPs are encouraged to ensure a deep knowledge on corporate governance issues when counseling senior management on building stakeholder relationships.

Anticipating, preventing, and surviving secondary boycotts

Even the best stakeholder-managed firms can suffer when they become targets of a secondary boycott, as recent headlines attest. By definition, a secondary boycott is a group's refusal to engage a target firm with which the group has no direct dispute, in an attempt to sway public opinion, draw attention to an issue, or influence the actions of a disputant. This article provides a new perspective and tools for both scholars and managers concerned with this phenomenon. Building on a stakeholder theory foundation, we examine possible actions managers can take to avoid being surprised by a secondary boycott, propose conditions that raise the probability of becoming the target of a secondary boycott, and develop four alternative approaches for managing stakeholder relationships in a world of secondary boycotts.

Gaining legitimacy in large Australian listed companies: exploring the role of corporate reporting regarding employees

Corporate reporting is a key tool in managing stakeholder relationships. It is useful for developing corporate legitimacy especially as large listed companies are increasingly asked to report on different dimensions of their performance (economic, social and environmental). Our paper thus investigates corporate reporting regarding employees in large listed Australian companies by questioning how they take into account their national and industrial contexts to develop legitimacy. We analyse corporate reporting of employees in 60 Australian companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange top 100 companies in 2009. First we found that companies report to develop their pragmatic legitimacy by providing information on the benefits valued by employees such as health and safety or career development. They also attempt to improve their moral legitimacy by communicating on anti-discrimination policies or business ethics. Lastly they try to enhance their cognitive legitimacy by reporting against areas such as health and safety and business ethics whilst they do not report against industrial relations and responsible management of employees. We also underline the influence of industry risk characteristics in shaping corporate reporting practices.