Inside the Mind of the Stakeholder: The Hype Behind Stakeholder Pressure

Evidence obtained from stakeholder groups in Europe is sobering indeed in the context of globalization and the constant striving for competitiveness. This book provides an honest and in-depth analysis of how stakeholders themselves assess and influence corporate sustainability. It is an eye-opener, both for companies and for the stakeholders.

Table of Contents:
List of Tables List of Figures Acknowledgements Foreword; H.Roels Executive Summary: Inside the Mind of the Stakeholders; U.Steger PART 1: STAKEHOLDERS AND CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY - AN OVERVIEW The Hype behind Stakeholder Pressure; U.Steger Getting into the Minds of Stakeholders: Framework and Methodology; O.Salzmann Stakeholder Dynamics; O.Salzmann, A.Ionescu-Somers & S.Tywuschik Stakeholders and Corporate Sustainability; U.Steger, F.Baptist, J.Prinzhorn, O.Salzmann, A.Nick & S.Tywischik What Is it with Stakeholder Pressure?; U.Steger PART 2: STAKEHOLDER REPORTS Financial Institutions - Corporate Sustainability as a Significant Niche?; A.Nick Communities and Cities: Local Players in Corporate Sustainability; O.Salzmann & J.Prinzhorn Governments: The Challenge of Addressing Corporate Sustainability at the Macro Level; F.Baptist NGOs: Catalysts of Corporate Sustainability; J.Prinzhorn & O.Salzmann Consumer Organizations: Aligning Corporate Sustainability and Consumer Interest; A.Ionescu-Somers Media: Indifferent Observers of Corporate Sustainability; S.Tywuschik Corporate Customers and Suppliers: How Companies Influence other Companies; A.Ionescu-Somers Unions: On the Backseat of Corporate Sustainability; O.Salzmann & J.Prinzhorn Appendix 1: Interview Guidelines Appendix 2: Self-completion Questionnaire Index

About the Author :
ULRICH STEGER is recognized as one of the leading authorities in the area of environmental management. He is Professor of Environmental Management at IMD, Switzerland, and Director of the IMD Forum for Corporate Sustainability Management and the IMD Corporate Governance Research Initiative. He directs major partnership programmes and holds an Honorary Professorship for International Management at the Technical University, Berlin, Germany.

Review :
'The contents of this book cut very effectively through a certain amount of mounting 'hype' around CSR issues by empirically exposing the realities of stakeholder strategies influencing corporate sustainability management. As such, it is an excellent and comprehensive primer for managers that wish to discover the current status of their own corporate stakeholder environment, or for business students that wish to understand the managerial complexities of aligning organizations behind sustainability strategies (including those of the corporate stakeholders themselves).' - Gilbert Lenssen, President of the European Academy of Business in Society (EABIS) 'Companies and their stakeholders have come a long way since the 1980s. This book offers an interesting empirical approach to the evolving role and influence of stakeholders in driving more sustainable business models. It will be intriguing to see how and to what extent other stakeholders will pick up on NGOs' engagement in this field and adopt a more proactive role in the future.' - James P. Leape, WWF International Director General 'This book is a major contribution to the current corporate citizenship debate. It provides a comprehensive and often sobering overview of the level of stakeholder pressure and reveals a certain positivism about this area. To a large extent, this is because companies have learnt to manage their stakeholder environment. However, the learning has to continue...' - Patrick de Smedt, Chairman of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa