Stakeholder Management

Brief description

Interest groups, so-called “stakeholders,” play an important role for any organization, as they can have various ways of influencing the company. The interest or the “stake” can change over time and is context-dependent. Therefore, it is of particular relevance for companies to identify, categorize, prioritize and interact with their stakeholders based on these insights into their sustainability challenges. Furthermore, stakeholder management is a way for companies to exert influence and communicate effectively.

Questions we address in this research area include:

Who are a company’s stakeholders? What are their “stakes”, needs and contributions?

Which stakeholders are particularly relevant? For what reasons?

What are appropriate forms of interaction and communication with one’s stakeholders?

Which formats (e.g., dialog, reports, open innovation, social networks) are best suited to interact with the respective stakeholder groups?

In the SmartHaPSSS project, for example, stakeholders are identified who are relevant for the innovation process in the company from a sustainability perspective. In addition, NGOs are explicitly considered as stakeholders in the Consumer Perception of NGO-Firm-Cooperations project.