The final step in implementing a stakeholder perspective is identifying stakeholders.

Presentation on theme: "Learning Objectives Identify stakeholders’ roles in business ethics"— Presentation transcript:

1 Chapter 2 Stakeholder Relationships, Social Responsibility, and Corporate Governance

2 Learning Objectives Identify stakeholders’ roles in business ethics
Define social responsibility Examine the relationship between stakeholder orientation and social responsibility Delineate a stakeholder orientation in creating corporate social responsibility

3 Learning Objectives (continued)
Explore the role of corporate governance in structuring ethics and social responsibility in business List the steps involved in implementing a stakeholder perspective in social responsibility and business ethics

4 Relationships and Business
Relationships are associated with both organizational success and misconduct Businesses exist because of organizational relationships between employees, customers, shareholders, and the community Stakeholder framework identifies the internal and external stakeholders who agree, collaborate, and engage in confrontations on ethical issues Allows organizations to identify, monitor, and respond to the needs and expectations of stakeholder groups

5 Stakeholders People who have a stake or claim in some aspect of a company’s operations, markets, and industry Approaches to stakeholder theory Normative - Sets forth ethical guidelines that dictate how firms should treat stakeholders Descriptive - Focuses on the actual behavior of a firm and addresses how decisions and strategies are made for stakeholder relationships Instrumental - Describes what happens if a firm behaves in a particular way

6 Role of Stakeholders Foster decision making
The level of social responsibility of an organization can be assessed by scrutinizing its effects on the issues of concern to its stakeholders Provide resources that are critical to a firm’s long- term success

7 Types of Stakeholders People whose support and resources are needed for a firm’s survival Include employees, customers, and shareholders Primary stakeholders Do not engage directly in transactions with a company Not essential to a firm’s survival Include the media and trade associations Secondary stakeholders

8 Figure 2.2 - Interactions between a Company and Its Primary and Secondary Stakeholders

9 Stakeholder Orientation
Degree to which a firm understands and addresses stakeholder demands Consists of the following activities: Organization-wide generation of data about stakeholder groups and assessment of the firm’s effects on these groups Distribution of the generated data throughout the firm Responsiveness of the organization as a whole to the data generated

10 Figure 2.3 - Steps of Social Responsibility

11 Corporate Citizenship
Degree to which businesses strategically meet the economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities placed on them by their stakeholders Dimensions Strong sustained economic performance Rigorous compliance Ethical actions beyond what the law requires Voluntary contributions that advance the reputation and stakeholder commitment of the organization

12 Issues in Social Responsibility
Social issues Consumer protection Sustainability Corporate governance

13 Importance of Stakeholder Orientation in Social Responsibility
Friedman’s view - Stakeholders do not have any role in requiring businesses to demonstrate responsible and ethical behavior Adam Smith’s view - Values that a firm should adopt to produce in a more socially responsible way correlates with the needs and concerns of the stakeholders Stakeholder support for companies that are socially responsible enhances a firm’s profitability

14 Corporate Governance and Stakeholders
Corporate governance provides formalized responsibility to stakeholders Directors and officers of corporations - Fiduciaries for the shareholders Directors perform a duty of diligence and share a duty of loyalty Accountability - Degree to which workplace decisions align with a firm’s goals and its compliance with ethical and legal considerations

15 Corporate Governance and Stakeholders (continued)
Corporate governance establishes systems and processes for: Preventing and detecting misconduct Investigating and disciplining Recovery and continuous improvement The development of a stakeholder orientation should interface with the corporation’s governance structure

16 Models of Corporate Governance
Shareholder model Goal - Maximize wealth for investors and owners Focuses on developing and improving the formal system for maintaining performance accountability between top management and shareholders Stakeholder model Company is answerable to its stakeholders Promotes stakeholder welfare along with corporate needs and interests

17 Board of Directors Responsible for the ethics of a firm’s actions
Have a fiduciary duty Assume ultimate authority for their organization’s effectiveness and subsequent performance Governed by the amendments of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines for Organizations (FSGO)

18 Demand for Accountability and Transparency
Directors today are increasingly chosen for their expertise, competence, and ability to bring diverse perspectives to strategic discussions Outside directors are hired as they do not have vested interests The concept of interlocking directorate is not illegal unless it involves a direct competitor Interlocking directorate: Board members linked to more than one company

19 Executive Compensation
Compensation paid to top executives of the company Ratio between the salaries of the highest-paid executives and the median employee wage should be less Stakeholders support high level of compensation only when it is linked to strong company performance

20 Steps to Implementing a Stakeholder Perspective
Assessing the corporate culture Identifying stakeholder groups and issues Assessing organizational commitment to social responsibility Identifying resources and determining urgency Gaining stakeholder feedback

What are the steps to implementing a stakeholder perspective?

The steps include: assessing the corporate culture; identifying stakeholder groups; identifying stakeholder issues; assessing the organizational commitment to social responsibility; identifying resources and determining urgency; gaining stakeholder feedback.

What is the first step in implementing a stakeholder?

The first step of a stakeholder analysis is to identify relevant stakeholder groups. Projects will typically involve a broad range of stakeholders. The stakeholder analysis needs to be initiated early to identify key stakeholder groups and individuals to be involved in the project planning process.

What is the purpose of a stakeholder orientation?

Stakeholder orientation describes a pattern of social responsibility values, decision making or behavior where managers decide and act by including the interests of various groups of stakeholders like customers, employees, etc.

Why is it important for business to identify secondary stakeholders?

Secondary Stakeholders' Importance Secondary stakeholders are important to a company because they affect the company's reputation. Secondary stakeholders tend to be more vocal than primary stakeholders. Primary stakeholders are small groups compared to secondary stakeholders.