Global Stakeholder Strategies

Director: Jenn Griffin

The Global Stakeholder Strategies Program is based on the idea that sustaining viable stakeholder relations creates long lasting value for corporations. Firms engaging with a range of stakeholders: employees, customers, suppliers, investors, civil society, non-governmental organizations, communities, and governmental agencies; is not a new concept. What separates modern stakeholder engagement strategies, however, is the additional uncertainty and complexity in a global world of commerce. Expanding operations across continents, developing reliable supply chains within and among multiple developing or developed countries, ensuring quality goods/service delivery while appropriately attending to local employees, communities and governments having disparate values and shared beliefs creates complex learning issues for modern corporations.

This program emphasizes research, teaching and conferences for academics and executives to examine specific stakeholder relations (e.g., business-community relations; business-government relations), cross-cultural comparisons (e.g., China, Australian, and EU philanthropy policies), local and international stakeholders (international NGOs, quasi-governmental organizations, civil society engagement), industry- (e.g., beer, tobacco, mining, energy, pharmaceuticals) and firm- (extended enterprise) effects of stakeholder engagement. Accountability, transparency and impacts of firms and stakeholders while building capacity, enhancing reputation, and creating value are dominant themes in the global stakeholder strategies program.

On May 2, 2007, the Global Stakeholder Strategies program, along with the GW Center for International Education and Research and the International Business Ethics Institute, hosted a roundtable discussion on "Corruption and International Business." Monica Dorhoi of the World Bank presented her research, which is focussed on how corruption is affecting stakeholder relations, transparency, and accountability mechanisms across 78 countries. She has generously provided her powerpoint presentation which guided the discussion with aim of helping to stimulate new research questions regarding corruption. Cick here to access it!