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Do you know your global stakeholder landscape?
By Sylvia Kinnicutt, Research Associate, Boston College Center
Most companies are now pretty savvy about the stakeholders they need to pay attention to – the local and federal government, key NGOs, labor unions, community groups, and general employees and consumers, to name a few. Companies now often map these stakeholders according to their interests and influence on the company. But do you know how these stakeholder groups map globally? Would your stakeholder map be different from one country to the next?
Why do you need to know the global stakeholder landscape for corporate citizenship? Your license to operate in foreign markets may depend on it. Keen understanding of where these groups stand can significantly aid in the creation of citizenship programs and partnerships as well.
The Boston College Center has been working with its global partner organizations in the Global Education and Research Network (GERN) to assess where stakeholder groups stand on the spectrum of support for corporate citizenship and influence over corporate action. Because the number and type of stakeholder groups, their respective influence, and their opinions differ from one country to the next, we can expect that the approach to, and nature of, corporate citizenship will differ as well.
Surveys of corporate leaders suggest that they listen to three groups of stakeholders the most when it comes to corporate citizenship: consumers, employees and the government. However, our country stakeholder maps show that consumers and employees in particular are still sitting on the fence when it comes to advocating for corporate citizenship, particularly in developing countries.
Different countries have different “drivers” of corporate citizenship among stakeholder groups. In South Africa and China, for instance, corporate citizenship is largely driven by government policy and legislation, while in Chile and Mexico international organizations such as the Global Compact have great influence. NGOs have taken a strong stand in support of corporate citizenship, but their influence is comparatively low and in several countries legitimacy is an issue.
Some countries also face significant “resistors” to corporate citizenship. Globally, investors can cause the greatest stall in this area. Additionally, labor unions in many countries have taken a skeptical view, worrying that this new agenda may threaten their own objectives.
Where do you think the greatest pressure for corporate citizenship will come from in the future? Could investors change their tune? The socially responsible investment movement (SRI) is gaining ground in the West, but hasn’t yet reached much of the developing world. Will a new generation of ethical consumers and employees move these groups off the fence line?
Look for our latest findings and country-by-country analysis in an upcoming report on the Influence and Impact of Global Stakeholders later this year.
