Abstract
This paper looks for patterns in the emerging dialogue practice between multinationals and
NGOs (non-governmental organizations). It examines what drives the practice, where stakeholder
management is located in the organizational structure, how topics and partners for
stakeholder dialogue are selected, which types of dialogue occur and what outcomes they
have. The practice is evaluated in terms of the strategic management model and the sustainability
model. While strategic management considerations may be recognized in all elements
of the dialogue practice, sustainability considerations are less prominent. It is
concluded that corporate stakeholder dialogues with environmental NGOs have a high
instrumental value for strategic management. For corporate environmental sustainability,
however, current dialogues are a possible but not a necessary instrument. Nonetheless, the
apparent learning process among the individual participants might be the added value of
stakeholder dialogue in sustainability terms. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and
ERP Environment.
| Original language | Undefined/Unknown |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 298-310 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |