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play our part in addressing global environmental and social concerns 
through our own actions; and working in partnership with stakeholders 
at local; national and international levels’; the pany has developed 
a prehensive set of principles to guide its behaviour in all aspects of 
its work。 The guidelines it expects employees to work to include always 
working with integrity with ‘the highest standards of corporate behaviour 
towards everyone we work with; the munities we touch; and the 
environment on which we have an impact’。 The full value statement 
can be seen on its website at this link (unilever/ourvalues)。
226 The Thirty…Day MBA 
UNDERSTANDING STAKEHOLDERS 
So we can see that directors and by extension the managers of an organization 
first saw that their primary; o。。en their only; responsibility was to 
look a。。er the shareholders’ interests。 Measures were; and still are; taken 
to a。。empt to ally their interests; for example linking bonuses to share 
price or profits。 For the most part these a。。empts have failed; as the case 
of Enron showed; where shareholders were systematically deceived。 Also; 
in the whole sub…prime debacle bankers were rewarded for systematically 
repackaging toxic loans and spreading them in near…undetectable layers 
around the globe; to the eventual detriment of their shareholders and the 
taxpaying public at large who had to pick up the bill。 But even where it is 
possible to ally directors’ interests with those of shareholders; that leaves a 
myriad of other interested parties effectively disenfranchised; except in so 
far as they are expressly protected by laws。 
The idea that businesses had a responsibility other than to shareholders 
was brought to popular a。。ention in Howard R Bowen’s book Social Responsibilities 
of the Businessman (1953; New York: Harper and Brothers); but it 
was a decade later before the term ‘stakeholder’ was coined in an internal 
memorandum at the Stanford Research Institute in 1963。 Over the next 
two decades the term stakeholder was debated and defined until Edward 
Freeman; a professor at the Darden School of Business (darden。 
virginia。edu); University of Virginia; in his book Strategic Management: A 
Stakeholder Approach (1984; United States: Pitman Bowen); set out simple 
guidelines that anyone in an organization could understand and follow。 
Freeman’s stakeholders were defined as ‘any group or individual who can 
affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization’s objectives’。 
MAPPING OUT THE STAKEHOLDERS 
Freeman (see above) divided stakeholders into six distinct categories; owners; 
employees; customers; suppliers; munities and governments; with 
which an organization has varying responsibilities or ‘social contracts’。 The 
first step in the process of developing an ethical strategy is to identify all the 
people; institutions and agencies that your organization is likely to impinge 
on in the normal course of its activities。 
Figure 9。1 gives an example of a stakeholder map。 It shows how stakeholders 
move outwards from the individual at the centre; to internal groups 
including their immediate work environment; colleagues; team and peers; 
and on to external groups; suppliers; customers; shareholders and eventually 
on to ever…distant publics and organizations。
Ethics and Social Responsibility 227 
ASSESSING OBLIGATIONS 
Not all stakeholders will be affected by any one particular strategy or course 
of action; nor will those that are affected be affected to the same degree。 So 
the next step in the process is to see which stakeholders will be affected and 
to what degree。 This can be done using a Stakeholder Relevance Matrix; as 
in Figure 9。2。 This shows which stakeholder groups will be affected by the 
decision to relocate a production unit to a new lower…cost country。 
Figure 9。1 Stakeholder mapping 
You 
Organization 
Shareholders 
Customers 
Suppliers 
Government 
petitors 
Department 
Teams
Peers 
Town/Immediate Neighbourhood 
Your Country/Region 
Other Countries and Regions 
Industry/ business sector 
International governments 
Wider publics affected 
Figure 9。2 Stakeholder relevance matrix 
Proposed strategy 
Move production to 
lower…cost country 
Positively affected Adversely affected 
Directly affected Employment created in 
new country 
New munity in new 
country 
Existing workforce 
Existing munity in 
existing country 
Local subcontractors will 
lose work 
Indirectly affected Shareholder returns 
improved 
Home government gets 
less tax 
Management will have to 
travel more
228 The Thirty…Day MBA 
The next step in the process is to analyse the specific interests/expectations 
and rights/responsibilities of each affected stakeholder group。 Following 
through with the example of relocating a factory; we can see in Figure 9。3 
the different expectations and rights of the three stakeholder groups seen to 
be most relevant to this decision。 
Figure 9。3 Stakeholder rights and expectations grid 
Stakeholders 
Customers Shareholders Employees 
Rights Be given 
information on all 
factors concerning 
new production 
source 
To be informed in the 
annual report and 
accounts or sooner if the 
implications will cause 
public discussion 
To statutory 
redundancy 
payments 
Expectations Any change should 
be seamlessly 
implemented 
That the pany will 
treat employees properly 
That the move is in the 
long…term best interest of 
the organization 
To be consulted 
and given help with 
job search 
STAKEHOLDER STRATEGIES 
Having identified the stakeholders and weighed up their rights and expectations; 
an organization has basically three possible ethical stances it 
can take: 
。 Immoral business: Make decisions that are clearly unethical to large 
groups of stakeholders。 The Mafia and organized crime in general 
certainly fit into this category; as in many respects do the sex industry; 
large tracts of the gambling industry and arguably the tobacco and 
drinks industry too。 These last three are accepted as being a customer’s 
inalienable right to free choice; aided by being major employers and 
taxpayers。 
。 Amoral business: Make decisions without considering their ethical 
implications either through carelessness; indifference or the mistaken 
belief that business is there to make profit only。 Such businesses see 
governments and their laws as the only ethical or moral constraint they 
need concern themselves with。 
。 Moral business: All decisions are made considering what is ethical; fair 
and just。
Ethics and Social Responsibility 229 
IMPLEMENTING ETHICAL AND RESPONSIBLE 
STRATEGIES 
Ethics and values play a central role in shaping a pany’s identity and 
reputation; building its brands; and earning the trust of customers; suppliers 
or other business partners。 While honesty; fairness and responsibility are 
crucial for building a good reputation; an organization that is looking for 
pre…eminence in its field needs to go beyond just meeting stakeholders’ 
needs。 It has to emphasize the message that it is a。。ractive as a business 
partner and as a good corporate citizen。 To achieve this status the following 
steps need to be pursued: 
。 Acknowledge and monitor all stakeholders with a valid claim on your 
a。。entions。 
。 municate regularly with stakeholders; listening to their interests 
and concerns。 
。 Actively cooperate with stakeholders to minimize risks。 
。 Always avoid actions that endanger lives。 
。 Use processes that are sensitive to stakeholders’ needs。 
。 Recognize the danger that managers’ convenience and the needs of 
most other stakeholder groups will almost always be in conflict。 
。 Resolve stakeholder conflicts speedily and fairly。 
Resolving conflict 
Unfortunately; however ethical and socially responsible an organization 
is; it will at some stage; perhaps even frequently; find itself pursuing a 
strategy that upsets other stakeholder groups。 A recent example of one 
such conflict was Shell’s decision; announced in April 2008; to pull out 
of the London Array wind farm。 This £2 billion project for 341 turbines 
capable of producing 1;000 megawa。。s of power was a key part of the UK 
government’s strategy to produce 15 per cent of UK energy needs from 
renewable sources by 2015; with an aspiration to raise that to 20 per cent by 
2020。 Given that in 2008 renewable energy accounted for only 2 per cent of 
output in the UK; the London Array was seen as important; perhaps vital; 
to achieving those goals。 But Shell had to weigh up the consequences of 
upse。。ing the UK government; Friends of the Earth and its other German 
and Dutch partners in the project; with other concerns。 Shell’s view was 
that the cost of wind farms was simply spiralling out of control; with steel 
prices rising with increased world demand from such countries as China 
and India。 In any event; world turbine production was booked up years 
in advance。 Shell already had stakes in 11 wind farms producing over 
1;100 megawa。。s and reckoned that as a pany it could make the same 
230 The Thirty…Day MBA 
contribution to the environment at a much lower cost to its shareholders; 
but probably on another continent and in another technology。 
Resolving stakeholder conflicts calls for tact and munications 
and the recognition that while you can’t please everyone; you can still 
be ethical。 About 1 per cent of Shell’s investments are in green projects。 
For example; a pany subsidiary; Shell Solar; has played a major role 
in the development of first…generation CIS (copper indium diselenide) 
thin…film technology。 This it believes to be the most mercially viable 
form of photovoltaic solar technology to generate electricity from the 
sun’s energy。 Together with its joint venture partner in this project; Saint 
Gobain; it has a pilot plant under construction in Saxony; Germany that 
will produce sufficient solar panels to save 14;000 tonnes of CO2 per year。 
So stakeholders such as the UK government and Denmark’s DONG Energy 
in the London Array project had to be weighed up against Saint Gobain; 
with the German government being party to both strategies throug

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