Reciprocity of Moral Rights, Stakeholder Theory and Dialogue

The Foundations of Fruitful Stakeholder Dialogues

This presentation examines the foundations for fruitful stakeholder dialogues. Stakeholder dialogues are increasingly moving onto the executive agenda but at the same time they frequently disappoint in their results leaving stakeholders as well as corporate actors frustrated with their engagement.

One of the main reasons for failing stakeholder engagements is that ground rules for fruitful dialogues are not respected which in turn is the result of an ill-defined relationship between stakeholders and corporate actors and counterproductive motives for dialogical engagements.

Most frequently one can observe an instrumental variant of stakeholder theory defining the frame of reference to corporate actors in which stakeholders are seen as a means to forward profit related corporate aims. Fruitful stakeholder dialogues, however, are based on the normative variant of stakeholder theory in which stakeholders represent clams of intrinsic value. Consequently the frame of reference is the argumentative validity of the claim rather than the capacity of the claimant to harm or forward profit related corporate aims.

On this basis dialogues can reap great benefits to all parties involved and this presentation outlines the theoretical foundation and moral reasoning for normative stakeholder dialogues as well as translating those into concrete courses of action for the dialogical engagement with stakeholders.

Foreign Direct Investment and Development

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