The Stakeholder Strategy: Profiting from Collaborative Business Relationships [Hardcover]

Ann Svendsen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1998

In today's networked, highly competitive, and global economy, value is created collaboratively between a company and its stakeholders -- employees, investors, customers, suppliers, and communities. "The Stakeholder Strategy" presents a new approach to management that is focused on collaboration. It addresses concernes aobut the bottom line (can collaboration increase profits?) and societal pressures to improve overall quality of life. It also includes a practical step-by-step guide, which companies can use to forge a network of powerful and profitable collaborative stakeholder relationships.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Research has shown that companies that treat their employees well, create jobs in the local economy, develop innovative products and services, take care of the environment, and contribute to the community, are often more profitable.

The Stakeholder Strategy shows business leaders and managers how to establish and maintain positive, mutually beneficial stakeholder relationships. Based on a synthesis of ideas from community relations, marketing, stakeholder management, organizational change, sustainability, and the corporate social responsibility literature-and featuring case study examples from companies around the world who are working to build collaborative relationships with their stakeholders-it offers an integrated framework, as well as the practical tools for developing new kinds of collaborative relationships.

"The Stakeholder Strategy is a timely publication. In today's world of collaboration and partnership, understanding the dynamics of stakeholder relationships is imperative."
-Suzanne Gagnon, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Glaxo Wellcome Inc.

"This book is a first in de-bunking the mystery surrounding social auditing in the 1990s."
-Chris Smith, Group Public Affairs Manager, The Co-Operative Bank, Manchester, United Kingdom

About the Author

Ann Svendsen is a senior partner with CoreRelation Consulting in Vancouver, Canada, where her clients include resource and utility companies, regional and provincial governments, and financial institutions. For the past sixteen years, Svendsen has worked as a consulting sociologist, helping companies and government agencies identify, understand, and work effectively with their internal and external stakeholders. She has designed successful multi-stakeholder consultation initiatives and developed innovative community relations and communications programs.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 207 pages
• Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576750477
• ISBN-13: 978-1576750476
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,656,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A framework for a holistic approach to stakeholder relations, June 12, 2000

By 

Tamara Bliss (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Stakeholder Strategy: Profiting from Collaborative Business Relationships (Hardcover)

This book is essential reading not only for community relations managers but for any corporate manager responsible for corporate strategy and for developing relationships with a company's key stakeholders. Svendsen provides a practical, easy-to-follow, step-by-step approach to all phases of building collaborative relationships. The book is filled with useful tools, practical tips, case vignettes and charts that summarize key points. The author discusses the critical role of both implicit and explicit "contracts" between stakeholders and companies and emphasizes relationship building as a corporate-wide responsibility. She sees reputation as critical to corporate success and trust as the most important ingredient in building positive stakeholder relations. And, she focuses on the importance of preparing an organization for relationship building by developing a social mission and creating structures and policies that support collaborative relationships with both external and internal stakeholders.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, June 1, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Stakeholder Strategy: Profiting from Collaborative Business Relationships (Hardcover)

Ann Svendsen’s critically acclaimed book is one of the first attempts to define a new relationship between business and its employees, customers and communities. Written in a conversational, intelligent style, The Stakeholder Strategy makes the case for collaborative stakeholder relationships and tries to show companies how they can develop and nurture those relationships for mutual benefit. Regardless of whether you think that Svendsen has succeeded or failed in that goal, the book gives plenty of examples, drawn from diverse industries, to support her claims. At the same time, it doesn’t get bogged down by endless source notes; the book provides just enough data to make a point and back it up. The book isn’t a flimsy how-to, nor is it a dry academic tome. It fits comfortably in the middle by incorporating the best of both approaches. We at ... recommend this book to company leaders and managers, as well as anyone — from life-long employee to adversarial activist — who falls under the new definition of a corporate stakeholder.

0 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Mansion In The Mist, October 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Stakeholder Strategy: Profiting from Collaborative Business Relationships (Hardcover)

I really enjoyed the book because it made me use my imagination. Set in the 1950s, in a mansion in another world, three characters are required to find a certain object. If they fail, creatures will invade the planet Earth. The story is told by Anthony Monday, the thirteen year-old protagonist, who starts the adventure by accidentally transporting himself to the other world. Once there, Anthony learns of the plot by the antagonistic creatures, who will stop at nothing to take over Earth. Together with the help of his friends, the Eells, the group searches for the solution that will prevent the creatures from reaching their goal. This conflict is decided just at the last moment. I liked this book because it makes the reader follow along and think of solutions to the many problems. Also, many surprises and suspenseful moments are found throughout the story. The only negative comment that I have about the book is that the discussion about the various solutions was too drawn-out. For readers my age, I would highly recommend this book because it was interesting and had a good plot. If you like the R.L. Stine books, this would be a great book for you to read because the authors are very similar. I would only recommend this book to teachers if they enjoy reading science fiction.