Empirical investigation regarding ethical decision making: a stakeholder cross-impact analysis (SCIA)

Purpose The purpose of this research was to study senior and middle-level executive perspectives on ethical decision-making exploring stakeholder cross-impact analysis (SCIA). Given the complexities of business today, stakeholder identification, prioritisation and complexities of reciprocal stakeholder influences have become very important. Various philosophical approaches raised questions than responses to these problems. There was a clear need to find ways through which the worldview of agents could be assimilated and understood. Design/methodology/approach This study used the original hypothetical short case and brought in middle and senior executive reflections of Indian fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) managers. Reflections of ten senior and 178 middle-level Indian FMCG managers were presented, exploring ethical dilemmas using short hypothetical case. These reflections have been analysed using the SCIA framework. The paired t-test was performed to compare the reflections of senior and middle-level executives. Findings The study results indicated that differences emerged regarding stakeholder identification, prioritisation and reciprocal stakeholder influences between Indian middle and senior FMCG executives. Hence, this study paved a reflective space for SCIA. The findings were in line with the tenets of agents’ dilemmas depicted in agency theory. Research limitations/implications This study made contribution to theory by integrating the perspective of ethical dilemma confronted by organisational decision-making units (DMUs) with respect to stakeholder influence and prioritisation. Specifically, theoretical contribution was made towards SCIA. Practical implications This study would help middle and senior executives to better understand the needs and complexities of stakeholder identification, prioritisation and complexities of reciprocal stakeholder influences. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this was one of the first studies from an emerging market context country like India that applied SCIA in the FMCG sector. Organisational DMUs while facing ethical dilemma undertook stakeholder influence vis-a-vis stakeholder prioritisation.

"A Promise Unfulfilled": Stakeholder Influence and the 2018 UN High-Level Meeting on NCDs; Comment on "Competing Frames in Global Health Governance: an Analysis of Stakeholder Influence on the Political Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases

In recognition of the global burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), the past decade has seen three U.N. High Level Meetings on NCDs. Yet progress in terms of political or financial commitments has been very slow. At the 2018 meeting, a political declaration was approved but featured language that had been watered down in terms of commitments. In "Competing Frames of Global Health Governance: An Analysis of Stakeholder Influence on the Political Declaration on Non-communicable Diseases," Suzuki et al analyze the documents that were submitted by Member States, NGOs and the private sector during the consultation period and conclude that the private sector and several high-income countries appeared to oppose regulatory frameworks for products associated with NCDs , that wealthier countries resisted financing commitments, and that general power asymmetries affected the final document. This comment supports their findings and provides additional considerations for why the NCD response has yet to produce significant commitments.

Commercial Influence on Political Declarations: The Crucial Distinction Between Consultation and Negotiation and the Need for Transparency in Lobbying Comment on "Competing Frames in Global Health Governance: An Analysis of Stakeholder Influence on the Political Declaration on Non-Communicable Diseases"

Suzuki and colleagues’ rare and elaborate analysis of the political processes behind the 2018 United Nations (UN) non-communicable diseases (NCD) Declaration discloses various pathways towards influencing global public health policies. Their study should be a wake-up call for further scientific political scrutiny and analysis, including clearly distinguishing between consultations such as UN multi-stakeholder hearings preceding high-level meetings and the actual negotiating and decision making process. While stakeholder positions at interactive hearings are documented and published and thus made transparent, the negotiating process among member states is not publicly known. The extent to which intergovernmental negotiations are influenced at country or regional levels by commercial interests through direct and indirect lobbying outside of public consultations should be given more attention. Lobby registers should be implemented more stringently and legislative footprints required and applied not only to legally binding but also to internationally important documents such as political declarations.

Public-Private Partnerships With Unhealthy Commodity Industries: Are They Undermining Real Progress in Non-Communicable Disease Prevention? Competing Frames in Global Health Governance: An Analysis of Stakeholder Influence on the Political Declaration on Non-communicable Diseases

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) and whole-of-society approaches are increasingly common in public health promotion and non-communicable disease prevention, despite a lack of evidence in favour of their effectiveness in improving health outcomes. While PPPs may have advantages, they also give industry actors more influence over the design and implementation of public health strategies and interventions. Partnering with unhealthy commodity industries in particular – including the alcohol and ultra-processed food and beverages industries – can pose significant risks to public health due to these industries’ deep-rooted conflicts of interest. In this commentary, I reiterate Suzuki et al.’s message about the importance of assessing and managing conflicts of interest before engaging with non-state actors through PPPs or other forms of engagement.

Identifikasi Salience Stakeholders dalam Pengungkapan Sustainability Report

Stakeholders have their own characteristics in their approach to understanding their interests. In balancing the needs and desires of stakeholders, there are various obstacles, one of which is the level of stakeholder influence, namely stakeholder salience. This research was conducted on companies on the Indonesia Stock Exchange for the period 2017-2019 through the official website www.idx.co.id. The population of this research is 632 companies. Samples are taken using purposive sampling technique as many as 43 companies with 129 observational data. The research analysis technique is linear regression analysis and two way ANOVA test. The results showed that shareholders and environmental groups had a positive and significant effect on the disclosure area of ??the sustainability report, while consumers and the mass media which had the attributes of legitimacy and power had a negative and significant effect on the disclosure area of ??the sustainability report. Keywords: Salience; Stakeholders; Sustainability Report Disclosures.

Selected Determinants of Stakeholder Influence on Project Management in Non-Profit Organizations

The article concerns the impact of stakeholders on project management in non-profit organizations. This issue was presented from the perspective of the organization’s project management maturity. It seems that this issue has not yet been adequately researched by scientists. Contribution was made to the theory of project management by highlighting the need to adjust the level of project management maturity and stakeholder management maturity, and by recommending areas for further research. It has been noted that stakeholder management and risk assessment are just as important as the issues of financing projects and planning their purpose, scope and selection of project teams. The conclusions were based on the analysis of the results of empirical research. The empirical material came from a study based on a sample of 93 non-profit organizations operating in Poland.

Thinking Politically About UN Political Declarations: A Recipe for Healthier Commitments—Free of Commercial Interests Comment on "Competing Frames in Global Health Governance: An Analysis of Stakeholder Influence on the Political Declaration on Non-communicable Diseases"

As evidence mounts that corporate actor engagement in United Nations (UN) policy-making processes leads to weaker and shallower public health commitments, greater attention is being paid to how to minimise undue interference and manage conflicts of interest (CoI). While we welcome efforts to develop normative guidance on managing such conflicts, we argue that there is the need to go further. In particular, we propose that an index be developed that would assess the health impacts of individual corporate actors, and those actors who fail to achieve a set benchmark would not have engagement privileges. We further propose the establishment of an independent panel of experts to advise on corporate actor engagement as well as on ambiguous and potentially health-harming commitments in text under negotiation in the UN. Recognising that the implementation of such measures will be contested, we recommend a number of practical steps to make their implementation more politically palatable.

Environmental key performance indicators: the role of regulations and stakeholder influence

Environmental protection is of vital importance and needs to be considered in the context of business strategies, including companies’ reporting decisions. This paper aims to investigate the importance of stakeholders for environmental key performance indicators (KPIs) and the significance of different types of environmental KPIs to various stakeholders. The study is based on a content analysis of the disclosures provided by large public interest companies operating in Poland. The data were processed to produce descriptive statistics as well as classification and regression trees (C&RTs). According to the study results, the sample companies provide a variety of environmental indicators, with a total of 735 KPIs identified. The research confirms the importance of stakeholders interested in environmental issues for corporate decisions regarding environmental KPI disclosure. The study contributes to the extant literature by providing new insights into the importance of different stakeholder groups for the disclosure of environmental KPIs. It may serve as an incentive for standard setters and practitioners to take a proactive approach in further developing and improving environment-related reporting regulations.