A life cycle stakeholder management framework for enhanced collaboration between stakeholders with competing interests

This is a postprint version of the Book Chapter. Information regarding the official publication is available from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 SpringerImplementation of a Life Cycle Sustainability Management (LCSM) strategy can involve significant challenges because of competing or conflicting objectives between stakeholders. These differences may, if not identified and managed, hinder successful adoption of sustainability initiatives. This article proposes a conceptual framework for stakeholder management in a LCSM context. The framework identifies the key sustainability stakeholder groups and suggests strategic ambiguity as a management tool to harness dysfunctional conflict into constructive collaboration. The framework is of practical value as it can be used as a guideline by managers who wish to improve collaboration with stakeholders along the supply chain. The article also fills a gap in the academic literature where there is only limited research on sustainability stakeholder management through strategic ambiguity

Building corporate reputation with stakeholders: Exploring the role of message ambiguity for social marketers

Purpose: Managing the corporate reputation of hybrid firms (organizations that act commercially to pursue social agendas) involves particular challenges because of competing stakeholder interests. With reference to the Trappist beer market, the paper seeks to identify the value of message ambiguity in reducing stakeholder tension, while simultaneously achieving a clear market positioning. Design/methodology/approach: In total, 25 in-depth interviews were conducted with brand marketers, owners, channel buyers, industry representatives and consumers. Findings: The findings demonstrate how ambiguous communications minimize tension between stakeholders. One form of ambiguous message strategy is identified - i.e. the deliberate use of "authenticity" as a positioning device. This positioning allows stakeholders to ascribe conflicting meanings to the Trappist brand, resulting in increased reputation and decreased stakeholder tension. Research limitations/implications: The use of authenticity and message ambiguity represents one means of balancing stakeholder interests, while achieving a clear market position. The paper believes the findings are particularly relevant for social marketers and managers of highly symbolic brands. Originality/value: Marketers can reduce stakeholder conflict through the use of brand images that emphasize normative as opposed to performance-based commitments. Such commitments need to be broad enough to allow different stakeholders to ascribe their own meaning to the brand without diminishing the strength of the firm's market position

Power and responsibility: Advertising self-regulation and consumer protection in a digital world

Copyright 2020 by The American Council on Consumer Interests While advertising self-regulation is generally considered effective in a closed, largely country-based system, the digital world in which we now live is an open and global system. This raises challenges for consumer protection from national regulators trying to enforce compliance from global media platforms, advertisers, and consumers. Applying the power-responsibility equilibrium, this study explores who has the power and who has the responsibility for advertising self-regulation in a digital world. In doing so, it takes an ethnographic approach, eliciting insights from 18 key stakeholders in the self-regulatory process, across the three geographical areas of Europe, United States, and Asia-Pacific. The findings highlight the need for more collaboration and alignment of self-regulatory systems and build a framework for action through embedding responsibility, aligning standards, initiating processes, and improving outcomes. Six recommendations are offered to restore the balance of power and responsibility

Engaging Higher Education Learners With Transmedia Play

This article documents the application of transmedia play in a higher education business context, providing a case study of how transmedia play can be infused into an undergraduate marketing course. We share our findings regarding learner experience and engagement, detailing results from structured interviews with 22 course participants. Evidence shows that the transmedia approach has value and can be successfully enacted in an undergraduate course to create connected learning opportunities and elicit cognitive, affective, and behavioral engagement. However, we note that the participatory nature of the pedagogy did create challenges for digital novices. In order to transition digital novices from peripheral to full participants in a transmedia learning community context, further research is warranted

The Brand Authenticity Continuum: Strategic Approaches for Building Value

This article empirically examines the value derived by consumers through their use and consumption of authentic brands and the indirect value attributable to a brand. Our findings provide an understanding of the drivers of value along an authenticity continuum. We demonstrate that authenticity cues of quality commitment, heritage and sincerity have differential effects on a brand’s position along the authenticity continuum and consequently, authenticity strategies. This paper discusses implications where initially, brands move along the continuum with internally driven strategies (germination, cultivation and consolidation). However, to attain very high levels of authenticity, brands pursue an externally driven strategy (preservation) that acknowledges external stakeholder roles in the creation of very highly authentic brands. Directions for future research are also discussed

Impacts of Instrumental Versus Relational Centered Logic on Cause-Related Marketing Decision Making

The purpose of cause-related marketing is to capitalise on a firm’s social engagement initiatives to achieve a positive return on a firm’s social investment. This article discusses two strategic perspectives of cause related marketing and their impact on a firm’s decision-making regarding campaign development. The instrumental dominant logic of cause-related marketing focuses on attracting customers’ attention in order to generate sales. The relational dominant logic of cause-related marketing focuses on building relationships with the target stakeholders through the enhancement of a firm’s legitimacy. The combination of these two types of logic gives rise to four types of cause-related marketing: altruistic, commercial, social and integrative. This paper uses the qualitative method to explore a firm’s marketing decision choices regarding campaign-related decision dimensions — campaign duration, geographical scope, cause selection, and implementation strategy — for each type of cause-related marketing. The finding provides theoretical, managerial and public policy implications