A Multiple Case Study to Examine the Complex Multilevel Process of Stakeholder Recognition by Stakeholder-Oriented Firms

Abstract

This is a qualitative multiple case study attempting to unravel the complex multilevel process of stakeholder recognition in stakeholder-oriented organizations. The study finds that the stakeholder recognition is a socially constructed phenomenon in which societal context plays a crucial role. The actual process of stakeholder recognition is composed of three levels, i.e., micro, meso, and macro. The study finds evidence for stakeholder agency as an important stakeholder feature. It further finds that for stakeholder-oriented firms moral legitimacy is the most important stakeholder feature and normative and instrumental power is more important than coercive power.