Vol. 1 (2024)
Original Articles

Overcoming barriers to ecological transition: a theoretical focus on stakeholder collaboration

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  • Brigida Morelli,
  • Chiara Civera,
  • Alex Murdock
Brigida Morelli
Department of Management, University of Turin
Chiara Civera
Department of Management, University of Turin
Alex Murdock
London South Bank University

Published 2024-12-16

Keywords

  • multi-stakeholder collaborations,
  • ecological transition,
  • cross-functional integration,
  • marketing,
  • CSR,
  • multi-stakeholder value map
    • ...More
    Less

Copyright (c) 2024 Brigida Morelli, Chiara Civera, Alex Murdock

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

This study examines the crucial role of multi-stakeholder collaborations in advancing the ecological transition, focusing on the relational dynamics that facilitate or hinder these efforts. As key social actors, companies have a responsibility to address environmental and social challenges by integrating functions such as marketing, corporate responsibility, and sustainability to promote stakeholder engagement and the adoption of sustainable practices. Through a conceptual approach, the paper reviews existing literature and theoretical models on stakeholder engagement, ecological transition, and integration of internal business functions. Itidentifies barriers to effective multi-stakeholder collaboration, including competing interests, communication problems, and trust deficits, and offers strategies to address them. The Multi-Stakeholder Value Map is employed to evidence multi-level stakeholder relationships. It highlights that alignment of internal business functions, particularly marketing and accountability, can improve external stakeholder engagement, promote shared responsibility, and play a significant role in driving the ecological transition. This integration is essential to overcome the barriers of multi-stakeholder collaboration.

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