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Reconceptualizing Power Relations as Sustainable Business Practice

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  • Dianne Bolton
  • Terry Landells

Abstract

The concept of ‘sustainable development’ has brought diverse stakeholders together to consider approaches to economic development. Thus, the possibility of irreconcilable tensions between ‘sustainability’ and ‘economic development’ has been identified, together with an apparent domination of the discourse on ‘sustainable development’ by corporations. In relation to this latter claim and mindful of Foucault's tenet that power also comes from below, we suggest that alternative ‘voices’ significant to the discourse should not be jettisoned because they are ‘managerial’ or ‘corporate’. This argument focuses on the significance of ‘voice’ generated by managers taking strategic action with salient stakeholders. Given increasing strategic ambiguity, managers are leveraging broad stakeholder knowledge and input to achieve credible strategic outcomes that stakeholders can accommodate. We contend that the relationship between knowledge and power is significant in the discourse on sustainable development and that knowledge generated by stakeholder collaboration be recognized as an alternative ‘voice’. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Suggested Citation

  • Dianne Bolton & Terry Landells, 2015. "Reconceptualizing Power Relations as Sustainable Business Practice," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(7), pages 604-616, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:24:y:2015:i:7:p:604-616
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.1893
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    5. Chang-Hyun Jin & Jung-Yong Lee, 2019. "The Halo Effect of CSR Activity: Types of CSR Activity and Negative Information Effects," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-20, April.
    6. M. G. E. Velter & V. Bitzer & N. M. P. Bocken, 2022. "A Boundary Tool for Multi-stakeholder Sustainable Business Model Innovation," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    7. Pablo Gomez‐Carrasco & Giovanna Michelon, 2017. "The Power of Stakeholders' Voice: The Effects of Social Media Activism on Stock Markets," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(6), pages 855-872, September.
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