Abstract
Stakeholder management devices (SMDs) are the mechanisms through which organizations respond to stakeholder concerns. Given that SMDs serve as organizational control systems for employees and managers, this research investigates the internal rather than the external effects of a firm's SMDs. Unlike most previous research, I examined the effects of these formal structures, processes, and procedures in the aggregate, rather than focusing attention on a single type of device. The study investigates the effects of a firm's stakeholder management devices, in the aggregate, on three factors that influence individual behavior in organizations: expectations, attitudes, and perceived organizational climates. Respondents were managers in 112 for-profit businesses located throughout the United States. Results suggest that a firm's stakeholder management devices affect the perceived moral climates in the firm, and affect managers' expectations about the consequences of good corporate social performance, but do not affect organization members' attitudes about corporate social responsibility.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arlow, P. and T. A. Ulrich: 1988, 'A Longitudinal Survey of Business School Graduates' Assessments of Business Ethics', Journal of Business Ethics 7, 295–302.
Ashforth, B. E.: 1985, 'Climate Formation: Issues and Extensions', Academy of Management Review, 10, 837–847.
Aupperle, K. E., A. B. Carroll and J. D. Hatfield: 1985, 'An Empirical Examination of the Relationship Between Corporate Social Responsibility and Profitability', Academy of Management Journal 28, 446–463.
Barnard, C. I.: 1938, The Functions of the Executive (Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA).
Brenner, S. N., and P. Cochran: 1991, 'The Stakeholder Theory of the Firm: Implications for Business and Society Theory and Research', International Association for Business and Society Proceedings, 449–467.
Burke, L., J. M. Logsdon, W. Mitchell, M. Reiner and D. Vogel: 1986, 'Corporate Community Involvement in the San Francisco Bay Area', California Management Review 28(3), 133–141.
Carroll, A. B.: 1979, 'A Three-Dimensional Conceptual Model of Corporate Social Performance', Academy of Management Review 4, 497–505.
Carroll, W. O.: 1994, 'The Influence of Board Social Responsibility Committees on Firm Financial and Social Performance', International Association for Business and Society Proceedings, 335–338.
Churchill, G. F.: 1987, Marketing Research, 4th ed. (Dryden Press, Chicago).
Cohen, D. V.: 1994, 'Antecedents of Ethical Work Climates: Implications for Theory and Research', International Association for Business and Society Proceedings, 2–8.
Costello, T. W. and S. S. Zalkind: 1963, Psychology in Administration (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ).
Dessler, G.: 1986, Organization Theory: Integrating Structure and Behavior, 2nd ed. (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ).
Dillman, D. A.: 1978, Mail and Telephone Surveys: The Total Design Method (Wiley-Interscience, New York).
Donaldson, T. and L. E. Preston: 1995, 'The Stakeholder Theory of the Corporation: Concepts, Evidence, and Implications', Academy of Management Review 20, 65–91.
Doz, Y. and C. K. Prahalad: 1981, 'Headquarter Influence and Strategic Control in MNCs', Sloan Management Review 23(1), 15–29.
Ferrell, O. C. and L. G. Gresham: 1985, 'A Contingency Framework for Understanding Ethical Decision Making in Marketing', Journal of Marketing 49(3), 87–96.
Freeman, R. E.: 1984, Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach (Pitman, Boston).
Freeman, R. E. and D. R. Gilbert: 1988, Corporate Strategy and the Search for Ethics (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ).
Glick, W. H.: 1985, 'Conceptualizing and Measuring Organizational and Psychological Climate: Pitfalls in Multilevel Research', Academy of Management Review 10, 601–616.
Hill, C. W. L. and T. M. Jones: 1992, 'Stakeholder-Agency Theory', Journal of Management Studies 29(2), 131–154.
Katz, D. and R. L. Kahn: 1978, The Social Psychology of Organizations, 2nd ed. (John Wiley & Sons, New York).
Kerr, S. and J. S. Slocum: 1981, 'Controlling the Performances of People in Organizations', in P. Nystrom and W. Starbuck (eds.), Handbook of Organizational Design, Vol. 2 (Oxford University Press, New York), pp. 116–134.
Knight, K. E. and R. R. McDaniel, Jr.: 1979, Organizations: An Information Systems Perspective. (Wadsworth, Belmont, CA).
Lerner, L. D. and G. E. Fryxell: 1994, 'CEO Stakeholder Attitudes and Corporate Social Activity in the Fortune 500', Business & Society 33(1), 58–81.
Lorange, P., M. F. Scott Morton and S. Ghoshal: 1986, Strategic Control Systems (West, St. Paul, MN).
Low, M. B.: 1991, 'Stockholder Versus Stakeholder: How Managerial Attitudes Affect Goal Consensus Between Groups', Academy of Management Proceedings, 336–340.
Marcus, A. A. and M. S. Irion: 1987, 'The Continued Growth of the Corporate Public Affairs Function', Academy of Management Executive 1, 247–250.
Meznar, M., J. J. Chrisman and A. B. Carroll: 1990, 'Social Responsibility and Strategic Management: Toward an Enterprise Strategy Classification', Academy of Management Proceedings, 332–336.
Miles, R. H.: 1987, Managing the Corporate Social Environment (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ).
Miller, L. E. and J. E. Grush: 1988, 'Improving Predictions in Expectancy Theory Research: Effects of Personality, Expectancies, and Norms', Academy of Management Journal 31, 107–122.
Morris, S. A., K. A. Rehbein, J. C. Hossenini and R. L. Armacost: 1991, 'Building a Current Profile of Socially Responsive Firms', in K. Paul (ed.), Contemporary Issues in Business and Society in the United States and Abroad (Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY), pp. 109–128.
Ouchi, W.: 1980, 'Markets, Bureaucracies, and Clans', Administrative Science Quarterly 25, 124–141.
Paulhus, D. L.: 1984, 'Two-Component Models of Socially Desirable Responding', Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 46, 598–609.
Post, J. E., E. A. Murray, R. B. Dickie and J. F. Mahon: 1983, 'The Public Affairs Function', California Management Review 26(1), 135–150.
Robey, D.: 1986, Designing Organizations, 2nd ed. (Irwin, Homewood, IL).
Smith, W. and R. Blackburn: 1988, 'Corporate Social Responsibility: A Psychometric Examination of a Measurement Instrument', Southern Management Association Proceedings, 293–295.
Steers, R. M.: 1988, Introduction to Organizational Behavior, 3rd ed. (Scott, Foresman/Little, Brown, Glenview, IL).
Vancil, R. F. and P. Lorange: 1977, Strategic Planning Systems (Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ).
van Gigch, J. P.: 1978, Applied General Systems Theory, 2nd ed. (Harper & Row, New York).
Victor, B. and J. B. Cullen: 1988, 'The Organizational Bases of Ethical Work Climates', Administrative Science Quarterly 33, 101–125.
Vroom, V. H.: 1964, Work and Motivation (Wiley, New York).
Waddock, S. A. and M. E. Boyle: 1994, 'Corporate-Community Relations: Driving Forces in a Changing Environment', International Association for Business and Society Proceedings, 317–322.
Wartick, S. L. and P. L. Cochran: 1985, 'The Evolution of the Corporate Social Performance Model', Academy of Management Review 10, 758–769.
Wang, J. and H. D. Dewhirst: 1992, 'Boards of Directors and Stakeholder Orientation', Journal of Business Ethics 11, 115–123.
Wood, D. J.: 1991, 'Corporate Social Performance Revisited', Academy of Management Review 16, 691–718.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Morris, S.A. Internal Effects of Stakeholder Management Devices. Journal of Business Ethics 16, 413–424 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017900209031
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1017900209031