Ignoring stakeholders

This chapter explores how neglecting stakeholders can have serious, even fatal, consequences for a company. Stakeholders - be they employees, consumers, NGOs, regulators or local communities - play a decisive role in an organization's stability and reputation. By marginalizing or instrumentalizing them, some companies have seen their image collapse, their access to markets blocked, and their financial viability compromised.Through concrete case studies, this chapter shows that the most severe crises often stem from a profound discrepancy between official discourse and the reality experienced by stakeholders. Abusive working conditions, greenwashing, concealment of technical risks, regulatory manipulation or environmental lies have triggered waves of boycotts, global scandals and massive legal sanctions.