Dissertation: Dialogue is a Limited Tool for Responsible Business
18.12.2012
The doctoral dissertation of Salla Laasonen, Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration, examines the relationship between nongovernmental organisations and companies, from the viewpoint of responsible business.
The main aim of Salla Laasonen's dissertation is to examine the interaction between nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and companies. This topic is examined in the contexts of academic research, responsible business and stakeholder dialogue.
The dissertation's material consists of publicly available data from NGOs, financiers and investing companies, concerning an investment project in the forestry sector. Also included are 199 academic articles in the field of responsible business. The dissertation sets out to critically examine the increasingly popular stakeholder dialogue as a mechanism of social self-regulation and a tool for responsible business.
It approaches dialogue in its different contexts, from participative decision-making in public policy to company risk management. Laasonen suggests that dialogue has several purposes, of which attaining acceptability is the most challenging and problematic. Laasonen maps these challenges through a case study of an investment project in the forestry sector.
The results of Laasonen's research indicate that stakeholder dialogue is, in many ways, limited with respect to guaranteeing responsibility in any given case. According to Laasonen, the private sector should treat this method, borrowed from the public sector, with caution. The benefits and preconditions increase as the focus shifts from individual to universal cases. If dialogue and decision-making concerning the subject of dialogue occur at short intervals, trust in the process will diminish significantly.
Laasonen's research also concerns academic discourse, i.e. the way academic discussion builds social reality. Because the scientific community is an important player in society, the nature of the structures it creates is not irrelevant. The dissertation critically assesses the extent to which this relationship is built on cooperation and partnership, and that to which it rests on an adversarial and conflicted stance.
The dissertation increases our understanding of the relationships between NGOs and companies, forms of dialogue, and the challenges posed by dialogue in different social contexts. It also provides useful information on the challenges involved in stakeholder dialogue in the context of international investment projects, and on the role of dialogue as a tool for responsible research.
The dissertation's material consists of publicly available data from NGOs, financiers and investing companies, concerning an investment project in the forestry sector. Also included are 199 academic articles in the field of responsible business. The dissertation sets out to critically examine the increasingly popular stakeholder dialogue as a mechanism of social self-regulation and a tool for responsible business.
It approaches dialogue in its different contexts, from participative decision-making in public policy to company risk management. Laasonen suggests that dialogue has several purposes, of which attaining acceptability is the most challenging and problematic. Laasonen maps these challenges through a case study of an investment project in the forestry sector.
The results of Laasonen's research indicate that stakeholder dialogue is, in many ways, limited with respect to guaranteeing responsibility in any given case. According to Laasonen, the private sector should treat this method, borrowed from the public sector, with caution. The benefits and preconditions increase as the focus shifts from individual to universal cases. If dialogue and decision-making concerning the subject of dialogue occur at short intervals, trust in the process will diminish significantly.
Laasonen's research also concerns academic discourse, i.e. the way academic discussion builds social reality. Because the scientific community is an important player in society, the nature of the structures it creates is not irrelevant. The dissertation critically assesses the extent to which this relationship is built on cooperation and partnership, and that to which it rests on an adversarial and conflicted stance.
The dissertation increases our understanding of the relationships between NGOs and companies, forms of dialogue, and the challenges posed by dialogue in different social contexts. It also provides useful information on the challenges involved in stakeholder dialogue in the context of international investment projects, and on the role of dialogue as a tool for responsible research.