A Stakeholder Theory Perspective

Allen went to work on Monday. He stored his lunch in his locker and reported to his line to begin work. His shift supervisor was calling everyone over for an announcement. Allen felt a knot in his stomach. He was told the “news” that everyone had been talking about for months, but the CEO of the company had denied. The company was being merged with another company in the mid-west. The supervisor made the announcement and handed out a sheet with a set of questions and answers on it and then told everyone to get back to work. Allen didn't know what this would mean for his job, his pay, or who he was really working for. He felt anxious the rest of the day.

On a busy day at state university, Allison was preparing for classes and glanced at the clock to realize that she was late for a faculty meeting. After rushing to get there, she sat down as a discussion about “The Commission” was taking place. One of the University business officers was briefing the faculty on the important potential implications of some report issued out of the Department of Higher Education. Allison was irritated that she had to listen to all this when she had piles of work waiting for her in her office. Geesh, couldn't someone in central administration deal with all of this? What did it have to do with her anyway? The business officer said that if changes didn't come from higher education, they'd likely be imposed – and....