Uncovering strategies of hidden intention in multi-stakeholder initiatives: The case of pasture-raised milk

Sarah Gauly, Sarah Kühl and Achim Spiller

No 1704, DARE Discussion Papers from Georg-August University of Göttingen, Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development (DARE)

Abstract: Sustainability management often requires voluntary initiatives beyond legal regulations. Hereby, multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) gain importance. Despite the actual high occurrence of these initiatives, little information concerning the stakeholders' negotiation behaviour in MSIs exists. In this paper, we analyse a MSI related to the implementation of a sustainability-oriented standard for pasture-raised milk in Germany using participatory research. The results indicate that from an economic point of view not all stakeholders behave in a predictable way. Contrary to the assumption, one dairy involved in the MSI following a cost leadership strategy, pled for a high standard, as did the non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved. Because this dairy was unable to fulfil this high standard, this behaviour can be interpreted as a 'prevention strategy'. It can be concluded that the classical assumption of stakeholder behaviour - such as tit-for-tat negotiations between the economic side and NGOs - must be reviewed, revealing strategies of hidden intention.

Keywords: multi-stakeholder initiative; stakeholder negotiation strategies; prevention strategy; hidden intention; pasture-raised milk; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Working Paper: Uncovering strategies of hidden intention in multi-stakeholder initiatives: the case of pasture-raised milk (2017)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:daredp:1704

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