Towards a Deeper Understanding of Company-NGO Dialogues 16 -6 -2007 Mariëtte van Huijstee Copernicus Institute Sustainable Development and Innovation
Research Purpose Understand the value of business-NGO dialogues for improving CSR practices
Research Process • Theoretical exploration • Empirical exploration > dialogue conception • Drafting an analytical framework • Case studies • …. .
Combined Theoretical and Empirical Insights Possible dialogue effects in CSR realm: - Induce new policies, products, and/ or practices Possible explanation for effects: - Fundamental learning - Power dynamics - Explanations to be sought at different analytical levels: individual, organizational
Analytical Framework
A Dialogue on an Analytical Dialogue Framework…. To what extent is the framework: - Comprehensible - Comprehensive - Useful? What could be improved?
Conception of Dialogue is understood as an ongoing, voluntary, two-way communication process between two organizations that can span multiple issues, involve multiple individuals and take several forms throughout time. Interpreted in this sense, the dialogue is the mechanism through which a relationship is built between two organizations.