2009 marks the 25th anniversary of arguably one of the most influential books in the history of strategy and ethics — R. Edward Freeman's 1984 work Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. Freeman is quick to credit earlier scholars for laying the groundwork for his book at least 20 years prior to its publication (see esp. Freeman, 1984, pp. 31-43). But 1984 remains a watershed year in the conceptual development of stakeholder theory. The majority of scholars conducting research in the area of stakeholder theory today trace the concept to Freeman and his book remains far and away the most frequently cited work in the field. Thus, though in some sense arbitrary, such anniversaries are often taken as opportunities to reflect on paths travelled, wrong turns taken and avenues as yet unexplored. In honor of that anniversary, the proposed symposium will assemble a collection of prominent scholars to comment on the impact of this book — and stakeholder theory more generally — on the fields of strategic management and organizational ethics.

Agenda/Outline:

Bounding the World's Misery: Corporate Responsibility and Freeman's Stakeholder Theory
Presenter: Heather Elms; American U.;
Presenter: Michael E Johnson-Cramer; Bucknell U.;
Presenter: Shawn Berman; U. of New Mexico;

It's (the Nature of) Relationships, Stupid! Contributions of Stakeholder Theory in the Past 25 years
Presenter: Thomas M. Jones; U. of Washington;

Resetting the Clock, Rediscovering the Business of Stakeholder Management
Presenter: Joshua D Margolis; Harvard U.;

Mental Models and Decentering Stakeholder Approaches
Presenter: Patricia Werhane; DePaul U.;