Distributing Value to Stakeholders across Industries: Influences of Power and Strategic Importance

Main Article Content

Mauricio Mendonça de Araújo
Ronaldo de Oliveira Santos Jhunior
Mariana Uchôa
André Augusto da Rocha Mello
João Maurício Gama Boaventura

Abstract

Objective: to investigate how stakeholder power and strategic importance influence value distribution to stakeholders in a U.S. liberal market economy, and to assess how this relationship varies across different industries. Methods: we conducted a content analysis and ordinary least squares regression on 755 IPO prospectuses from publicly traded American companies across seven industries between 2003 and 2019. Results: our findings indicate that strategic importance exerts a greater influence on value distribution than power. However, the impact of these factors varies by industry: strategic importance is more influential in technology, for example, whereas power has limited influence in finance. Industries such as energy and transportation display distinct patterns compared to manufacturing and life sciences. Conclusions: in the U.S. liberal market economy, companies prioritize stakeholders who contribute strategically to value creation over those who merely hold power, but this prioritization varies by industry. For managers and stakeholders, the results provide reflections on how to effectively involve and prioritize stakeholders, creating advantages and aligning with the specific needs of each industry. For literature, the study contributes by analyzing different industries and their specificities.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Article Details

How to Cite
Araújo, M. M. de, Santos Jhunior, R. de O., Uchôa, M., Mello, A. A. da R., & Boaventura, J. M. G. (2025). Distributing Value to Stakeholders across Industries: Influences of Power and Strategic Importance. Brazilian Administration Review, 22(3), e240216. https://doi.org/10.1590/1807-7692bar2025240216
Section
Research Articles

References

Abu-Bader, S. H. (2000). Work satisfaction, burnout, and turnover among social workers in Israel: a causal diagram. International Journal of Social Welfare 9(3),191–200. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2397.00128
Ackerman, D., & Tellis, G. (2001). Can culture affect prices? A cross-cultural study of shopping and retail prices. Journal of Retailing, 77(1), 57–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-4359(00)00046-4
Aguilera, R. V., Rupp, D. E., Williams, C. A., & Ganapathi, J. (2007). Putting the S back in corporate social responsibility:a multilevel theory of social change in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 32(3), 836–863. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20159338
Amit R, & Wernerfelt, B. (1990). Why do firms reduce busi-ness risk? Academy of Management Journal, 33(3), 520–533. https://doi.org/10.2307/256579
Araujo, M. M. D., Jhunior, R. O. S., Uchoa, M. T., & Boaventura, J. M. G. (2024). Value distribution to stakeholders: A study on power and strategic importance on the Toronto stock exchange. Revista de Administração de Empresas, 64(4), e2023-0116. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0034-759020240405
Bal, M., Bryde, D., Fearon, D., & Ochieng, E. (2013). Stakeholder engagement: Achieving sustainability in the construction sector. Sustainability, 5(2), 695-710. https://doi.org/10.3390/su5020695
Bansal, P., & Roth, K. (2000). Why companies go green: A modelof ecological responsiveness. Academy of Management Journal, 43(4), 717–736. https://doi.org/10.2307/1556363
Bardin, L. (1977). Analyse de contenu. Edições 70.
Bello‐Pintado, A., Machuca, J. A., & Danese, P. (2023). Stakeholder pressures and sustainability practices in manufacturing: Consideration of the economic development context. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(7), 4084-4102. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.3355
Boaventura, J. M. G., Bosse, D. A., Mascena, K. M. C., & Sarturi, G. (2020). Value distribution to stakeholders: The influence of stakeholder power and strategic importance in public firms. Long Range Planning, 53(2), 101883. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lrp.2019.05.003
Bosse, D. A., & Coughlan, R. (2016). Stakeholder relationship bonds. Journal of Management Studies, 53(7), 1197-1222. https://doi.org/10.1111/joms.12182
Bosse, D. A., Phillips, R. A., & Harrison, J. S. (2009). Stakeholders, reciprocity, and firm performance. Strategic Management Journal, 30(4), 447-456. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.743
Brammer, S., & Millington, A. (2003). The effect of stakeholder preferences, organizational structure and industry type on corporate community involvement. Journal of Business Ethics, 45, 213-226. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024151528646
Breusch, T. S., & Pagan, A. R. (1979). A simple test for heteroscedasticity and random coefficient variation. Econometrica: Journal of the Econometric Society, 47(5), 1287-1294. https://doi.org/10.2307/1911963
Bridoux, F., & Stoelhorst, J. W. (2014). Microfoundations for stakeholder theory: Managing stakeholders with heterogeneous motives. Strategic Management Journal, 35(1), 107-125. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2089
Bridoux, F., & Stoelhorst, J. W. (2016). Stakeholder relationships and social welfare: A behavioral theory of contributions to joint value creation. Academy of Management Review, 41(2), 229-251. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2013.0475
Bridoux, F., & Stoelhorst, J. W. (2022). Stakeholder theory, strategy, and organization: Past, present, and future. Strategic Organization, 20(4), 797-809. https://doi.org/10.1177/14761270221127628
Buettner, T. (2001). Local business taxation and competition for capital: The choice of the tax rate. Regional Scienceand Urban Economics, 31(2), 215–245. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0166-0462(00)00041-7
Clarkson, M. E. (1995). A stakeholder framework for analyzing and evaluating corporate social performance. Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 92-117. https://doi.org/10.2307/258888
Colquitt, J. A. (2001). On the dimensionality of organizational justice: A construct validation of a measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86, 356–400. https://web.mit.edu/curhan/www/docs/Articles/15341_Readings/Justice/Colquitt_Dimensionality_of_Organizational_Justice.pdf
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
Davis, R., Griffith, T., Van Ness, B., & Van Ness, R. (2023). Modern OTC market structure and liquidity: The tale of three tiers. Journal of Financial Markets, 64, 100815. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.finmar.2023.100815
Dedeoğlu, B. B., & Demirer, H. (2015). Differences in service quality perceptions of stakeholders in the hotel industry. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 27(1), 130-146. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-08-2013-0350
Doerr-MacEwen, N. A., & Haight, M. E. (2006). Expert stakeholders’ views on the management of human pharmaceuticals in the environment. Environmental Management, 38(5), 853-866. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-005-0306-z
Donaldson, T., & Preston, L. E. (1995). The stakeholder theory of the corporation: Concepts, evidence, and implications. Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 65-91. https://doi.org/10.2307/258887
Etzioni, A. (1964). On self-encapsulating conflicts. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 8(3), 242-255. https://www.jstor.org/stable/172737
Essig, A., & Amann, A. (2009). Supplier satisfaction: Conceptual basics and explorative findings. Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, 15(2), 103–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pursup.2009.01.001
Fainshmidt, S., Judge, W. Q., Aguilera, R. V., & Smith, A. (2018). Varieties of institutional systems: A contextual taxonomy of understudied countries. Journal of World Business, 53(3), 307-322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jwb.2016.05.003
Fama, E. F., & French, K. R. (1988). Dividend yields and expected stock returns. Journal of Financial Economics, 22(1), 3–25. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(88)90020-7
Fassin, Y., & Gosselin, D. (2011). The collapse of a European bank in the financial crisis: An analysis from stakeholder and ethical perspectives. Journal of Business Ethics, 102(2), 169-191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0812-2
Fineman, S., & Clarke, K. (1996). Green stakeholders: Industry interpretations and response. Journal of Management Studies, 33(6), 715-730. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.1996.tb00169.x
Fornell, C., Johnson, M. D., Anderson, E. W., Cha, J., Bryant, B. E. (1996). The American Customer Satisfaction Index: Nature, purpose, and findings. Journal of Marketing, 60(4), 7–18. https://doi.org/10.2307/1251898
Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: A stakeholder approach. Pitman.
Freeman, R. E., & McVea, J. (2005). A stakeholder approach to strategic management. In M. A. Hitt, E. Freeman, & J. S. Harrison, The Blackwell Handbook of Strategic Management (pp. 183-201). Blackwell.
Freeman, R. E., Harrison, J. S., & Wicks, A. C. (2007). Managing for stakeholders: Survival, reputation, and success. Yale University Press.
Freeman, R. E., Martin, K., & Parmar, B. (2007). Stakeholder capitalism. Journal of Business Ethics, 74(4), 303-314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9517-y
Freeman, R. E., Parmar, B. L., & Martin, K. E. (2016). Responsible capitalism: Business for the 21st century. In D. Barton, D. Horváth, & M. Kipping, Re-imagining capitalism (pp. 135-144). Oxford.
Freeman, R. E., Phillips, R., & Sisodia, R. (2020). Tensions in stakeholder theory. Business & Society, 59(2), 213-231. https://doi.org/10.1177/00076503187737
Friedman, A. L., & Miles, S. (2006). Stakeholders: Theory and practice. OUP Oxford.
Garriga, E. (2014). Beyond stakeholder utility function: Stakeholder capability in the value creation process. Journal of Business Ethics, 120(4), 489-507. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-2001-y
Glisson, C., & Durick, M. (1988). Predictors of job satisfaction and organizational commitment in human service organizations. Administrative Science Quarterly, 33(1):61–81. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.2307/2392855
Hair, J. F., Jr., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2014). Multivariate data analysis. Pearson Education.
Haley-Lock, A. (2008). Happy doing good? How workers’career orientations and job satisfaction relate in grass-roots human services. Journal of Community Practice, 16(2), 143–163. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705420801997963
Hall, P. A, & Soskice, D. (Eds.). (2001). Varieties of capitalism: The institutional foundations of comparative advantage. Oxford University Press.
Harrison, J. S., & Bosse, D. A. (2013). How much is too much? The limits to generous treatment of stakeholders. Business Horizons, 56(3), 313-322. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2013.01.014
Harrison, J. S., & Wicks, A. C. (2013). Stakeholder theory, value, and firm performance. Business Ethics Quarterly, 23(1), 97-124. https://doi.org/10.5840/beq20132314
Harrison, J. S., Bosse, D. A., & Phillips, R. A. (2010). Managing for stakeholders, stakeholder utility functions, and competitive advantage. Strategic Management Journal, 31(1), 58-74. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.801
Harrison, J. S., Phillips, R. A., & Freeman, R. E. (2020). On the 2019 business roundtable “statement on the purpose of a corporation”. Journal of Management, 46(7), 1223-1237. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206319892669
Heugens, P. P., & Oosterhout, H. J. V. (2002). The confines of stakeholder management: Evidence from the Dutch manufacturing sector. Journal of Business Ethics, 40(4), 387-403. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020807101387
Imran Babar, M., Ghazali, M., Jawawi, D. N., & Elsafi, A. (2014). Stakeholder management in value‐based software development: Systematic review. IET Software, 8(5), 219-231. https://doi.org/10.1049/iet-sen.2013.0216
Jones, T. M., Harrison, J. S., & Felps, W. (2018). How applying instrumental stakeholder theory can provide sustainable competitive advantage. Academy of Management Review, 43(3), 371-391. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2016.0111
Kalwani, M., & Narayandas, N. (1995). Long-term manufacturer-supplier relationships: Do they payoff for supplier firms? Journal of Marketing, 59, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299505900101
Library of Congress. (2023, april 12). National recording preservation board. https://www.loc.gov/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/recording-registry/registry-by-induction-years/2023/
Macharis, C., De Witte, A., & Turcksin, L. (2010). The Multi-Actor Multi-Criteria Analysis (MAMCA) application in the Flemish long-term decision making process on mobility and logistics. Transport Policy, 17(5), 303-311. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2010.02.004
Magee, J. C., & Galinsky, A. D. (2008). Social hierarchy: The self‐reinforcing nature of power and status. The Academy of Management Annals, 2(1), 351-398. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/19416520802211628
Mahajan, R., Lim, W. M., Sareen, M., Kumar, S., & Panwar, R. (2023). Stakeholder theory. Journal of Business Research, 166, 114104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.114104
McCabe, S., Sharples, M., & Foster, C. (2012). Stakeholder engagement in the design of scenarios of technology-enhanced tourism services. Tourism Management Perspectives, 4, 36-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2012.04.007
Mexmonov, S. (2020). The role of the internal audit based international internal audit standards in Uzbekistan. Архив научных исследований, 33(1). https://ejournal.tsue.uz/index.php/archive/article/view/3257
Mitchell, R. K., & Lee, J. H. (2019). Stakeholder identification and its importance in the value creating system of stakeholder work. In J. S. Harrison, J. B. Barney, R. E. Freeman, & R. A. Phillips, The Cambridge handbook of stakeholder theory (pp. 53-73). Cambridge University Press.
Mitchell, R. K., Agle, B. R., & Wood, D. J. (1997). Toward a theory of stakeholder identification and salience: Defining the principle of who and what really counts. Academy of management review, 22(4), 853-886. https://doi.org/10.2307/259247
Mitchell, R. K., Lee, J. H., & Agle, B. R. (2017). Stakeholder prioritization work: The role of stakeholder salience in stakeholder research. In Stakeholder management. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Mullan, J., Bradley, L., & Loane, S. (2017). Bank adoption of mobile banking: Sakeholder perspective. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 35(7), 1154-1174. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-09-2015-0145
Murphy, W. H., & Wilson, G. A. (2022). Dynamic capabilities and stakeholder theory explanation of superior performance among award-winning hospitals. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 15(3), 211-219. https://doi.org/10.1080/20479700.2020.1870356
Murray, M. L., Seymour, E. H., Rogut, J., & Zechowska, S. W. (2008). Stakeholder perceptions towards the transition to a hydrogen economy in Poland. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 33(1), 20-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2007.09.020
O’Riordan, L., & Fairbrass, J. (2008). Corporate social responsibility (CSR): Models and theories in stakeholder dialogue. Journal of business ethics, 83(4), 745-758. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9662-y
Phillips, R. (2003). Stakeholder theory and organizational ethics. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
Porter, M. E., & Kramer, M. R. (2011). Creating shared value. Harvard Business Review, 89(1/2): 62–77. https://www.communitylivingbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Creating-Shared-Value.pdf
Priem, R. L. (2007). A consumer perspective on value creation. Academy of Management Review, 32(1), 219-235. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2007.23464055
Pucci, T., Casprini, E., Galati, A., & Zanni, L. (2020). The virtuous cycle of stakeholder engagement in developing a sustainability culture: Salcheto winery. Journal of Business Research, 119, 364-376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.11.009
Saffer, A. J., Yang, A., & Taylor, M. (2018). Reconsidering power in multistakeholder relationship management. Management Communication Quarterly, 32(1), 121-139. https://doi.org/10.1177/0893318917700510
Santos Jhunior, R. O., Santos Costa, L., Uchoa, M. T., & Melo Gomes, V. P. (2025). State influence on ESG performance in emerging markets: A study of institutional roles. Business Strategy & Development, 8(1), e70078. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.70078
Saka-Helmhout, A., Álamos-Concha, P., López, M. M., Hagan, J., Murray, G., Edwards, T., Kern, P., Martin, I., & Zhang, L. E. (2024). Stakeholder engagement strategies for impactful corporate social innovation initiatives by multinational enterprises. Journal of International Management, 30(4), 101159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intman.2024.101159
Sircar, I., Sage, D., Goodier, C., Fussey, P., & Dainty, A. (2013). Constructing resilient futures: Integrating UK multi-stakeholder transport and energy resilience for 2050. Futures, 49, 49-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2013.04.003
Shrivastava, P. (1995). The role of corporations in achiev-ing ecological sustainability. Academy of Management Review, 20, 936–960. https://doi.org/10.2307/258961
Smith, A. M., & Fischbacher, M. (2005). New service development: A stakeholder perspective. European Journal of Marketing, 39(9/10), 1025-1048. https://doi.org/10.1108/03090560510610707
Sutton, N. A. (1985). Do employees’ benefits reduce labor turn over? Benefits Quarterly, 1(2), 16–22.
Statista. (2024a, may 15). Largest stock exchange operators worldwide as of September 2023, by market capitalization of listed companies. https://www.statista.com/statistics/270126/largest-stock-exchange-operators-by-market-capitalization-of-listed-companies/
Statista. (2024b, may 23). Stock exchanges – statistic & facts. 2022. https://www.statista.com/topics/1009/global-stock-exchanges/#topicOverview
Tantalo, C., & Priem, R. L. (2016). Value creation through stakeholder synergy. Strategic Management Journal, 37(2), 314-329. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2337
Torelli, R., Balluchi, F., & Furlotti, K. (2020). The materiality assessment and stakeholder engagement: A content analysis of sustainability reports. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(2), 470-484. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1813
Turcksin, L., Macharis, C., Lebeau, K., Boureima, F., Van Mierlo, J., Bram, S., ... & Pelkmans, L. (2011). A multi-actor multi-criteria framework to assess the stakeholder support for different biofuel options: The case of Belgium. Energy Policy, 39(1), 200-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.09.033
Valentinov, V., & Roth, S. (2024). Relationality in transaction cost economics and stakeholder theory: A new conceptual framework. Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, 33(3), 535-546. https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12652
Widya Yudha, S., & Tjahjono, B. (2019). Stakeholder mapping and analysis of the renewable energy industry in Indonesia. Energies, 12(4), 602. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12040602
Wong, A. (2000). Integrating supplier satisfaction with customer satisfaction. Total Quality Management, 11(4/5-6), 427–432. https://doi.org/10.1080/09544120050007733
Wooldridge, J. M. (2015). Control function methods in applied econometrics. Journal of Human Resources, 50(2), 420-445. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24735991
World Bank. (2023, september 28). Annual report 2023. https://www.worldbank.org/annualreport
Zhang, Y. F., & Sun, T. Q. (2022). The interaction of biotechnology and institution: A stakeholder perspective. Sustainability, 14(12), 7314. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127314