ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the rationale for initiating sustainability performance efforts with a focus on the measurement of the quality of firm–stakeholder relationships. There are many things that might be proposed as strategic intervention points for improving sustainability performance. If companies can get the relationships right, the rest follow because the outcomes of the relationship-based processes of co-constructing social reality are what sustainability performance measures assess. Firm–stakeholder relationships are crucial comes from various summative sustainability performance monitoring systems. They explicitly acknowledge the importance of stakeholder relationships. Firm–stakeholder relationships are important in causing sustainability performance comes from popular approaches to the measurement of causes of financial performance. The link between the firm–stakeholder relationships and sustainability performance is the nature of the stakeholder's stake. A focus on firm–stakeholder relationships not only helps managers move the company towards sustainable performance by the standards of post-materialists, it is even more essential when aiming at social and sustainability criteria that are important to the world's poor.
