ABSTRACT
While it is common to think that the three most important stakeholders would be shareholders, employees, and customers, that is not always the case. Three additional critical stakeholders for a firm are its suppliers, governments, and NGOs. Depending on the issues and circumstances, any stakeholder could become top priority for a firm. Therefore, it is critical for firms to ensure that there is a strong positive relationship with all stakeholders. Corporate sustainability issues related to global supply chain, government regulations, or protests from NGOs can create permanent financial and reputational damage to firms. In this chapter some of the concepts that are discussed include: global supply chains; purchasing social sustainability; sustainable transportation; and the role of governments and NGOs. The chapter begins with a discussion of IKEA’s sustainable supply chain and concludes with a discussion of the philanthropic work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
