The Collaborative Creation of a Strategic Stakeholder Management Approach in a Small Spanish Enterprise

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to attempt to gain a deeper understanding on small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and point out some of the most serious barriers for small Spanish companies to implement such kind of strategic approach and connect it with its day-to-day operations.

Design/methodology/approach – After laying out the conceptual framework, and after giving a short description of the Spanish institutional landscape on corporate social responsibility (CSR), the paper focuses on SMEs and the practical issues relating to strategy design, core business and implementation as identified by managers and academics.

Findings – The paper shows a joint venture and a strategic partnership between the Javier Benjumea Chair and a new small Spanish company, in which the partners start a process of mutual help and learning. That partnership is itself an interesting experiment as a case of collaboration between the enterprise and an academic institution.

Research limitations/implications – This is only the first step in generating a model applied to improve CSR uptake at the SME level.

Originality/value – The theoretical goal that is sought after in this paper is how to advance the design of a conceptual model and tools for analyzing and managing dynamically some of the most relevant intangible aspects of an SME, in order to improve its strategic management of the relationships with the stakeholders.