Tesco
Shapeholders
Book

Shapeholders

Business Success in the Age of Activism

Mark R. Kennedy
Columbia UP, 2017

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Concrete Examples
  • Insider's Take

Recommendation

The power that “shapeholders” – activist groups, politicians, thought leaders, regulators, media, influencers and opinion leaders – have to affect your business is rising, yet many executives remain blind to the consequences of their influence. They focus instead on producing profits for the benefit of shareholders and stakeholders. Former US congressman Mark R. Kennedy, now president of the University of North Dakota, explains that this leaves organizations vulnerable to attack. He demonstrates that shapeholders gauge their success by how they can change corporate behavior to conform to their agendas. They advocate on behalf of society’s growing expectation that companies should make the world a better place. Kennedy provides a seven-step strategy to address the full spectrum of shapeholder expectations and demands. Although his book is somewhat verbose, getAbstract recommends Kennedy’s scholarly, well-organized text as advice from a deeply informed veteran of shapeholder battlefields.

Take-Aways

  • Shapeholders are activists, politicians and influencers who measure their success in terms of their impact on changing corporate behavior to align with their goals.
  • “Stick activists” wreak havoc from the outside with tactics like boycotts and protests.
  • “Carrot activists” collaborate with companies to address issues or bad business practices.

About the Author

President of the University of North Dakota Mark R. Kennedy is a former US congressman from Minnesota and a former presidential trade adviser to George W. Bush and Barack Obama.

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