Stakeholder Management and the Avoidance of Corporate Control

Principles and processes of stakeholder management are still conceptually at an embryonic stage. This article analyzes several principles and processes important to understanding strategic management and business ethics. Using an inductive approach with empirical data from a Norwegian insurance company, the article contributes to a description of manipulation and power dimensions of stakeholder management. The capacity of the management of large companies to circumvent control and thus accountability is illustrated. New analytic insights are presented, such as the distinction drawn between movement, multimatum, and manipulation.