By: Maira Manesco
The stakeholders are the public of interest of an organization. They are the people interested in and involved voluntarily or involuntarily with the organization, where there is a specific purpose of relationship, bringing benefits for both parts.
The public is the ultimate goal in the work of communicators, whether they are public relations, journalists or advertisers, but few of these professionals are dedicated to the distinct categorization of the public, as explains Fábio France in his book ‘Públicos: como identificá-los em uma nova visão estratégica’.
To assist in the mapping of the public and in the recognition of each one of them, from the point of view of communication area, stakeholders are divided into three degrees of influence on the company: degree of dependence, degree of participation and degree of interference.
– Degree of dependence: is where the public that the organization needs is identified and which interfere directly in its survival. In this degree there are the government, employees, customers and suppliers.
– Degree of participation: is where the public that the organization do not depend on is identified, but still collaborate with the improvement and growth of the organization. They are: consultancy networks, promotional services, trade union networks, community sector networks, communities near the company, among others.
– Degree of interference: is where the public that may affect positively or negatively on the organization’s image is identified, and which can be classified into two subsets: competition network (companies working with the same segment the organization works), and mass communication network (media outlets which can influence public about the organization).
Mapping stakeholders allows us to recognize with which public the company relates, what type of relationship and generated expectations, allowing to identify which deserve a strategic approach. It is very important to know the stakeholders because when well worked they may be the key to a positive recognition of an organization.
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