Stakeholder Engagement, Collaborations and Partnerships

This course builds competences in the development and deployment of strategies and processes (in for-and not-for-profit organizations) to engage both internal and external stakeholders in opportunities to accelerate sustainability. Content covers: the identification, characterization and valuation of primary and secondary stakeholders; drivers and challenges; engagement approaches, including traditional and social media forms of communication, consultation, conflict resolution, and cross-sector partnerships. Content also introduces: structures, including informal vs. formal interactions, face-to-face and distance meetings, industry associations, joint ventures, public-private partnerships, networks and business to not-for-profit collaborations; processes, such as partnership formation, decision-making, monitoring of progress; and strategic considerations, such as business value, risk management, control vs. influence, barriers and confluence points. Students working as a team will present their recommendations on a real time case study to stakeholders involved.