CSR and stakeholders’ network: can informational standards emerge?[RSE et réseau des parties prenantes : une norme informationnelle peut-elle émerger ?]

This article explores the conditions of influence of both shareholders and consumers on the company's CSR policy. We rely on the types of stakeholders suggested by literature to identify shareholders and consumers as key stakeholders regarding CSR. We also investigate their network organization to explain their respective impact on the company. This constraint is all the more present as stakeholders share their expectations and thus their information. But are the conditions for the emergence of a common information fulfilled? While shareholders have a common basis of assessment of CSR, consumers struggle to normalize their expectations. With the help of 20 semi-structured interviews, the results conclude that convergence is possible because the respondents supported a standardized type information VIGEO, very much like shareholders. However, consumers seem to adopt a principle of distrust towards shareholders, which may compromise the effectiveness of stakeholder network.