Stakeholder engagement and local brands: Results of an exploratory survey

The concepts of stakeholder engagement and engagement ecosystem imply the active involvement of a wide range of interlocutors in business processes, through strategies aimed at creating shared value, embracing the reasons of the business and those of the community. However, despite the growing interest in these issues, the contribution of empirical research is still limited. With reference to a specific territorial context, this study aims to explore the characteristics – in terms of personal experiences, perceptions, mental associations – attributed to the place of origin, and to analyze the managerial systems and practices used to develop stakeholder engagement with local brands, probing the presence of approaches strategically oriented to the creation of shared value. In this perspective, an explorative qualitative survey was conducted, which focused on the Province of Gorizia, analyzing – through 42 in-depth interviews – the point of view of entrepreneurs, managers and consultants. The qualitative data were examined through a thematic content analysis. The results suggest the opportunity to access a more detailed reading of the concept of engagement ecosystem: in fact two different spatial logics emerge (space of places/space of flows), in relation to which different forms of stakeholder engagement (spontaneous vs structured) can be developed.