Information and dialogue with stakeholders

Even if not all companies have reached this stage, ethical communication should be based on information and ongoing dialogue with stakeholders. As part of a sustainable development or social responsibility approach, stakeholders have become one of the cornerstones of corporate policy. Major groups such as Danone, Lafarge, Areva, L'Oréal and Véolia were quick to integrate stakeholders into their corporate governance. This integration can take various forms. In some cases, it concerns the sites rather than the top of the organization. At Areva, for example, the siting and operation of a nuclear power plant involves a genuine partnership with the communities concerned. The company is assisted in this process by an NGO, Comité 21, which identifies stakeholders and steers the dialogue. At Lafarge, since 2003, this has involved a stakeholder "panel" which brings together at the top of the organization...