Engaging with the Enemy: Understanding Adversarial Stakeholder Processes and Outcomes

Obesity, because it is linked to chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease, is a growing health issue in North America and around the world. In 2009, Business Week reported that obesity rates are increasing among both adults and children, that two-thirds of U.S. adults are now considered overweight or obese, and that 30% of children in 30 states are overweight or obese (Arnst 2009). Similarly, Statistics Canada reports that 23.1% of Canadians aged 18 or older are obese, and that another 36.1% are overweight (Tjepkema 2005). As witnessed by movies such as Super Size Me, marketers are often seen as part of the obesity problem, but are rarely approached as part of the solution. Given the importance of the issue, it is not surprising that a vast network of stakeholders have focused on the topic. Much of the interaction and engagement among stakeholders who are concerned about obesity is adversarial, which afforded us the opportunity to examine stakeholder engagement under difficult conditions. While there is a growing body of research focusing on positive stakeholder encounters, less attention has been paid to the dark side of stakeholder engagement. The purpose of our paper is to examine this knowledge gap. To examine these processes, we draw on literature and theory from relationship marketing, network theory, stakeholder theory, corporate social responsibility, ethics, management and organizational behavior.