Strategic Stakeholder Relations

Course information

Learning outcomes

This course is designed to foster practical skill development, developing students' analytical, communication, and leadership skills for effective strategy practice. Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

• Understand and articulate the strategic importance of building and maintaining positive stakeholder relationships and integrating stakeholder considerations into strategy;
• Define and explain the basic concepts of stakeholder theory;
• Apply advanced stakeholder identification and mapping techniques to assess stakeholder salience and power dynamics in various strategic contexts;
• Analyze real-world cases to unravel the complexities inherent in balancing stakeholder interests and resolving conflicts, applying theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios;
• Develop stakeholder engagement and communication strategies tailored to different strategic contexts.

Content

The course explores the strategic role of stakeholder relationships and the importance of understanding stakeholder expectations for successful strategic management. We will explore the intricacies of understanding stakeholder expectations and how to integrate them into strategic decision-making processes. Emphasis will be placed on analyzing and managing relationships with different stakeholders in different strategic contexts, while aligning societal and organizational goals. Through a combination of lectures, interactive class discussions, and hands-on assignments, students will develop the skills and knowledge necessary to critically analyze and navigate the complexities of stakeholder relationships and to integrate stakeholder expectations into strategy in ways that create value for multiple stakeholders and maintain organizational integrity. We will also explore the challenges and opportunities of strategic stakeholder relations in addressing grand challenges and contributing to UN sustainable development goals. Our exploration will go beyond theoretical concepts to include real-world applications, ensuring that students are well equipped to deal with the complexities of stakeholder relations in strategic management.

Teacher

Johanna Moisander

Study material

A package of readings to be specified in MyCourses before the course starts.

Workload

Participation in class meetings, independent learning assignments, group assignments, and presentations.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Evaluation

Learning assignments

Teaching time and location

The teaching time and the location of the course can be found at Sisu information system

1. The link leads to Completion methods tab of the course page
2. From the top of the page (Version drop-down menu), check that academic year 2025-2026 is selected  

3. From the blue bar, click Lecture and open the Groups and teaching times tab to see the teaching time and the location of the course. Exam times can be seen by clicking Exam.
    

   Exam instructions at the Open University

The teacher has four (4) weeks to grade the exam submissions starting from the exam date.

Online learning environment for the course  

MyCourses online learning environment is a tool for both students and teachers for communication and managing everyday course work. You need an Aalto User ID to log in to the course's MyCourses workspace and participate in teaching.

Digital workspace of the course:
MyCourses

More details on completing the course will be available at MyCourses closer to the start of the course.

Registration and course fee

Registration for Open University courses is done via the link below: 
Course registration

Registration for this course starts on 8.12.2025 at 9.00  
Registration for this course ends on 29.12.2025 at 23.59

It is not possible to register before the registration period has started or after it has ended.

The number of participants is limited to 5.

This course is organized by the Aalto University School of Business.

The course fee is paid upon registration for each course at a time and it is binding. Familiarize yourself with registration and payment rules as well as other guidelines for students:
Registration, payments and rules

Activating Aalto ID and Multifactor Authentication

You can activate your Aalto User ID the day after the registration and you should activate it no later than the day before the start of the course.
Instructions for activating your Aalto user ID

Once you have activated your Aalto user ID, also enable multifactor authentication. Some of Aalto University's services require multifactor authentication.

Instructions for using Multifactor Authentication