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This paper aims to examine the relationship between stakeholders’ perceived benefits and happiness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that follow Thai’s corporate sustainability practices, called sufficiency economy, and their impact on stakeholder–company relationship quality and firm performance outcomes.

Derived from the literature, a structural model, expressing the relationship between stakeholders’ perceived benefits and happiness of SMEs and their impact on stakeholder–company relationship quality and firm performance outcomes, was developed. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 636 stakeholders from sufficiency economy SMEs in Thailand. Structural equation modeling was used to test the model.

Results indicate that utilitarian benefits, and hedonic and eudaimonic happiness impact enhanced stakeholder–company relationship quality with the firm to varying degrees. Different levels of relationship quality also impact perceived corporate reputation and perceived brand equity differently.

This study is among the first that identifies the positive impact of happiness on corporate sustainability performance.

Building on prior research linking stakeholder relationship quality with financial performance, we explore interorganizational engagement from a bilateral perspective, more fully representing the dynamics within an alliance. Interorganizational relationship quality and stakeholder management theory in healthcare and in accounting research provide the foundation for these insights.

While the study's findings demonstrate consistent views regarding the importance of relationship management and patient care, the two stakeholder groups hold divergent perspectives on how to accomplish these goals. Insurance executives take a population perspective, whereas physician practices focus their decision making at the patient level. The relative power and size between stakeholders was instrumental in how insurers chose to develop relationships with individual physician practices. These findings provide the nucleus for understanding reported frictions.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate relational contracting (RC) practices that give rise to higher quality interpersonal relations between these pairs of stakeholders at the end of public projects: clients and contractors; contractors and consultants; and clients and consultants. It developed models to predict the level of quality of interpersonal relations between the stakeholders at the completion of public projects.

Using a set of questionnaire, data were collected from randomly selected construction industry practitioners who have had experience in public projects in Singapore. The data were analysed to identify association between the use of RC practices and quality of interpersonal relations between stakeholders. In-depth interviews with experts were conducted.

It was found that when certain RC practices were adopted to a larger extent, public projects also have significantly higher quality of interpersonal relations between clients, contractors and consultants. Three mathematical models were developed to predict the relationship quality between stakeholders at the end of the public project.

The limitations include the subjective nature of the Likert scale that was used in answering the questionnaire survey and the limited number of interviews. The effect of existing good relations among stakeholders was not taken into account.

Suitable RC practices for adoption by public clients, contractors and consultants in public projects are recommended. These include developing deeper mutual trust and understanding, sharing project information, and having real gain-share/pain-share among contracting parties.

RC practices that are significantly associated with relationships among contracting parties in public projects in Singapore are uncovered. Contracting parties may use the recommendations to help enhance their relationships with one another in a public project.

Partnerships for sustainability involve the cooperation of several direct and indirect stakeholders. Direct stakeholders are project partners who can include sponsoring brands, manufacturers or retailers; and sponsored sports clubs or social institutions, and indirect stakeholders relate to potential customers, the general public and government agencies. The knowledge and competencies of direct and indirect stakeholders are integrated to ensure common project-based sustainability and individual goals. This integration is essentially facilitated by image transfer and self-identification effects, which strengthen stakeholder commitment and trust, and ultimately contributing to a higher relationship quality. However, sustainability partnerships experience several challenges. The challenges lie in selecting suitable partners; formulating partner requirements; determining partner contributions; evaluating and controlling partner integration and, further, enhancing cooperation and relationship quality among selected partners. To attend to these challenges requires a holistic and systematic process for stakeholder integration in sustainability projects. In this chapter, a process model for stakeholder integration for sustainability projects is developed based on the relevant theoretical and empirical research on relationship and sustainability marketing. In particular, the possibilities of digital integration are taken into account in the process. The model can be used to manage co-creation partnerships for sustainability including the selection, evaluation and controlling of stakeholder relationships to derive strategies and measures to improve relationship quality.

This study aims to explore the influence of the strength of ties (strong ties and weak ties) on contractual flexibility (term flexibility and process flexibility) and relationship quality among stakeholders in a megaproject network.

This study, via a questionnaire survey, collected 380 valid responses from megaproject professionals (including project managers, department managers and project engineers). The data were analyzed using least squares structural equation modeling.

The results show that both strong ties and weak ties have positive effects on relationship quality. The introduction of contractual flexibility can help improve relationship quality by combining the positive effects of the strength of ties. Interestingly, the indirect influence of strong ties on relationship quality is mainly due to term flexibility. However, the influence of process flexibility is not significant, while weak ties have an indirect influence through term flexibility and process flexibility.

This study, while helpful to megaproject management both in theory and practice, is nevertheless subject to several limitations. First, this study only considers the impact of the strength of ties on contractual flexibility and relationship quality; other factors, such as environmental uncertainty, are not explored. Second, the sample data are limited to just a few regions of China. Future research should cover other influencing factors, in order to make the model more substantial; data should also be collected from different cultural and industrial sources, thereby extending and further verifying the results.

This study makes three contributions to extant megaproject literature. First, this study provides a deep and nuanced understanding of the strength of ties. With the distinction between strong ties and weak ties clearly explained, this research furnishes a subtler understanding of relationship governance than has previously been achieved. Second, by precisely identifying the mechanism of how contract flexibility improves contract control and coordination functions, this research offers a complementary view of how contractual flexibility positively contributes to cooperation and relationship quality. Third, this study identifies which dimension of the strength of ties is more influential. This brings a new explanation for the previous controversy and offers some insight into the determinants of how to improve relationship quality in Chinese megaprojects.

Drawing on social capital theory, this study aims to explore the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on organizational resilience. The research investigates the mediating role of relationship quality in the association of CSR with organizational resilience, and the moderating role of data-driven culture in the association between CSR and relationship quality.

Data were collected from Chinese agricultural firms with a sample of 241 senior or middle executives and structural equation modeling was used to test the research model and hypotheses.

The results indicate that CSR positively affects the relationship quality between agribusinesses and farmers, which in turn positively affects both proactive resilience and reactive resilience. Relationship quality has a partial mediating role in the association of CSR with proactive resilience and reactive resilience. Data-driven culture has a positive moderating effect on the relationship between CSR and relationship quality.

By arguing for CSR toward organizational resilience and analyzing its underlying mechanism, this study enriches the literature on CSR and organizational resilience and expands the existing knowledge on the roles of relationship quality and data-driven culture. This study also provides practical insights into how to improve organizational resilience.

Quality assurance is a key concern in higher education, which is more complex in offshore transnational education (TNE), compared to onshore provision of education service. However, higher education quality assurance is an established research domain; there is very limited work on the efficacy of industry-based total quality management (TQM) considerations to uphold quality in higher education, particularly in TNE. From this context, the purpose of this paper is to develop new insights in this under-researched area.

An inductive constructivist approach is followed to analyse extant scholarly views in relevant disciplinary areas to develop new insights, in relation to the significance of industry-based TQM in TNEs’ quality assurance.

Stakeholder orientation is recognised, as a significant consideration to uphold quality in TNE. Different stakeholders are identified, who would have substantial influence on TNEs’ TQM. How these stakeholders could influence the TQM process is clarified. Some empirical insights are also developed, in support of the arguments of the paper.

These insights will be useful for education administrators to better align their stakeholder relationships to underpin TQM. Academics will be able to use these insights as a basis for future research towards the significance of industry-based TQM in higher education.

Based on a stakeholder-focussed TNE TQM model, the findings represent an innovative strategic direction towards a better understanding of the significance of stakeholder relationships, pertaining to TQM in the contemporary higher education system.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the development, extension and use of the “six markets” model and to outline a framework for analysing stakeholder relationships and planning stakeholder strategy.

The “six markets” stakeholder model is examined. Refinement of the model and improved understanding as a result of field‐based research is described. A stakeholder relationship planning framework is proposed.

The paper examines the use of the “six markets” model in a wide range of organisational contexts utilizing a range of research approaches. A stakeholder relationship planning model is developed consisting of four inter‐related elements, i.e. stakeholder value propositions, value delivery design, stakeholder relationship marketing plans, and measurement and feedback.

The article suggests a number of areas for future research, including the development of planning approaches for different classes of stakeholders and more detailed testing of the stakeholder model and planning framework in specific market sectors.

The research suggests that managers find that the development and implementation of relationship plans for the key stakeholder markets generates valuable new knowledge and insights into stakeholder conditions, constraints and opportunities.

This article contributes to knowledge in the relationship marketing and stakeholder theory areas through the development, refinement and use of a planning model that addresses the complexity of stakeholder relationships and networks. The stakeholder planning approach that is developed represents a means by which managers can achieve greater transparency of stakeholders' interests and improved rigour in planning relationships with stakeholders.

Taking an innovative approach, the aim of this paper is to apply the stakeholder view concept to the hotel industry in China, and identify two antecedents of the stakeholder relationship, namely, trust and commitment. The paper then seeks to examine the impacts of these two antecedents on the management practices of the two key stakeholders (the hotel owner and the customer) and to assess the effects of these practices on organizational performance.

An empirical survey using questionnaires was conducted on a sample of 228 three‐ to five‐star hotels in China. The results from confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were both satisfactory, providing a basis for discussion.

Three main results emerged. First, in model A, the key stakeholder is the hotel investor: both antecedent constructs, trust and commitment, were positively influenced by the organization's stakeholder management practices. However, in model B, the key stakeholder is the customer; trust was the only construct affected by stakeholder management practices. The second major result was that in both models, stakeholder management practices had positive and significant influences on financial performance and customer satisfaction. Finally, the results revealed that customer satisfaction positively affected financial performance.

The proposed framework and its results provide vital insights for industry practitioners and academics in the field of stakeholder management, where an alternative competitive strategy for an organization's wealth creation is acknowledged.

In temporary construction project organizations, general contractors need to strengthen control over subcontractors through such measures as supervision and coordination, and resource sharing. In the management process, the good implementation of relational contracts among the general contractor and subcontractors is affected by the quality of relationship between managers and followers. From the perspective of leader–member exchange (LMX) theory, this study explores the influence of LMX, which reflects the quality of relationship between superiors and subordinates, on relational contracts.

By combining the longitudinal influence mechanism and organizational background of relational contracts in project organizations, this study constructed a multi-level structural equation model. The hypothesis is tested based on data collected from 213 respondents.

The findings of this study show that LMX has a positive influence on relational contracts and organizational identification in construction project organizations. Organizational identification has a positive effect on relational contracts and plays a mediating role between LMX and relational contracts. Power distance plays a moderating role on the influence of LMX on organizational identification.

This study explores the influence of LMX on relational contracts from a new perspective, which can help establish a high-quality relation of the general contractor and subcontractors in project organizations and enriches the longitudinal study of relational contracts in project organizations.