Originated by Ben Mepham (the ethical matrix, 1996), on the stakeholder theory of R. Edward Freeman (Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach, 1984).
Lays out stakeholders as rows and ethical concerns (rights, interests, harms, fairness, and voice) as columns, so every effect of a decision is written down.
When to reach for it
Several groups, such as staff, customers, suppliers, and communities, are touched by a decision, and someone must show each was considered.
How it runs
- State the decision and its scope.
- List every stakeholder group, including indirect and future ones.
- Choose the ethical columns that fit the case.
- Fill each cell with a specific effect.
- Mark the cells of real concern and design a remedy for each.
- Keep the matrix with the decision record.
Where it sits in SOLVE eX
Go to the source
- Ethical analysis of food biotechnologies: an evaluative framework, Food Ethics, Routledge, 1996
- Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach, 1984