The Needs Of Stakeholder Groups At Post University

Organizations do not operate in a vacuum; their existence has an impact on a number of different groups. These groups, or stakeholders, have a vested interest, stake or claim in an organization, ranging from the organization’s financial performance to its actions/presence in society as a whole (Hill, Jones, & Schilling, 2014, p. 362). There are a number of different stakeholder groups an organization must manage if they are to establish profitability and future profit growth. However, it is impossible to satisfy the needs of all stakeholders simultaneously, especially as these needs may be in direct opposition to one another. When faced with these competing needs, organizations adopting a stakeholder management approach must seek to satisfy the needs of their most important stakeholders (as established through

363]), while limiting the harm caused to other groups.

For Post University and their professors, we, as students, are one the most important stakeholder groups: we are the university’s customers. Without students, Post would lose the revenues we provide (Hill, et al., 2014, p. 363), fail to provide returns for its shareholders, and ultimately, face lost profitability and potentially, bankruptcy. Because we play such a pivotal role in the profitability of the university, it is imperative that the organization makes a concerted effort to understand our experiences with their product (education) and our experiences/perceptions of the elements of this product (courses, Blackboard, professors, etc.). If Post fails to acknowledge and address students’ interests and concerns in the quality of the product they are receiving,