L’objet de la présente étude est de comprendre comment une entité sociale devient partie prenante d’une entreprise. En effet, les différentes méthodes de détermination des parties prenantes sont critiquées sur leur portée heuristique. Une de ces nombreuses difficultés est leur incapacité à dire "qui" est partie prenante et "qui" ne l’est. Pour le dire autrement, la théorie des parties prenantes manque d’un critère de falsifiabilité. Dès lors, comprendre le processus par lequel une entité devient partie prenante revient implicitement à admettre que cette dernière au préalable ne l’est pas. De ce fait, étudier le processus par lequel un groupe d’individus devient partie prenante d’une entreprise revient à énoncer un critère de falsification puisqu’il devient possible de dire comment être partie prenante comment ne pas l’être. Telle est la problématique générale de ce projet de recherche.Pour comprendre ce processus, la réflexion part donc du postulat qu’une catégorie ne "nait" pas partie prenante mais le devient. La phase empirique de cette recherche repose sur une enquête multi cas. Trois entreprises sont étudiées. Les données traitées selon une analyse de contenu parviennent à faire ressortir une conception de l’entreprise comme nœud de quatre liens. Ces liens sont : un lien partenarial, un lien juridico-politique, un lien commercial et un lien sociétal. Selon le lien par lequel un individu ou un groupe d’individus est lié à l’organisation, il-cet individu- endosse un rôle particulier.Les personnes liées à l’entreprise par un lien partenarial sont des partenaires ou des contractants. Les individus liés à l’entreprise par le lien marchand sont des clients. Le lien juridico-politique met une personne en relation avec l’entreprise via des institutions judiciaires ou politiques. Les individus liés à l’entreprise par le lien sociétal sont des parties prenantes. Tout rôle étant provisoire, alors les individus sont provisoirement des parties prenantes. Le processus par lequel un groupe d’individus peut devenir partie prenante débute par la survenue d’un élément à enjeu (décision, comportement organisationnel). Le processus est aléatoire, imprévisible, contextuel et temporaire puisque tout acte de l’entreprise ne suscite pas de mobilisations. / The purpose of this study is to understand how a social entity becomes a stakeholder. The various methods of determining the stakeholders are criticized on their heuristic value. One of these problems is their inability to say "who" is a stakeholder and "who" is not. In other words, the stakeholder theory lacks a criterion of falsifiability. Therefore, understanding the process by which an entity becomes a stakeholder means that this entity is not a priori a stakeholder. Consequently, studying the process by which a group of individuals becomes a stakeholder of a company returns to state a criterion of falsification. This is the general problem of this research.To understand this process, it is said that any group cannot be considered at beginning as a stakeholder but it can become a stakeholder. The empirical phase is based on a multiple- case study. Three companies are studied. The study reveals three main results. First, the firm is seen as a four-relationship node. Second, all parties cannot be consider as stakeholders. Finally, according to the link through which an individual or group of individuals is related to the organization, it assumes a special role. These links are: the partnership relationship, the legal-political relationship, the commercial relationship and the societal relationship. Persons related to the company by a partnership relationship are partners. Individuals related to the company by the commercial relationship are clients. The legal and political relationship puts a person in connection with the company through legal or political institutions. Individuals related to the company by the societal relationship are stakeholders.The process by which a group of individuals can become stakeholders begins with the occurrence of an element in issue (decision, organizational behavior). The process is random, unpredictable, and temporary because any decision of a company do not cause mobilizations.

<p>The question of whether there is soft law in international law has been as much the subject of contemporary debate as whether or not there is private legal authority in the international society. The legal boundaries seem to be blurred by the process of globalisation and the recent shift in international law. The traditional definition of international law has been outdated as new forms of treaties has introduced new subject of law to the judicial arena. At the same time a supplementary map of law has been added to the cartography of international law, soft law. These correlating processes have comprehensive political and legal consequences at both the international and national levels. This essay examines and identifies soft law from a legal-political perspective and locates and explores private forms of legal authority on the map of contemporary international law. In respect to theory, it accounts for an interdisciplinary approach involving issues of both international law and international relations. In the process this study examines issues regarding the relative legal normativity and the blurring of legal authority in international law. The focus is on the legal character, the constitutive practices and the legal and political influence of soft law. It discusses the influence and power exerted by soft law over state actors in the international system and at the national level. The essay finds that soft law is of substantial relevance in the international ambit. To some extent a limited normative force of certain norms is recognized in soft law even though it is conceded that those norms would not be enforceable by an international court or other international organ. To say that it does not exist because it is not of the enforceable variety, might blind students of international law to another dimension of the landscape of international practice. Soft law does not translate to soft obligations in the reality of international society, and it seems to be some confusion surrounding the obligations conceived by it. The research here presented suggests that its political and legal power is substantial. The researched examples do not display any real private legal authority in soft law. This is because soft law is found to be a separate phenomenon from international law proper. However, soft law’s impact on national governments combined with the wider acceptance of the presence of private actors in the creation of soft law suggests that private power is noteworthy in comparison. In one of the studied examples, the soft law is concluded by private business representatives solely, but in requiring the status of soft law it is dependant on the recognition of the international and national legal bodies.</p>

L’objet de la présente étude est de comprendre comment une entité sociale devient partie prenante d’une entreprise. En effet, les différentes méthodes de détermination des parties prenantes sont critiquées sur leur portée heuristique. Une de ces nombreuses difficultés est leur incapacité à dire "qui" est partie prenante et "qui" ne l’est. Pour le dire autrement, la théorie des parties prenantes manque d’un critère de falsifiabilité. Dès lors, comprendre le processus par lequel une entité devient partie prenante revient implicitement à admettre que cette dernière au préalable ne l’est pas. De ce fait, étudier le processus par lequel un groupe d’individus devient partie prenante d’une entreprise revient à énoncer un critère de falsification puisqu’il devient possible de dire comment être partie prenante comment ne pas l’être. Telle est la problématique générale de ce projet de recherche.Pour comprendre ce processus, la réflexion part donc du postulat qu’une catégorie ne "nait" pas partie prenante mais le devient. La phase empirique de cette recherche repose sur une enquête multi cas. Trois entreprises sont étudiées. Les données traitées selon une analyse de contenu parviennent à faire ressortir une conception de l’entreprise comme nœud de quatre liens. Ces liens sont : un lien partenarial, un lien juridico-politique, un lien commercial et un lien sociétal. Selon le lien par lequel un individu ou un groupe d’individus est lié à l’organisation, il-cet individu- endosse un rôle particulier.Les personnes liées à l’entreprise par un lien partenarial sont des partenaires ou des contractants. Les individus liés à l’entreprise par le lien marchand sont des clients. Le lien juridico-politique met une personne en relation avec l’entreprise via des institutions judiciaires ou politiques. Les individus liés à l’entreprise par le lien sociétal sont des parties prenantes. Tout rôle étant provisoire, alors les individus sont provisoirement des parties prenantes. Le processus par lequel un groupe d’individus peut devenir partie prenante débute par la survenue d’un élément à enjeu (décision, comportement organisationnel). Le processus est aléatoire, imprévisible, contextuel et temporaire puisque tout acte de l’entreprise ne suscite pas de mobilisations. / The purpose of this study is to understand how a social entity becomes a stakeholder. The various methods of determining the stakeholders are criticized on their heuristic value. One of these problems is their inability to say "who" is a stakeholder and "who" is not. In other words, the stakeholder theory lacks a criterion of falsifiability. Therefore, understanding the process by which an entity becomes a stakeholder means that this entity is not a priori a stakeholder. Consequently, studying the process by which a group of individuals becomes a stakeholder of a company returns to state a criterion of falsification. This is the general problem of this research.To understand this process, it is said that any group cannot be considered at beginning as a stakeholder but it can become a stakeholder. The empirical phase is based on a multiple- case study. Three companies are studied. The study reveals three main results. First, the firm is seen as a four-relationship node. Second, all parties cannot be consider as stakeholders. Finally, according to the link through which an individual or group of individuals is related to the organization, it assumes a special role. These links are: the partnership relationship, the legal-political relationship, the commercial relationship and the societal relationship. Persons related to the company by a partnership relationship are partners. Individuals related to the company by the commercial relationship are clients. The legal and political relationship puts a person in connection with the company through legal or political institutions. Individuals related to the company by the societal relationship are stakeholders.The process by which a group of individuals can become stakeholders begins with the occurrence of an element in issue (decision, organizational behavior). The process is random, unpredictable, and temporary because any decision of a company do not cause mobilizations.

The question of whether there is soft law in international law has been as much the subject of contemporary debate as whether or not there is private legal authority in the international society. The legal boundaries seem to be blurred by the process of globalisation and the recent shift in international law. The traditional definition of international law has been outdated as new forms of treaties has introduced new subject of law to the judicial arena. At the same time a supplementary map of law has been added to the cartography of international law, soft law. These correlating processes have comprehensive political and legal consequences at both the international and national levels. This essay examines and identifies soft law from a legal-political perspective and locates and explores private forms of legal authority on the map of contemporary international law. In respect to theory, it accounts for an interdisciplinary approach involving issues of both international law and international relations. In the process this study examines issues regarding the relative legal normativity and the blurring of legal authority in international law. The focus is on the legal character, the constitutive practices and the legal and political influence of soft law. It discusses the influence and power exerted by soft law over state actors in the international system and at the national level. The essay finds that soft law is of substantial relevance in the international ambit. To some extent a limited normative force of certain norms is recognized in soft law even though it is conceded that those norms would not be enforceable by an international court or other international organ. To say that it does not exist because it is not of the enforceable variety, might blind students of international law to another dimension of the landscape of international practice. Soft law does not translate to soft obligations in the reality of international society, and it seems to be some confusion surrounding the obligations conceived by it. The research here presented suggests that its political and legal power is substantial. The researched examples do not display any real private legal authority in soft law. This is because soft law is found to be a separate phenomenon from international law proper. However, soft law’s impact on national governments combined with the wider acceptance of the presence of private actors in the creation of soft law suggests that private power is noteworthy in comparison. In one of the studied examples, the soft law is concluded by private business representatives solely, but in requiring the status of soft law it is dependant on the recognition of the international and national legal bodies.