Case Study

Transforming the global fishing industry: The marine Stewardship Council at full sail?

12 pages
August 2006
Reference: IMD-2-0083

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) is an NGO –headquartered in London and established by WWF and Unilever in 1997 to set up a certification and eco-labelling system for sustainable fishing. The case describes the MSC’s initial and more recent challenges including the Tragedy of the Commons, a wide range of less willing stakeholders, and the complexity of certifying fisheries on sustainability criteria. It also outlines management decisions to meet at least some of the challenges: improved transparency and engagement with stakeholders, new governance structures and certification methodologies.

Learning Objective

Participants should 1) see the challenges associated with the certification of sustainable business practices (in general and in fisheries in particular); 2) reflect on the institutional dilemma presented by the wide range of often conflicting stakeholder demands; 3) see the necessity to carry out strategic (i.e. focused) stakeholder engagement (find the most important allies) and establish effective governance structures.

Keywords
Certification, Fishery, Non-Governmental Organization, Stakeholder Management, Corporate Sustainability Management
Settings
1997-2006
Type
Published Sources
Copyright
© 2006
Available Languages
English
Related material
Teaching note, Video
Case clearing houses
IMD case studies are distributed through case clearing houses. In order to browse the collection and purchase copies please visit the links below.

The Case Centre

Cranfield University

Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]

Harvard Business School Publishing

60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]

Asia Pacific Case Center

NUCB Business School

1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]

Contact

Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications

This case study is part of a series
  • The Marine Stewardship Council (A): Is a joint venture possible between "suits and sandals"
  • The Marine Stewardship Council (B): Departing in unchartered waters
  • Transforming the global fishing industry: The marine Stewardship Council at full sail?
2010 ECCH AWARD WINNER (Economics, Politics & Business Environment)
This case study is part of a series
  • The Marine Stewardship Council (A): Is a joint venture possible between "suits and sandals"
  • The Marine Stewardship Council (B): Departing in unchartered waters
  • Transforming the global fishing industry: The marine Stewardship Council at full sail?
Discover our latest research
IMD's faculty and research teams publish articles, case studies, books and reports on a wide range of topics