Social Responsibility of Higher Education Institutions: A New Insight into Stakeholders

Abstract

Objective - Are stakeholders within the institution as actors, or are they also the goals of the institution's social responsibility? This study aims to provide new insight into the role of stakeholders in the implementation of social responsibility in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). Institutions have a certain level of social responsibility, which is inherent to its existence. To exist, an institution relies on the presence of stakeholders. Stakeholders are considered as the key to an institution's legitimacy. The relationship between an institution and its stakeholders can be described as a social contract. Methodology/Technique – Using a qualitative approach, this study identifies the relevant stakeholders in HEI’s and categorizes their roles and interests. The concept of HEI social dimension is used to analyze and interpret the data. The results indicate that HEI stakeholders consist of three levels, namely: primary (including management, lecturers, students, administrative staff, security officers, technicians, cleaning services, and the natural environment of the institution), secondary (including the local community, industries, alumni organizations, the government, accreditation agency, and the natural environment around the institution), and tertiary level (including society in general and nature). Finding & Novelty - The results suggest that the primary stakeholders become moral actors who carry out the institution's commitment to implement social responsibility. This finding implies that primary stakeholders become the executor and the goal of HEI social responsibility. Therefore, the institution's social responsibilities activities are aimed at the life and development of the institution itself. Social responsibility is carried out from the inside to the outside in a circular and continuous manner. Type of Paper: Empirical. Keywords: Social Responsibility; Higher Education Institution; Stakeholders; Social Dimension of HEI. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Rumambi, H. D; Kaparang, R. M; Lintong J. S; Tangon, J.N; O, Johanis. 2019. Social Responsibility of Higher Education Institutions: A New Insight into Stakeholders, Global J. Bus. Soc. Sci. Review 7 (3): 185 – 193. https://doi.org/10.35609/gjbssr.2019.7.3(3) JEL Classification: M13, M14, M19.