Stakeholder analysis in the raw sugar value chain: MACTOR method application for strategic sustainability management
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Abstract
The Cuban sugar sector faces structural challenges that compromise its economic, social, and environmental sustainability. The value chain of raw sugar involves a multiplicity of actors with different interests, levels of influence, and roles, whose strategic management is essential for the viability of the agro-industrial system. The present study applied the MACTOR method (Matrix of Alliances and Conflicts: Tactics, Objectives, and Recommendations) with the purpose of identifying, classifying, and mapping the stakeholders of the sugar agro-industry value chain in Cuba, and determining joint actions aimed at sustainability. Sixteen actors and eleven strategic objectives distributed across the economic, social, and environmental dimensions were identified. The matrices of direct influences and valued positions were constructed and processed using MACTOR software. The results showed that the AZCUBA Business Group (S16) exercises dominant influence over the chain (as the regulatory body of the processes), while the associated producers (S3) constitute the critical link with high centrality. Five clusters of convergence among actors were identified, where the sustainable development goals (O9), technological innovation (O7), and chain competitiveness (O11) stood out as those with the greatest consensus. Based on the analysis, a joint action plan was formulated, articulated around four strategic axes: collaborative governance, technological innovation, management of relationships with producers and communities, and capacity strengthening. The MACTOR method proved to be a robust tool for evidence-based strategic decision-making in sugar agro-industrial chains.
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