Emerging NetWar / SecretWar Tactic: Stealth Shareholder Activism

Abbott, Dan. "Emerging NetWar / SecretWar Tactic: Stealth Shareholder Activism." tdaxp. July 22, 2005. http://www.tdaxp.com/archive/2005/07/22/emerging-netwar-secretwar-tactic-stealth-shareholder-activis.html (accessed August 29, 2007).
A look at how shareholder activism may be one method by which a 5GW organization can operate secretly (although said activism may also be used for 4GW) which concludes with two points:

  • Major Benefit of Shareholder Activism for 5GW: SecretWarrior can affect change through publicly inoccuous front organizations
  • Major Detriment of Shareholder Activism for 5GW: Relies on visibility of front groups to be effective, requires “hearts and minds”
The point is also made: that [shareholder activist] 5GW fighters need not influence all members of a target population but only need influence the most powerful within that population or those members of the population who are in a position to institute policy changes.


Filed in