This book provides an academic introduction to, and presentation and
defence of stakeholder theory as a model for the strategic management of
businesses and corporations, as well as of public organizations and
institutions. The concept of the stakeholder is generally applied to
parties that affect or are affected by the activities of private or
public organizations. Distinct from shareholders, stakeholders are those
individuals, entities or communities that have a connection with the
activities of a corporation, a firm or an organization. The notion of
the stakeholder is intimately linked to a conception of the business
firm as an entity founded on negotiated governance, in which the
maximization of value for the shareholder is not the ultimate criterion.
In this model, issues and interests that are not directly associated
with shareholders and investors, but which go beyond capital to
encompass the concerns of civil society, are considered to be of central
importance. This book provides a broad overview of stakeholder theory,
presenting it as an ethical approach to strategic management that is
both pragmatic and applicable to developing democratic practices within
corporations, while at the same time suggesting ways in which elements
of a social contract can be elaborated within the context of
globalization.