“The 21st Century is one of “Managing for Stakeholders.” The task of executives is to create as much value as possible for stakeholders without resorting to tradeoffs. Great companies endure because they manage to get stakeholder interests aligned in the same direction.” — R. Edward Freeman
About the Stakeholder Theory
Stakeholder Theory is a view of capitalism that stresses the interconnected relationships between a business and its customers, suppliers, employees, investors, communities and others who have a stake in the organization. The theory argues that a firm should create value for all stakeholders, not just shareholders.
In 1984, R. Edward Freeman originally detailed the Stakeholder Theory of organizational management and business ethics that addresses morals and values in managing an organization. His award-winning book Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach identifies and models the groups which are stakeholders of a corporation, and both describes and recommends methods by which management can give due regard to the interests of those groups.
The theory has become a key consideration in the study of business ethics and has served as a platform for further study and development in the research and published work of many scholars, including those featured on this website.
Since the 1980s, there has been a substantial rise in the theory’s prominence, with scholars around the world continuing to question the sustainability of focusing on shareholders’ wealth as the most fundamental objective of business.
We aim to be the hub of leading stakeholder research and thinking by providing resources to new scholars, students, and business leaders.
