Stakeholder Responsibility

The primary focus of stakeholder theory has been the proposition that firms have a moral responsibility to take into account the interests of stakeholders other than just stockholders. Given the focus on the corporation within organization studies, this emphasis in theorizing is understandable. The emphasis on corporate responsibility to stakeholders has not to date been balanced by a complementary focus on the responsibilities of stakeholders. Though some models within the stakeholder literature portray a two-way relationship between the firm and the stakeholder, writers predominantly argue that firms are responsible for taking into account stakeholder interests, without noting the reciprocal moral responsibility of stakeholders to consider the interests of the firm in their actions and policies. A focus on stakeholder responsibility compels theorists, corporations, and stakeholders ...