The Cambridge Handbook of Stakeholder Theory

In the decades since R. Edward Freeman first introduced stakeholder theory, which views firms in terms of their relationships to a broad set of partners, the stakeholder approach has drawn increasing attention as a model for ethical business. Edited by Freeman, alongside other leading scholars in stakeholder theory and strategic management, this handbook provides a comprehensive foundation for study in the field, with eighteen chapters covering some of the most important topics in stakeholder theory written by respected and highly cited experts. The chapters contain an overview of the topic, an examination of the most important research on the topic to date, an evaluation of that research, and suggestions for future directions. Given the pace of new scholarship in the field, this handbook will provide an essential reference on both foundational topics as well as new applications of stakeholder theory to entrepreneurship, sustainable business, corporate responsibility, and beyond.

Table of Contents:
1. Stakeholder theory Robert A. Phillips, Jay B. Barney, R. Edward Freeman and Jeffrey S. Harrison; 2. Pragmatism and pluralism: a moral foundation for stakeholder theory in the twenty-first century Paul C. Godfrey and Ben Lewis; 3. Critical management studies and stakeholder theory: possibilities for a critical stakeholder theory Michelle Greenwood and Raza Mir; 4. Stakeholder identification and its importance in the value creating system of stakeholder work Ronald K. Mitchell; 5. Sustainable wealth creation: applying instrumental stakeholder theory to the improvement of social welfare Thomas M. Jones and Jeffrey S. Harrison; 6. Connecting stakeholder theory to the law and public policy Andrew C. Wicks, F. A. Elmore and David Jonas; 7. Shareholder primacy vs stakeholder theory: the law as constraint and potential enabler of stakeholder concerns David Rönnegard and N. Craig Smith; 8. Business, the natural environment, and sustainability Jacob Hörisch and Stefan Schaltegger; 9. Motivating boundary-spanning employees to engage external stakeholders: insights from stakeholder marketing C. B. Battacharya and Daniel Korschun; 10. Stakeholder value equilibration and the entrepreneurial process S. Venkataraman; 11. Stakeholder theory and accounting Samantha Miles; 12. The stakeholder perspective in strategic management Douglas A. Bosse and Trey Sutton; 13. Stakeholder theory in management education Irene Henriques; 14. The practice of stakeholder engagement Johanna Kujala and Sybille Sachs; 15. Considering a behavioral view of stakeholders Jonathan Bundy; 16. Behavioral stakeholder theory Donal Crilly; 17. Sketches of new and future research on stakeholder management Sinziana Dorobantu; 18. Contextual richness at the core of new stakeholder research Lite J. Nartey.

About the Author :
Jeffrey S. Harrison is a University Distinguished Educator and the W. David Robbins Chair of Strategic Management at the Robins School of Business, University of Richmond. Jay B. Barney is a Presidential Professor of Strategic Management and the Pierre Lassonde Chair of Social Entrepreneurship at the Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. R. Edward Freeman is University Professor and Olsson Professor of Business Administration at the Darden School of the University of Virginia. Robert A. Phillips is Professor of Strategic Management and Public Policy and the George R. Gardiner Professor in Business Ethics at the Schulich School of Business, York University, Toronto.

Review :
'The stakeholder approach to business is critical to bringing about widespread societal and planetary flourishing. This volume is an authoritative and indispensable contribution towards moving the stakeholder mindset to its deserved central place in business theory and practice.' Raj Sisodia, F. W. Olin Distinguished Professor of Global Business, Babson College, Massachusetts and Co-founder and co-chairman of Conscious Capitalism International 'The meteoric rise of stakeholder theory lights up every nook and cranny of business. It thrusts long neglected issues into the spotlight: the cooperative element of business success, the status of shareholder primacy, and the nature of the 'value' in 'value creation'. In this volume, a luminary cast of authors answers the latest questions driving the field, including the boundaries of the firm and the question of single versus pluralistic value creation. I encourage anyone who hopes to navigate the powerful current of stakeholder ideas to put this book at the top of their reading list. I predict it will become a touchstone for years to come.' Thomas Donaldson, Mark O. Winkelman Professor, University of Pennsylvania