Concepts similar to modern stakeholder theory can be traced back to longstanding philosophical views about the nature of civil society itself and the relations between individuals. The word "stakeholder" in its current

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Numerous articles and books written on stakeholder theory generally credit Freeman as the "father of stakeholder theory." Freeman's Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach is widely cited in the field as being the foundation of stakeholder theory,

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Stakeholder theory succeeds in becoming famous not only in the business ethics fields; it is used as one of the frameworks in corporate social responsibility methods. For example, ISO 26000 and GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) involve stakeholder analysis.

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• Agency cost
• Friedman doctrine
• Principal–agent problem

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• "Project Relationships and the Stakeholder Circle" (PDF). (900 KiB) – Discussion on the role of stakeholders in project management
• "Redefining the Corporation: Stakeholder Management and Organizational Wealth"

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The political philosopher Charles Blattberg has criticized stakeholder theory for assuming that the interests of the various stakeholders can be, at best, compromised or balanced against each other. Blattberg argues that this is a product of its emphasis

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