Stakeholder Theory

New standards of corporations' behaviors have been established in developed countries obliging them to record information about the ‘triple bottom line' in their annual reports. Companies, driven by their leaders, are now making sure to collect the data necessary to build specific indicators in relation with this triple bottom line in relations with ‘real' actions taken in relation with CSR issues. The fact that rating agencies (Innovest, Aspi, Novethic, Vigeo, etc.) and indicies (Footsie, etc.) have been created or transformed to follow this aspect has legitimated this fact. It has induced strategic orientations developed by corporations, especially multinational companies. Research about social, environmental, and overall ethical behavior in, and of companies has been developed. Simultaneously however, the concept of stakeholder has gained a kind of ‘metaphoric evidence'. In other words, the notion of stakeholder is accepted as such, and is widely used in discussions in, and around corporations, despite the fact that its theoretical background is very often ignored. It seems difficult to comprehend these managerial innovations without a minimum understanding of the outlines of the notion of stakeholders. The American references are numerous and dominant in this field: Caroll, Clarkson, Donaldson, Freeman, Jones, Wartik, Wicks, Wood, etc. These references have to be received and discussed by European Academics. In Denmark, we can quote Rendtorff, in France Bessire, Bonnafous-Boucher, Capron, Charreaux, Lépineux, Mercier, Pesqueux, Quairel, etc., in Hungary Zsolnai, in Ireland, O'Higgins, in Italy Zambon, in U.K., Antonocopoulou, Collier, Mr. & Mrs Kakabadse, Laurie etc. These lists are far from being exhaustive and they show the richness of this area. The aim of this book is to comment the American theoretical foundations of the notion of Corporate Social Responsibility, and more specifically, the concept of stakeholder as well as an attempt to define a European perspective.