Internal stakeholders have a direct relationship with the company either through employment, ownership, or investment. A stakeholder is someone who can impact or be impacted by a project you’re working on. We usually talk about stakeholders in the context of project management, because you need to understand who’s involved in your project in order to effectively collaborate and get work done. But stakeholders can be more than just team members who work on a project together.

The scope of stakeholders is wider than that of the shareholder, in the sense that the latter is a part of the former. As far as the stakeholder theory is concerned, for organizations to truly create shareholder value, companies must embrace social responsibility and very carefully consider the needs of all of its stakeholders. Shareholders, on the other hand, are more concerned with stock prices, dividends and results. They have a financial interest in the success of the organization, not the individuals who work there. Shareholders are more likely to advocate for growth, expansion, acquisitions, mergers and other acts that will increase the company’s profitability.

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Investors will look at this decision and decide to move away from the company because doing business in an unprofitable area makes no sense at all. A Stakeholder is a party that can influence and can be influenced by the activities of the organization. In the absence of stakeholders, the organization will not be able to survive for a long time.

• “Shareholders” and “stakeholders” are two terms within project management that sound similar but have very different meanings.
• Examples of external stakeholders include suppliers, creditors, and community and public groups.
• Depending on the types of shares they own, they can receive dividends, vote on corporate policy or amendments, or elect a board of directors.
• Shareholders of private companies and sole proprietorships can also be responsible for the company’s debts, which gives them an extra financial incentive.

CSR is important because in most cases, stakeholders and shareholders have different viewpoints. Stakeholders are more concerned with the longevity of their relationship with the organization and a better quality of service. That is, people working on can i get a tax refund with a 1099 even if i didn’t pay in any taxes a project or for an organization are likely more interested in salaries and benefits than profits. Stakeholders tend to have a long-term relationship with the organization. It’s not as easy to pull up stakes, so to speak, as it can be for shareholders.

Stakeholder vs. Shareholder

However, their relationship to the organization is tied up in ways that make the two reliant on one another. The success of the organization or project is just as critical, if not more so, for the stakeholder over the shareholder. Stakeholder analysis is an important element of planning that must be done by project managers to identify and prioritize stakeholders before the project begins. A stakeholder is a party that has an interest in the company’s success or failure. A stakeholder can affect or be affected by the company’s policies and objectives.

The worst thing for either stakeholders or shareholders is to feel out of the loop. ProjectManager keeps stakeholders and shareholders a part of the project and aware of its progress with its real-time dashboard. The dashboard is a bird’s-eye view of the project’s progress represented in easy-to-read charts and graphs. When the company cuts costs by eliminating workers and unprofitable lines of business, the shareholders may see an increase in value in their stock. Investors have more confidence in the business, which boosts the wealth of each stockholder. The investments that shareholders hold in a company are usually liquid and can be disposed of for a profit.

Main differences between shareholders and stakeholders

Stakeholders, however, are bound to the company for a longer term and for reasons of greater need. Shareholders and stakeholders are likely to have similar views on long-term timelines. Although their primary motivations aren’t exactly aligned, the company’s success or failure affects both groups one way or the other. These two divergent paths are known as the shareholder and stakeholder theories.

What is the Difference Between Stakeholders and Stockholders

Here, a majority stockholder is a stockholder who owns and controls more than 50% of a company’s shares. Whereas, minority stockholders are those who hold less than 50% of stocks in a company. Stakeholders are individuals, groups of individuals, or an entity who are interested in the company for reasons other than the company’s stock performances. They do not work directly with the company but can affect or be affected by the operations and performances of the company. A stockholder (also known as a shareholder) is a person, a group of individuals, an institution, or a company that has a share in the company’s stock, a stockholder can hold as little as even one share of the company. The individuals or institution owning a share of the company makes them a stockholder of that company, and they reap the profits and benefits of the company’s success.

Therefore, CSR encourages corporations to make choices that protect social welfare, often using methods that reach far beyond legal and regulatory requirements. Unlike internal stakeholders, external stakeholders are those outside of the company or those who do not belong to the company and are indirectly affected by the outcomes and decisions of the company. External stakeholders include customers, government agencies, suppliers, creditors, and labor unions. They are also referred to as secondary stakeholders because their “stake” in the company is often indirect or does not have a direct relationship with the company. Internal stakeholders are the people within a company whose interest comes from ownership or investment. Employees, boards of directors, donors, and investors are all included as the internal stakeholders of a company.

They can have a deep interest in and feel the effects of company strategy, but they don’t have to own shares to do so. Shareholder theory was popularized in the early 60s by economist Milton Friedman. However, it’s been around in some form since the advent of public stock ownership.