A self-legitimizing person, group, or other entity with a direct or indirect invested interest in...

A stakeholder is any person, group, or entity that has an interest in or is affected by an organization’s actions, decisions, or performance. Stakeholders can be internal or external and have direct or indirect involvement based on their relationship with the organization.

Key Characteristics of Stakeholders:

Self-Legitimizing:

Stakeholders gain legitimacy by being impacted by or having an interest in the organization's operations.

For example, employees are directly affected by organizational decisions, while customers and regulators have indirect impacts.

Broad Categories:

Internal stakeholders: Employees, management, shareholders.

External stakeholders: Customers, suppliers, regulators, communities.

Interest in Impact:

Stakeholders are concerned with how the organization’s actions affect them, such as financial performance for shareholders, product quality for customers, or ethical compliance for regulators.

Why Option B is Correct:

The description aligns precisely with a stakeholder, who has a vested interest in the organization due to actual or perceived impacts.

Why the Other Options Are Incorrect:

A. Shareholder: A shareholder owns equity in the company and is a subset of stakeholders. Not all stakeholders are shareholders.

C. Executive Team: This refers to organizational leadership and is not synonymous with the broader definition of stakeholders.

D. Customer: Customers are one type of stakeholder, but not all stakeholders are customers.

References and Resources:

ISO 26000:2010 – Guidance on Social Responsibility and stakeholder identification.

COSO ERM Framework – Discusses stakeholder relationships in enterprise risk management.

OECD Principles of Corporate Governance – Highlights the role of stakeholders in governance and accountability.