Building on prior research (Phillips et al. 2010), we make explicit the implied assumptions – both managerialist and determinist – in stakeholder research. We argue that three elements – managerial discretion, stakeholder orientation and nexus rent – interact in important and...

We begin by elaborating on the building blocks for understanding the dynamic interrelationships between stakeholder theory, managerial discretion and stakeholder orientation. We then provide a sketch of the dynamic between managerial discretion and stakeholder orientation and their likely...

Despite its remarkable rise in popularity, stakeholder theory continues to be criticized for a dearth of empirical studies as well as ambiguity in the underlying theory. Several scholars have argued that resource dependence theory provides a useful lens through which to view firm-stakeholder...