what is a stakeholder 
a stakeholder is an individual or a group of individuals with an interest often financial in the success of a business the primary stakeholders in a corporation include its investors employees customers and suppliers with the increasing attention on corporate social responsibility the concept has been extended to include communities governments and trade associations investopedia laura porterunderstanding stakeholdersstakeholders can be internal or external to an organization internal stakeholders are people whose interest in a company comes through a direct relationship such as employment ownership or investment external stakeholders do not directly work for or with a company but are affected by the actions and outcomes of the business suppliers creditors and public interest groups are all considered external stakeholders stakeholder capitalism is a business concept that maintains that companies should serve the interests of all of their stakeholders not only their shareholders example of an internal stakeholderinvestors are internal stakeholders who are significantly affected by a company and its performance if for example a venture capital firm decides to invest 5 million in a technology startup in return for 10 equity and significant influence the firm becomes an internal stakeholder of the startup the return on the venture capitalist firm s investment hinges on the startup s success or failure meaning that the firm has a vested interest example of an external stakeholderexternal stakeholders do not have a direct relationship with the company but may be affected by its operations 