ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses stakeholder theory's normative approach and moral undercurrents for encouraging and supporting stakeholder interests and needs. Power inequities among organizations and members of the public sphere are interrogated via the insider-activist role for public relations, with suggestions for redressing imbalances. The chapter addresses themes of: public relations, corporate social responsibility (CSR)/Sustainability as well as intersecting boundaries and relationships; affecting the insider-activist role to engage with stakeholders; integrating stakeholder theory with issues management for CSR/Sustainability; nonprofit groups as stakeholders and their CSR/Sustainability functions; and differentiation as well as dialog among stakeholder groups. Public relations and CSR/Sustainability significantly overlap among cultural, economic, and political amidst social dimensions, offering perspectives which span boundaries and reveal importance of stakeholder relationships. Suppliers are important stakeholders, businesses that exponentially extend company borders along the CSR/Sustainability chain.
