Resumo

According to UN DESA (2023), this is a time when all stakeholders are called upon to accelerate sustainable development management on a global scale. Stakeholders can be understood as individuals or groups that influence or are influenced by organizations and businesses in pursuit of their objectives (Freeman, 1984). We conducted a bibliographic analysis of scientific articles on stakeholder management in the Scopus database to understand the development of research on this topic and identify future research possibilities.

The bibliographic analysis aims to explore relationships and trends in the literature, addressing our research question: "How has the literature on stakeholder management evolved within the field of business strategy?" Four auxiliary research questions: RQ1) How has research on stakeholder management evolved over the years? RQ2) Who are the main contributors (journals, authors, countries/territories) to research on stakeholder management? RQ3) What are the main themes utilizing theories on stakeholder management? RQ4) Where can research on stakeholder management venture in the future?

The stakeholder management perspective aligns with the latter objective and with the latter objective as observed in most of the studies published after Freeman’s (1984) seminal work. In this regard, the company's purpose is to be the medium in which the contractual relationships of all its stakeholders occur and the “behavior” of the company it is result of a complex process of equilibrium (Harrison et al., 2010) . Theories on stakeholder management are intended for managers - individuals at any level responsible for company performance and impact (Clarkson, 1999).

The research was conducted without specifying an initial date to also capture the first publication recorded in the database. The results returned studies from 1998 onwards, with 643 articles distributed in a gradually increasing and continuous trend over the 24 years. The number of articles ranged from 1 article in 1998 to 77 articles in 2023. There was a significant interruption during the COVID-19 pandemic period, followed by a return to growth post-pandemic. The growth in recent years is relevant for future projections.

We set out to explore how research on stakeholder management has evolved and to identify future research possibilities. To accomplish this, we formulated and answered auxiliary questions, revealing a clear upward trend in stakeholder management research, which highlights opportunities for new investigations. Freeman (1984) emerged as the most referenced author, with A.J. Hillman & Keim (2001) being the most co-cited authors in stakeholder management literature. Overall, research on stakeholder management shows a growing linear trend and has the potential for further growth in the future.

Freeman, R. E. (1984). Strategic management: a stakeholder approach. Pitman. Harrison, J.S., Phillips, R. A., & Freeman, R. E. (2019). On the 2019 Business Roundtable “Statement on the Purpose of a Corporation.” Journal of Management, 46(7), 1223–1237. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206319892669 Hillman, A. J., & Keim, G. D. (2001). Shareholder value, stakeholder management, and social issues: What’s the bottom line? Strategic Management Journal, 22(2), 125–139. https://doi.org/10.1002/1097-0266(200101)22:2<125::AID-SMJ150>3.0.CO;2-H