%0 Journal Article
%T Misuse of the term ¡®stakeholder¡¯ in public relations
%A Steve Mackey
%J PRism Online PR Journal
%D 2006
%I Bond University, Massey University
%X This article queries the relatively recent adoption of the term ¡®stakeholder¡¯, borrowed from the UK political and the US business management spheres, in public relations academic writing. The article concludes that these spheres use the term in a normative or ideological manner that has worrying implications. The term frames people as having a pre-existing relationship with the governments or business organisations which name them as such. This process of incorporation prejudges and potentially obscures the real relations of groups of people vis-¨¤-vis governments and business organisations which they may wish to have nothing to do with. An argument is mounted for the defence of the term ¡®publics¡¯. It is pointed out that a key originator of stakeholder theory opposes the notion of ¡®publics¡¯ as closer to a notion of an uncontrolled audience. The article argues that the notion of ¡®publics¡¯ is more fitting than the notion of ¡®stakeholders¡¯ if public relations is about acknowledging this uncontrollability, and to do with advising organisations about their positioning in the democratic milieu. On the other hand, the notion ¡®stakeholders¡¯ may be the right one if public relations is simply aimed at immediately shaping people¡¯s behaviour, irrespective of longer term and wider political implications.
%K public relations
%K stakeholder
%K publics
%U http://www.prismjournal.org/fileadmin/Praxis/Files/Journal_Files/2006_general/Mackey.pdf