The guiding principle of such a perspective is organisational legitimacy (Suchman,
1995). This view of organisations relies on a perspective that assumes that the external
environment is a powerful force acting upon the organisation, and that those outside
of the organisation confer a form of approval on the actions of the organisation. This
contrasts with the stewardship model as it opens up the prospect that organisations
can be judged not only from above (by shareholders) but also from below by
stakeholders at large (Abzug and Galaskiewicz, 2001).