A:
Shareholders are stakeholders in a corporation, but stakeholders are not always shareholders. A shareholder owns part of a company through stock ownership, while a stakeholder is interested in the performance of a company for reasons other than just stock appreciation.
Stakeholders could be:
employees who, without the company, would not have jobs
bondholders who would like a solid performance from the company and, therefore, a reduced risk of default
customers who may rely on the company to provide a particular good or service
suppliers who may rely on the company to provide a consistent revenue stream
Although shareholders may be the largest stakeholders because shareholders are affected directly by a company's performance, it has become more commonplace for additional groups to be considered stakeholders, too.