Stakeholder theory proposes that organizations should consider the interests of all stakeholders, not just shareholders. Stakeholders are individuals or groups that are affected by or can affect the organization, and include internal groups like employees, external groups like suppliers and community members, and distal groups like advocacy organizations. The theory takes a descriptive perspective in balancing organizational and stakeholder needs, an instrumental perspective that considering stakeholders leads to greater success, and a normative perspective that stakeholders have legitimate interests in the organization. While stakeholder theory advocates for incorporating stakeholder needs into decision making, it has also received criticism for not being well defined and potentially requiring tradeoffs in profits.