Purpose – The objective of this paper is to collate and debate the main issues driving the stakeholder theory academic debate. Design/methodology/approach – First, a discussion of the stakeholder concept is set out before moving on to the history and nature of stakeholder theory. The work proceeds with an attempt to bring together systematically the points of divergence among researchers interested in stakeholder theory, and, finally, there is a brief discussion of these theoretical loopholes in conjunction with a proposed research agenda for the field. Findings – Based on the unification of the theoretically problematic issues, research agenda are put forward with the objective of clarifying doubts and resolving the controversies ongoing among academics. As regards the formulation of stakeholder theory, one question requiring resolution is that of the stakeholder concept itself. Additionally, further research should focus on the boundaries as to what constitutes a stakeholder group as well as defining the criteria for attributing individual membership of one or another group. In practical theoretical application, it is correspondingly necessary to target research on aspects such as conflicts of interest between stakeholders and management difficulties in coping with multiple objectives. Finally, there is a need for research that systematizes the knowledge produced with the objective of attaining the theoretical convergence necessary for the development of stakeholder theory. Originality/value – The main contribution of this paper derives from the systematization of the various shortcomings that need overcoming within the framework of stakeholder theory and the identification of research agendas.

Based on the perspective that the diversity of the workforce has implications for attitudes and behaviors at the individual and group levels, this article examines the role of individual differences related to gender, age, formal education, and length of professional experience in the levels of stress caused by the use of information technology (IT) in the daily activities of workers. This phenomenon, termed in the literature as technostress, is studied by identifying and measuring the factors that create technostress (the technostress creator factors: techno-uncertainty, techno-invasion, techno-overload, and techno-complexity). The technostress phenomenon is related to the most varied types of disorders in workers and losses in organizations, such as fatigue, dissatisfaction, anxiety, and reduced productivity. To achieve the goal of this research, we applied structural equation models in a sample of 927 questionnaires completed by 14 different Brazilian public institutions that were distributed among all regions of the country and that were strongly dependent on IT for their main business processes. The results indicate that workers’ demographic characteristics relate to one another differently and specifically with the various forms of manifestation of technostress. More precisely, older workers or those with longer professional experience reported greater difficulties with the increase of technological complexity for the execution of tasks (techno-complexity). Women reported being subject to higher levels of techno-complexity and techno-uncertainty, while men indicated feeling greater effects from techno-overload and techno-invasion. We did not detect differences related to the levels of formal education of workers. This study presents the implications of the results for theory and for the everyday life of modern organizations that are increasingly dependent on the use of IT.

Purpose: This paper aims to develop a new model of stakeholder classification and a model for explaining the relationship between the organization and its respective stakeholders.Design/methodology/approach: The new proposed model is based on an empirical study that comprises an exploratory study based on 15 interviews and a confirmatory study based on 684 questionnaires answered by staff of 11 public universities. The main variable deployed is the stakeholder's respective level of influence from the organization's management perspective, that is, their level of legitimacy, power and urgency.Findings: The new model proposes six stakeholder types (regulator, controller, partner, passive, dependent and non‐stakeholder). To explain the relationship between the stakeholder and the organization, the traditional needs‐satisfaction vision was expanded. The variables of relevance, mutual influence and participation were found to be important in explaining the organization and stakeholder relationship. This study contributes both in simplifying stakeholder classification and in explaining the relationships between parties.Research limitations/implications: The study proposes a new model for stakeholder classification based on empirical research carried out with public organizations, therefore it is advisable to test this new classification scheme with other types of organizations.Originality/value: This research proposes a stakeholder classification scheme previously unpublished in the literature, which helps organizations managing the relationships with their stakeholders.

Purpose: Supported by the omnichannel strategy, the objective of this study is to identify the influence of integrated interaction quality and perceived fluency of service channels on attitudinal loyalty in the banking sector and to test the mediating effect of positive affect in these relationships. Design/methodology/approach: This paper proposes a model that relates the constructs of integrated interaction quality, perceived fluency, positive affect, and attitudinal loyalty. A survey of 337 Brazilian bank clients was conducted and structural equation modeling was used for data analysis. Findings: The results indicate that the construct of integrated interaction quality exerts positive influence on the loyalty of bank clients. The direct effect of the construct perceived fluency on loyalty is not significant. The results also demonstrate that positive affect exerts a mediating effect on the proposed relationships between the constructs. Research limitations/implications: This research assists banks in identifying relevant points regarding their service channels, so that they can determine how to generate positive experiences and customer loyalty through an omnichannel strategy. One can observe the behavior of banking consumers and develop business strategies based on the service channels, which aim to create a more profitable and loyal customer portfolio. Originality/value: This study expands the literature regarding the omnichannel strategy by extending focus to include bank marketing, which is infrequently included in the body of such literature. This study also expands bank marketing research by including constructs that deal with consumer experience and loyalty.

Purpose: This study aims to verify the influence of perceived value dimensions on customer satisfaction and loyalty in the banking sector, comparing these relationships between traditional banks and fintechs. Also, it was verified whether satisfaction mediates the relationships between the dimensions of perceived value and customer loyalty to traditional banks and fintechs, comparing them. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through two online questionnaires with 792 total respondents, 411 from traditional banks and 381 from fintechs. For data analysis, the authors used the Partial Least Squares - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and PLS-SEM multigroup analysis (PLS-MGA). Findings: The influence of customer satisfaction on loyalty tends to be greater in traditional banks than in fintechs; the effect of reliability on satisfaction tends to be greater in fintechs than in traditional banks and the effect of price on satisfaction tends to be greater in traditional banks than in fintechs. Indirectly, empathy, price and competence influence loyalty through satisfaction, and in all these relationships, the strength of the effect is significantly greater in traditional banks when compared to fintechs. Research limitations/implications: The findings, on the one hand, indicate that banks' investments in customer satisfaction, empathy, price and competence tend to generate positive results by expanding customer loyalty in addition to the return on similar investments made by fintechs. On the other hand, when fintechs invest in reliability, they tend to capture better results in increasing customer satisfaction compared to traditional banks. Originality/value: The comparison of the effect of the dimensions of perceived value on satisfaction and loyalty between traditional banks and fintechs stands out, which is a novelty in the literature. This comparison can support strategies that aim to strengthen relationships with customers and increase the recurrence of business, both for traditional banks and fintechs.