______________ are individuals or groups that have an interest in the organization's performance.

The term "stakeholders" refers to any individuals, groups, or organizations that have an interest in, or can be affected by, an organization's performance, decisions, and activities. The ISO 22301:2019 standard uses the synonymous term "interested parties" and, in Clause 4.2, mandates that an organization must identify these parties and their requirements relevant to the Business Continuity Management System (BCMS). This ensures the BCMS addresses the needs of all relevant entities, including employees, customers, suppliers, regulators, and owners, not just a single group.

A. Individuals: This term is too general. While stakeholders can be individuals, not every individual is a stakeholder for a specific organization.
B. Customers: This represents only one specific type of stakeholder. The term fails to include other critical groups like employees, suppliers, or investors.
D. Competitor: A competitor is a specific external entity, but "stakeholder" is the comprehensive term that encompasses all parties with an interest.

1. ISO 22301:2019, Security and resilience — Business continuity management systems — Requirements.

Clause 3.1.4: Defines "interested party (stakeholder)" as a "person or organization that can affect, be affected by, or perceive themselves to be affected by a decision or activity."

Clause 4.2: Titled "Understanding the needs and expectations of interested parties," this section requires the organization to determine "the interested parties that are relevant to the business continuity management system" and "the relevant requirements of these interested parties."

2. Abidin, N. Z., & Ahmad, R. (2021). A Framework for Business Continuity Management in Higher Education Institutions based on ISO 22301. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 11(12), 1138–1157.

Page 1145: The paper discusses the implementation of ISO 22301 and explicitly states, "According to ISO 22301:2019 clause 4.2, the organization needs to identify the interested parties and understand their needs and expectations." This reinforces the centrality of identifying all stakeholders. DOI: https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v11-i12/11829

3. ISO. (2021). ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1, Consolidated ISO Supplement — Procedures specific to ISO. Annex SL, Appendix 2.

Clause 4.2: This foundational document, which provides the high-level structure for all modern ISO management system standards including ISO 22301, defines the universal requirement to identify "interested parties" and their needs, establishing "stakeholder" as the correct, standardized term.