Mitchell et al. (1997) proposed that stakeholder salience is directly proportional to the number
of attributes of salience—power, legitimacy and urgency—as perceived by managers.
However, till date, researchers have differences about these attributes as determinants of salience. To resolve
these differences and to precisely specify the attributes that make a stakeholder salient in the eyes of managers
we attempted to gain deeper insights into this phenomenon. For this purpose, we employed multiple case study
strategy in a purely quantitative treatment—a unique mix. Our findings suggest that the attributes as conceived
by Mitchell et al. (1997) are quite broad and general. Managers identify salient stakeholders based on specific
types of these and few other attributes. We found that stakeholders that possess utilitarian power, influence
legitimacy, criticality and organized proximity are attended by the managers.