Final answer:
The term for groups like employees, customers, and suppliers linked to a company's performance is Stakeholders. They go beyond shareholders, encompassing anyone affected by a company's operations, including employees, the community, and suppliers.
Step-by-step explanation:
The collective term for the various groups of people such as employees, customers, and suppliers, whose interests are tied to a company's performance is a) Stakeholders. Stakeholders are not limited to shareholders who own a part of the corporation and are investing capital for a return, but also include any individuals or organizations that have a stake in a business's operations and are affected by its performance. This broader group could encompass employees, customers, the community, suppliers, government agencies and so on. A stakeholder's relationship to a company is characterized by the fact that they may be impacted by the company's actions, objectives and policies.
For example, the stakeholders for a new automobile design would include those buying the car, the mechanics working on it, environmental regulators, and the energy suppliers amongst others. These stakeholders would all have varying degrees of interest and influence on the project and its outcome. Understanding stakeholders is crucial for a company because it helps in managing relationships and expectations, and in driving the overall success of the business.