Understanding reaction to corporate activism: The moderating role of polarization

PNAS Nexus, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 3(10)

Published: Oct. 1, 2024

Abstract In our polarized societies, more companies are taking a stand on divisive sociopolitical issues. However, given the mixed findings from previous studies, it remains unclear whether Corporate Activism (CA) is likely to hurt or help company's performance and reputation, shape public's attitudes toward issue involved. To better understand impact of CA in valuable study moderating factors, especially those linked polarization. A meta-analysis 72 scholarly works conducted examine various outcomes (e.g. ads social media engagement, cognitive attitudinal reactions, intentions actions, emotional ethical workplace, employee perceptions) role moderators (a issue's political leaning controversy level, orientation target audience, key demographics). The analysis reveals positive, albeit small, effect size (0.085 [95% CI (0.0542, 0.1158)]) with most two outcomes: reactions. It further that adopting liberal-leaning CAs elicit favorable responses than conservative liberals respond positively CA, while conservatives neutral. when there alignment between CA's audience's orientation, have stronger positive response liberals. Also, younger audiences view positively. Finally, per national culture, power distance individualism moderate reaction uncertainty avoidance has negative effect.

Language: Английский

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Where does brand activism authenticity stand in a divisive marketplace? New challenges and future research directions

The Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 1 - 10

Published: May 9, 2024

Brands are increasingly motivated to engage in sociopolitical activism due the heightened stakeholder expectations and growing ideological divide among public. However, more brands face backlash triggered by their involvement, with stakeholders questioning whether engagement is genuine or merely performative. Therefore, brand authenticity has become one of most important factors when evaluating a brand's engagement. This article aims build upon existing literature on activism, identify challenges encounter fostering authentic provide an agenda for future research from multidimensional perspective. Our thus contributes relevant helps scholars practitioners better understand difficulties as well opportunities authenticity.

Language: Английский

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Courageous Role Model or Threatening Villain: A Parallel Mediation Model of Corporate Activism and Citizen Political Engagement

Business & Society, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: July 26, 2024

Through their sociopolitical activism, business leaders increasingly call for citizens to become more politically engaged in favor of a partisan position. This research develops and tests framework that reveals corporate activism can indeed elicit such political engagement but runs the risk simultaneously inciting backlash from who oppose company’s envisioned ends. Whereas congruent perceive be morally courageous are thus inspired support stance, incongruent feel threatened by protection identity. Companies may, however, succeed increasing moral courage attributions without affecting citizens’ identity threat acting as first movers activism. A series experiments, including stimulus sampling approach with 30 real cases lend this framework. The results provide several implications responsibilities contemporary democracies.

Language: Английский

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CEO activism is not equal to CEO activism: a typology of executives' political statements

Management Decision, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 62(13), P. 370 - 397

Published: July 24, 2024

Purpose When CEOs are publicly weighing in on sociopolitical debates, this is known as CEO activism. The steadily growing number of such statements made recent years has been subject to a flourishing academic debate. This field offers first profound findings from observational studies. However, the discussion activism lacks thorough theoretical grounding, shared concept accounting for heterogeneity incidents. Thus, aim paper provide an archetypal framework Design/methodology/approach authors used multiple case study approach 145 cases stated by and found seven distinct statement archetypes. Findings identifies four main structural design elements activism, i.e. addressed meta-category statement, targeted outcome, tonality orientation CEOs’ positions. Further, distinguishable archetypes statements: “Climate Alerts”, “Economy Visions”, “Political Comments”, “Self-reflections Social Concerns”, “Tech Designs”, “Unclouded Evaluations” “Descriptive Explanations”. Research limitations/implications typology classifies It will enable analysis interrelationships, mechanisms motivations differentiated level raise comprehensibility research-results. Practical implications supports executives understanding analyse personality-fits. Originality/value To authors’ knowledge, marks conceptualisation developed cross-thematically. work further theory-building

Language: Английский

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Brand activism in a polarizing world: the roles of cause controversy and consumption goal

Journal of Product & Brand Management, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Nov. 8, 2024

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the influence of consumer–brand values deviation on consumer reactions transactionally (i.e. purchase intention) and relationally brand loyalty) uncover two important boundary conditions, namely, cause controversy consumption goal. Design/methodology/approach uses online surveys test interactions between consumer-brand goal, which subsequently impacts identification. Findings Consumer–brand negatively affects consumers’ intention loyalty, identification plays a mediating role in this focal detrimental influence. More importantly, when concerns highly controversial causes or goal is hedonic (vs utilitarian), impact strengthened. Research limitations/implications The study reveals that activism tends be riskier under certain circumstances by uncovering effects Practical implications Brands can more effectively engage they consider level take stance target consumers. Brand issues triggers extra risky due its amplified Originality/value introduces conditions studying downstream highlight double-sidedness activism.

Language: Английский

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