760: Social Activism and Corporations: New Vantages on the Role of Firms in Societal Change (15413)

Organizer(s)

• PM

  Paul Merritt

  Pennsylvania State U., United States

Presenter(s)

• MW

  Milo Shaoqing Wang

  W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State U., United States
• TS

  Todd Schifeling

  Fox School of Business, Temple U., United States
• JR

  Joanna Reddick

  U. of Georgia, United States
• MP

  Michael Pfarrer

  U. of Georgia, United States
• KC

  Katherine Chen

  The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania
• MM

  Mary-Hunter McDonnell

  The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania, United States
• SH

  Shon Hiatt

  U. of Southern California, United States
• SS

  Sara Soderstrom

  U. of Michigan, United States

Organizer(s)

• TR

  Tessa Recendes

  Penn State Smeal College of Business, United States

Presenter(s)

• FB

  Forrest Briscoe

  Cornell U., United States

Discussant(s)

• KO

  Kate Odziemkowska

  U. of Toronto, Rotman School of Management, Canada

Presenter(s)

• MM

  Maurice Murphy

  U. of Georgia, United States
• LX

  Lei Xu

  U. of Missouri-St. Louis, United States

From research spanning decades, scholars have shown that society shapes organizations and that organizations shape society. Social activists can force organizations to take stances on social issues, and in turn, those social stances alter the public’s understanding of those issues. LGBT marriage benefits are a de facto case. Pro-LGBT social activists created a cycle of targeting firms for benefits, and then firms reflected their claims’ legitimacy back through society via satisficing and the media (Briscoe & Safford, 2008). Firms’ products hold similar power, where a given product can impact society’s perception of an entire category (Negro, Hannan & Rao, 2011). Building on a rapidly growing body of recent research, this symposium extends research on how social activists change firms and invoke social change. Each of the papers presented in this symposium goes deeper into the mechanisms, frameworks, and consequences of social activism. Our goal is to provide fresh, practical insights for academics and practitioners who are navigating the evolving space of socially- conscious management. Using our symposium’s empirical papers, we explore firm-linked social change in several contexts, including community-led economic development, climate change, race, and gender. Our symposium ends with a framework to aid in identifying future topics.

Presentations:

• 11:30 – 13:00 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  760: Rage Against the Machine: The Hidden Effects of Social Activism on Corporate Decision-making (15413)
  

  Author: Paul Merritt – Pennsylvania State U.

  Author: Tessa Recendes – Penn State Smeal College of Business

  Author: Forrest Briscoe – Cornell U.
• 11:30 – 13:00 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  760: From Protests to Profits:Exploring the Unintentional Effects of Social Activism on Entrepreneurship (15413)
  

  Author: Lei Xu – U. of Missouri-St. Louis

  Author: Milo Shaoqing Wang – W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State U.

  Author: Shon R. Hiatt – U. of Southern California
• 11:30 – 13:00 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  760: Selling Climate Reform: Stretching and Switching Frames in a Cross-Sectoral Network (15413)
  

  Author: Sara B. Soderstrom – U. of Michigan

  Author: Todd Schifeling – Fox School of Business, Temple U.
• 11:30 – 13:00 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  760: Are Identity Movements Competitors or Complements? Shifts in Board Diversity During #MeToo and #BLM (15413)
  

  Author: Katherine Chen – The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania

  Author: Mary-Hunter McDonnell – The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania
• 11:30 – 13:00 CT (GMT-5/UTC-5)

  760: Why Do Firms Engage in Activism Despite the Risks? Corporate Sociopolitical Activism as a Signal (15413)
  

  Author: Maurice Jerel Murphy – U. of Georgia

  Author: Joanna Reddick – U. of Georgia

  Author: Michael Pfarrer – U. of Georgia