Companies making socially conscious decisions and sharing prosocial messaging has become a big part of business. Scholar Duli Shi, assistant professor at New Mexico State University, focuses her research on these corporate communication strategies. She says organizations can help people, especially marginalized groups, through their prosocial tactics. Her work aims to fine-tune the ways for-profit entities can do that.… More
Research has shown that consumers expect companies to take a stand on sociopolitical issues. Yet, more and more, it seems that when they do, consumer reactions can be visceral and swift (both in favor and against). So, why do consumers often have such a… More
Most Americans expect companies to take a stance on hot-button issues; how and when firms should respond becomes the next burning question. We argued that audience expectations and perception of authenticity should be the center of consideration… More
Consumers and employees are increasingly expecting CEOs to be change agents who publicly share their stances on controversial social and political issues (e.g., engaging in corporate social advocacy). However, reports from Edelman suggest that there is also a growing distrust in… More
By Jiun-Yi Tsai, Northern Arizona University, Ioana A. Coman, Texas Tech University, and Shupei Yuan, Northern Illinois University
In an age when most Americans feel deep political and ideological division, it is no exception whether the public thinks it is important for corporations to advocate controversial issues.
According to a 2020 Pew Research survey, 52 percent of… More
By Hao Xu, Jisu Huh, and Hyejoon Rim, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
In today’s increasingly polarized political environment, a growing number of companies are taking a stance on controversial sociopolitical topics or public policy issues that their stakeholders care about. This includes issues like same-sex marriage, gun control, racial equality, immigration and transgender bathroom policies.