Do Social Movements Improve Corporate Behavior? A Discussion and Research Agenda

14 Pages Posted: 5 Jan 2023

Date Written: July 1, 2022

Abstract

Corporations have faced a rising tide of activism by social movements over the past generation. Consumer boycotts, protests, divestment campaigns, shareholder proposals, and employee insurgencies have all become near-daily occurrences. At the same time, the range of issues that have become fair game for activism have expanded to include basic business decisions: what kinds of products to offer, which executives to appoint, whom to work with as customers and suppliers, where to locate operations, or how to engage the political system, to name just a few. But has the new wave of activism made a difference? Do social movements actually improve corporate behavior, or do they just prompt public relations efforts detached from the real activities of the business? In this essay, we consider three alternative perspectives on this question, and along the way review the ample research that has appeared on social movements and organizations over the past 20 years. Previewing where we end up: we do not reach a consensus conclusion, but we do learn a lot along the way and make several suggestions for future research that might get us closer to answering this question.

Keywords: Social Responsibility, Ethics, CSR

Suggested Citation

Davis, Gerald F. and King, Brayden and Soule, Sarah A., Do Social Movements Improve Corporate Behavior? A Discussion and Research Agenda (July 1, 2022). Rutgers Business Review, Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 139-152, 2022, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4317261

Gerald F. Davis (Contact Author)

University of Michigan, Stephen M. Ross School of Business ( email )

701 Tappan Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1234
United States
734-647-4737 (Phone)
734-936-0282 (Fax)

Brayden King

Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management ( email )

2001 Sheridan Road
Evanston, IL 60208
United States

Sarah A. Soule

Stanford University ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States

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