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.
By Nicole O’Donnell, Virginia Commonwealth University and Yanni Ma, Oregon State University
Activists have been working for decades to draw attention to environmental injustices that disproportionately affect poor and minority communities. With support from the Page Center, our research team is working on a project that aims to understand how corporations can authentically support environmental justice causes… More
By Alan Abitbol, University of Dayton and Matthew VanDyke, University of Alabama
In 2018, Nike launched its 30th anniversary “Just Do It” campaign featuring polarizing former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick as the main spokesperson. The main message of the campaign was “Believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything.” Reaction toward the campaign was divisive, with those… More
By Holly Overton, associate professor at the University of South Carolina
Is corporate social advocacy (CSA) the new corporate social responsibility (CSR)? Do stakeholder expectations vary for companies’ CSR vs. CSA efforts and how they should communicate about them? Do company motives matter any more or less for CSR or CSA?
By Ioana A. Coman, Texas Tech University, and Rosalynn Vasquez, Boston University
On Sept. 19, 2019, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos announced the company’s first corporate pledge to fight climate change. However, for many employees, including those representing the Amazon Employees for Climate Justice, this was not enough. Nearly 3,000 Amazon employees walked out of Amazon’s headquarters the next… More