IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v175y2022i2d10.1007_s10551-020-04612-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Navigating Between the Plots: A Narratological and Ethical Analysis of Business-Related Conspiracy Theories (BrCTs)

Author

Listed:
  • Mathieu Alemany Oliver

    (TBS Business School)

Abstract

This paper introduces the concept of business-related conspiracy theories (BrCTs). Drawing on Aristotelian virtue ethics and undertaking a narratological and ethical analysis of 28 BrCTs found online, I emphasize that BrCTs are narratives with structures rooted in other latent macro- and meta-narratives, including centuries-old myths. In particular, I reconstruct the fictional world (diegesis) of BrCTs – one in which CSR and social contracts have failed – before identifying eight different types of actors as which people can morally situate themselves in their relationships with business. Finally, I elaborate on the actors’ performances and their use of external and legitimate forces to end the story. The paper concludes with a discussion of potential future research to help combat BrCTs, as well as a call for the critical study of political CSR.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathieu Alemany Oliver, 2022. "Navigating Between the Plots: A Narratological and Ethical Analysis of Business-Related Conspiracy Theories (BrCTs)," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 175(2), pages 265-288, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:175:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-020-04612-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-020-04612-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10551-020-04612-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-020-04612-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. William Maria, 2006. "Brother Secret, Sister Silence: Sibling Conspiracies Against Managerial Integrity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 65(3), pages 219-234, May.
    2. Moore, Geoff, 2005. "Corporate Character: Modern Virtue Ethics and the Virtuous Corporation," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(4), pages 659-685, October.
    3. David Silver, 2015. "Business Ethics After Citizens United: A Contractualist Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 127(2), pages 385-397, March.
    4. Pilar Acosta & Mar Pérezts, 2019. "Unearthing Sedimentation Dynamics in Political CSR : The Case of Colombia," Post-Print hal-02311985, HAL.
    5. Jennifer Edson Escalas, 2007. "Self-Referencing and Persuasion: Narrative Transportation versus Analytical Elaboration," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 33(4), pages 421-429, December.
    6. Mäkinen, Jukka & Kourula, Arno, 2012. "Pluralism in Political Corporate Social Responsibility," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(4), pages 649-678, October.
    7. Carroll, Archie B., 1991. "The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: Toward the moral management of organizational stakeholders," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 39-48.
    8. Tomi Kallio, 2007. "Taboos in Corporate Social Responsibility Discourse," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 74(2), pages 165-175, August.
    9. Andreas Georg Scherer & Guido Palazzo, 2011. "The New Political Role of Business in a Globalized World: A Review of a New Perspective on CSR and its Implications for the Firm, Governance, and Democracy," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(4), pages 899-931, June.
    10. Abraham Singer, 2018. "Justice Failure: Efficiency and Equality in Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 97-115, April.
    11. Christina Goulding & Avi Shankar & Richard Elliott & Robin Canniford, 2009. "The Marketplace Management of Illicit Pleasure," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 35(5), pages 759-771, October.
    12. Pilar Acosta & Mar Pérezts, 2019. "Unearthing Sedimentation Dynamics in Political CSR: The Case of Colombia," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 425-444, March.
    13. Marie-Laure Djelic & Helen Etchanchu, 2017. "Contextualizing Corporate Political Responsibilities: Neoliberal CSR in Historical Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(4), pages 641-661, June.
    14. Arno Kourula & Guillaume Delalieux, 2016. "The Micro-level Foundations and Dynamics of Political Corporate Social Responsibility: Hegemony and Passive Revolution through Civil Society," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(4), pages 769-785, June.
    15. Matthew Sinnicks, 2019. "Moral Education at Work: On the Scope of MacIntyre’s Concept of a Practice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(1), pages 105-118, September.
    16. Mick, David Glen, 1986. "Consumer Research and Semiotics: Exploring the Morphology of Signs, Symbols, and Significance," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 13(2), pages 196-213, September.
    17. David Prottas, 2013. "Relationships Among Employee Perception of Their Manager’s Behavioral Integrity, Moral Distress, and Employee Attitudes and Well-Being," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(1), pages 51-60, March.
    18. Freeman, R. Edward, 1994. "The Politics of Stakeholder Theory: Some Future Directions1," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 4(4), pages 409-421, October.
    19. Livia Levine, 2019. "Digital Trust and Cooperation with an Integrative Digital Social Contract," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(2), pages 393-407, December.
    20. Solomon, Robert C., 2003. "Victims of Circumstances? A Defense of Virtue Ethics in Business," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 13(1), pages 43-62, January.
    21. Muel Kaptein, 2017. "The Battle for Business Ethics: A Struggle Theory," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(2), pages 343-361, August.
    22. Whelan, Glen, 2012. "The Political Perspective of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Critical Research Agenda," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 22(4), pages 709-737, October.
    23. Christopher Baird & Thomas S. Calvard, 2019. "Epistemic Vices in Organizations: Knowledge, Truth, and Unethical Conduct," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 263-276, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lunardo, Renaud & Alemany Oliver, Mathieu & Shepherd, Steven, 2023. "How believing in brand conspiracies shapes relationships with brands," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mathieu Alemany Oliver, 2020. "Navigating Between the Plots: A Narratological and Ethical Analysis of Business-Related Conspiracy Theories (BrCTs)," Post-Print hal-03289831, HAL.
    2. Pasi Heikkurinen & Jukka Mäkinen, 2018. "Synthesising Corporate Responsibility on Organisational and Societal Levels of Analysis: An Integrative Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(3), pages 589-607, May.
    3. Maria Ehrnström-Fuentes & Steffen Böhm, 2023. "The Political Ontology of Corporate Social Responsibility: Obscuring the Pluriverse in Place," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(2), pages 245-261, June.
    4. Sameer Azizi, 2022. "A National Governance Approach to the Political Nature and Role of Business: Case Study of the Mobile Telecommunications Industry in Afghanistan," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 177(4), pages 843-860, May.
    5. Peter Seele & Irina Lock, 2015. "Instrumental and/or Deliberative? A Typology of CSR Communication Tools," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(2), pages 401-414, October.
    6. Richter, Ulf Henning & Shirodkar, Vikrant & Shete, Namita, 2021. "Firm-level indicators of instrumental and political CSR processes – A multiple case study," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 279-290.
    7. David Monciardini & Guido Conaldi, 2019. "The European regulation of corporate social responsibility: The role of beneficiaries' intermediaries," Regulation & Governance, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 13(2), pages 240-259, June.
    8. Julia Rotter & Peppi-Emilia Airike & Cecilia Mark-Herbert, 2014. "Exploring Political Corporate Social Responsibility in Global Supply Chains," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(4), pages 581-599, December.
    9. Arno Kourula & Guillaume Delalieux, 2016. "The Micro-level Foundations and Dynamics of Political Corporate Social Responsibility: Hegemony and Passive Revolution through Civil Society," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 135(4), pages 769-785, June.
    10. Abraham Singer, 2018. "Justice Failure: Efficiency and Equality in Business Ethics," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(1), pages 97-115, April.
    11. Thomas M Maak & Nicola M Pless & Christian Voegtlin, 2016. "Business Statesman or Shareholder Advocate? CEO Responsible Leadership Styles and the Micro-Foundations of Political CSR," Post-Print hal-01480535, HAL.
    12. Jukka Mäkinen & Eero Kasanen, 2016. "Boundaries Between Business and Politics: A Study on the Division of Moral Labor," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(1), pages 103-116, March.
    13. Tolossa Fufa Gulema & Yadessa Tadesse Roba, 2021. "Internal and external determinants of corporate social responsibility practices in multinational enterprise subsidiaries in developing countries: evidence from Ethiopia," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-19, December.
    14. Rea Wagner & Peter Seele, 2017. "Uncommitted Deliberation? Discussing Regulatory Gaps by Comparing GRI 3.1 to GRI 4.0 in a Political CSR Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 146(2), pages 333-351, December.
    15. Buhmann, Alexander & Fieseler, Christian, 2021. "Towards a deliberative framework for responsible innovation in artificial intelligence," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    16. Sandra Moog & André Spicer & Steffen Böhm, 2015. "The Politics of Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives: The Crisis of the Forest Stewardship Council," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 128(3), pages 469-493, May.
    17. Frederick Ahen, 2018. "Dystopic Prospects of Global Health and Ecological Governance: Whither the Eco-Centric-Humanistic CSR of Firms?," Humanistic Management Journal, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 105-126, July.
    18. Andrew Abela & Ryan Shea, 2015. "Avoiding the Separation Thesis While Maintaining a Positive/Normative Distinction," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 131(1), pages 31-41, September.
    19. Wim Van Lent & Andrew D. Smith, 2020. "Using Versus Excusing: The Hudson’s Bay Company’s Long-Term Engagement with Its (Problematic) Past," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(2), pages 215-231, October.
    20. Pilar Acosta & Mar Pérezts, 2019. "Unearthing Sedimentation Dynamics in Political CSR: The Case of Colombia," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 425-444, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:175:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-020-04612-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.