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Die (Re-)Konstruktion von corporate legitimacy in oeffentlichen Legitimitaetskonflikten. Soziale Bewegungen und Walmarts Unternehmenspolitik (The (Re-)Construction of Corporate Legitimacy Through Public Legitimacy Conflicts. The Case of Social Movements and Walmart)

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  • Zajak, Sabrina

Abstract

Dieser Artikel untersucht an dem Beispiel von Walmart in den USA, wie die oeffentliche Mobilisierung von Legitimitaetswahrnehmungen zu einer Re-Konstruktion von corporate legitimacy und damit zu einem Wandel von Unternehmenspolitik fuehrt. Dazu wird empirisch aufgearbeitet, wie eine Kampagnenkoalition aus sozialen Bewegungen und Gewerkschaften die zentralen Saeulen unternehmerischer Legitimitaet re-definiert und wie das angegriffene Unternehmen darauf reagiert. Im Gegensatz zu der prominenten These, dass in der oeffentlichkeit vor allem moralische Legitimitaet von Bedeutung ist, zeigt die Fallstudie, dass die spezifische Kombination von Legitimitaetsarten fuer die De- bzw. Re-Stabilisierung des Ansehens des Unternehmens ausschlaggebend ist. Legitimitaetstransfer ueber verschiedene Themenbereiche hinweg wird dabei als entscheidender Abwehrmechanismus identifiziert, welcher es dem Unternehmen erlaubt, sehr selektiv auf die externen Forderungen einzugehen. (The social and political acceptance of transnational companies has increasingly become a topic of public debate. This article takes the case of Walmart in the US to show how the mobilization of public legitimacy perceptions leads to a re-construction of corporate legitimacy and consequently to a change in corporate politics. In contrast to the prominent thesis that moral legitimacy has become the major source of legitimacy, this article shows that all types of legitimacy and their specific relationship in particular are relevant in public legitimacy conflicts. Legitimacy transfer across thematic fields is identified as a major defense strategy which enables the company to respond selectively to external demands.)

Suggested Citation

  • Zajak, Sabrina, 2015. "Die (Re-)Konstruktion von corporate legitimacy in oeffentlichen Legitimitaetskonflikten. Soziale Bewegungen und Walmarts Unternehmenspolitik (The (Re-)Construction of Corporate Legitimacy Through Publ," Zeitschrift für Wirtschafts- und Unternehmensethik - Journal for Business, Economics & Ethics, Rainer Hampp Verlag, vol. 16(2), pages 155-177.
  • Handle: RePEc:rai:ethics:doi:10.1688/zfwu-2015-02-zajak
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate Legitimacy; Legitimacy Conflicts; Corporate Social Responsibility; Social Movements; Framing Theory; Institutional Theory;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • A14 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Sociology of Economics
    • M20 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Economics - - - General
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General

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