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Do Companies Engage In Moral Grandstanding?

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  • Cristina VOINEA
  • Radu USZKAI

Abstract

The main claim of our paper is that, if we agree that companies are (even in a loose sense) moral agents, then we can say that not only individuals engage in moral grandstanding. We will begin with a short introduction on what moral grandstanding means and the different ways in which we, as individuals, engage (both offline and online) in using moral talk for self-promotion. Afterwards, we will analyze what we consider to be the two of the most compelling cases of moral grandstanding by companies, greenwashing and ethics washing, highlighting their negative ethical consequences. The paper will end with a discussion of an additional reason which might explain why companies engage in moral talk through CSR campaigns: they do it not only because it pays off for them to look moral in front of their customers, but also due to the fact that grandstanding allows them to select better employees who might be willing to work more productively for lower wages.

Suggested Citation

  • Cristina VOINEA & Radu USZKAI, 2020. "Do Companies Engage In Moral Grandstanding?," Proceedings of the INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE, Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania, vol. 14(1), pages 1033-1039, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:rom:mancon:v:14:y:2020:i:1:p:1033-1039
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Khosro Jahdi & Gaye Acikdilli, 2009. "Marketing Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): Marriage of Convenience or Shotgun Wedding?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 88(1), pages 103-113, August.
    2. Daniel Hedblom & Brent Hickman & John List, 2019. "Toward an Understanding of Corporate Social Responsibility: Theory and Field Experimental Evidence," Natural Field Experiments 00675, The Field Experiments Website.
    3. Yu-Shan Chen & Ching-Hsun Chang, 2013. "Greenwash and Green Trust: The Mediation Effects of Green Consumer Confusion and Green Perceived Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(3), pages 489-500, May.
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