Does Your Company Seem Socially Irresponsible?

• Autores: Nathan T Washburn, Donald Lange
• Localización: MIT Sloan management review, ISSN 1532-9194, Vol. 55, Nº 1, 2013, págs. 10-11
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The perceived culpability of a corporation also figures into perceptions of corporate social irresponsibility. If a company seems to have had foreknowledge of a harmful effect and had the power to prevent it, the company is perceived as more culpable. Perceptions of corporate culpability are also influenced by the existence of plausible alternative causes. If there are other explanations for the harmful effect, such as driver error in the case of automobile crashes, or if other organizations are also believed to be at fault, then the perceived culpability of the initial corporation decreases. While a disconnect between corporate actions and public perceptions can result in perceptions of corporate irresponsibility that exceed reality, it can also allow actual corporate irresponsibility to evade public notice. Perceptions of harmful effects, innocent victims and culpable corporations can be fortified or weakened, depending on the type of information presented and how that information is framed.