“Walking the environmental responsibility talk” in the automobile industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 528-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Valentini ◽  
Dean Kruckeberg
Keyword(s):  
Automobile Industry ◽  
News Media ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Ethical Judgment ◽  
Opportunities To Learn ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Behavior ◽  
Ethics Dilemma ◽  
Corporate Actions ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss the corporate behavior of Volkswagen in its emissions scandal. It describes and analyzes a complex ethics dilemma within the purview of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate sustainability (CS) and examines how this dilemma impacts critical stakeholders, thus offering several “opportunities to learn” for professionals. Design/methodology/approach The case takes a stakeholder perspective, applying Cavanagh et al. (1981) and Gao’s (2008) ethical judgement framework. It is situated within a qualitative approach to textual analysis. Social actors, topics and evaluative statements were identified and grouped into broader categories. Findings Six major stakeholders were directly affected by Volkswagen’s behavior: customers, investors and shareholders, the US Environmental Protection Agency, German authorities, European institutions and society-at-large. Stakeholder concerns were condensed into three dominant themes: economic, legal and environmental. According to the ethical judgment framework, Volkswagen corporate behavior showed ethical problems, theoretically demonstrating that under no ethical principle was Volkswagen’s actions justifiable, even under instrumental justifications. Research limitations/implications The analysis was primarily based on corporate material and news media reporting. Consequently, diverse managers’ prospectives and opinions are not entirely captured. Practical implications This paper offers several “opportunities to learn” for corporate communication professionals. Originality/value The focus on stakeholder perspectives allows professionals to take an outside-in approach when evaluating the impact of corporate actions on stakeholders’ interests. The case analysis through Cavanagh et al. (1981) and Gao’s (2008) ethical judgment framework provides a practical theoretical instrument to assess corporate behaviors that can be used both as pre- and post-evaluations of corporate actions on CSR and CS issues.

News personalization for peace: how algorithmic recommendations can impact conflict coverage

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariella Bastian ◽  
Mykola Makhortykh ◽  
Tom Dobber
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
System Design ◽  
News Media ◽  
Content Distribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Constructive Conflict ◽  
Peace Journalism ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Impact ◽  
War Reporting

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework for assessing what are the possibilities and pitfalls of using algorithmic systems of news personalization – i.e. the tailoring of individualized news feeds based on users’ information preferences – for constructive conflict coverage in the context of peace journalism, a journalistic paradigm calling for more diversified and creative war reporting.Design/methodology/approachThe paper provides a critical review of existing research on peace journalism and algorithmic news personalization, and analyzes the intersections between the two concepts. Specifically, it identifies recurring pitfalls of peace journalism based on empirical research on constructive conflict coverage and then introduces a conceptual framework for analyzing to what degree these pitfalls can be mediated – or worsened – through algorithmic system design.FindingsThe findings suggest that AI-driven distribution technologies can facilitate constructive war reporting, in particular by countering the effects of journalists’ self-censorship and by diversifying conflict coverage. The implementation of these goals, however, depends on multiple system design solutions, thus resonating with current calls for more responsible and value-sensitive algorithmic design in the domain of news media. Additionally, our observations emphasize the importance of developing new algorithmic literacies among journalists both to realize the positive potential of AI for promoting peace and to increase the awareness of possible negative impacts of new systems of content distribution.Originality/valueThe article particle is the first to provide a comprehensive conceptualization of the impact of new content distribution techniques on constructive conflict coverage in the context of peace journalism. It also offers a novel conceptual framing for assessing the impact of algorithmic news personalization on reporting traumatic and polarizing events, such as wars and violence.

Managerial ability and chemical releases

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 281-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Sun
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Managerial Ability ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Interest Policy ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Chemical Releases ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of managerial ability on the total amount of chemical releases reported to the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) at the US Environmental Protection Agency. Design/methodology/approach Regression analysis is used to examine the association between managerial ability and chemical releases. Findings A negative relationship was found between managerial ability and TRI’s chemical releases, suggesting that more-able managers better reduce TRI’s chemical releases, relative to less-able managers. Practical implications By providing useful insights into what determines TRI’s chemical releases, this study should interest policy makers and practitioners. Originality/value This study contributes to and links two research schools: managerial ability in management literature and corporate social responsibility (i.e. pollution prevention) in the broad business literature. To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first empirical study that performs a direct test of the association between managerial ability and TRI’s toxic chemical releases.

Media discourse in a hyper connected society: a comparison between media frame and Twitter discourse during media strike

Info ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 67-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seong Eun Cho ◽  
Dong-Hee Shin
Keyword(s):  
New Media ◽  
News Media ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Semantic Network ◽  
News Frames ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Media Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – This study aims to examine the impact of news frames associated with traditional media and with Twitter discourse on social issues. Design/methodology/approach – Using semantic network analysis, it identifies the role of new alternative channels as well as discussing ways of understanding and consuming news content in the changing media environment. Additionally, it focuses on the dominant Twitter communicators who rank high in betweenness centrality. Findings – The results confirmed that traditional news media tend to superficially describe main events and media strikes without comment. They tended to consciously or unconsciously favor media corporations by engendering anxiety and conflict or by restraining reports on the rationales of the strike. Twitter discourse, on the contrary, positively represents the striker's arguments and frequently reveals support of the strike. Research limitations/implications – The data set of this study was specialized, not generalized. However, the findings extend literature relating to the role of journalism and alternative channel. For example, this study indicated that the change of media environment has reinforced partiality of news, including both traditional and alternative channels. Practical implications – The findings imply that the advent of new media does not purely represent a laymen's voice and rather tends to strengthen the partiality of media, including both traditional and new media, beyond selective exposure on content of the receiver. Originality/value – By clarifying the influence of alternative channels, this study suggests the counterpart of traditional journalism in the near future.

The great reanimation

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 81-84
Author(s):  
Peter Buell Hirsch
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Labor Movements ◽  
Tipping Points ◽  
Political Will ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Behavior ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the ways in which long running secular trends and the COVID-19 pandemic have combined to re-energize labor movements and pushed political thinking to the left. Design/methodology/approach A review of emerging trends in public opinion and labor action to identify some critical tipping points. Findings There is a critical shift unfolding in which government intervention to stem income inequality is becoming politically acceptable. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, there have been few, if any comparable discussions of the relationship between the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the political will to stem income inequality and the implications for corporate behavior.

Does religion matter to dividend policy? Evidence from Buddhism and Taoism in China

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 510-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunfang Cao ◽  
Fansheng Jia ◽  
Xiaowei Zhang ◽  
Kam C. Chan
Keyword(s):  
Dividend Policy ◽  
Ethical Guidelines ◽  
Dividend Payout ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Informal Institution ◽  
Listed Firms ◽  
Corporate Behavior ◽  
Unethical Practices ◽  
Multiple Regression Method ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relation between Buddhism/Taoism and dividend payout decisions among Chinese listed firms during 2003-2013. Design/methodology/approach The authors include all Chinese A-share listed stocks in their sample during 2003-2013 and use a multiple regression method to conduct their analyses. Findings Their findings suggest that firms in regions with high influence of Buddhism and Taoism lean toward having high dividend payouts. The results are robust to a battery of alternative specifications in dividend payout, religiosity measures, research methods and dividend regulation regimes. Originality/value They show that the religions of Buddhism/Taoism play a role in determining dividend payout, complementing other informal institution studies of dividend policy. They complement the literature by providing insights into the impact of Buddhism and Taoism on corporate behaviors beyond immoral or unethical practices. They are able to relate specific doctrinal tenets of Buddhism and Taoism to corporate behavior rather than using only the general moral and ethical guidelines of religiosity.

The impact of emotional intelligence on ethical judgment

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 503-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Hopkins ◽  
R. Deepa
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Ethical Decision Making ◽  
Ethical Judgment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ethical Perspective ◽  
Ethical Judgments ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the important relationships between emotional intelligence (EI) and ethical decision making (EDM). Design/methodology/approach Participants were 100 students from MBA programs in the USA and India who completed two surveys: one measuring their EI, and the second their use of four different ethical perspectives in three scenarios. Multiple regression analyses were performed to discover relationships between overall EI, certain dimensions of EI and their ethical judgments. Findings The authors’ results found that the composite EI score as well as the EI subscale of decision making were both significantly related to the relativism ethical perspective. Age was an additional significant factor for EI and EDM. Research limitations/implications Future research should attempt to replicate these findings among different managerial levels, industries and countries to further understand the distinctive relationships between EI and ethical judgments. Practical implications This study highlights the importance of integrating EI and ethical judgment within corporate training programs and business school curricula, as important is the emphasis on moving the subject of ethical judgment from one of awareness to sustained ethical behavior through accountability. Originality/value This study contributes to the literature by identifying how EI and its decision-making subscale are significant to EDM.

scholarly journals News media influence on public trust in bike-sharing operators in Singapore

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Wong ◽  
Lyon Tan ◽  
Rachel Wong ◽  
Su Lin Yeo
Keyword(s):  
News Media ◽  
Corporate Reputation ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
News Reports ◽  
Bike Sharing ◽  
The Media ◽  
Media Reports ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe overnight introduction of tens of thousands of dockless bike-share bicycles in Singapore with its indiscriminate parking drew the attention of the media, which generated extensive news reports on the activities carried out by bike-sharing operators. Given the meteoric rise and fall of the industry, this study examines the influence of agenda-setting of news reporting on the public’s perception of the industry and the impact on the firms’ corporate reputation.Design/methodology/approachUtilizing the Reputation Quotient Index, the study content analyzed 147 textual data of online reports which were crawled over two years between 2017 and 2018 from six mainstream news organizations.FindingsOur findings showed that the news reports carried more negative frames in the headlines and body content. It also found that only five out of six dimensions of the Index were emphasized with varying degrees of importance, indicating that the corporate reputation as determined by the media reports did not collectively represent the operators’ past actions and results with valued outcomes.Practical implicationsPractical implications discussed included the need to integrate corporate strategies into public relations programs and the importance of engaging the media to demonstrate congruence between business objectives and positive social impact on society.Originality/valueAlthough the study limited its data collection only to online media reports, it is one of the few research to provide empirical evidence concerning the media’s influence on the public’s perceptions and reputation of the nascent bike-sharing industry.

scholarly journals Competing with the grey market: Puzey and Payne in Zimbabwe

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 145-163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amon Simba ◽  
David J. Smith ◽  
Tatenda Dube
Keyword(s):  
Automobile Industry ◽  
Spare Parts ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Business Operations ◽  
The Impact

Synopsis The case study analyses competition in the automobile industry in Zimbabwe, a developing economy. From that perspective, it discusses Puzey and Payne’s business operations; a company with a long-standing history in the country’s automobile industry. Since its establishment during the Colonial era, the company endured a prolonged period of rapid car and spare parts sales decline in 2012. Following a management buyout deal in 2013, the decline in sales proved to be its real dilemma and it required strategic decisions to diffuse the impact of the “grey markets”. Government policies added to the company’s problems. Research methodology The case study follows a qualitative research approach. Information about Puzey and Payne’s business operations was gathered from archived materials, through qualitative conversations as well as company artefacts. Published materials in newspapers and magazines were used to provide background information. Relevant courses and levels The case study is appropriate for both undergraduate and postgraduate students studying International Business Management.

Honing of employee creativity in Indian automobile industry

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (7) ◽  
pp. 552-572
Author(s):  
Akriti Chaubey ◽  
Chandan Kumar Sahoo
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Climate ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Automobile Industry ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Physical Work ◽  
Employee Creativity ◽  
Creative Ability ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Physical Work Environment ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of organizational climate, physical work environment and organizational encouragement on enhancing employee creativity in the Indian automobile industry. Design/methodology/approach The study used descriptive research design. Through a stratified random sampling method, the authors collected 250 valid responses which were considered suitable to carry out the study. Structural equation modeling was used to validate the hypothesized research model, whereas confirmatory factor analysis was incorporated into the study to check the reliability and robustness of the constructs. Findings The results of the study indicated that creative instinct within the employees working in the automobile units becomes more profound when an organization provides a climate and physical work environment which is conducive to stimulate the creative thought process of the employees by encouraging its employees for exchanging ideas among themselves, which motivates them to think out of the box and subsequently foster their creative ability. Practical implications This study incorporates measures that are essential in enhancing the creative ability of the employees working in the Indian automobile industry which can be tactically nurtured by these factors. Originality/value The findings add to the existing literature by developing visions and enumerating how organizational climate, physical work environment and organizational encouragement enhances creativity within individuals in Indian automobile units.

A driver in every car: when the auto industry says jump, do governments say “how high?”

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 3-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre André Buigues
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Automobile Industry ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
The Political ◽  
Public Intervention ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Infant Industry ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the economic and political conditions that could explain why the governments in developed economies have intervened in the automobile industry. The author identifies the main reasons and the shortcomings of these public interventions. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents different forms of public intervention in the automobile industry of various countries over the past few decades: infant industry, research and development (R&D), global climate change and global systemic crisis. Findings The automobile sector is viewed by governments as a key sector and is subsidised for different reasons at different periods. The paper shows that governments give different reasons for public intervention in the automobile industry (infant industry, global climate change, R&D externalities, the global financial crisis, etc.). Whatever the theory, in practice, public interventions have a strong impact on the industry and its evolution. Practical implications The paper highlights the importance for car manufacturers of monitoring the political initiatives of public authorities, which can affect the technological evolution of the automobile industry. Social implications For households, the purchase of a car is quite important, and the political orientation of public subsidies in favour of one option over another, such as electric vehicles or an autonomous car, affects their choice. Originality/value The paper examines an issue which has not previously been addressed by journals, yet which is crucial, i.e. the impact of government decisions on the evolution of an industry. The approach can also be applied to other sectors.

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