Corporate Political Research Articles

The corporate political activity of Portugal’s food industry: enhancing public health transparency

Abstract Background This study in Portugal aims to monitor the Corporate Political Activity (CPA) in the food industry. Portugal provides a compelling case study due to its robust implementation of public health policies. Methods A systematic qualitative approach proposed by Mialon et al., a part of the INFORMAS Module 3, was employed. This method is based on the analysis of publicly available information. Key industry actors were selected through expert consultation and market analysis using EuroMonitor data. Information sources included industry, government, and academic materials accessed via websites and news. A thematic qualitative analysis was conducted involving iterative steps: identifying CPA practices based on predefined strategies - Taxonomy of Action Strategies: access and influence policymaking, use the law to obstruct policies, manufacture public support, shape evidence, displace and usurp public health, and manage reputations -, recording methods in a database, and saving evidence. Data collection spanned October 2023 to April 2024, covering materials from 2022 to 2023. Results Twenty-five key players were identified, including processed food and non-alcoholic beverage manufacturers, fast food companies, food retailers, and national trade associations. Food retailers, notably Jerónimo Martins, Lidl, Mercadona, and Sonae, showcased a higher prevalence of CPA. Nestlé and Sumol+Compal also emerged as prominent actors. The food industry in Portugal employs diverse strategies and tactics primarily focused on shaping evidence and managing reputations. While instances of displacing public health priorities and manufacturing public support were observed, they were relatively fewer. Only APED and FIPA showed engagement in policymaking influence. Conclusions Vigilant monitoring of CPA in the food industry in Portugal reveals dominant tactics of shaping evidence and managing reputations. Understanding these strategies is vital for policymaking to safeguard public health. Key messages • The food industry in Portugal employs diverse strategies, primarily shaping evidence and managing reputations, to influence public health policies. • Monitoring the Corporate Political Activity is key to preserving the integrity of public health policymaking in Portugal’s food industry.

Assessing the relevance of the concept of political corporate social responsibility in management research

AbstractShould we still use the concept of political corporate social responsibility (PCSR) in management research? In response to recent and significant challenges in the management literature regarding the relevance of PCSR as a concept, we conduct a review of the literature in the field. We combine a bibliometric analysis and a qualitative content analysis to assess the use of the concept of PCSR between 2005 and 2022. We contribute to the PCSR literature in four ways: First, we map the field of PCSR in order to develop an objective understanding of the concept. Second, we demonstrate that PCSR exhibits the features of a concept, and that current research has begun to address some of the significant challenges that question its relevance. Third, we identify the four pillars at the base of the concept and uncover a fifth pillar: the dynamic perspective of PCSR. Last, we propose research directions to strengthen the PCSR concept and enrich its contributions to theory and practice.

Putting the Politics Into Corporate Political Activity: A Variance Decomposition Analysis of Firm–Government Interactions Across Political Contexts

Despite the wealth of theorizing about the relationship between business and government, research on corporate political activity (CPA) has yet to comprehensively consider how political context (e.g., party ideology and the degree of united or divided party government control) may shift the salience of how CPA materializes across industry-, firm-, and executive-level factors, which can shed light on the level of effects that appear to matter more (or less). To advance our understanding, we conducted a variance decomposition analysis on U.S. public firms (2001–2019), exploring the relative effect of each level on firm (lobbying expenditures and campaign contributions) and government actions (government contracts), and parsing our sample based on whether key government branches are Democrat- or Republican-controlled. We generally found that firm effects explain the most variance, followed by industry, while executive effects explain the least. However, this pattern shifts notably when considering political context across our sample period. As such, our findings have important implications for future CPA research and theorizing.

Brokering Political Corporate Social Responsibility: Production Network Intervention Programmes in Post‐Reform Myanmar's Garment Industry

ABSTRACTPolitical corporate social responsibility (CSR) research focuses on how companies leverage their CSR efforts to improve public goods provision in countries where public governance is lacking. Previous studies, due to their limited analytical scope, have not thoroughly examined the dynamic nature of these governance gaps. Another missing puzzle is how certain actors in these countries, through their regular operations, independently facilitate political CSR opportunities – such as production network intervention (PNI) programmes. Positioning PNI programmes as brokers of political CSR, we investigate four such programmes in the Myanmar's garment industry during the early years of the country's reform. We conduct neo‐Gramscian analysis to examine how these programmes attempted to establish cultural and ideological leadership over CSR discourse and practice in the industry. We analyse the manufacturers’ responses to this contestation, which evolved with the introduction of a minimum wage, and discuss the theoretical and practical implications of this study.

Firms Divided: Corporate Activism, Ideological Homogenization, and Political Polarization

Firms Divided: Corporate Activism, Ideological Homogenization, and Political Polarization

Managing the Dilemma of Disclosure in Corporate Political Activity (WITHDRAWN)

Managing the Dilemma of Disclosure in Corporate Political Activity (WITHDRAWN)

Corporate Political Connections and Value Appropriation in Buyer-Supplier Relationships

Corporate Political Connections and Value Appropriation in Buyer-Supplier Relationships

Co-Evolution in Institutional Environments: A Mixed Methods Study on Corporate Political Activities

Co-Evolution in Institutional Environments: A Mixed Methods Study on Corporate Political Activities

Corporate Political Activity, Marginality, and Societal Outcomes

Corporate Political Activity, Marginality, and Societal Outcomes

Strategic Argumentation for Corporate Political Strategy Success in the De-Globalization Era

Strategic Argumentation for Corporate Political Strategy Success in the De-Globalization Era

Corporate Political Activity in Areas of Limited Statehood – A Governance Approach

Corporate Political Activity in Areas of Limited Statehood – A Governance Approach

Advancing the Moral legitimacy of digital platforms as gatekeepers: a critical analysis from a political corporate social responsibility perspective

This study focuses on digital platforms, such as Google or Meta, that function as “gatekeepers” that dominate their respective markets. They face serious moral legitimacy issues, due to their power to act as private rule-makers in underregulated digital spheres. Such legitimacy issues have remained underexplored thus far, as have gatekeepers’ options for addressing them. Yet moral legitimacy represents a vital resource for organizations, as a justification of their essential right to exist. Drawing on recent advances in political corporate social responsibility theory, this study offers a systematic conceptualization of how gatekeepers can exhibit ethical responsibility in their efforts to gain, maintain, and sustain their moral legitimacy. This systematic conceptualization encompasses different agreement-seeking procedures, online deliberation, a hybrid governance approach that combines regulation and self-regulation, and the provision of public goods.

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? How corporations maintain hegemony by using counterinsurgency tactics to undermine activism

This article contributes to critical theory building in relation to political corporate social responsibility (PCSR) by conceptualizing the underlying processes and practices through which corporations seek to counter threats posed by activist groups. We argue that the problematic nature of PCSR is entangled not only in its state-like aims, but also in its covert deployment of military tactics towards the maintenance of corporate hegemony. We illuminate how corporations use counterinsurgency tactics to undermine the ability of activists to hold them accountable for their wrongdoing. Building on the work of Gramsci, we propose that counterinsurgency tactics combine elements of force and persuasion that enable corporations to maintain hegemony (i.e., secure consent over time). We ask: How are counterinsurgency tactics used by corporations to neutralize activist pressures and maintain corporate hegemony? We draw upon historical sources regarding the Nestlé infant milk boycott case to undertake a genealogical analysis that exposes counterinsurgency tactics enabling corporations to counter activists and sustain their hegemony. We find that Nestlé deployed four key counterinsurgency tactics to nullify activist pressures (suppressing external support, isolating the activist(s), capturing the dialogue, and covert intelligence gathering). From our analysis, we propose the term corporate counterinsurgency and theorize the historic use of corporate counterinsurgency tactics as an example of a hegemonic strategy that enables corporations to covertly undermine activist pressures. We conclude by calling for further reflexivity in organizational studies research on the military origins of PCSR, and by outlining how activist organizations might mobilize against corporate counterinsurgency tactics.

Political Corporate Social Irresponsibility and Lebanon’s Garbage Mountain

Political Corporate Social Irresponsibility and Lebanon’s Garbage Mountain

Exploring political corporate social responsibility: a qualitative content analysis of multinational corporations' diplomacy efforts during the Russia–Ukraine war

PurposeUsing political corporate social responsibility (PCSR) as a theoretical framework, this study aims to examine how multinational corporations (MNCs) can function as nonstate actors in public diplomacy efforts during the Russia–Ukraine war.Design/methodology/approachA thematic analysis using qualitative content analysis was conducted on 98 new releases from the websites of the top 50 MNCs listed in the Fortune Global 500.FindingsThe findings indicate that MNCs elucidate their initiatives aimed at providing a secure environment for war victims through their news releases, with notable variations in responses based on the companies' geographical location. MNCs also mentioned strengthening the power of public authorities by rebalancing power dynamics between governments and intergovernmental initiatives under war conditions.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first empirical investigations to research corporate diplomacy and explore the theoretical implications of PCSR for corporate diplomacy.

Analysis of public records of lobbying practices of the ultra-processed sugary food and drink industries in Chile: a qualitative study

Given the role of commercial determinants on sugar consumption and health, this study aimed to describe lobbying practices of the ultra-processed sugary food and drinks industries in Chile between 2014 and2022. Official meetings between ultra-processed sugary food and drinks industries and related commercial actors and Chilean government officials were obtained from the Chilean Lobby Registry. Relevant commercial names were initially identified based on their market share and expanded iteratively based on information from relevant meetings. Qualitative analysis followed a deductive-inductive approach using the Corporate Political Activity Model to identify and classify objectives, framing and action strategies. From 237 records identified, the Ministries of Health, Social Development, and Economy were the most frequently lobbied. Industry representatives sought to achieve their short- and long-term objectives by targeting a diverse range of authorities, including Ministers and Under-secretaries, using different strategies. Framing strategies focused on presenting sugary food and drinks industries as socially responsible and legitimate policy actors and criticised public health initiatives as 'bad solutions'. Action strategies aimed to influence policymaking and nurture corporate reputations. Extensive lobbying took place by the sugary food and drinks industries between 2014 and 2022, a period when major public health policies were being discussed in Chile. Lobbying strategies varied to meet industry objectives and targeted a diverse range of government institutions including high-ranking officials. Tighter regulations to stop inappropriate industry influence in public health policymaking are urgently required. Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (Chile)-PhD Scholarship. University College London-Open Access fees.

Interplay of Corporate Sector, Politics, and Media in Shaping News Contents in Nepal

This paper examines the intricate implications arising from the symbiotic relationship among the corporate sector, politics, and media in shaping news content in Nepal. This study analyzes the dynamics and interplay between politics, corporate sectors and the influence they can have on the media content largely within the privately run for-profit media outlets in Nepal. The theoretical foundation for this study has been rooted in Habermas’ public sphere model of mass media (1989). The study revealed that vested corporate and political interests are hugely influential both in shaping the opinion and performance of the news media. Besides, the corporate influence, the ideological division of media outlets and journalists not only raises ethical concerns but also the quality of discourse. Taken together, they only undermine the very credibility of the media institutions which does not allow them to become what Habermas calls the public sphere.

Plastic Politics of Delay: How Political Corporate Social Responsibility Discourses Produce and Reinforce Inequality in Plastic Waste Governance

Abstract As the global plastics pollution crisis grows in severity and complexity, diverse solutions are being proposed across the public and private sectors. Notably, multinational corporations (MNCs) from the petrochemical and consumer goods sectors have become increasingly involved. From providing recycling infrastructure to directly participating in drafting action plans and policies, MNCs are engaging as political actors in plastics waste governance, influencing discourses and actions globally, a process referred to as political corporate social responsibility (CSR). In this article, I examine Coca-Cola’s World Without Waste initiative as a case study of this process. I evaluate how Coca-Cola frames the problems of plastics waste, their solutions, and the roles that Coca-Cola asserts within this complex, transboundary environmental governance issue. Borrowing from literature on corporate climate delay tactics, I demonstrate how the initiative implements discourses and practices of delayed action, hindering comprehensive governance strategies. Through this analysis, I argue that political CSR actions can exacerbate the global plastics pollution crisis through ineffective and inequitable waste governance approaches that perpetuate uneven plastics pollution burdens.

Does Good Corporate Governance and Political Connection have an Influence a Tax Avoidance?

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of institutional ownership, managerial ownership, independent commissioners, and political connections on tax avoidance within manufacturing companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange between 2020 and 2022. Employing a purposive sampling method, 39 eligible companies were chosen for panel data regression analysis. The findings reveal that institutional ownership has a partially positive influence on tax avoidance, managerial ownership also has a partially positive impact on tax avoidance, independent commissioners exhibit a partially negative association with tax avoidance, and political connections have a partially positive effect on tax avoidance.

Exploring the influence of commercial determinants on public health: An overview in the context of social sciences

Despite the increasing attention that is devoted to the social-economic determinants of public health (SDoH) factors that influence people's health, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is at an all-time high worldwide. Commercial determinants of public health (CDoPH), or the associated corporate and business environments, have garnered much interest. This study attempts to articulate the CDoPH to summarize key results, as stated in the literature and to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the body of available material. Review formal sources (Scopus, Global Health and Google Scholar). The search technique employed the terms commercial determination of public health, among others. Some major factors contributing to CDoPH dynamics are trade, social and economic power expression, corporate structures, regulatory frameworks, neoliberal and capitalist through. Corporate activities, including advertising, mutual social responsibility, corporate politics, vast supply chains, hazardous product development and accessibility problems are additional factors. These worsen the status of the results for global health. The use of CDoPH nomenclature in work examines how business operations and macro conditions affect health that can be beneficial. It would be helpful to facilitate an updated, operationalized definition of CDoPH. To enhance global health, systematic methods for recognizing, defining and avoiding these are needed.