Can CEO Activism Be Good for the Organization? The Importance of Authenticity, Morality, and Timeliness

Abstract

This research presents a model connecting the perceived morality, authenticity, and timeliness (MAT) of CEO activism to consumer trust and supportive behaviors (e.g., consumer advocacy and intention to work) toward the CEO’s organization. The results show that perceived MAT of CEO activism are positively associated with Millennial and Gen-Z consumers’ trust toward the CEO’s organization. There was a strong and positive association between consumer trust and consumers’ supportive behaviors. This model will advance theoretical understanding of how CEO activism can effectively contribute to younger consumer outcomes.

From Advocacy to Activism: A Multi-Dimensional Scale of Communicative, Collective, and Combative Behaviors

“…This research is needed not only for building theory in strategic and mass communication but also for yielding practical insights. Public relations theories, in particular, including STOPS, the related theory of situational support, relationship management research, and emerging studies on corporate social responsibility (CSR), corporate social advocacy (CSA), and corporate activism (e.g., Choi et al, 2018; Jin et al, 2022) could employ these scales to continue building theory and benefiting practice. A recent study on social movements discussed the importance of identification related to advocacy and activism (Edrington, 2022), revealing another opportunity to help build theory.…”