The rising tide of corporate accountability: Deliberative and participatory methods for positive impact

Abstract

Stakeholder and corporate interests often collide as communities criticize firms for adverse health and environmental outcomes, yet these same communities welcome new employment opportunities. When firms respond to criticisms effectively, however, positive developments may occur such as new fair trade and public education programs (Witkowski 2005). Nevertheless, these corporate initiatives are not always perceived as sincere, given the rise of skepticism among many consumer and stakeholder groups (Wagner et al. 2009). Similar issues persist across the areas of corporate social responsibility (e.g. Robin and Reidenbach 1987), marketing ethics (e.g. Hunt and Vitell 1986; Laczniak and Murphy 19..