Inequality, corporate legitimacy and the Occupy Wall Street movement

Paul Shrivastava and Olga Ivanova Ruffo ()
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Paul Shrivastava: Concordia University [Montreal], ICN Business School
Olga Ivanova Ruffo: ICN Business School, CEREFIGE - Centre Européen de Recherche en Economie Financière et Gestion des Entreprises - UL - Université de Lorraine

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Abstract: This exploratory study examines legitimacy challenges to business spawned by growing inequalities. It uses aesthetic inquiry in the context of the Occupy Wall Street movement to understand the processes of organizational legitimation and delegitimation. By studying photos of slogans and placards from the Occupy Wall Street movement, we show how corporate and business legitimacy are challenged by the public. We identify different types of legitimacy challenges across organizational systems' levels. We explore implications of these challenges for corporations and the use of aesthetic strategies as delegitimation signals by Occupy Wall Street protesters in order to express their support or discontent with existing norms, values and standards.

Keywords: social movements; signaling; aesthetic inquiry; inequality; legitimacy; Occupy Wall Street (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

Published in Human Relations, 2015, 68 (7), pp.1209-1231. ⟨10.1177/0018726715579523⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01507993

DOI: 10.1177/0018726715579523

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