The effect of corporate social activism: an integrative literature review

Abstract

Individuals and organized groups may adopt social activism to demand corporate change to tackle many issues, from the companies’ lack of attention to social problems to global climate demands. This research considers that social activism influences organizations and aims to analyze the effects of this influence. An integrative review was carried out in the databases Scopus and Portal de Periódicos da Capes, identifying 152 articles to analyze the theories and constructs adopted, findings, and gaps in the literature on social activism. The results reveal that studies have analyzed social activism under different theoretical lenses, as a phenomenon of study, materialized in isolated actions, or as coordinated movements advocating a specific cause, bringing different effects to organizations. The literature reveals the use of different tactics to promote social activism and that gender equality, company diversity, and impact on environmental, social, and governance issues are examples of causes advocated. In the theoretical perspective, most of the studies did not mention a specific theory. Even when studies mention theories, they do it in a pluralistic way, not focusing on the development of one specific theory. The most recurrent theories identified were agency theory, institutional theory, stakeholder theory, digital activism theory, resource dependency theory (RDT), social movement theory, and resource mobilization theory. The theoretical connection, therefore, can bring new contributions to the study of social activism.

Keywords:
Social activism; Social movements; Social media; Stakeholder activism; Resource dependency