【公开学术报告】A Stakeholder Dependence Framework of Firms' Rhetorical Strategies in Response to Legislative Shift

A Stakeholder Dependence Framework of Firms' Rhetorical Strategies in Response to Legislative Shift

Speaker: Jia Shen (UT Dallas)

Date & Time: Thur. 12th, December 2024, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM (Beijing Time)

Place: Meeting Room 2101, Tongji Building A.

ABSTRACT

What drives a firm's rhetorical response to legislative shifts that amplify stakeholder activism? In this study, we integrate the insights of resource dependency theory (RDT) and stakeholder theory to theorize the mechanisms underlying firms’ rhetorical strategies. We argue that firms adjust their stakeholder rhetoric based on their stakeholder dependencies—ego (direct) or alter (symbiotic or competitive)—in response to legislative shifts. To mitigate constraints from evolving stakeholder activism pressure, firms adopt three rhetorical strategies: avoidance, countervailing, and absorption. We apply this framework in the context of Anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit against Public Participation) legislation, which amplifies public voices and reshapes the ways firms engage with their stakeholders. Our findings reveal that when legislative shifts occur in their own or partners’ markets, firms typically reduce their rhetoric to avoid or countervail the constraints posed by ego and symbiotic interdependencies. Conversely, when legislative shifts occur in their competitors’ markets, firms absorb the opportunity by increasing their rhetoric. This study improves our understanding of how firms use rhetorical responses to navigate stakeholder activism pressures.