Business Legitimacy and the Variety of Normative Contexts

• Legitimacy research suggests that companies obtain moral legitimacy when acting in accordance with commonly held norms and values of the social system. In recent years, more attention has been paid to the fact that such systems are heterogeneous. Assumptions about what is morally right and wrong differ, not only between normative contexts but also within them. For that reason, the issue of moral legitimation becomes complex. The focus of the chapter is on the nature of the normative contexts in which companies attain legitimacy. Light is shed on the variety of normative contexts and the way that companies relate to these. It is argued that normative contexts differ with regard to both the number of competing normative ideas and the strength of these ideas. In addition, multinational companies face a multitude of social systems in which moral legitimation takes place. The chapter provides a model for understanding various normative contexts. It is argued that depending on the nature of the contexts, moral legitimation will operate differently.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Ekonomi och näringsliv -- Företagsekonomi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Economics and Business -- Business Administration (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Heterogeneity

Legitimacy

Moral legitimacy

Normative context

Business Studies

Företagsekonomi

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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