Corporate Activism and the Global Public Sphere (Week 12 pre class blog)

Corporate activism appears to now be the rule rather than the exception. Large corporations which often become symbols of culture such as Starbucks and McDonalds for the United States and IKEA for Sweden are increasingly engaging in social missions that decades ago were considered the realm of activists. Indeed only a few decades ago these same large corporations were typified by socially detached CEOs increasingly determined to perfect supply chain mechanisms at all costs. What I think changed is the emerging global public sphere which strongly influenced their consumers. If there is something corporations care more about than flawless supply chains, it is the patronage of their consumers.

Some of the most outspoken CEOs, now considered social entrepreneurs, include Howard Schulz of Starbucks and Kevin Thompson of IBM although the two have very different styles. Schulz is publicly seen as a CEO activist taking a stance on issues far related to someone’s morning coffee. He has drawn broad criticism for this from conservatives who tend to feel attacked by his opinions. In contrast Thompson of IBM takes a more conservative and methodical role to social community engagement by placing high-potential employees in NGOs and governments of developing nations to provide services they could typically not afford. This has been hailed by his colleagues as a success and been praised by media outlets. Although Thompson certainly falls short of Schulz’s activist spirit, these two examples demonstrate how large corporations are being influenced by a public sphere.

Millennials are increasingly being considered an activist generation. Similar to their predecessors of the 1960s, they are demonstrating that they are very capable at organizing and with technology at their fingertips, they are a powerful force. One of the unique characteristics for this generation is its connection between business and social issues. Consumers today want to visibly see that the businesses they frequent are taking active roles in local and global communities. This new expectations has corporations searching for ways to develop initiatives to demonstrate their own resolve to satisfy socially-minded consumers. While some corporations stop at entrepreneurship, others like Starbucks insist on making social issues a hallmark of their brand. This seems like a risky move as consumers begin to associate politics with a business and potentially become disaffected.

The global public sphere is recognizable by the networks which it facilitates. Certainly these networks have influenced large corporations to such a degree that they have convinced them that the key to success is to engage in previously shunned stance taking and, for some, even social advocacy.