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The Adoption of Social Innovations by Firms: An Inquiry into Organizational Benevolence

Beveridge, 'Alim J
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1373079065

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, Organizational Behavior.
I propose that current organization theories tend to cast organizations, especially companies, as entities that only pursue their own interests. Thus, existing research on why firms go “beyond compliance” in adopting socially or environmentally beneficial policies or practices depict them as responding to a perceived opportunity to either make gains in financial performance and legitimacy or avoid potential losses in these. I, however, argue that, in some cases, firms may do so because they view benefitting an external constituency as a desirable end in itself. I call this organizational benevolence and suggest that it is likely to be visible in the early adoption of social innovations by companies. I present the results of qualitative and quantitative research on U.S. companies’ adoption of fair trade, a social innovation, which I conducted to inquire into the possible presence of organizational benevolence and to identify its characteristics. In the qualitative study, I found that some interviewees’ accounts of the adoption of fair trade-certified coffee describe a commitment to furthering the well-being of coffee farmers strong enough to take precedence over many other concerns. This commitment was characterized as rooted in organizational identity, reflected in close, long-term relationships with coffee growers, and leading to a willingness to prioritize their material benefits over the firms’. Using two vignette-based decision-making experiments, I tested hypotheses which address the effects of institutional, organizational, situational and individual factors on the decision to have one’s firm adopt fair trade-certified coffee or seafood. I find that, in addition to the extent of current diffusion, decision makers’ interactions with potential beneficiaries and personal characteristics, such as moral identity, can have positive effects on adoption. I conclude that the organizational commitment to secondary stakeholders’ welfare must be fairly strong and salient to have an impact on such adoption decisions.
David Cooperrider, PhD (Committee Chair)
Ronald Fry, PhD (Committee Member)
Chris Laszlo, PhD (Committee Member)
Jagdip Singh, PhD (Committee Member)
298 p.
Organization Theory; Organizational Behavior
altruism, benevolence, social innovation, diffusion, adoption, motivation, commitment, collective commitment, affinity, beneficence, corporate social responsibility, environmental responsibility, decision-making, ethical decision-making, framing, egoism

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Beveridge, 'A. J. (2013). The Adoption of Social Innovations by Firms: An Inquiry into Organizational Benevolence [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1373079065

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Beveridge, 'Alim. The Adoption of Social Innovations by Firms: An Inquiry into Organizational Benevolence. 2013. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1373079065.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Beveridge, 'Alim. "The Adoption of Social Innovations by Firms: An Inquiry into Organizational Benevolence." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1373079065

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1373079065
454
© 2013, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.