Strategy Research Colloquium (SRC)

SRC seminar (Tuas Building, room 4126). Speaker: Professor Joe Porac, New York University

The world-leading expert in organizational theory and managerial and organizational cognition, Professor Joe Porac will present his work “The Social Construction of Scandal: The Role of Media in the 2009 British Parliamentary Expense Affair?” The paper is co-authored with Hannigan, Bundy, Wade, and Graffin.

Professor Porac has published his work in ASQ, AMR, AMJ, SMJ, Journal of Applied Psychology and many other top journals. He was an Associate Editor of Administrative Science Quarterly and the Journal of Management and Governance. He also has edited special issues on managerial and organizational cognition for Organization Science and the Journal of Management Studies, and has organized a number of conferences and workshops on the same topic. Before joining NYU in 2003, Professor Porac spearheaded a joint business-engineering program in technology management at the University of Illinois. For information follow the link:
http://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/joseph-porac

Abstract

We propose that the media has an active role in shaping how external audiences come to understand and make sense of a scandal, independent of the actual transgressions. We investigate the evolution of meaning and its effect on Members of Parliament (MP) resignations during the 2009 British Parliamentary Expense Scandal. We find broad support for the active role of media in socially constructing the meaning of a scandal. Specifically, we find that MPs who are featured centrally in the scandal narrative face increased pressures to resign. We also find that MPs who are structurally associated in the media narrative with other MPs who have previously resigned also resign at a higher rate. Finally, we find that the effect of an MP’s level of wrongdoing is only significant when the MP is also featured centrally in the scandal narrative. Overall, we contribute to research on scandal by showing that an MP’s treatment in the media is an important predictor of scandal outcomes.

Signing up and receiving the paper

Send an e-mail to Natalia Vuori by June 28.
Coffee and snacks will be provided based on the number of enrolled participants.