This research project proposes to apply Social Identity theory and Porter’s Hypothesis in studying the success of the municipality of Curitiba, Brazil in creating a culture of commitment to sustainability practices among its residents. These theories are reviewed here, along with the social media strategies and innovations developed by Curitiba. We plan to gather survey data from university students and young adult residents in the city about their recycling practices, and their awareness and engagement with the city’s social media campaigns. This study will potentially extend the application of social identity theory in the context of commitment to sustainability. It will also contribute to the debate about whether the constraints of sustainability necessarily impose a cost, or whether they can be exploited as an opportunity.

This conceptual paper maps the process of identification between Corporate Responsibility Coalitions (CRCs) and their member companies. CRCs are business-led, membership-based groups created to advance sustainable business practices. We draw from social identity theory and the group identity literature to develop a theoretical model of identification between CRCs and member companies. We propose that membership in CRCs can reduce uncertainty about the implementation of sustainability practices as well as increase competitive advantage for organizations. The theoretical model developed in this article shows a four-stage process of identification between member companies and CRCs that includes: (1) membership, (2) socialization, (3) identification, and (4) changes in behavior. This study contributes to advancement of knowledge on the impact of CRCs as well as the literature on organizational identity and group identification by studying this process among groups of organizations.

This workshop reflected on the current state of the Business and Society field and explored viable future directions for research in its related disciplines. The premise was that the field has reached a crossroads in its development, in accordance with the conference theme. To move forward, academic stakeholders should reassess the field’s identity and purpose to continue contributing meaningful work. The field could reframe itself as “Business in Society” to reflect the fact that organizations operate within a social and ecological context. The role of business in society can be thought of differently by examining the memes or core cultural artifacts that shape individuals’ beliefs and relevant narratives about what is expected of business. Through the reframing of the field’s institutional logics, recognizing and revisiting the normative roots of the field, as well, the questions that scholars ask can be revised to adapt to the modern world.

The Millennials, people born between 1980 and 2000, are often treated as a homogenous generation. While some prior research on generations posits that there are a number of consistencies across a generation, such as the Millennials, others argue that differences may emerge and distinguish individuals within a generation. Based on prior business ethics literature, this research dissects the Millennial’s personal value orientations (PVO) to explore if demographic differences, such as gender, amount of work experience, business discipline, and intelligence reveal variations in the ethical profile manifested by Millennials. The results from this research show that there are indeed numerous and significant statistical differences within the Millennials’ PVO dataset. Variations are found when exploring nearly every demographic variable considered. Implications of these findings are discussed.

In an era of instant mass communication and pervasive social media, the ability of an organization to respond and recover quickly from sudden shocks and crises is extremely important to maintain organizational stability, public trust, and social license to operate. However, not all shocks affect firms in the same way and firms do not respond equally well to the same or similar shocks. One factor, organizational resilience, may explain why some firms are able to quickly recover after a shock and other firms recover slowly, partially, or never. Using case studies from the global automobile industry, we propose a conceptual model and several factors that may influence an organization’s resilience and ability to recover and succeed.