Skip to main content
Disciplines
Automotive Business IT + Informatics Construction + Real Estate Electrical Engineering + Electronics Energy + Sustainability Insurance + Risk Finance + Banking Management + Leadership Marketing + Sales Mechanical Engineering + Materials
Events
DE
EN
Books
Journals
Topic Page
Marketing
Start single access now
Access for companies
EXTENDED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Journal of Business Ethics
Published in: Journal of Business Ethics 2/2015

01-03-2015

Examining an Individual’s Legitimacy Judgment Using the Value–Attitude System: The Role of Environmental and Economic Values and Source Credibility

Authors: David Finch, David Deephouse, Paul Varella

Published in: Journal of Business Ethics | Issue 2/2015

Log in

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config
loading …

Abstract

We view an individual’s legitimacy judgment as an attitude. It is influenced by a personal belief system composed of global values and domain-specific beliefs, consistent with the value–attitude system in marketing. Our context is the legitimacy of the Canadian oil sands industry. We hypothesize that an individual’s legitimacy judgment may be influenced by three domain-specific beliefs: the credibility of the industry, environmental non-government organizations, and the mass media. We also examine two global values associated with sustainable development: concern for the environment and concern for economic development. These are expected to have negative and positive effects, respectively, on an individual’s legitimacy judgment and on industry credibility. We also examine if these relationships are influenced by proximity to the oil sands. We test our theory using a mixed methods research design and a structural equation analysis on a survey of 853 residents of Edmonton and Toronto, Canada. We find support for most of our hypotheses.
previous article Competing Against the Unknown: The Impact of Enabling and Constraining Institutions on the Informal Economy
next article Developing a Sustainability Credit Score System

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 102.000 Bücher
  • über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Automobil + Motoren
  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
  • Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
  • Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

  • über 67.000 Bücher
  • über 340 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

  • Bauwesen + Immobilien
  • Business IT + Informatik
  • Finance + Banking
  • Management + Führung
  • Marketing + Vertrieb
  • Versicherung + Risiko




Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Footnotes
1
Peer networks are another important information source used for evaluating legitimacy (Aldrich and Fiol 1994; Zimmerman and Zeitz 2002). We did not use them in this paper because each individual has a unique peer network and we were unable to measure the content of what each peer network was saying about the oil sands.
 
Literature
Ader, C. R. (1995). A longitudinal study of agenda setting for the issue of environmental pollution. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 72, 300–311.CrossRef
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.CrossRef
Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1977). Attitude-behavior relations: A theoretical analysis and review of empirical research. Psychological Bulletin, 84, 888–918.CrossRef
Aldrich, H. E., & Fiol, C. M. (1994). Fools rush in? The institutional context of industry creation. Academy of Management Review, 19(4), 645–670.
Alcañiz, E., Cáceres, R., & Pérez, R. (2010). Alliances between brands and social causes: The influence of company credibility on social responsibility image. Journal of Business Ethics, 96(2), 169–186.CrossRef
Arcand, A., Burt, M., & Crawford, T. (2012). Fuel for thought: The economic benefits of oil sands investment for Canada’s regions. Conference Board of Canada.
Arnett, D., German, S., & Hunt, S. (2003). The identity salience model of relationship marketing success: The case of non-profit marketing. Journal of Marketing, 67(2), 89–105.CrossRef
Asher, H. B. (2004). Polling and the public: What every citizen should know (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.: CQ Press.
Ashforth, B. E., & Gibbs, B. W. (1990). The double- edge of organizational legitimation. Organization Science, 1(2), 177–194.CrossRef
Austin, E. W., & Dong, Q. (1994). Source v. content effects on judgment of news believability. Journalism Quarterly, 71(4), 973–983.CrossRef
Bagozzi, R. (1981). Attitudes, intentions, and behavior: A test of some key hypotheses. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41, 607–627.CrossRef
Bagozzi, R., & Burnkrant, R. (1979). Attitude organization and the attitude-behavior relationship. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37(6), 913–929.CrossRef
Bagozzi, R. P., & Yi, Y. (1988). On the evaluation of structural equation models. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 16(1), 74–94.CrossRef
Berger, J., Ridgeway, C., Fisek, M. H., & Norman, R. Z. (1998). The legitimation and delegitimation of power and prestige orders. American Sociological Review, 63(3), 379–405.CrossRef
Bitektine, A. (2011). Toward a theory of social judgments of organizations: The case of legitimacy, reputation, and status. Academy of Management Review, 36(1), 151–179.CrossRef
Blunch, N. (2008). Introduction to structural equation modeling using SPSS and AMOS. London: Sage.
Bonardi, J., & Keim, G. D. (2005). Corporate political strategies for widely salient issues. Academy of Management Review, 30(3), 555–576.CrossRef
Boyle, T. P. (2001). Intermedia agenda setting in the 1996 presidential election. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 78(1), 26–44.CrossRef
Brandenburg, A. M., & Carroll, M. S. (1995). Your place or mine?: The effect of place creation on environmental values and landscape meanings. Society and Natural Resources, 8, 381–398.CrossRef
Brody, S. D., Highfield, W., & Altson, L. (2004). Does location matter? Measuring environmental perceptions of creeks in two San Antonio watersheds. Environment and Behavior, 36(2), 229–250.CrossRef
Buttel, F. H., & Flinn, W. L. (1978). Social class and mass environmental beliefs a reconsideration. Environment and Behavior, 10(3), 433–450.CrossRef
Carroll, G. R., & Hannan, M. T. (1989). Density delay in the evolution of organizational populations: A model and five empirical tests. Administrative Science Quarterly, 34, 411–430.CrossRef
Carroll, C. E., & McCombs, M. (2003). Agenda-setting effects of business news on the public’s images and opinions about major corporations. Corporate Reputation Review, 6(1), 36–46.
Caruana, A., Cohan, C., & Krentler, K. (2006). Corporate reputation and shareholders. Intentions: An attitudinal perspective. Brand Management, 13(6), 429–440.CrossRef
Chin, W., Peterson, R., & Brown, S. (2008). Structural equation modeling in marketing: Some practical reminders. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 16, 287–298.CrossRef
Crano, W. D., & Prislin, R. (1995). Components of vested interest and attitude-behavior consistency. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 17(1 and 2), 1–21.CrossRef
Dando, N., & Swift, T. (2003). Transparency and assurance minding the credibility gap. Journal of Business Ethics, 44(2), 195–200.CrossRef
Davies, G., Chun, R., & Kamins, M. A. (2009). Reputation gaps and the performance of service organizations. Strategic Management Journal, 31(5), 530–546.
Deephouse, D. L. (1996). Does isomorphism legitimate? Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 1024–1039.CrossRef
Deephouse, D. L. (2000). Media reputation as a strategic resource: An integration of mass communication and resource-based theories. Journal of Management, 26(6), 1091–1112.
Deephouse, D. L., & Carter, S. M. (2005). An examination of differences between organizational legitimacy and organizational reputation. Journal of Management Studies, 42(2), 329–360.CrossRef
Deephouse, D. L., & Suchman, M. C. (2008). Legitimacy in organizational institutionalism. In R. Greenwood, C. Oliver, K. Sahlin, & R. Suddaby (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of organizational institutionalism (pp. 49–77). Oxford: Sage.CrossRef
Devine-Wright, P. (2009). Rethinking NIMBYism: The role of place attachment and place identity in explaining place-protective action. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 19(6), 426–441.CrossRef
Dunlap, R. E. (1975). The impact of political orientation on environmental attitudes and actions. Environment and Behavior, 7(4), 428–458.CrossRef
Dunlap, R. E., Van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E. (2000). Measuring endorsement of the new ecological paradigm: A revised NEP scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 425–442.CrossRef
Eccles, R. G., Newquist, S. C., & Schatz, R. (2007). Reputation and its risks. Harvard Business Review, 85(2), 104.
Elsbach, K. D. (1994). Managing organizational legitimacy in the California cattle industry: The construction and effectiveness of verbal accounts. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39, 57–88.CrossRef
Erdem, T., & Swait, J. (2004). Brand credibility, brand consideration, and choice. Journal of Consumer Research, 31(1), 191–199.CrossRef
Ewart, S. (2013). Poles apart on pipelines; Deep distrust is fuelling public opposition to oilsands projects that are critical to the country’s economic future. Edmonton Journal, D1.
Feather, N. T. (1992). Values, valences, expectations, and actions. Journal of Social Issues, 48, 109–124.CrossRef
Feather, N. T. (1995). Values, valences, and choice: The influences of values on the perceived attractiveness and choice of alternatives. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(6), 1135–1151.CrossRef
Fergus, A., & Rowney, J. (2005). Sustainable development: Lost meaning and opportunity. Journal of Business Ethics, 60, 17–27.CrossRef
Giddings, B., Hopwood, B., & O’Brien, G. (2002). Environment, economy and society: Fitting them together into sustainable development. Sustainable Development, 10(4), 187–196.CrossRef
Greenwood, R., Oliver, C., Sahlin, K., & Suddaby, R. (2008). Introduction. In R. Greenwood, C. Oliver, K. Sahlin, & R. Suddaby (Eds.), The SAGE handbook of organizational institutionalism (pp. 1–46). Oxford: Sage.CrossRef
Gunningham, N., Kagan, R., & Thornton, D. (2004). Social license and environmental protection: Why businesses go beyond compliance. Law and Social Inquiry, 29, 307–341.CrossRef
Hair, J. F., Anderson, R. E., Tatham, R. L., & Black, W. C. (1998). Multivariate data analysis (5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Harmon, R. R., & Coney, K. A. (1982). The persuasive effects of source credibility in buy and lease situations. Journal of Marketing Research, 19, 255–260.CrossRef
Homer, P. M., & Kahle, L. R. (1988). A structural equation test of the value-attitude-behavior hierarchy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(4), 638.CrossRef
Inglehart, R., & Abramson, P. R. (1994). Economic security and value change. American Political Science Review, 88(2), 336–354.CrossRef
Kassinis, G., & Vafeas, N. (2006). Stakeholder pressures and environmental performance. Academy of Management Journal, 49(1), 145–159.CrossRef
Keller, K. L. (1993). Conceptualizing, measuring, and managing customer-based brand equity. The Journal of Marketing, 57(1), 1–22.CrossRef
Kolodinsky, R. W., Giacalone, R. A., & Jurkiewicz, C. L. (2008). Workplace values and outcomes: Exploring personal, organizational, and interactive workplace spirituality. Journal of business ethics, 81(2), 465–480.
Lafferty, B., & Goldsmith, R. E. (1999). ‘Corporate credibility’s role in consumers’ attitudes and purchase intentions when a high versus a low credibility endorser is used in the ad. Journal of Business Research, 44, 109–116.CrossRef
Lamertz, K., & Baum, J. A. C. (1998). The legitimacy of organizational downsizing in Canada: An analysis of explanatory media accounts. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 15(1), 93–107.CrossRef
Longo, M., & Murray, P. (2011). No ode to joy? Reflections on the European Union’s legitimacy. International Politics, 48(6), 667–690.CrossRef
MacMillan, K., Money, K., Downing, S., & Hillenbrand, C. (2005). Reputation in relationships: Measuring experiences, emotions and behaviors. Corporate Reputation Review, 8(3), 214–232.CrossRef
Mahon, J. F., & McGowan, R. A. (1996). Industry as a player in the political and social arena: Defining the competitive environment. Greenwich, CT: Quorum Books.
McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The agenda setting function of the mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36, 176–187.CrossRef
Metzler, M. S. (2001). Responding to the legitimacy problems of big tobacco: an analysis of the “People of Philip Morris” image advertising campaign. Communication Quarterly, 49(4), 366–381.CrossRef
Meyer, J. W., & Rowan, B. (1977). Institutionalized organizations: Formal structure as myth and ceremony. American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340–363.
Meyer, J. W., & Scott, W. R. (1983). Centralization and the legitimacy problems of local government. In J. W. Meyer & W. R. Scott (Eds.), Organizational environments: Ritual and rationality (pp. 199–215). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
Monahan, J. L., Murphy, S. T., & Zajonc, R. B. (2000). Subliminal mere exposure: Specific, general, and diffuse effects. Psychological Science, 11(6), 462–466.CrossRef
Morgan, R., & Hunt, S. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58, 20–38.CrossRef
Murphy, S. T., & Zajonc, R. B. (1993). Affect, cognition, and awareness: Affective priming with optimal and suboptimal stimulus exposures. Journal of personality and social psychology, 64(5), 723.
Neumayer, E. (2004). The environment, left-wing political orientation and ecological economics. Ecological Economics, 51(3), 167–175.CrossRef
Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. (1978). The external control of organizations: A resource dependence perspective. New York: Harper & Row.
Ponzi, L. J., Fombrun, C. J., & Gardberg, N. A. (2011). RepTrak™ pulse: Conceptualizing and validating a short-form measure of corporate reputation. Corporate Reputation Review, 14(1), 15–35.CrossRef
Posner, B. Z., & Schmidt, W. H. (1993). Values congruence and differences between the interplay of personal and organizational value systems. Journal of Business Ethics, 12(5), 341–347.CrossRef
Richins, M. L., & Dawson, S. (1992). A consumer values orientation for materialism and its measurement: Scale development and validation. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(3), 303–316.CrossRef
Rokeach, M. (1968a). Beliefs, attitudes and values: A theory of organization and change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc Pub.
Rokeach, M. (1968b). A theory of organization and change within value-attitude systems1. Journal of Social Issues, 24(1), 13–33.CrossRef
Rokeach, M., & Ball-Rokeach, S. J. (1989). Stability and change in American value priorities, 1968–1981. American Psychologist, 44(5), 775.CrossRef
Santana, A. (2012). Three elements of stakeholder legitimacy. Journal of Business Ethics, 105, 257–265.CrossRef
Schneiberg, M., & Clemens, E. S. (2006). The typical tools for the job: Research strategies in institutional analysis. Sociological Theory, 24(3), 195–227.CrossRef
Schwartz, S. H. (1992). Universals in the content and structure of values: Theoretical advances and empirical tests in 20 countries. In M. P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in Experimental Social Psychology (25th ed., pp. 1–65). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
Schwartz, S. H., et al. (2012). Refining the theory of basic individual values. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 103(4), 663–688.CrossRef
Scott, W. R. (1995). Institutions and organizations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Shoemaker, P. J. (1996). Hardwired for news: Using biological and cultural evolution to explain the surveillance function. Journal of Communication, 46(3), 32–47.CrossRef
Shoemaker, P. J., & Reese, S. D. (1996). Mediating the message: Theories of influences on mass media content (2d ed.). White Plains, NY: Longman.
Singh, J. B., & Lakhan, V. C. (1989). Business ethics and the international trade in hazardous wastes. Journal of Business Ethics, 8(11), 889–899.CrossRef
Smith, M. B. (1949). Personal values as determinants of a political attitude. The Journal of Psychology, 28(2), 477–486.CrossRef
Stanaland, A., Lwin, M., & Murphy, P. (2011). Consumer Perceptions of the Antecedents and Consequences of Corporate Social Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 102(1), 47–55. doi:10.​1007/​s10551-011-0904-z.
Stern, P. C., Kalof, L., Dietz, T., & Guagnano, G. A. (1995). Values, beliefs, and pro-environmental action: Attitude formation toward emergent attitude objects. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25(18), 1611–1636.CrossRef
Steurer, R., Langer, M., Konrad, A., & Martinuzzi, A. (2005). Corporations, stakeholders and sustainable development I: A theoretical exploration of business—society relations. Journal of Business Ethics, 61, 263–281.CrossRef
Suchman, M. C. (1995). Managing legitimacy: Strategic and institutional approaches. Academy of Management Review, 20, 571–610.
Suddaby, R. (2010). Editor’s comments: Construct clarity in theories of management and organization. Academy of Management Review, 35(3), 346–357.CrossRef
Tanaka, Y. (2004). Major psychological factors determining public acceptance of the siting of nuclear facilities. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34(6), 1147–1165.CrossRef
Tang, T. L. P. (2007). Income and quality of life: Does the love of money make a difference? Journal of Business Ethics, 72(4), 375–393.CrossRef
Tost, L. P. (2011). An integrative model of legitimacy judgments. Academy of Management Review, 36(4), 686–710.
Valentine, S., Godkin, L., & Lucero, M. (2002). Ethical context, organizational commitment, and person-organization fit. Journal of Business Ethics, 41(4), 349–360.CrossRef
Van de Ven, A. H. (2007). Engaged scholarship: A guide for organizational and social research. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Vandenberg, R. J., & Lance, C. E. (2000). A review and synthesis of the measurement invariance literature: Suggestions, practices, and recommendations for organizational research. Organizational Research Methods, 3(1), 4–69.CrossRef
Vinson, D. E., Scott, J. E., & Lamont, L. M. (1977). The role of personal values in marketing and consumer behavior. The Journal of Marketing, 41, 44–50.CrossRef
Zajonc, R. B. (1980). Feeling and thinking: Preferences need no inferences. American Psychologist, 35, 151–175.CrossRef
Zimmerman, M. A., & Zeitz, G. J. (2002). Beyond survival: Achieving new venture growth by building legitimacy. Academy of Management Review, 27(3), 414–431.
Zoghbi-Manrique-de-Lara, P. (2010). Do unfair procedures predict employees’ ethical behavior by deactivating formal regulations? Journal of Business Ethics, 94(3), 411–425.CrossRef
Zucker, L. G. (1977). The role of institutionalization in cultural persistence. American Sociological Review, 42(5), 726–743.CrossRef
Metadata
Title
Examining an Individual’s Legitimacy Judgment Using the Value–Attitude System: The Role of Environmental and Economic Values and Source Credibility
Authors
David Finch
David Deephouse
Paul Varella
Publication date
01-03-2015
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Journal of Business Ethics / Issue 2/2015
Print ISSN: 0167-4544
Electronic ISSN: 1573-0697
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-2031-5

Other articles of this Issue 2/2015

Journal of Business Ethics 2/2015 Go to the issue

OriginalPaper

Competing Against the Unknown: The Impact of Enabling and Constraining Institutions on the Informal Economy

OriginalPaper

The Inexorable Sociality of Commerce: The Individual and Others in Adam Smith

Report

Tugging on Heartstrings: Shopping Orientation, Mindset, and Consumer Responses to Cause-Related Marketing

OriginalPaper

Value-Enhancing Capabilities of CSR: A Brief Review of Contemporary Literature

OriginalPaper

CEO Gender, Ethical Leadership, and Accounting Conservatism

OriginalPaper

Does Honesty Result from Moral Will or Moral Grace? Why Moral Identity Matters

Premium Partner

    Image Credits