Journal Article

For Corporate Hypocrisy

Fairfax, Lisa M

2025

Overview

[...]this Article demonstrates that corporate hypocrisy has important normative and instrumental benefits, including the ability to amplify societal consensus around important social values, separate corporate truth from corporate falsehoods, and positively influence corporate behavior. [...]perhaps most importantly, the failure to acknowledge the value of corporate hypocrisy may blind us to the decidedly negative repercussions of corporate silence and the need to guard against the emerging trend of corporate retreat into silence-now known as \"hushing.\"!· As an initial matter, this Article's introduction of an original corporate hypocrisy taxonomy demonstrates the manner in which we do not have a sufficient normative understanding of corporate hypocrisy, which impacts how we view corporate hypocrisy as well as how we address corporate hypocrisy. [...]inconsistencies between corporate statements and behavior result from different organizational structures as well as different motives and behaviors. [...]this Article makes clear that the benefits of corporate hypocrisy are distinct from the benefits that may flow from truthful corporate speech. [...]the failure to acknowledge the benefits of corporate hypocrisy may be a missed opportunity to augment important societal values and influence corporate conduct, especially for those interested in ensuring that corporations play a more active role in addressing social issues.

• Publisher: University of Iowa Journal of Corporation Law,University of Iowa, College of Law
• Subject: Advocacy advertising / Analysis / Bad faith (Law) / Business ethics / Commercial speech doctrine / Corporate governance / Corporate image / Corporate responsibility / Corporate social responsibility / Economic aspects / Evaluation / Hypocrisy / Laws, regulations and rules / Morality / Organizational behavior / Political aspects / Social aspects / Social conditions & trends / Values