What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine how organizational spokespersons construct verbal accounts during public controversies and determine how institutional context affects the success of legitimacy management.

March 1, 1994Administrative Science QuarterlyOpen Access

Managing Organizational Legitimacy in the California Cattle Industry: The Construction and Effectiveness of Verbal Accounts

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To examine how organizational spokespersons construct verbal accounts during public controversies and determine how institutional context affects the success of legitimacy management.
Qualitative field study analyzing verbal accounts issued by spokespersons in the California cattle industry during controversial institutional crises.
Content analysis of archival public records, media coverage, and organizational statements categorized by account type, including denials, excuses, justifications, and acknowledgments.
Spokespersons protected organizational legitimacy most effectively when pairing acknowledgments of problems with references to institutionalized organizational structures.
Denials and decoupling strategies failed to secure public legitimacy unless supported by verifiable external norms and widely accepted industry practices.

Implication

Qualitative field study reveals that strategic verbal accounts protect organizational legitimacy in the cattle industry, highlighting how impression management interacts with institutional norms.

Abstract

Kimberly D. Elsbach, Managing Organizational Legitimacy in the California Cattle Industry: The Construction and Effectiveness of Verbal Accounts, Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 39, No. 1 (Mar., 1994), pp. 57-88

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Cite This Study

Kimberly D. Elsbach (1994) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69dd5a9e8557d5ab8f40d22b https://doi.org/10.2307/2393494

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Implication

Qualitative field study reveals that strategic verbal accounts protect organizational legitimacy in the cattle industry, highlighting how impression management interacts with institutional norms.

Managing Organizational Legitimacy in the California Cattle Industry: The Construction and Effectiveness of Verbal Accounts

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Managing Organizational Legitimacy in the California Cattle Industry: The Construction and Effectiveness of Verbal Accounts

Key Points

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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