Authenticity and Appropriation as Issues in Corporate Social Responsibility

Abstract

In this study I focus on CSR initiatives that appropriate goals values and categories from competing institutional logics to better understand why some of these initiatives are seen as authentic by stakeholders, while others are viewed as fake. I illustrate my theory development with examples from the competing logics of food production and distribution, and explore the differences that have produced varying outcomes in terms of perceived authenticity. I begin with a review of the literature and then discuss the multiple logics of food systems and the perceived authenticity of CSR initiatives in this arena.