Corporate Political Responsibility and the rise of “CEO activism”, study case of American technology companies against President Trump

Details

Supervisors

Baudewyns, Pierre

Faculty

Faculté de philosophie, arts et lettres

Degree label

Master [120] en communication multilingue

Abstract

The political world is changing, and with it the business world. New actors are appearing into the public policy scheme, and their voice will not stay unheard. This thesis aims to a better understanding of a new phenomenon called the “CEO activism” through a literature review and the analysis of a study case. The President Donald Trump and his strong regulation about immigration has caught our attention. Those pages are therefore focusing on the history of the “Muslim Ban”, its following versions and most of all, the various reactions flourishing across the Silicon Valley and the best-known technology companies. Those Executive Orders and Presidential Proclamations are forbidding the territory of the United States of America to billions of people, including visa holders and refugees. To protest against it, CEOs have a wide panel of actions and resources, and our purpose is to certify their accuracy and their legitimacy. Despite some difficulties, we will finally learn that firms’ leaders truly are legitimate political actors but that, on the opposite of one of our assumptions, their intervention is rather late in the decision-making process.