Corporate and Political Activism Real Time Expert Panel

The Real Time Expert Poll involves a panel of experts which periodically grades companies that take political stands, rating those companies’ management on their consistency, transparency and other dimensions.

Panelists hail from 39 world-renowned universities in eight countries, including Oxford, Cornell, Columbia, INSEAD, Georgetown and University of Pennsylvania. They represent both liberal and conservative political leanings, and bring expertise on diverse topics such as corporate reputation, social impact, communications, politics and economics.

Panel Mission

To provide an objective voice and immediate feedback when companies become politically active

What is Corporate Political Activism?

A public position taken by an organization, or its executives, on a divisive political issue, election or legislation

Traditional wisdom holds that corporations should avoid making political statements at any cost. Companies cannot afford to alienate their customers; or so the logic goes. But something is changing in the corporate world. A number of high profile companies are challenging that view, voluntarily taking stands on some of the most controversial issues facing the nation today. Even more companies are being dragged into the political sphere unwillingly. Research reveals both unexpected benefits and overlooked pitfalls of taking – but also not taking – such stands. Learn more >

How the Panel Works

• Company takes a stand - Company announcement selected based on newsworthiness and interest level of the panel
• Expert panel surveyed - Panelists grade the company’s overall management of the stand, rate them on leadership, consistency, transparency and materiality and give brief open-ended reactions
• Results sent to media - Responses are aggregated and reported to the media within 4-6 hours
• Follow-up interviews - Reporters follow-up with individual panelists

Learn more about how the panel works

Evaluation Criteria

• Leadership - the political stand is proactive, setting a standard for peer companies to follow
• Consistency - the political stand is consistent with the central and enduring values of the company
• Transparency - the company is forthcoming in describing the motivations behind the political stand
• Materiality - the political issue is substantively relevant when key stakeholders are deciding whether or how to interact with the company

Panelists

• Tamar Avnet, Yeshiva University
• Mike Barnett, Rutgers University
• Jos Bartels, Tilburg University (Netherlands)
• Sharon Beatty, University of Alabama (retired)
• Aronte Bennett, Villanova University
• Marya Besharov, Cornell University
• CB Bhattacharya, European School of Management and Technology (Germany)
• Dora Bock, Auburn University
• Tom Brown, Oklahoma State University
• Vanessa Burbano, Columbia University
• Archie Carroll, University of Georgia
• Rick Clancy, University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
• Alin Coman, Princeton University
• Timothy Coombs, Texas A & M University
• Chiara Cordelli, University of Chicago
• Peter Dacin, Queen’s University (Canada)
• Jeff Dotson, Brigham Young University
• Shuili Du, University of New Hampshire
• Pam Ellen, Georgia State University
• Jenn Griffin, George Washington University
• Sherryl Kuhlman, University of Pennsylvania
• Alex Kull, University of San Diego
• Dan Laufer, Victoria University of Wellington (New Zealand)
• Tom Lyon, University of Michigan
• Jeanette Mena, University of South Florida
• Kevin Money, University Of Reading (UK)
• Rowena Olgario, University of Oxford (UK)
• Neeru Paharia, Georgetown University
• Vontresse Pamphile, Northwestern University
• Vanessa Perry, George Washington University
• Davide Ravasi, City University London (UK)
• Stephanie Robinson, North Carolina State University
• Simona Romani, Libera Università Internazionale degli Studi Sociali Guido Carli (Italy)
• Laura Schons, Mannheim University (Germany)
• Sankar Sen, Baruch College
• Nancy Sirianni, University of Alabama
• Craig Smith, INSEAD (France)
• Scott Swain, Clemson University
• Tillman Wagner, WHU (Germany)
• Rupert Younger, University of Oxford (UK)
• Alex Zablah, University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Content Partner

The American Marketing Association (AMA) serves an official content partner of the Real Time Expert Panel.

Contact

For more information about the Real Time Expert Poll, contact: Daniel Korschun, Associate Professor, LeBow College of Business, Drexel University (dek46@drexel.edu) Alison Young, Executive Director, Institute for Strategic Leadership, Drexel University (aty24@drexel.edu)

Panel Results