Character, Conformity, or the Bottom Line? How and Why Downsizing Affected Corporate Reputation
研究了裁员如何影响企业声誉，发现裁员会显著损害声誉，但股票市场反应和裁员普遍性等因素会调节这一负面效应，支持多理论解释声誉变化。
The aim of this study is to illuminate reputational change processes and identify the underlying theoretical mechanisms. We draw upon extant literature to develop three distinct explanations for reputational change, respectively emphasizing criteria of organizational “character,” symbolic conformity, and technical efficacy. We evaluate these explanations by examining the reputational consequences of corporate downsizing. Our results show that downsizing exerted a strong, negative effect on reputation, consistently with the character explanation. However, significant moderation of this negative effect by other factors, including stock market reaction and downsizing's overall prevalence, indicates the need for a multitheoretical approach to reputational change.