Stop Devaluing My Degree! Stakeholder-Led Stigmatization to Save Business School Status
研究美国一所顶尖商学院的校友如何通过污名化过程，抵制学校与营利性大学联盟，以维护学位价值和机构地位，对理解利益相关者在社交媒体时代的影响有参考价值。
This paper explores organizational stigma, an important yet underexamined phenomenon in business schools, and its role in the preservation of institutional status and prestige. Through a case study of a prestigious U.S.-based business school, we examine the stigmatization process initiated by alumni stakeholders following the announcement of an alliance with a global conglomerate that operates a network of for-profit universities. Our study contributes to existing research on the critical role of stakeholder evaluations in shaping and maintaining business schools’ status, reputation, and legitimacy. By analyzing the stigmatizers’ perspective, we propose a process model for the alumni-led stigmatization. We highlight how these stakeholders, particularly in the era of social media, can disrupt strategic decision-making at business schools by triggering and enacting stigmas across multiple levels both within and outside the institution.