Research

My research focuses on how organizations strategically respond to negative social evaluations that arise from ethical misconduct, scandals, and crises. My starting point is that negative events such as a scandal or crisis can significantly disrupt and reshape how organizations are socially evaluated, affecting their attractiveness to both existing and future stakeholders. In particular, I investigate how different stakeholders may be influenced by negative events differently and how their social evaluations may evolve as organizations adopt different strategies. Theoretically, I draw upon several literatures including stigma and crisis management, stakeholder governance, and organizational wrongdoing. Empirically, I research market transition in China, the emergence of gene therapy in North America, and the diffusion of public health measures during the global pandemic. Methodologically, I employ both qualitative and quantitative methods such as topic modeling.