This study examines how Meta as a company of various social media platforms communicates the disinformation crisis. Social media platforms are seen as a breeding ground for disinformation, and companies like Meta risk not only suffering reputational damage but also being further regulated by national and international legislation. We consider in this paper the news stories that Meta posted on the topic of disinformation on its own website between 2016 and 2022 as crisis communication, and build on insights from this (...) domain that discuss some key response strategies. In this way, we conclude that Meta’s communication can be seen as crisis communication, and that it uses strategies such as addressing different stakeholders, sticking to key messages when discussing the interventions, and holding itself responsible for finding a solution rather than for the problem of disinformation itself. These insights contribute to understanding how Meta seeks to validate its legitimacy during this ongoing crisis, and how it engages in self-regulation. (shrink)

An important question in the business ethics literature concerns organizational response in the aftermath of an unethical business practice. This study examines factors affecting firms’ decision to take reparative action in the aftermath of an environmental violation. Specifically, we investigate environmental violators’ decision to undertake a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP), which is an initiative that promotes restorative justice. To settle an environmental violation, the United States’ environmental regulator allows offenders the option of either paying the full penalty or a reduced (...) sum while spending additional effort and engaging in an environmental project. As predicted, we find that firms with poorer past environmental performance and greater shareholder environmental activism are more likely to engage and invest in a SEP. Additionally, there is a stronger association between shareholder activism and SEP investment when firms have poorer past environmental performance. Our findings inform regulators, stakeholders, and business ethics researchers on the factors that lead firms to undertake reparative action following unethical business practices. (shrink)