Article: Bouc-émissaires, lynchages médiatiques et contestation des pratiques irresponsables des firmes multinationales

Thibault DAUDIGEOS*, Vincent PASQUIER** and Bertrand VALIORGUE**  

* Grenoble Ecole de Management
** Grenoble Ecole de Management
*** France Business School – CRCGM – Chaire Alter-Gouvernance

Résumé

This article analyses the catalyst role played by corporate scandals and scapegoating process in the contention process of multinational corporations by their fringe stakeholders. Based on the work of René Girard, we show that corporate scandals and scapegoating processes can be perceived as conflict mechanisms settlement in a context of weak governance. We use the scapegoating process identified by René Girard as a metaphor. This helps to describe the different components of the political contention process: convergence of the contention on a single target, publicization of irresponsible behaviors and contagion to organizational supports. We then identify three necessary conditions in the emergence of scapegoating process: unsettled conflicts, potentials targets and credibility in the involvement of the target. We conclude by pointing out the main implications of our research on stakeholder politics and political CSR.