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Does the Signaling of Hiring Offenders Impact Corporate Reputation?

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Abstract

This study uses the Signaling Theory to discuss the impact of signaling offenders’ hiring on corporate reputation through a parsimonious conceptual model. It is a survey of 482 respondents from a Brazilian state that, since 2010, has implemented a program to re-socialize criminals. The findings show that corporate social responsibility related to hiring vulnerable and stigmatized groups with bad reputations, such as prisoners, can foster organizations’ reputations. Furthermore, the results indicate that more than signaling offenders’ hiring using a social seal and the informational ambiguity about this corporate social responsibility activities, it is the signal credibility that most affects corporate reputation. Furthermore, it is about the efforts, investments, and resources employed to keep this organizational action and avoid employees’ adverse reactions, impacting stakeholders’ perception.

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Vander Costa Alves, E., d’Angelo, M.J. Does the Signaling of Hiring Offenders Impact Corporate Reputation?. Corp Reputation Rev 26, 133–149 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41299-022-00142-y

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