Companies are seeing corporate sociopolitical activism as an increasingly important business strategy to differentiate themselves in a competitive marketplace.

But how do managers evaluate which issues to take a public stance on, particularly when they may be polarizing? This topic will be at the centre of this week’s Goodman Luncheon Speaker Series event.

Research by Magnus Hultman, Professor of Marketing at the Goodman School of Business, examines the contextual pressures – the opportunities and risks – as the drivers influencing managers to engage in either low or high polarizing issues.

On Friday, Oct. 4, Hultman will present his findings in his talk, “Corporate Sociopolitical Activisim: How managers choose between low vs high polarizing issues.”

Hultman joined the Goodman School of Business in 2021 and was the first Brock IPBS Research Scholar. His scholarly activities were awarded with the 2023-24 Distinguished Scholar Award in the Department of Marketing, International Business and Strategy (MIBS) and the 2022-23 Departmental Researcher of the Year for MIBS.

His award-winning research has been published in many internationally renowned academic journals and won numerous best paper awards at international conferences. In 2019, he received the prestigious S. Tamer Cavusgil Award for the most significant contribution to the advanced practice of international marketing management.

The Luncheon Speaker Series provides Goodman faculty, staff and students with an informal opportunity to discuss recent advances in research, teaching and practices with business colleagues. The talk, which is open to everyone, will run from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Sankey Chamber.

The event is also part of the 60 Research Talks at Brock series, which celebrates 60 years of impactful research at the University.

Anyone interested in attending can RSVP to Crystal Li at goodmandean@brocku.ca to reserve a seat.