Can Digital Activism Change Sustainable Supply Chain Practices in the Agricultural Bioeconomy? Evidence from #Buttergate
Under what conditions will digital activism elicit a response from industry? What is the nature of that response and how does it impact sustainable supply chain practices? I develop three hypotheses in response to these questions by examining a recent case of digital activism targeted at the use of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/24/11893 |
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| author | Hamish van der Ven |
| author_facet | Hamish van der Ven |
| author_sort | Hamish van der Ven |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Under what conditions will digital activism elicit a response from industry? What is the nature of that response and how does it impact sustainable supply chain practices? I develop three hypotheses in response to these questions by examining a recent case of digital activism targeted at the use of a controversial bioproduct in the Canadian dairy industry. Drawing on 14 key informant interviews as well as a novel Twitter dataset, I hypothesize that digital activism can elicit a response from industry when it originates with a small number of activists, provided that it also spreads to traditional media. I further hypothesize that industry’s response will be superficial and result in only token changes to sustainable supply chain practices due to the ephemerality and lack of cohesion inherent in some forms of digital activism. These hypotheses lay a foundation for broader cross-sectoral research on how industries respond to digital activism directed at their supply chains and add nuance to ongoing debates about the efficacy of digital activism as a means of changing industry practices. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-17e8eb2c739e4822ae1e226ad12e399a |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-17e8eb2c739e4822ae1e226ad12e399a2024-12-27T14:08:40ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172024-12-0114241189310.3390/app142411893Can Digital Activism Change Sustainable Supply Chain Practices in the Agricultural Bioeconomy? Evidence from #ButtergateHamish van der Ven0Department of Wood Science, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 4644—2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, CanadaUnder what conditions will digital activism elicit a response from industry? What is the nature of that response and how does it impact sustainable supply chain practices? I develop three hypotheses in response to these questions by examining a recent case of digital activism targeted at the use of a controversial bioproduct in the Canadian dairy industry. Drawing on 14 key informant interviews as well as a novel Twitter dataset, I hypothesize that digital activism can elicit a response from industry when it originates with a small number of activists, provided that it also spreads to traditional media. I further hypothesize that industry’s response will be superficial and result in only token changes to sustainable supply chain practices due to the ephemerality and lack of cohesion inherent in some forms of digital activism. These hypotheses lay a foundation for broader cross-sectoral research on how industries respond to digital activism directed at their supply chains and add nuance to ongoing debates about the efficacy of digital activism as a means of changing industry practices.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/24/11893digital activismindustrysocial mediaconnective actionagricultural bioeconomydairy |
| spellingShingle | Hamish van der Ven Can Digital Activism Change Sustainable Supply Chain Practices in the Agricultural Bioeconomy? Evidence from #Buttergate Applied Sciences digital activism industry social media connective action agricultural bioeconomy dairy |
| title | Can Digital Activism Change Sustainable Supply Chain Practices in the Agricultural Bioeconomy? Evidence from #Buttergate |
| title_full | Can Digital Activism Change Sustainable Supply Chain Practices in the Agricultural Bioeconomy? Evidence from #Buttergate |
| title_fullStr | Can Digital Activism Change Sustainable Supply Chain Practices in the Agricultural Bioeconomy? Evidence from #Buttergate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Can Digital Activism Change Sustainable Supply Chain Practices in the Agricultural Bioeconomy? Evidence from #Buttergate |
| title_short | Can Digital Activism Change Sustainable Supply Chain Practices in the Agricultural Bioeconomy? Evidence from #Buttergate |
| title_sort | can digital activism change sustainable supply chain practices in the agricultural bioeconomy evidence from buttergate |
| topic | digital activism industry social media connective action agricultural bioeconomy dairy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/24/11893 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hamishvanderven candigitalactivismchangesustainablesupplychainpracticesintheagriculturalbioeconomyevidencefrombuttergate |