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Dear All,

Please join us online on Tuesday, 31 October, at 4pm GMT, for the second R:ETRO seminar of this term, hosted by the Oxford University Centre for Corporate Reputation.

Vikram Bhargava (George Washington School of Business) will be giving a paper entitled "Social Media, Off-Duty Laudatory Conduct, and Employment."

Abstract:

When an employee's off-duty misconduct generates mass social media outrage, it excites vigorous debate about the ethics of firing the employee. A parallel issue has largely been overlooked: Should an employee's off-duty laudatory conduct be considered in employment decisions about bonuses, promotions, and hiring? For example, should the fact that an employee volunteers at a soup kitchen or donates to effective charities matter in decisions about bonuses? This question has significant implications for our understanding of the nature of employment. Answering it affirmatively would yield a radically revisionary view of employment, while answering it negatively suggests an asymmetry that demands explanation. I argue that the justifiability of terminating an employee for off-duty wrongful conduct and the justifiability of hiring, promoting, or awarding a bonus to an employee for off-duty laudatory conduct rise and fall together.

Click here to register.

I hope to see many of you there!

All the best,
Rita