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When Scandals Put Companies’ Social Engagement to the Test

Strategy Professor Aline Gatignon explores how scandals reshape the way firms partner with nonprofits, from Brazil’s corruption crisis to global CSR strategy.

29 minutes
Key findings
  • Major scandals like Brazil’s Operation Car Wash force firms and NGOs to rethink collaboration and accountability.
  • Crises can push companies toward authentic social engagement—but also tempt them into reputation-driven “partnerships.”
  • Nonprofits now act as true checks and balances, resisting manipulation and defending their missions.
  • Cross-sector alliances work best when trust, governance, and shared goals—not image—guide cooperation.

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Meet the Author
Prof. Aline Gatignon
Associate Professor - Strategy and Business Policy

Aline Gatignon is an Associate Professor of Strategy at HEC Paris. Prior to joining HEC, she was an Assistant Professor of Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Her research explores how organizations can build collaborative strategies to tackle grand societal...

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