The British Labour Party and the Antisemitism Crisis: Jeremy Corbyn and Image Repair Theory

This article utilises the work of William Benoit on image repair theory as a framework for examining the crisis communication of Jeremy Corbyn in relation to antisemitism within the Labour Party. By examining the self-defence rhetoric of Corbyn on the antisemitism allegations, the article identifies the following. Of the five strategies for crisis communication, Corbyn was overly reliant on denial, evading responsibility and reducing offensiveness; struggled to explain his attempts at corrective action; and reverted to accepting responsibility – that is, apologies – reluctantly and belatedly. Utilising existing perspectives on the most effective strategies for image repair – which emphasise the importance of effective corrective action and accepting responsibility at the expense of denial, evading responsibility and reducing effectiveness – the article argues that Corbyn undermined his own attempts at image repair in the crisis that defined his leadership

What an ethics management program cannot sufficiently address in an African context: an ethics survey’s results read through a Levinasian lens

Ethics management programs have become a popular first step for organizations to manage ethical risks and employee behaviors. However, such programs may fail to foster moral responsiveness or acknowledge broader societal issues. This paper contributes to this discussion through an analysis of qualitative data from an ethics survey of fifteen South African companies. Results indicate employees experience persistent unethical behaviors in the form of the disrespect, bullying and discrimination. Reflecting on these results, the paper explores the limits of ethical management programs, and whether a compliance approach undermines the transformative ethics that is most needed in organizations struggling with diversity and inclusion. Drawing on Levinas, the paper shows that openness to the face of the Other does not lend itself to instrumental orientations, nor to formalized, standardized responses. Instead, moral responsiveness to particular Others is required, and it is this aspect that may be absent from South African ethics initiatives

South African whistleblowers: Tribulations and triumphs.

The act of whistle-blowing can create material benefits for organisations and society at large, but often at great cost to those who choose to report unethical or illegal behaviour. This white paper shares findings from a recent study investigating accounts of whistle-blowers as well as the views of those who frequently engage with whistle-blowers. To situate our empirical findings, we report briefly on academic literature as a series of reflections focusing on why whistle-blowers elect to report, where they report, how they are viewed, and the difficulties and consequences they experience when speaking up. We find that the decision to blow the whistle is only taken after extensive deliberation, normally including discussions with senior members of employer organisations. Despite the inevitable loss of promised confidentiality or anonymity, whistle-blowers in this study chose to approach external organisations to flag their concerns. When describing their organisational experiences before and after blowing the whistle, many key internal and external actors who form an integral part of what we term “the whistle-blowing ecosystem” were identified. We map these in a “whistle-blowing ecosystem”, and also identify and discuss four organisational themes that emerged during the study. Moreover, as we move through our findings, we reflect on the academic literature across key themes. We conclude by providing recommendations for organisations seeking to promote ethical conduct.pagibs202