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The Bitter Truth of Sweetened Baby Food: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Nestlé's Post-Crisis Legitimacy Construction

Zhou, Lina LU and Hamlet, Louisa LU (2025) BUSN39 20251
Department of Business Administration
Abstract
This introductory chapter outlines the foundations of the study by contextualizing the
role of legitimacy, corporate responsibility, and crisis communication in contemporary
global business. It begins by establishing the theoretical significance of organizational
legitimacy, particularly in ethically sensitive industries such as infant nutrition. The
chapter problematizes the disjunction between corporate rhetoric and operational
practice, using Nestlé’s baby food sugar controversy as a case that exemplifies broader
concerns about corporate hypocrisy. It then defines the study’s purpose and research
questions, which center on how multinational corporations discursively perform
legitimacy under public scrutiny. Finally, the... (More)
This introductory chapter outlines the foundations of the study by contextualizing the
role of legitimacy, corporate responsibility, and crisis communication in contemporary
global business. It begins by establishing the theoretical significance of organizational
legitimacy, particularly in ethically sensitive industries such as infant nutrition. The
chapter problematizes the disjunction between corporate rhetoric and operational
practice, using Nestlé’s baby food sugar controversy as a case that exemplifies broader
concerns about corporate hypocrisy. It then defines the study’s purpose and research
questions, which center on how multinational corporations discursively perform
legitimacy under public scrutiny. Finally, the chapter clarifies the intended theoretical
and practical contributions of the research, positioning the study within current debates
on CSR communication, reputational risk, and the symbolic management of ethics
across diverse stakeholder environments. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Zhou, Lina LU and Hamlet, Louisa LU
supervisor
organization
alternative title
Corporate Hypocrisy as the Unintended Consequence of Double Standards and Responsibilization Strategies in Lower-income Markets
course
BUSN39 20251
year
type
H1 - Master's Degree (One Year)
subject
keywords
Nestlé, Corporate Legitimacy, Corporate Hypocrisy, Crisis Management, Communication Management, Discursive Strategy
language
English
id
9202480
date added to LUP
2025-06-30 12:17:03
date last changed
2025-06-30 12:17:03
@misc{9202480,
  abstract     = {{This introductory chapter outlines the foundations of the study by contextualizing the 
role of legitimacy, corporate responsibility, and crisis communication in contemporary 
global business. It begins by establishing the theoretical significance of organizational 
legitimacy, particularly in ethically sensitive industries such as infant nutrition. The 
chapter problematizes the disjunction between corporate rhetoric and operational 
practice, using Nestlé’s baby food sugar controversy as a case that exemplifies broader 
concerns about corporate hypocrisy. It then defines the study’s purpose and research 
questions, which center on how multinational corporations discursively perform 
legitimacy under public scrutiny. Finally, the chapter clarifies the intended theoretical 
and practical contributions of the research, positioning the study within current debates 
on CSR communication, reputational risk, and the symbolic management of ethics 
across diverse stakeholder environments.}},
  author       = {{Zhou, Lina and Hamlet, Louisa}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Bitter Truth of Sweetened Baby Food: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Nestlé's Post-Crisis Legitimacy Construction}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}