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Research question/issue: This study explores the relationship between the level of social capital in the location of a firm's headquarter and the presence of female board directors. We measure local social capital by civic norms (i.e., voter turnout and census participation) and density of social networks (i.e., community, professional, church, and sports). We hypothesize that greater levels of local social capital will increase the share of female directors on local firms' boards, including women attaining a critical mass presence as well as member and chair roles on the board's audit, compensation, and nomination committees. Research findings/insights: Using 53,671 observations from U.S. public companies from 2000 to 2018, we find that firms headquartered in counties with higher levels of social capital have higher percentages of women directors. The results are robust to the inclusion of local female labor participation rate, religiosity, and other county-level demographics as well as instrumental variable and propensity score matching models. We also find that female directors in firms located in high social capital counties are more likely to achieve a critical mass; attain membership of audit, compensation, and/or nomination committees; and serve as chair of audit and nomination committees than female directors in firms located in low social capital counties. A robustness check with an international sample reveals similar results. Theoretical/academic implications: We build on institutional theory to highlight that the informal institution of social capital, in the form of U.S. county-level civic norms and social networks, shapes gender composition of local firms' boards. We build institutional theory at two levels of the quest for "fit" to the environment: firms seeking "fit" by creating more leadership opportunities for women, and individuals pursuing "fit" by moving up in corporate careers. We outline theoretical mechanisms including underlying informal societal norms of greater trust, tolerance for gender equality, respect for civil liberties, cooperative and helpful behavior, transparency, external monitoring, and less discrimination and information asymmetry. Practitioner/policy implications: Our findings offer insights to policymakers and practitioners interested in how local social capital shapes firm and individual actions. Our policy-related findings suggest that communities with greater civic norms are characterized by greater individual commitment to and trust in communities, equality, helpful behavior, and external monitoring, and less cynicism, and this context enables women to reach corporations' highest echelons. To maximize career prospects, women can attain leadership and other skills through local societal associations and build and strengthen ties in counties with higher levels of social capital. Firms should actively support community associations and direct philanthropy towards building social fabric in local communities.

PurposeThis research study examines how changing the logo to one that depicts social distancing impacts consumers' attitude toward the brand, attitude toward social distancing guidelines, intention to follow social distancing guidelines, purchase intention, logo evaluation and word of mouth (WOM).Design/methodology/approachA 2 (logo type: conventional vs. novel) X 2 (product involvement: high vs. low) between-subjects experimental design was employed. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was run on the dependent variables (i.e. attitude toward the brand, attitude toward social distancing guidelines, intention to follow social distancing guidelines, purchase intention, logo evaluation and WOM).FindingsThe results indicate a significant moderating effect of product involvement. Individuals who were exposed to a novel logo for a low-involvement product demonstrated improved purchase intentions, attitudes towards the brand, WOM and intentions to follow social distancing guidelines.Practical implicationsFrom a practical perspective, the results suggest that managers at global brands should consider their brand's response to the COVID-19 crisis. For example, Nike chose to frame its consumers' athletic habits as a lifesaving call to action with a new advertising copy that proposed, "If you ever dreamed of playing for millions around the world, now is your chance: play inside, play for the world," to stress the necessity for people to stay at home.Social implicationsFrom a theoretical perspective, the results of this study add to the emerging literature on CSR and logo changing, and particularly on following social distancing guidelines introduced in response to COVID-19, by exploring the link between COVID-19 advertising in promotional materials (logo changing) and outcomes such as attitude toward the brand, attitude toward social distancing guidelines, intention to follow social distancing guidelines, purchase intention, logo evaluation and WOM.Originality/valueThis research study adds to the literature on CSR and logo changing, primarily the contribution is based on the understanding of the impact of social distancing guidelines introduced in response to COVID-19. More specifically, this research study contributes toward the understanding of the link between COVID-19 advertising in promotional materials (e.g. logo changing) and outcomes such as attitude toward the brand, attitude toward social distancing guidelines, intention to follow social distancing guidelines, purchase intention, logo evaluation and WOM.

Occupational sex segregation persists in all European and OECD countries; yet in some countries, it is more pronounced than in others. In this paper we seek to explain these cross-national variations by analyzing the realistic occupational aspirations of 15-year-old pupils in 29 EU and OECD countries. Based on socialization and rational choice approaches we develop hypotheses for how cultural norms and national institutions might influence the gender-typing of occupations. These are tested by applying 2-step multi-level models to the OECD's 2006 PISA study merged with country-level data from various sources. Results indicate that girls develop gender-(a)typical occupational aspirations in response to structural education and labor market differences across countries, while boys' gender-(a)typical aspirations are mainly influenced by country variations in normative prescriptions of gender-essentialist cultures and self-expressive value systems. The findings point at the necessity for differentiating both between micro- and macrolevel explanations and between explanations for women and men. (author's abstract)

This study explores how religious women become legitimate actors in the public sphere and analyzes their agency—its meanings, capacities, and transformative aims. It presents a novel case study of Israeli Modern-Orthodox Agunah activists who engage in highly politicized collective feminist resistance as religious actors working for religious ends. Embedded in and activated by Orthodoxy, they advocate women's rights to divorce, voicing a moral critique of tradition and its agents precisely because they are devoutly devoted to them. Such political agency is innovatively conceptualized as "devoted resistance": critique within relationship, enabled by cultural schema, and comprising both interpretive skills and "relational-autonomy" capacities. This study contends that understanding agency within religious grammars reveals its underlying logics, highlighting how structures shape the meanings and realization of women's varied "agentive capacities." It challenges current dichotomies like feminism/religion, resistance/submission, and autonomy/dependence. Overall, the author argues for a nuanced, culturally specific, capacity-based, relational approach to analyzing religious women's agency.