Shells, Fronts, Astroturfing, and Beyond: Examining Concealment Strategies of Proxy Organizations

IF 1.9 4区管理学 Q2 COMMUNICATION

Management Communication Quarterly Pub Date : 2023-12-21 DOI:10.1177/08933189231222471

Craig R. Scott, Katie K. Kang

引用次数: 0

Abstract

This study investigates what we call proxy organizations (e.g., shell companies, front organizations, astroturfing efforts). Drawing on existing literature to better conceptualize proxy organizations and their communicative nature, we position these proxy organizations within scholarship on visibility management and hidden organizing. To answer research questions about public discourse around these proxies and their use of concealment strategies, we analyze news coverage of these organizations from 2001, 2011, and 2021. Findings suggest sizable increases in discourse about each proxy type. Additionally, analysis reveals several concealment themes in that media coverage: dark/secret money/finances, hidden owners, shadowy influence, anonymous proxies, covert links, online concealment, secret/illegal activities, and revelation safety/fear. We then draw conclusions, discuss implications, and suggest directions for future organizational communication research about proxy organizations.

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外壳、幌子、虚假宣传及其他：考察代理组织的隐藏策略

本研究调查的是我们所说的代理组织（如空壳公司、前沿组织、天马行空的努力）。我们借鉴现有文献，更好地概念化代理组织及其传播性质，将这些代理组织定位在知名度管理和隐性组织的学术研究范围内。为了回答有关围绕这些代理组织的公共讨论及其使用隐藏策略的研究问题，我们分析了 2001 年、2011 年和 2021 年有关这些组织的新闻报道。研究结果表明，有关每种代理类型的讨论都有大幅增加。此外，分析还揭示了媒体报道中的几个隐藏主题：黑暗/秘密的资金/财务、隐藏的所有者、阴暗的影响、匿名代理、隐蔽的联系、在线隐藏、秘密/非法活动以及启示安全/恐惧。然后，我们得出结论，讨论影响，并提出未来有关代理组织的组织传播研究方向。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Management Communication Quarterly Multiple-

CiteScore

4.30

自引率

16.00%

发文量

期刊介绍： Management Communication Quarterly presents conceptually rigorous, empirically-driven, and practice-relevant research from across the organizational and management communication fields and has strong appeal across all disciplines concerned with organizational studies and the management sciences. Authors are encouraged to submit original theoretical and empirical manuscripts from a wide variety of methodological perspectives covering such areas as management, communication, organizational studies, organizational behavior and HRM, organizational theory and strategy, critical management studies, leadership, information systems, knowledge and innovation, globalization and international management, corporate communication, and cultural and intercultural studies.