When the right thing to do is also the wrong thing: Moral sensemaking of responsible business behavior

This study draws on the theory of cognitive dissonance to better understand how individuals make moral sense of responsible business behavior in a societal paradox characterized by interdependent and contradictory demands between important social objectives. Using a qualitative survey open to the U.S. public at the the start of the pandemic, the study proposes a typology called the 4R Model of Moral Sensemaking of Competing Social Problems. The 4R Model offers insights for businesses on how their responses to competing social problems may be perceived as either responsible and/or irresponsible. The study then expands the paradox and micro-CSR literatures.