Executives are facing pressure from boards, employees, regulators and consumers to either defend or abandon diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. Many are retreating from their DEI commitments. But in the rush to respond to political headwinds, a more fundamental question is going unasked: Is inclusion a moral imperative?
As marketing scholars who study consumer ethics and corporate responsibility, we have spent years examining how companies treat the people they serve and what that treatment says about their values.
