Issue and Stakeholder Intercandidate Agenda Setting among Corporate Information Subsidies

Abstract

This study examined the intercandidate agenda-setting hypothesis in the setting of proxy contests that featured dueling public relations efforts between corporate actors to garner stakeholder support. Through a series of content analyses, this study analyzed news releases and shareholder letters issued by competing candidates in the twenty-five largest contests held in US markets from 2005 to 2009. After controlling for the influence of media coverage, significant support was found for issue and stakeholder intercandidate agenda-setting linkages, thereby extending this research from political elections into corporate elections.