ESG and Social Activism

Mary-Hunter McDonnell is an Associate Professor of Management at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. Her research focuses on organizational behavior within challenging institutional contexts, particularly in contentious social and uncertain regulatory environments. By integrating insights from organizational theory and political sociology, she explores how corporate interactions with stakeholders shape corporate social activity and non-market strategies. Her work also investigates the mechanisms stakeholders use to enforce social norms and address corporate misconduct. McDonnell has published extensively in leading academic journals, including the Academy of Management Journal and Administrative Science Quarterly, and her dissertation won the Best Dissertation Prize from Oxford University’s Centre for Corporate Reputation.At Wharton, Professor McDonnell teaches courses such as "ESG and Social Activism," where she engages students in contemporary issues surrounding corporate governance and social responsibility. She has received multiple awards for her teaching excellence and currently serves on the editorial boards of several prominent journals. McDonnell holds a Ph.D. in Management and Organizations from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management, a J.D. from Harvard Law School, and a B.A. in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Through her research and teaching, she significantly contributes to understanding the intersection of business practices and societal expectations.