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Developing Measurement Scales of Organizational and Issue Legitimacy: A Case of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising in the Pharmaceutical Industry

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concepts of issue legitimacy and organizational legitimacy, providing a new measure of each construct. The scales were developed and tested using data collected through a statewide survey of Alabama residents. Assessments of issue legitimacy were based on perceptions of direct-to-consumer advertising, whereas assessments of organizational legitimacy were based on perceptions of the pharmaceutical industry as a whole. The findings provide evidence that organizational legitimacy can be reliably measured using a five-item scale and issue legitimacy can be reliably measured using a six-item scale. The implications of the results and potential uses of the scales are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication, Southern Utah University, Centrum 213F, 351 W. University Blvd., Cedar, UT, 84720, USA

    Jee Young Chung

  2. Department of Advertising and Public Relations, College of Communication and Information Sciences, The University of Alabama, Box 870172, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487-0172, USA

    Bruce K. Berger

  3. Center for the Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, University of Virginia, 350 Old Ivy Way, Suite 100, Charlottesville, VA, 22903, USA

    Jamie DeCoster

Authors
  1. Jee Young Chung
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  2. Bruce K. Berger
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  3. Jamie DeCoster
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Correspondence to Jee Young Chung.

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Chung, J.Y., Berger, B.K. & DeCoster, J. Developing Measurement Scales of Organizational and Issue Legitimacy: A Case of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising in the Pharmaceutical Industry. J Bus Ethics 137, 405–413 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2498-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-014-2498-8

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