Zhongyuan Sun

Reading lists Stream 12Search all readings

Status and social evaluation

Status, reputation, and how audiences evaluate actors in markets.

Of its 96 readings, 18 are assigned in two or more sources and listed first, with the number of sources beside each (in bold for the core readings, in 4 or more); the 78 listed in only one source are folded under each heading.

In the theory tree: grows out of 11 Social networks and embeddedness; leads to 9 Categories, identity and authenticity.

Drawn from: Pollock (Tennessee); Zuckerman (MIT); Maoret (IESE); Yiu (CUHK); Wan (CUHK); Yue (USC); Sullivan (HKUST); Clough (UBC); Yao (HBS); Dobbin (Harvard); Marquis (HBS); Jia (USC). Full details of the sources are on the reading lists page.

By decade

Before 1950: 0 readings<19501950s: 1 reading1950s1960s: 3 readings1960s1970s: 5 readings1970s1980s: 6 readings1980s1990s: 20 readings1990s2000s: 26 readings2000s2010s: 30 readings302010s2020s: 5 readings2020s
Most date from the 2010s; half were published in 2005 or later.

Core readings

In 4 or more sources.

  1. Podolny, J. M. (1993). A Status-Based Model of Market Competition. American Journal of Sociology, 98(4), 829–872. https://doi.org/10.1086/2300917
  2. Phillips, D. J., & Zuckerman, E. W. (2001). Middle‐Status Conformity: Theoretical Restatement and Empirical Demonstration in Two Markets. American Journal of Sociology, 107(2), 379–429. https://doi.org/10.1086/3240724

Also assigned

In 2 to 3 sources.

  1. Merton, R. K. (1968). The Matthew Effect in Science: The reward and communication systems of science are considered. Science, 159(3810), 56–63. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.159.3810.563
  2. Podolny, J. M. (1994). Market Uncertainty and the Social Character of Economic Exchange. Administrative Science Quarterly, 39(3), 458. https://doi.org/10.2307/23932993
  3. Podolny, J. M. (2005). Status Signals: A Sociological Study of Market Competition. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/97814008378783
  4. Kovács, B., & Sharkey, A. J. (2014). The Paradox of Publicity: How Awards Can Negatively Affect the Evaluation of Quality. Administrative Science Quarterly, 59(1), 1–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/00018392145236023
  5. Spence, M. (1973). Job Market Signaling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355. https://doi.org/10.2307/18820102
  6. Heinz, J. P., & Laumann, E. O. (1994 [1982]). Chicago Lawyers: The Social Structure of the Bar, Rev. Ed. Northwestern University Press.2
  7. Rindova, V. P., & Fombrun, C. J. (1999). Constructing competitive advantage: the role of firm–constituent interactions. Strategic Management Journal, 20(8), 691–710. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-0266(199908)20:8<691::aid-smj48>3.0.co;2-12
  8. Benjamin, B. A., & Podolny, J. M. (1999). Status, Quality, and Social Order in the California Wine Industry. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(3), 563–589. https://doi.org/10.2307/26669622
  9. Gould, R. V. (2002). The Origins of Status Hierarchies: A Formal Theory and Empirical Test. American Journal of Sociology, 107(5), 1143–1178. https://doi.org/10.1086/3417442
  10. McGrath, R. G., & Nerkar, A. (2004). Real options reasoning and a new look at the R&D investment strategies of pharmaceutical firms. Strategic Management Journal, 25(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3582
  11. Washington, M., & Zajac, E. J. (2005). Status Evolution and Competition: Theory and Evidence. Academy of Management Journal, 48(2), 282–296. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2005.169284082
  12. Lynn, F. B., Podolny, J. M., & Tao, L. (2009). A Sociological (De)Construction of the Relationship between Status and Quality. American Journal of Sociology, 115(3), 755–804. https://doi.org/10.1086/6035372
  13. Connelly, B. L., Certo, S. T., Ireland, R. D., & Reutzel, C. R. (2011). Signaling Theory: A Review and Assessment. Journal of Management, 37(1), 39–67. https://doi.org/10.1177/01492063103884192
  14. Reuer, J. J., Tong, T. W., & Wu, C.-W. (2012). A Signaling Theory of Acquisition Premiums: Evidence from IPO Targets. Academy of Management Journal, 55(3), 667–683. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.02592
  15. Reschke, B. P., Azoulay, P., & Stuart, T. E. (2018). Status Spillovers: The Effect of Status-conferring Prizes on the Allocation of Attention. Administrative Science Quarterly, 63(4), 819–847. https://doi.org/10.1177/00018392177319972
  16. Bowers, A., & Prato, M. (2018). The Structural Origins of Unearned Status: How Arbitrary Changes in Categories Affect Status Position and Market Impact. Administrative Science Quarterly, 63(3), 668–699. https://doi.org/10.1177/00018392177277062

Further readings

78 more, listed in one source
  1. Weber, M. (1958). Class, Status, Party. In H. Gerth & C. W. Mills (Eds.), From Max Weber. Oxford University Press.
  2. Gusfield, J. R. (1963). Symbolic Crusade: Status Politics and the American Temperance Movement. University of Illinois Press.
  3. Shils, E. (1965). Charisma, Order, and Status. American Sociological Review, 30(2), 199. https://doi.org/10.2307/2091564
  4. Dumont, L. (1970). Homo Hierarchicus: The Caste System and its Implications. University of Chicago Press.
  5. Hirsch, F. (1976). Social Limits to Growth. Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674497900
  6. Laumann, E. O., & Senter, R. (1976). Subjective Social Distance, Occupational Stratification, and Forms of Status and Class Consciousness: A Cross-national Replication and Extension. American Journal of Sociology, 81(6), 1304–1338. https://doi.org/10.1086/226225
  7. Goode, W. J. (1979). The Celebration of Heroes. University of California Press. https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520333970
  8. Abbott, A. (1981). Status and Status Strain in the Professions. American Journal of Sociology, 86(4), 819–835. https://doi.org/10.1086/227318
  9. Schwartz, B. (1981). Vertical Classification: A Study in Structuralism and the Sociology of Knowledge. University of Chicago Press.
  10. Frank, R. H. (1985). Choosing The Right Pond: Human Behavior and the Quest for Status. Oxford University Press.
  11. Wilson, R. (1985). Reputations in games and markets. In A. E. Roth (Ed.), Game-Theoretic Models of Bargaining (pp. 27–62). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511528309.004
  12. Lang, G. E., & Lang, K. (1988). Recognition and Renown: The Survival of Artistic Reputation. American Journal of Sociology, 94(1), 79–109. https://doi.org/10.1086/228952
  13. Weigelt, K., & Camerer, C. (1988). Reputation and corporate strategy: A review of recent theory and applications. Strategic Management Journal, 9(5), 443–454. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250090505
  14. Carter, R., & Manaster, S. (1990). Initial Public Offerings and Underwriter Reputation. The Journal of Finance, 45(4), 1045–1067. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.1990.tb02426.x
  15. Raub, W., & Weesie, J. (1990). Reputation and Efficiency in Social Interactions: An Example of Network Effects. American Journal of Sociology, 96(3), 626–654. https://doi.org/10.1086/229574
  16. Fombrun, C., & Shanley, M. (1990). What's in a name? Reputation building and corporate strategy. Academy of Management Journal, 33(2), 233–258. https://doi.org/10.2307/256324
  17. Heil, O., & Robertson, T. S. (1991). Toward a theory of competitive market signaling: A research agenda. Strategic Management Journal, 12(6), 403–418. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.4250120602
  18. Berger, J., Norman, R. Z., Balkwell, J. W., & Smith, R. F. (1992). Status Inconsistency in Task Situations: A Test of Four Status Processing Principles. American Sociological Review, 57(6), 843. https://doi.org/10.2307/2096127
  19. Han, S.-K. (1994). Mimetic Isomorphism and Its Effect on the Audit Services Market. Social Forces, 73(2), 637. https://doi.org/10.2307/2579824
  20. Frank, R. H., & Cook, P. J. (1995). The Winner-Take-All Society. Penguin USA.
  21. Podolny, J. M., & Phillips, D. J. (1996). The Dynamics of Organizational Status. Industrial and Corporate Change, 5(2), 453–471. https://doi.org/10.1093/icc/5.2.453
  22. McGrath, R. G. (1997). A Real Options Logic for Initiating Technology Positioning Investments. Academy of Management Review, 22(4), 974. https://doi.org/10.2307/259251
  23. Boeker, W., Goodstein, J., Stephan, J., & Murmann, J. P. (1997). Competition in a Multimarket Environment: The Case of Market Exit. Organization Science, 8(2), 126–142. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.8.2.126
  24. Erdem, T., & Swait, J. (1998). Brand Equity as a Signaling Phenomenon. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 7(2), 131–157. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327663jcp0702_02
  25. Garud, R., & Kumaraswamy, P. (1998). Real options or fool's gold? Perspective makes the difference. Academy of Management Review.
  26. McGrath, R. G. (1999). Falling Forward: Real Options Reasoning and Entrepreneurial Failure. Academy of Management Review, 24(1), 13. https://doi.org/10.2307/259034
  27. Benjamin, B. A., & Podolny, J. M. (1999). Social Order and Status in the California Wine Industry. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44, 563–589.
  28. Podolny, J. M., & Scott Morton, F. M. (1999). Social Status, Entry and Predation: The Case of British Shipping Cartels 1879–1929. The Journal of Industrial Economics, 47(1), 41–67. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6451.00089
  29. Chung, S., Singh, H., & Lee, K. (2000). Complementarity, status similarity and social capital as drivers of alliance formation. Strategic Management Journal, 21(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-0266(200001)21:1<1::aid-smj63>3.0.co;2-p
  30. Weber, M. (2001). Status Groups and Classes. In D. B. Grusky (Ed.), Social Stratification. Westview Press.
  31. Sorensen, A. B. (2001). The Basic Concepts of Stratification Research: Class, Status, and Power. In D. B. Grusky (Ed.), Social Stratification. Westview Press.
  32. Roberts, P. W., & Dowling, G. R. (2002). Corporate reputation and sustained superior financial performance. Strategic Management Journal, 23(12), 1077–1093. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.274
  33. Folta, T. B., & Miller, K. D. (2002). Real options in equity partnerships. Strategic Management Journal, 23(1), 77–88. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.209
  34. Certo, S. T. (2003). Influencing Initial Public Offering Investors with Prestige: Signaling with Board Structures. Academy of Management Review, 28(3), 432. https://doi.org/10.2307/30040731
  35. Leiblein, M. (2003). The Choice of Organizational Governance Form and Performance: Predictions from Transaction Cost, Resource-based, and Real Options Theories. Journal of Management, 29(6), 937–961. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0149-2063(03)00085-0
  36. Hayward, M. L. A., Rindova, V. P., & Pollock, T. G. (2004). Believing one's own press: the causes and consequences of CEO celebrity. Strategic Management Journal, 25(7), 637–653. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.405
  37. Rindova, V. P., Williamson, I. O., Petkova, A. P., & Sever, J. M. (2005). Being Good or Being Known: An Empirical Examination of the Dimensions, Antecedents, and Consequences of Organizational Reputation. Academy of Management Journal, 48(6), 1033–1049. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2005.19573108
  38. Gimeno, J., Hoskisson, R. E., Beal, B. D., & Wan, W. P. (2005). Explaining the Clustering of International Expansion Moves: A Critical Test in the U.S. Telecommunications Industry. Academy of Management Journal, 48(2), 297–319. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2005.16928411
  39. Rindova, V. P., Pollock, T. G., & Hayward, M. L. A. (2006). Celebrity Firms: The Social Construction Of Market Popularity. Academy of Management Review, 31(1), 50–71. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2006.19379624
  40. Wade, J. B., Porac, J. F., Pollock, T. G., & Graffin, S. D. (2006). The Burden of Celebrity: the Impact of Ceo Certification Contests on Ceo Pay and Performance. Academy of Management Journal, 49(4), 643–660. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2006.22083021
  41. Rindova, V. P., Petkova, A. P., & Kotha, S. (2007). Standing out: how new firms in emerging markets build reputation. Strategic Organization, 5(1), 31–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476127006074389
  42. Salganik, M. J., & Watts, D. J. (2008). Leading the Herd Astray: An Experimental Study of Self-fulfilling Prophecies in an Artificial Cultural Market. Social Psychology Quarterly, 71(4), 338–355. https://doi.org/10.1177/019027250807100404
  43. Chen, G., Hambrick, D. C., & Pollock, T. G. (2008). Puttin' on the Ritz: Pre-Ipo Enlistment of Prestigious Affiliates as Deadline-Induced Remediation. Academy of Management Journal, 51(5), 954–975. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2008.34789666
  44. King, B. G., & Whetten, D. A. (2008). Rethinking the Relationship Between Reputation and Legitimacy: A Social Actor Conceptualization. Corporate Reputation Review, 11(3), 192–207. https://doi.org/10.1057/crr.2008.16
  45. Jensen, M., & Roy, A. (2008). Staging Exchange Partner Choices: When Do Status and Reputation Matter? Academy of Management Journal, 51(3), 495–516. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2008.32625985
  46. Hallen, B. L. (2008). The Causes and Consequences of the Initial Network Positions of New Organizations: From Whom Do Entrepreneurs Receive Investments? Administrative Science Quarterly, 53(4), 685–718. https://doi.org/10.2189/asqu.53.4.685
  47. Highhouse, S., Brooks, M. E., & Gregarus, G. (2009). An Organizational Impression Management Perspective on the Formation of Corporate Reputations. Journal of Management, 35(6), 1481–1493. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206309348788
  48. Love, E. G., & Kraatz, M. (2009). Character, Conformity, or the Bottom Line? How and Why Downsizing Affected Corporate Reputation. Academy of Management Journal, 52(2), 314–335. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2009.37308247
  49. Pfarrer, M. D., Pollock, T. G., & Rindova, V. P. (2010). A Tale of Two Assets: The Effects of Firm Reputation and Celebrity on Earnings Surprises and Investors' Reactions. Academy of Management Journal, 53(5), 1131–1152. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.54533222
  50. Graffin, S. D., & Ward, A. J. (2010). Certifications and Reputation: Determining the Standard of Desirability Amidst Uncertainty. Organization Science, 21(2), 331–346. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1080.0400
  51. Pollock, T. G., Chen, G., Jackson, E. M., & Hambrick, D. C. (2010). How much prestige is enough? Assessing the value of multiple types of high-status affiliates for young firms. Journal of Business Venturing, 25(1), 6–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusvent.2009.01.003
  52. Lange, D., Lee, P. M., & Dai, Y. (2011). Organizational Reputation: A Review. Journal of Management, 37(1), 153–184. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206310390963
  53. Bothner, M. S., Podolny, J. M., & Smith, E. B. (2011). Organizing Contests for Status: The Matthew Effect vs. the Mark Effect. Management Science, 57(3), 439–457. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1100.1281
  54. Lee, P. M., Pollock, T. G., & Jin, K. (2011). The contingent value of venture capitalist reputation. Strategic Organization, 9(1), 33–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476127011400505
  55. Westphal, J. D., Park, S. H., McDonald, M. L., & Hayward, M. L. A. (2012). Helping Other CEOs Avoid Bad Press: Social Exchange and Impression Management Support among CEOs in Communications with Journalists. Administrative Science Quarterly, 57(2), 217–268. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839212453267
  56. Sauder, M., Lynn, F., & Podolny, J. M. (2012). Status: Insights from Organizational Sociology. Annual Review of Sociology, 38(1), 267–283. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-071811-145503
  57. Reuer, J. J., & Ragozzino, R. (2012). The Choice Between Joint Ventures and Acquisitions: Insights from Signaling Theory. Organization Science, 23(4), 1175–1190. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.1110.0692
  58. Pollock, T. G., & Barnett, M. L. (Eds.). (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Corporate Reputation. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199596706.001.0001
  59. Yu, T., & Cannella, A. A., Jr. (2013). A Comprehensive Review of Multimarket Competition Research. Journal of Management, 39(1), 76–109. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206312462456
  60. Phillips, D. J., Turco, C. J., & Zuckerman, E. W. (2013). Betrayal as Market Barrier: Identity-Based Limits to Diversification among High-Status Corporate Law Firms. American Journal of Sociology, 118(4), 1023–1054. https://doi.org/10.1086/668412
  61. Ertug, G., & Castellucci, F. (2013). Getting What You Need: How Reputation and Status Affect Team Performance, Hiring, and Salaries in the NBA. Academy of Management Journal, 56(2), 407–431. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.1084
  62. Malter, D. (2014). On the Causality and Cause of Returns to Organizational Status: Evidence from the Grands Crus Classés of the Médoc. Administrative Science Quarterly, 59(2), 271–300. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839214532428
  63. Sorenson, O. (2014). Status and reputation: Synonyms or separate concepts? Strategic Organization, 12(1), 62–69. https://doi.org/10.1177/1476127013513219
  64. Pollock, T. G., Lee, P. M., Jin, K., & Lashley, K. (2015). (Un)Tangled: Exploring the Asymmetric Coevolution of New Venture Capital Firms’ Reputation and Status. Administrative Science Quarterly, 60(3), 482–517. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001839215585602
  65. Pacheco, D. F., & Dean, T. J. (2015). Firm responses to social movement pressures: A competitive dynamics perspective. Strategic Management Journal, 36(7), 1093–1104. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2273
  66. Rider, C. I., & Negro, G. (2015). Organizational Failure and Intraprofessional Status Loss. Organization Science, 26(3), 633–649. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2014.0953
  67. Trigeorgis, L., & Reuer, J. J. (2017). Real options theory in strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 38(1), 42–63. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.2593
  68. McDonnell, M.-H., & King, B. G. (2018). Order in the Court: How Firm Status and Reputation Shape the Outcomes of Employment Discrimination Suits. American Sociological Review, 83(1), 61–87. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122417747289
  69. Hubbard, T. D., Pollock, T. G., Pfarrer, M. D., & Rindova, V. P. (2018). Safe Bets or Hot Hands? How Status and Celebrity Influence Strategic Alliance Formations by Newly Public Firms. Academy of Management Journal, 61(5), 1976–1999. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2016.0438
  70. Mark, N. P. (2018). Status Organizes Cooperation: An Evolutionary Theory of Status and Social Order. American Journal of Sociology, 123(6), 1601–1634. https://doi.org/10.1086/696683
  71. Sharkey, A. J., & Kovács, B. (2018). The Many Gifts of Status: How Attending to Audience Reactions Drives the Use of Status. Management Science, 64(11), 5422–5443. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2879
  72. Chi, T., Li, J., Trigeorgis, L. G., & Tsekrekos, A. E. (2019). Real options theory in international business. Journal of International Business Studies, 50(4), 525–553. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41267-019-00222-y
  73. Pollock, T. G., Lashley, K., Rindova, V. P., & Han, J.-H. (2019). Which of These Things Are Not Like the Others? Comparing the Rational, Emotional, and Moral Aspects of Reputation, Status, Celebrity, and Stigma. Academy of Management Annals, 13(2), 444–478. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2017.0086
  74. Essman, S. M., Schepker, D. J., Nyberg, A. J., & Ray, C. (2021). Signaling a successor? A theoretical and empirical analysis of the executive compensation‐chief executive officer succession relationship. Strategic Management Journal, 42(1), 185–201. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.3219
  75. Han, J.-H., & Pollock, T. G. (2021). The Two Towers (or Somewhere in Between): The Behavioral Consequences of Positional Inconsistency across Status Hierarchies. Academy of Management Journal, 64(1), 86–113. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2018.1091
  76. Acharya, A. G., & Pollock, T. G. (2021). Too Many Peas in a Pod? How Overlaps in Directors’ Local and Global Status Characteristics Influence Board Turnover in Newly Public Firms. Academy of Management Journal, 64(5), 1472–1496. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2017.1144
  77. Lovelace, J. B., Bundy, J., Pollock, T. G., & Hambrick, D. C. (2022). The Push and Pull of Attaining CEO Celebrity: A Media Routines Perspective. Academy of Management Journal, 65(4), 1169–1191. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2020.0435
  78. Paik, E. T., Pollock, T. G., Boivie, S., Lange, D., & Lee, P. M. (2023). A Star Is Born: The Relationship Between Performance and Achieving Status Through Certification Contests in the Context of Equity Analysts. Organization Science, 34(1), 75–99. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.2021.1563