With social media, organisations have had to face new realities in their exposure to public condemnation. Thus, social media provide publics with instant access to voicing disapproval of organizational behaviour, potentially leading to long-term negative effects on organizational image and earnings (Holmgreen 2015). This realisation forms the background of the article which discusses the clash between organisational legitimisation strategies, which seek to justify actions through reference to their just and appropriate character, and the public evaluation of the very same conduct as inappropriate and immoral (Bréton and Coté 2006; Suchman 1995). Drawing on a critical discourse approach to legitimation (Fairclough 2003; Van Leeuwen 2008) and a corpus of press releases and public social media comments, the article analyses the case of a Danish steakhouse chain whose legal actions against a smaller restaurant owner spurred a public outcry and firestorm on social media, leading to the chain's imminent closure four years later. The analysis reveals two distinctly different discourses that reflect basic social and cultural values, on the one hand, and business values, on the other. Thus, the analysis suggests that despite the existence of a shared social system based on the rule of law, organizational and public (legitimation) strategies may follow apparently irreconcilable paths that challenge the very foundation of business.

借助社交媒体，组织在面对公众谴责时不得不面对新的现实。因此，社交媒体为公众提供了立即表达反对组织行为的声音，这可能导致对组织形象和收益的长期负面影响（Holmgreen 2015）。这种认识形成了本文的背景，讨论了组织的合法化战略之间的冲突，该战略旨在通过参考行动的公正性和适当性来证明行动的正当性，以及对与不当和不道德行为相同行为的公众评价（BrétonandCoté2006; Suchman（1995）。运用批判性的合法性话语方法（Fairclough 2003； Van Leeuwen 2008）以及大量新闻稿和公众社交媒体评论，文章分析了一家丹麦牛排馆连锁店的案例，该连锁店针对一家较小的餐馆老板的法律诉讼激起了社会媒体的强烈抗议和强烈抗议，导致该连锁店在四年后即将关闭。分析揭示了两种截然不同的话语，它们一方面反映了基本的社会和文化价值，另一方面反映了商业价值。因此，分析表明，尽管存在基于法治的共享社会体系，但组织和公共（合法化）战略可能遵循明显不可调和的道路，这对企业的基础构成了挑战。分析揭示了两种截然不同的话语，它们一方面反映了基本的社会和文化价值，另一方面反映了商业价值。因此，分析表明，尽管存在基于法治的共享社会体系，但组织和公共（合法化）战略可能遵循明显不可调和的道路，这对企业的基础构成了挑战。分析揭示了两种截然不同的话语，它们一方面反映了基本的社会和文化价值，另一方面反映了商业价值。因此，分析表明，尽管存在基于法治的共享社会体系，但组织和公共（合法化）战略可能遵循明显不可调和的道路，这对企业的基础构成了挑战。