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Intra‐Sectoral Differences in Climate Change Strategies: Evidence from the Global Automotive Industry

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  • Matthias Damert
  • Rupert J. Baumgartner

Abstract

Companies are increasingly challenged for action on climate change. Most studies on business responses to climate change focus on cross‐sector comparisons and neglect intra‐sectoral dynamics. This paper investigates the influence of supply chain position and regional affiliation on climate change strategies within a particular industry. We present a generic framework integrating both market and non‐market responses to climate change. We argue that climate change strategies comprise several corporate activities that have different foci of interaction and four main objectives: governance, innovation, compensation and legitimation. Using a global sample of 116 automotive companies, we conduct a cluster analysis and identify four types of strategy. We find that the sophistication of automobile manufacturers' strategies significantly differs from that of suppliers. Regional affiliation and firm size prove to be determinants of the strategy type pursued. We cannot find evidence for a relationship between financial performance and a company's strategic approach to climate change. © 2017 The Authors. Business Strategy and the Environment published by ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd

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  • Matthias Damert & Rupert J. Baumgartner, 2018. "Intra‐Sectoral Differences in Climate Change Strategies: Evidence from the Global Automotive Industry," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 265-281, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:27:y:2018:i:3:p:265-281
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.1968
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    8. Engler, Daniel & Gutsche, Gunnar & Simixhiu, Amantia & Ziegler, Andreas, 2023. "On the relationship between corporate CO2 offsetting and pro-environmental activities in small- and medium-sized firms in Germany," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
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    10. Gorbach, O.G. & Kost, C. & Pickett, C., 2022. "Review of internal carbon pricing and the development of a decision process for the identification of promising Internal Pricing Methods for an Organisation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
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    19. Calabrese, Armando & Costa, Roberta & Ghiron, Nathan Levialdi & Tiburzi, Luigi & Pedersen, Esben Rahbek Gjerdrum, 2021. "How sustainable-orientated service innovation strategies are contributing to the sustainable development goals," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    20. Clementino, Ester & Perkins, Richard, 2020. "How do companies respond to environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings? Evidence from Italy," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 103046, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    21. Amir Abolhassani & Gale Boyd & Majid Jaridi & Bhaskaran Gopalakrishnan & James Harner, 2023. "“Is Energy That Different from Labor?” Similarity in Determinants of Intensity for Auto Assembly Plants," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-35, February.
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