IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jbuset/v110y2012i2p157-172.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Stakeholder Pressures as Determinants of CSR Strategic Choice: Why do Firms Choose Symbolic Versus Substantive Self-Regulatory Codes of Conduct?

Author

Listed:
  • Luis Perez-Batres
  • Jonathan Doh
  • Van Miller
  • Michael Pisani

Abstract

To encourage corporations to contribute positively to the environment in which they operate, voluntary self-regulatory codes (SRC) have been enacted and refined over the past 15 years. Two of the most prominent are the United Nations Global Compact and the Global Reporting Initiative. In this paper, we explore the impact of different stakeholders’ pressures on the selection of strategic choices to join SRCs. Our results show that corporations react differently to different sets of stakeholder pressures and that the SRC selection depends on the type and intensiveness of the stakeholder pressures as well as the resources at hand to respond to those pressures. Our contribution offers a more specific and finely variegated analysis of firm-stakeholder interactions. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2012

Suggested Citation

  • Luis Perez-Batres & Jonathan Doh & Van Miller & Michael Pisani, 2012. "Stakeholder Pressures as Determinants of CSR Strategic Choice: Why do Firms Choose Symbolic Versus Substantive Self-Regulatory Codes of Conduct?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 110(2), pages 157-172, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:110:y:2012:i:2:p:157-172
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-012-1419-y
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s10551-012-1419-y
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s10551-012-1419-y?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hess, David, 2008. "The Three Pillars of Corporate Social Reporting as New Governance Regulation: Disclosure, Dialogue, and Development," Business Ethics Quarterly, Cambridge University Press, vol. 18(4), pages 447-482, October.
    2. Blacconiere, Walter G. & Patten, Dennis M., 1994. "Environmental disclosures, regulatory costs, and changes in firm value," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 357-377, November.
    3. Rondinelli, Dennis A. & Berry, Michael A., 2000. "Environmental citizenship in multinational corporations: social responsibility and sustainable development," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 70-84, February.
    4. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    5. Matthew Potoski & Aseem Prakash, 2005. "Covenants with weak swords: ISO 14001 and facilities' environmental performance," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 24(4), pages 745-769.
    6. Farok J Contractor & Sumit K Kundu & Chin-Chun Hsu, 2003. "A three-stage theory of international expansion: the link between multinationality and performance in the service sector," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 34(1), pages 5-18, January.
    7. Brammer, Stephen J. & Pavelin, Stephen & Porter, Lynda A., 2006. "Corporate social performance and geographical diversification," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 59(9), pages 1025-1034, September.
    8. Berchicci, L. & King, A.A., 2007. "Postcards from the Edge: A Review of the Business and Environment Literature," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2007-085-ORG, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    9. Dilek Cetindamar, 2007. "Corporate Social Responsibility Practices and Environmentally Responsible Behavior: The Case of The United Nations Global Compact," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 76(2), pages 163-176, December.
    10. Vanessa M Strike & Jijun Gao & Pratima Bansal, 2006. "Being good while being bad: social responsibility and the international diversification of US firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(6), pages 850-862, November.
    11. Hayagreeva Rao, 1994. "The Social Construction of Reputation: Certification Contests, Legitimation, and the Survival of Organizations in the American Automobile Industry: 1895–1912," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(S1), pages 29-44, December.
    12. Kristel Buysse & Alain Verbeke, 2003. "Proactive environmental strategies: a stakeholder management perspective," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(5), pages 453-470, May.
    13. Mark Bagnoli & Susan G. Watts, 2003. "Selling to Socially Responsible Consumers: Competition and The Private Provision of Public Goods," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(3), pages 419-445, September.
    14. Nick Bontis & Mary M. Crossan & John Hulland, 2002. "Managing An Organizational Learning System By Aligning Stocks and Flows," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 437-469, June.
    15. Aaron K. Chatterji & David I. Levine & Michael W. Toffel, 2009. "How Well Do Social Ratings Actually Measure Corporate Social Responsibility?," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(1), pages 125-169, March.
    16. Luis Perez-Batres & Van Miller & Michael Pisani, 2010. "CSR, Sustainability and the Meaning of Global Reporting for Latin American Corporations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(2), pages 193-209, February.
    17. Berrone, Pascual & Gelabert, Liliana & Fosfuri, Andrea, 2009. "The impact of symbolic and substantive actions on environmental legitimacy," IESE Research Papers D/778, IESE Business School.
    18. Nicole Darnall & Joann Carmin, 2005. "Greener and cleaner? The signaling accuracy of U.S. voluntary environmental programs," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 38(2), pages 71-90, September.
    19. Petra Christmann & Glen Taylor, 2001. "Globalization and the Environment: Determinants of Firm Self-Regulation in China," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 32(3), pages 439-458, September.
    20. Hens Runhaar & Helene Lafferty, 2009. "Governing Corporate Social Responsibility: An Assessment of the Contribution of the UN Global Compact to CSR Strategies in the Telecommunications Industry," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 84(4), pages 479-495, February.
    21. Luis A. Perez-Batres & Van V. Miller & Michael J. Pisani & Irene Henriques & Jose A. Renau-Sepulveda, 2012. "Why Do Firms Engage in National Sustainability Programs and Transparent Sustainability Reporting?," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 107-136, February.
    22. Gamper-Rabindran, Shanti, 2006. "NAFTA and the Environment: What Can the Data Tell Us?," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 54(3), pages 605-633, April.
    23. Ruihua Joy Jiang & Pratima Bansal, 2003. "Seeing the Need for ISO 14001," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(4), pages 1047-1067, June.
    24. Hua Wang & Jun Bi & Wheeler, David & Jinnan Wang & Dong Cao & Genfa Lu & Yuan Wang, 2002. "Environmental performance rating and disclosure - China's green-watch program," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2889, The World Bank.
    25. A. Michael Spence, 1975. "The Economics of Internal Organization: An Introduction," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 6(1), pages 163-172, Spring.
    26. Rajiv Sabherwal & Rudy Hirschheim & Tim Goles, 2001. "The Dynamics of Alignment: Insights from a Punctuated Equilibrium Model," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 179-197, April.
    27. Douglas E. Thomas & Lorraine Eden & Michael A. Hitt & Stewart R. Miller, 2007. "Experience of emerging market firms: The role of cognitive bias in developed market entry and survival," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 47(6), pages 845-867, December.
    28. George A. Akerlof, 1970. "The Market for "Lemons": Quality Uncertainty and the Market Mechanism," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 84(3), pages 488-500.
    29. Donald S. Siegel & Donald F. Vitaliano, 2007. "An Empirical Analysis of the Strategic Use of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(3), pages 773-792, September.
    30. Amy J. Hillman & Gerald D. Keim, 2001. "Shareholder value, stakeholder management, and social issues: what's the bottom line?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(2), pages 125-139, February.
    31. Paul C. Godfrey & Craig B. Merrill & Jared M. Hansen, 2009. "The relationship between corporate social responsibility and shareholder value: an empirical test of the risk management hypothesis," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 425-445, April.
    32. M. López & Arminda Garcia & Lazaro Rodriguez, 2007. "Sustainable Development and Corporate Performance: A Study Based on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 75(3), pages 285-300, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Luis A. Perez-Batres & Van V. Miller & Michael J. Pisani & Irene Henriques & Jose A. Renau-Sepulveda, 2012. "Why Do Firms Engage in National Sustainability Programs and Transparent Sustainability Reporting?," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 107-136, February.
    2. Silvia Ayuso & Mercè Roca & Jorge A. Arevalo & Deepa Aravind, 2016. "What Determines Principle-Based Standards Implementation? Reporting on Global Compact Adoption in Spanish Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(3), pages 553-565, February.
    3. Luis Perez-Batres & Van Miller & Michael Pisani, 2010. "CSR, Sustainability and the Meaning of Global Reporting for Latin American Corporations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(2), pages 193-209, February.
    4. Jacob Brower & Peter A. Dacin, 2020. "An Institutional Theory Approach to the Evolution of the Corporate Social Performance – Corporate Financial Performance Relationship," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(4), pages 805-836, June.
    5. Jenna J. Burke & Rani Hoitash & Udi Hoitash, 2019. "The Heterogeneity of Board-Level Sustainability Committees and Corporate Social Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(4), pages 1161-1186, February.
    6. Najah Attig & Narjess Boubakri & Sadok El Ghoul & Omrane Guedhami, 2016. "Firm Internationalization and Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(2), pages 171-197, March.
    7. Jorge A. Arevalo & Deepa Aravind, 2017. "Strategic Outcomes in Voluntary CSR: Reporting Economic and Reputational Benefits in Principles-Based Initiatives," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(1), pages 201-217, August.
    8. Dongyoung Lee, 2017. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Management Forecast Accuracy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 353-367, January.
    9. Tiago Melo, 2012. "Determinants of corporate social performance: the influence of organizational culture, management tenure and financial performance," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(1), pages 33-47, March.
    10. Silvia Ayuso & Francisco Ernesto Navarrete‐Báez, 2018. "How Does Entrepreneurial and International Orientation Influence SMEs' Commitment to Sustainable Development? Empirical Evidence from Spain and Mexico," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(1), pages 80-94, January.
    11. Kudla, Nicole & Stölzle, Wolfgang, 2011. "Sustainability Supply Chain Management Research," Die Unternehmung - Swiss Journal of Business Research and Practice, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG, vol. 65(3), pages 263-301.
    12. Tiago Melo, 2012. "Slack‐resources hypothesis: a critical analysis under a multidimensional approach to corporate social performance," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(2), pages 257-269, June.
    13. Waris Ali & Jedrzej George Frynas, 2018. "The Role of Normative CSR‐Promoting Institutions in Stimulating CSR Disclosures in Developing Countries," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(4), pages 373-390, July.
    14. Shih-Chi Chiu & Mark Sharfman, 2018. "Corporate Social Irresponsibility and Executive Succession: An Empirical Examination," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(3), pages 707-723, May.
    15. Guoyou Qi & Saixing Zeng & Xiaodong Li & Chiming Tam, 2012. "Role of Internalization Process in Defining the Relationship between ISO 14001 Certification and Corporate Environmental Performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(3), pages 129-140, May.
    16. Fernando García & Jairo González-Bueno & Francisco Guijarro & Javier Oliver, 2020. "Forecasting the Environmental, Social, and Governance Rating of Firms by Using Corporate Financial Performance Variables: A Rough Set Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-18, April.
    17. James Cordeiro & Manish Tewari, 2015. "Firm Characteristics, Industry Context, and Investor Reactions to Environmental CSR: A Stakeholder Theory Approach," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 130(4), pages 833-849, September.
    18. Iftekhar Hasan & Nada Kobeissi & Liuling Liu & Haizhi Wang, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of Productivity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(3), pages 671-688, May.
    19. repec:zbw:bofrdp:2016_007 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Timo Busch & Bryan T. Stinchfield & Matthew S. Wood, 2011. "A Triptych Inquiry: Rethinking Sustainability, Innovation, and Financial Performance," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 11-026/2/DSF 9, Tinbergen Institute.
    21. Kotchen Matthew & Moon Jon J., 2012. "Corporate Social Responsibility for Irresponsibility," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 12(1), pages 1-23, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:110:y:2012:i:2:p:157-172. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.