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The influence of CEO ethics on climate change policy from the perspective of utilitarianism and deontology

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  • Chen, Ting-Hsuan
  • Liu, Shih-Ching
  • Wu, Chia-Hui

Abstract

With the increasing frequency of extreme weather phenomena, governments and firms are increasingly focused on climate change and the challenges of formulating and implementing practical policy and actions. Corporate policies are typically formulated under the direction of the CEO, and yet previous research has largely overlooked the role of the CEO in climate change policy. Text mining methods are used to classify the ethical orientations of individual CEOs as either utilitarian or obligation, to determine whether this orientation changes over time, and how different orientations affect corporate climate change policy. Results show that ethical orientations tend to remain constant, and that firms led by utilitarian CEOs tend to have lower carbon emissions.

Suggested Citation

  • Chen, Ting-Hsuan & Liu, Shih-Ching & Wu, Chia-Hui, 2024. "The influence of CEO ethics on climate change policy from the perspective of utilitarianism and deontology," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecofin:v:73:y:2024:i:c:s1062940824001189
    DOI: 10.1016/j.najef.2024.102193
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