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Beyond Compliance: Firms’ Environmental Behaviour. A Survey

Author

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  • Rosetta Lombardo

    (Dipartimento di Economia e Statistica, Università della Calabria)

Abstract

The relationship between firms and environment is complex. The impact that firms have on the environment include the use of primary resources to make products and the production of wastes and emissions. The impact of firms’ products on the environment, moreover, is not negligible. Environmental laws cannot, and should not, prescribe every decision taken by every business. Rather, consideration of environmental issues should be part of good business practice. Firms have, in fact, more than one reason for adopting environmentally responsible behaviour. This paper surveys the literature that analyze the circumstances under which firms can reconcile the apparently competing goals of increasing the expected value of their activity and internalizing external costs doing more than they are required to do under laws and regulations.

Suggested Citation

  • Rosetta Lombardo, 2009. "Beyond Compliance: Firms’ Environmental Behaviour. A Survey," Working Papers 200918, Università della Calabria, Dipartimento di Economia, Statistica e Finanza "Giovanni Anania" - DESF.
    • Handle: RePEc:clb:wpaper:200918
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    File URL: http://www.ecostat.unical.it/RePEc/WorkingPapers/WP18_2009.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stefan Lutz & Thomas P. Lyon & John W. Maxwell, 2000. "Quality Leadership when Regulatory Standards are Forthcoming," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(3), pages 331-348, September.
    2. Bréchet, Thierry & Jouvet, Pierre-André, 2009. "Why environmental management may yield no-regret pollution abatement options," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1770-1777, April.
    3. Maxwell, John W & Lyon, Thomas P & Hackett, Steven C, 2000. "Self-Regulation and Social Welfare: The Political Economy of Corporate Environmentalism," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 43(2), pages 583-617, October.
    4. Cruz, Jose M., 2008. "Dynamics of supply chain networks with corporate social responsibility through integrated environmental decision-making," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 184(3), pages 1005-1031, February.
    5. Segerson, Kathleen & Miceli, Thomas J., 1998. "Voluntary Environmental Agreements: Good or Bad News for Environmental Protection?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(2), pages 109-130, September.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Environment; externalities; social responsibility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Theory
    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities

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