Grantee Research Project Results
Environmental Management Strategies and Corporate Performance: Identification and Analysis of the Motivators of Regulated Entities' Environmental Behavior and Performance
EPA Grant Number: R829687Title: Environmental Management Strategies and Corporate Performance: Identification and Analysis of the Motivators of Regulated Entities' Environmental Behavior and Performance
Investigators: Delmas, Magali A. , Aigner, Dennis J.
Institution: University of California - Santa Barbara
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: January 1, 2002 through December 31, 2004 (Extended to June 30, 2006)
Project Amount: $229,473
RFA: Corporate Environmental Behavior: Examining the Effectiveness of Government Interventions and Voluntary Initiatives (2001) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Environmental Justice
Description:
The objective of this research is to assess how and when environmental management practices impact environmental and corporate performance. Strategic management theory connects management practices with corporate performance through two avenues: cost reduction and value creation. This bifurcation leads to the formulation of two hypotheses connecting environmental and corporate performance. The first hypothesis identifies the set of factors that determines the influence a cost reducing environmental strategy has on corporate performance. In this case, we hypothesize that firms are able to improve corporate performance by pursuing environmental objectives if the costs associated with poor environmental performance are sufficiently responsive to the actions of the firm. The second hypothesis identifies the set of factors that influences corporate performance if the firm pursues a product/process differentiation strategy along environmental dimensions. In this case, we hypothesize that firms are able to improve corporate performance by pursuing environmental objectives if the firm is able to credibly demonstrate improved environmental performance to its customers and there is sufficient demand for improved environmental performance.
Approach:
We test our hypotheses in three sectors: power utilities, electronics, and oil and gas. Our independent variables on environmental management practices, firms' characteristics, as well as regulatory and competitive environment are gathered through a phone/mail survey questionnaire of 1159 firms. Our dependent variables on firms corporate performance will be derived from public sources namely SEC reports. The statistical analysis will include the seemingly unrelated regression model, the multiple indicators multiple causes model, and simultaneous equation approaches for determining causality between corporate and environmental performance.
Expected Results:
This research will reveal the set of regulatory and competitive circumstances that make a firm's environmental performance align with its corporate performance. We expect to find that devices, such as third party eco-ratings, or voluntary programs that help firms credibly communicate environmental performance to regulators and consumers are associated with enhanced corporate performance. In highly regulated industries, we also expect that when firms integrate environmental objectives into their organization and engage in open discussion with regulators and members of the community, they will achieve improved corporate performance by reducing regulation and litigation costs. The information gained will help identify environmental policies that work with the firm's objective of enhanced profitability and therefore will result in more cost-effective allocation of federal and state environmental protection resources.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 20 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 2 journal articles for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
Porter hypothesis, Environmental management systems, Environmental certification, self-regulation, voluntary agreements., RFA, Scientific Discipline, Sustainable Industry/Business, Corporate Performance, Economics and Business, Environmental Law, Social Science, environmental policy case studies, corporate environmental policy, enforcement strategy, policy making, corporate compliance, government intervention, environmental compliance determinants, information dissemination, audit policies, Porter hypothesis, government-industry interaction, enforcement impact, environmental behavior, corporate environmental behaviorProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.