Corporate sustainability management in the energy sector [Elektronische Ressource] : an empirical contingency approach / vorgelegt von Oliver Salzmann

Ollie

Informations

• Publié par: technische_universitat_berlin
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2006
• Nombre de lectures: 14
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

Corporate Sustainability Management in the Energy Sector – An
Empirical Contingency Approach


vorgelegt von
Diplom-Wirtschaftsingenieur Oliver Salzmann
aus Sulzbach/Saar




von der Fakultät VIII – Wirtschaft und Management
der Technischen Universität Berlin
zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades

Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften
- Dr.-Ing. -

genehmigte Dissertation



Promotionsausschuss:

Vorsitzender: Prof. Dr. H. Hirth
Berichter: Prof. Dr. U. Steger Prof. Dr. A. v. Werder

Tag der wissenschaftlichen Aussprache: 25. Januar 2006



Berlin 2006
D 83 III
Acknowledgements
The completion of my thesis owes most to my “Doktorvater” Prof. Dr. Ulrich Steger for his
continuous guidance and encouragement, and, above all, his determination to read the final
product. I cannot thank him enough. I would also like to express my gratitude to my
secondary supervisor Prof. Dr. Axel von Werder for his advice and support.
Furthermore, I would like to thank the CSM team at IMD, Aileen Ionescu-Somers and Kay
Richiger, and the “BCS research team,” without whom this huge study would never have
been possible.
I am also extremely grateful to Albert Diversé and my brother Ralph for coaching and often
challenging me (thanks Albert!) on the statistics, and to Wolfgang Amann and Jochen
Brellochs for their repeated feedback and “pats on the back.” I would also like to thank those
who invested their time in this research effort by serving as interviewees or answering the
questionnaire.
Last, but not least, I would like to acknowledge the infinite patience, moral support and
understanding of my family and my girlfriend Petra. This achievement would not have been
possible without them.
Lausanne, April 2006 OLIVER SALZMANN
IV
V
Table of content
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................................. III
TABLE OF CONTENT........................ V ABBREVIATIONS.................................................................................................................... VIII
TABLE OF FIGURES....................... IX
TABLE OF CHARTS........................................................................................................................................ XI REGRESSION TABLES ............................................................................................................XII
1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................1
1.1 RESEARCH FIELD ..................................................................................................................................1
1.2 STRUCTURE...........2
1.3 INTENDED CONTRIBUTIONS ..................................................................................................................3
2 THEORETICAL FOUNDATION AND CONCEPTS.............................................................................6
2.1 CONTINGENCY THEORY........................................................................................................................6
2.2 CSM AND RELATED THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS................................................................................6
2.2.1 Corporate social responsibility.......................................................................................................7
2.2.2 ate social performance (CSP) .............................................................................................7
2.2.3 Corporate sustainability ...............................................................................................................10
2.2.4 Discussion.....................................................................................................................................11
2.3 KEY CONCEPTS...................................................................................................................................12
2.3.1 Determinants of CSM....................................................................................................................13
2.3.1.1 Issues – the principle of public responsibility..... 13
2.3.1.2 Stakeholders – the principle of legitimacy.......................................................................................... 14
2.3.1.3 Managers’ attitudes – the principle of managerial discretion.............................................................. 15
2.3.1.4 Company-specific determinants – the principle of corporate discretion ............................................. 16
2.3.2 CSM ..............................................................................................................................................16
2.3.3 Outcome of CSM...........................................................................................................................18
3 REVIEW OF EMPIRICAL LITERATURE ..........................................................................................19
3.1 DETERMINANTS OF CSM....................................................................................................................20
3.2 CSM.......................23
3.2.1 Strategic disposition......................................................................................................................23
3.2.2 Economic rationale.......................................................................................................................24
3.2.3 Implementation............26
3.3 OUTCOMES .........................................................................................................................................27
3.4 SUMMARY AND RESEARCH GAPS ........................................................................................................27
4 CONCEPTUAL RATIONALE AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS.......................................................28
5 METHOD ..................................................................................................................................................33
5.1 SELECTION OF SUITABLE METHOD......................................................................................................33
5.1.1 Contingency approach ..................................................................................................................34
5.1.2 Selection of instruments ................................................................................................................35
5.2 INSTRUMENTS......39
5.2.1 Data collection..............................................................................................................................39
5.2.1.1 Qualitative methods ............................................................................................................................ 39
5.2.1.2 Quantitative methods............... 42
5.2.2 Data analysis ................................................................................................................................44
5.2.2.1 Qualitative methods................ 44
5.2.2.2 Quantitative methods............... 44
5.2.2.2.1 Basic statistics ............................................................................................................................... 45
5.2.2.2.2 Advanced statistics............ 46
5.3 SYNERGISTIC FIT OF METHODS53
5.4 EVALUATION......................................................................................................................................55
6 SECTOR CHARACTERISTICS.............................................................................................................58
6.1 CHARACTERISTICS AND ACTIVITIES OF COMPANIES............................................................................58
VI
6.2 TRENDS, DRIVERS AND COMPETITIVE FORCES ....................................................................................59
6.3 DISCUSSION........................................................................................................................................61
7 DATA COLLECTED ...............................................................................................................................61
7.1 QUALITATIVE DATA............................................................................................................................61
7.2 QUANTITATIVE DATA .........................................................................................................................62
8 EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE .......................................................................................................................66
8.1 ISSUES.................69
8.1.1 Qualitative analysis and basic statistics .......................................................................................69
8.1.1.1 Social and ethical issues...................................................................................................................... 71
8.1.1.2 Environmental issues .......................................................................................................................... 73
8.1.1.3 The relative importance of environmental and social issues...............................................................