The relationship between corporate governance and corporate environmental and social performance | |
| Author | Suthisak Kraisornsuthasinee |
| Call Number | AIT Diss. no.SM-06-05 |
| Subject(s) | Corporate governance--Environmental aspects Corporate governance--Social aspects |
| Note | A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | Although concerns for the environment and society are growing in business management practice, there is still a gap between corporate image and actual environmental and social performance. This empirical research studies corporate governance and how it relates to this performance. The central research question is whether a higher level of corporate governance is positively associated with a higher level of environmental and social performance achieved through policy and implementation. A qualitative analysis is primarily conducted to explore corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and the linkage to corporate governance. The main findings from the indepth interviews with key executives in the corporate members of the Thailand Business Council for Sustainable Development highlight the emergence of CSR and its implementation. The Thai informants recognize the increasingly important role of stakeholder engagement and the linkage between CSR and good corporate governance. The importance of stakeholder engagement is also prominent in the findings from the additional interviews with the CSR leaders from of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World). Multivariate analysis is further employed as the main methodology for assessing the relationships based on a sample from companies rated in the Stock Exchange of Thailand Top 50 Index and in the DJSI World, focusing on Japan, UK, and USA. The results suggest that the most crucial dimension of governance is stakeholder engagement, as it significantly influences both policy and implementation. Disclosure shows a significant relationship with the corporate environmental and social policy. The involvement from the board is limited. The environmental and social principle significantly promotes practice of relevant initiatives. Most importantly, it should be emphasized that only actual implementation significantly contributes to the environmental and social performance. It is also interesting that both aspects of performance also significantly complement each other |
| Year | 2006 |
| Type | Dissertation |
| School | School of Management (SOM) |
| Department | Other Field of Studies (No Department) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Master of Business Administration (MBA) (Publication code=SM) |
| Chairperson(s) | Swierczek, Fredric W. |
| Examination Committee(s) | Zimmermann, Willi;Pongvipa Lohsomboon;Birch, David |
| Degree | Thesis (Ph.D.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2006 |