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Shareholder activism for corporate social responsibility: what do we know?

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  • Emma Sjöström

    (Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden)

Abstract

There is a growing body of research on shareholder activism for corporate social and environmental responsibility. This paper maps and synthesizes research on this topic during 1983-2007. Five key themes emerge. (1) Several studies address shareholder proposals in the US, including proposal topics, voting results, and typical targets for such activism. (2) Other studies focus on the effects of shareholder activism on corporate policy and practice. Further, studies have been conducted on shareholder activism by (3) NGOs, (4) unions and (5) pension funds respectively. Based on this review, missing perspectives are identified and suggestions are made for future research directions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Emma Sjöström, 2008. "Shareholder activism for corporate social responsibility: what do we know?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(3), pages 141-154.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:16:y:2008:i:3:p:141-154
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.361
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peter Southwood, 2003. "Shareholder engagement: prospects for improving corporate social responsibility," International Journal of Business Performance Management, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 5(2/3), pages 223-236.
    2. Paula A. Tkac, 2006. "One proxy at a time : pursuing social change through shareholder proposals," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, vol. 91(Q 3), pages 1-20.
    3. Parthiban David & Matt Bloom & Amy J. Hillman, 2007. "Investor activism, managerial responsiveness, and corporate social performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 91-100, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Siti Sakinah Azizan & Rashid Ameer, 2012. "Shareholder activism in family-controlled firms in Malaysia," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 27(8), pages 774-794, August.
    2. Patricia Crifo & Vanina Forget, 2012. "The Economics of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Survey," Working Papers hal-00720640, HAL.
    3. Emma Sjöström, 2010. "Shareholders as Norm Entrepreneurs for Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 94(2), pages 177-191, June.
    4. Erin M. Reid & Michael W. Toffel, 2009. "Responding to public and private politics: corporate disclosure of climate change strategies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(11), pages 1157-1178, November.
    5. Camila Yamahaki & Catherine Marchewitz, 2023. "Collaborative Investor Engagement with Policymakers: Changing the Rules of the Game?," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 2051, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.

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