When Social Norms and Pressures Are Not Enough

Environmental Performance in the Trucking Industry

Bibliographic Data

ID4084444
AuthorsDorothy Thornton (University of California, Berkeley), Robert A Kagan (University of Wales Institute Cardiff), Neil Gunningham (0000-0002-3279-6344, University of California, Berkeley)
Year2009
Volume43
Issue2
Pages405-435
Publication date2009-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueLaw & Society Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0023-9216 • E-ISSN: 1540-5893
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1111/j.1540-5893.2009.00377.x
OpenAlexW2074674058
LanguageEN
Citations received27
References cited25

Why do some business firms and not others work hard to advance regulatory values such as environmental protection and comply with regulations? Previous research indicates that business firms are influenced in that regard by a number of variables-not merely the perceived likelihood of legal punishment but also the risk of negative reactions by societal actors (which we call "social license pressures") and the intensity of managers' commitment to norms of law-abidingness and environmentalism. This article reports on a study of control of diesel emissions in the trucking industry, a highly competitive market with many small firms, mobile pollution sources, expensive "best control technologies," and weak regulatory demands. In contrast to findings in studies of large firms, we found that social license pressures on small trucking firms are minimal. Trucking companies' environmental performance-good and bad-flows from managers' economic choices, which are influenced by their particular market niche. In such highly competitive, small-firm market contexts, these findings imply, significant improvement in environmental performance is not likely without strong direct regulatory pressures

Business · Control (management · Economics · Environmentalism · Incentive · Industrial organization · License · Market economy · Politics · Race to the bottom · Tobit model · Truck · Trucking industry · Environmental Sustainability in Business · Law · Marketing · Regulation and Compliance Studies · Sustainable Supply Chain Management

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