A comparative case study on the European O&G industry on the adoption of corporate response strategies based on selected activism strategies
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2025-07-01
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en
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This thesis investigates how corporate response strategies are being adopted depending on three different environmental activism strategies from environmental interest groups among four leading European O&G firms. Using institutional, social movement and resource mobilization theory, this research addresses a gap in the literature by disaggregating activism strategies and examining their distinct effects on firms’ responses grounded in a framework. Employing a comparative case study design complemented by a chi-square test of independence, 65 cases from 2020-2025 were analyzed using a mixed-methods approach. The findings reveal that strategic litigation often compels towards substantive compliance due to legal mandates, while media campaigns and public shaming primarily prompt symbolic conformity aimed at reputational management. Shareholder activism tends to elicit symbolic compliance, marked by formal acknowledgements during AGMs without material change. Qualitative results also show partial convergence in corporate responses from the companies, with legal pressure driving more uniform action, while softer activism leads to more divergent firm-specific responses. This study contributed theoretically by refining the understanding of activism’s differentiated impacts and offers practical implications for activists, corporations, and policymakers aiming to drive or respond to environmental accountability in contested industries
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen