TY - JOUR
T1 - A broader corporate purpose? Evidence from UK public companies, 2000–2016
AU - Patacconi, Andrea
AU - Shamshur, Anastasiya
AU - Ulianiuk, Pavlo
N1 - Data Availability Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from Thomson Reuters Refinitive and Asset4 at https://www.lseg.com/en/data-analytics. Restrictions apply to the availability of these data, which were used under license for this study.
PY - 2025/1/22
Y1 - 2025/1/22
N2 - This paper examines the extent to which corporate leaders have discursively embraced the logic of stakeholder theory. Using textual analysis of chairperson and CEO letters to shareholders of public companies in the UK during the 2000–2016 period, we find that, over time, attention to shareholders declined and attention to customers, society and CSR increased. These shifts were more pronounced during the financial crisis. Chairpersons and CEOs also appear to exhibit different loci of attention. Our findings indicate that corporate purpose did become “broader” in recent years; however, despite this trend, attention to employees did not increase.
AB - This paper examines the extent to which corporate leaders have discursively embraced the logic of stakeholder theory. Using textual analysis of chairperson and CEO letters to shareholders of public companies in the UK during the 2000–2016 period, we find that, over time, attention to shareholders declined and attention to customers, society and CSR increased. These shifts were more pronounced during the financial crisis. Chairpersons and CEOs also appear to exhibit different loci of attention. Our findings indicate that corporate purpose did become “broader” in recent years; however, despite this trend, attention to employees did not increase.
KW - attention to goals and stakeholders
KW - corporate purpose
KW - stakeholder theory
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85215697467&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/emre.12706
DO - 10.1111/emre.12706
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85215697467
SN - 1740-4754
JO - European Management Review
JF - European Management Review
ER -