Abstract
As global society faces pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges, companies have a unique opportunity to drive meaningful change. By adopting more sustainable operations and products, businesses can lead us toward a future of greater societal well-being. To make these efforts successful, companies can benefit from better understanding how key stakeholders— such as investors, customers, end users, and institutions—will respond, as their reactions can directly impact the effectiveness of the sustainability initiatives.
By gaining insights into these responses, decision-makers can better anticipate how their actions will be received, thereby addressing potential challenges and opportunities more effectively. This dissertation explores these stakeholder responses to corporate sustainability efforts through five articles based on ten studies and datasets. By shedding light on these responses, this work aims to offer theoretical contributions while inspiring the thinking of managers and policymakers, enabling them to more effectively drive positive societal change.