U.S. Corporate Energy Productivity, Greenhouse Gas Productivity, and Return on Equity

U.S. Corporate Energy Productivity, Greenhouse Gas Productivity, and Return on Equity by Terry Tate MS, Jones International University, 2013 BS, Jackson State University, 2011 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University August 2018 Abstract Corporate leaders are expected to engage in corporate social responsibility by some stakeholders, but there is no consistent evidence that corporate social performance relates to financial performance. Grounded in instrumental stakeholder theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship among energy productivity, greenhouse gas productivity, and return on equity. The 2016 Newsweek Green Ranking U.S. 500 was the population for this study, which consisted of the largest companies in the United States with the highest corporate social performance scores. The secondary data were collected from Newsweek.com and Morningstar.com for this study. The multiple linear regression was used in the data analysis for the study. This study’s model was F(2,104) = 1.028, p = . 361, Adjusted R = . 001 and represented that there was not a statistically significant relationship among energy productivity, greenhouse gas productivity, and return on equity. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide corporate leaders with additional evidence to inform fact-based decisions related to the strategic allocation of resources to manage corporate energy productivity and greenhouse productivity. Effectively managing energy productivity andCorporate leaders are expected to engage in corporate social responsibility by some stakeholders, but there is no consistent evidence that corporate social performance relates to financial performance. Grounded in instrumental stakeholder theory, the purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship among energy productivity, greenhouse gas productivity, and return on equity. The 2016 Newsweek Green Ranking U.S. 500 was the population for this study, which consisted of the largest companies in the United States with the highest corporate social performance scores. The secondary data were collected from Newsweek.com and Morningstar.com for this study. The multiple linear regression was used in the data analysis for the study. This study’s model was F(2,104) = 1.028, p = . 361, Adjusted R = . 001 and represented that there was not a statistically significant relationship among energy productivity, greenhouse gas productivity, and return on equity. The implications for positive social change include the potential to provide corporate leaders with additional evidence to inform fact-based decisions related to the strategic allocation of resources to manage corporate energy productivity and greenhouse productivity. Effectively managing energy productivity and greenhouse gas productivity could contribute to reducing global warming, which would improve the quality of lives of U.S residents. U.S. Corporate Energy Productivity, Greenhouse Gas Productivity, and Return on Equity by Terry Tate MS, Jones International University, 2013 BS, Jackson State University, 2011 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University August 2018 Dedication I dedicate this work to my family (past, present, and future). I dedicate this accomplishment to my grandparents (Elizabeth Tate, Albert Tate, Bertha Leflore, and William Leflore). I dedicate this accomplishment to my father, Johnny Tate, who is the first in our family to achieve college degrees (both associates and bachelor’s) and my mother, Denise Tate, who always motivated me to pursue higher education. Both my parents sacrificed so much to send me to college after high school, and I honor them for that. I dedicate this accomplishment to my four brothers (Christopher Tate, Adron Tate, Malcolm Tate, and Albert Tate) and hope they will also follow their dreams. I dedicate this accomplishment to the mother of my child, Rachel Martin, who always believed in me and motivated me to continue pursuing my education throughout my master’s and doctoral degrees. I also dedicate this accomplishment to my son, Terry Geonnie Tate, Jr. I hope Terry Jr. will pursue his doctoral degree someday and I will be there to guide him with the fundamentals of research. I love everyone whom I dedicated this accomplishment to along with other family and friends not mentioned. Acknowledgments I acknowledge the faculty and staff at Walden University for making this journey more comfortable. I acknowledge my classmates and professors who challenged, critiqued, and encouraged me throughout the doctoral program. I also acknowledge my first Chair, Dr. Craig Martin.