A Resource Dependence Perspective on Delistings from the United Nations Global Compact

Abstract

This study analyzes which firms leave multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) for corporate social responsibility (CSR). Based on an analysis of all active and delisted participants from the UN Global Compact between 2000 and 2015 (n= 15,853), we find that SMEs are more likely to be delisted than larger and publicly-traded firms; that early adopters face a higher risk of being delisted; and that the presence of a local network in a country reduces the likelihood of being delisted. Based on this, we extend resource dependence theory in the context of CSR by theorizing (a) the effect of participant heterogeneity on resource dependence relationships and (b) the role of indirect influence pathways where stakeholders work through allies to manipulate the flow of resources to a firm