Date of Conferral

2016

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Management

Advisor

Ronald Black

Abstract

Business leaders lack consistent information to make and support strategic budgetary decisions while supporting corporate social responsibility initiatives. Grounded in stakeholder and contract theory, this correlation study examined the relationship between Fortune reputation scores and return on asset, return on equity, and earnings per share, while controlling for total assets. Archival data were collected from 25 corporate websites of U.S. banks included in Fortune Most Admired Companies listing from 2011 to 2013. For 2011 there was a moderate positive partial correlation between Fortune reputation index (FRI) and return on equity (ROE) while controlling for total assets, r = .47, p < .05, with higher levels of FRI associated with higher levels of ROE. For 2012 there was a moderate positive partial correlation between FRI and ROE while controlling for total assets, r = .48, p < .05, with higher levels of FRI associated with higher levels of ROE. Correspondingly, there was a moderate positive partial correlation between FRI and EPS, r = .56, p < 0.5 with higher levels of FRI associated with higher levels of ROE in 2012. For 2013, there was also a moderate positive, but not statistically significant, partial correlation between FRI and EPS, r = .41, p > .05, with higher levels of FRI associated with higher levels of EPS. The implications for positive social change include greater support for socially responsible business strategies to promote sustainability and more business leaders promoting the provision of social benefits for stakeholders.

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