Date Thesis Awarded

5-2020

Access Type

Honors Thesis -- Access Restricted On-Campus Only

Degree Name

Bachelors of Arts (BA)

Department

Government

Advisor

Marcus Holmes

Committee Members

Caitlin Brown

Bob Williams

Abstract

CEO activism is an exists within the relationship between the CEO and their stakeholders. Through a case study analysis, I seek to understand how a CEO’s motivations to engage in activism shape its delivery and structure. In the case of Apple CEO Tim Cook speaking out about the Indiana Religious Freedom Restoration Act, I find that Cook’s altruistic motivation to speak out publicly against the bill is indicative that the CEO activism was used as a tactical maneuver to influence stakeholders. In the case of BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, I find that Fink’s client-driven motivations to issue his annual letter to CEOs reveals that the activism was used as a tactical maneuver to respond to his stakeholders’ motivations. Through this study we see that the motivations behind the CEO activism largely contributes to the delivery of the activism itself.

Recommended Citation

DaBaldo, Clare, "Who's in Charge Here? How Motivations Shape Instances of CEO Activism" (2020). Undergraduate Honors Theses. William & Mary. Paper 1491.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/1491