The effects of ethical behavior on the profitability of firms : a study of the Portuguese construction industry

• Autor(es): Vieira, Maria Ermelinda Rendeiro
• Data: 2013
• Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/1128
• Origem: IC-online
• Assunto(s): Ethics; Corporate social responsibility; Profitability; Construction
• Tipo de Documento: Dissertação de mestrado
• Idioma: Inglês
• Orientador(es): Marques, Tânia de Matos Gomes
• Contribuidor(es): IC-Online

Descrição

Dissertação de Mestrado em Negócios Internacionais apresentada à ESTG - Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestão do Instituto Politécnico de Leiria.

The main objective of this dissertation is to analyze the effects of ethical behavior on a firm’s financial profitability. Corporate social responsibility has been used as an indicator of ethical performance. After analyzing the financial indicators ROA and PM, from a sample of the twenty biggest civil construction companies in Portugal, between 2007 and 2011, we conclude that ROA is significantly related to a firm’s ethical performance. However, we did not find any statistical evidence that relates PM to ethical performance. Although the scores are very low on all CSR indexes, we can conclude that companies, who are exporting, seem to be more concerned with environmental issue than ethical issues. The top management in the civil construction should take a deeper look into their CSR activities, and should not neglect the impact social inactivity may have on their financial performance. Although, there are some examples to look up to, there is still a long way to go for the majority of companies in this industry. Limitations and recommendations for future research are provided at the end of this dissertation.