The applicability of resource dependence theory and institutional theory to voluntary, beyond compliance occupational health and safety programs

The present study examines the development of corporate social responsibility, stakeholder theory, resource dependence theory, and institutional theory relative to company involvement in an important voluntary, governmentally sanctioned safety program. The study is based on the premise that companies engage in beyond compliance safety programs as a strategy to manage the expression of resource control power on the part of powerful stakeholders. This dissertation subsequently argues that companies that participate in a well-known, beyond compliance safety program (that goes by the acronym VPP), do so due to the value of participation as a means of influencing expressions of power on the part of various stakeholder groups. This study includes both a quantitative association study (using industry as the unit of analysis), and a qualitative case study in order to triangulate on the research question. The findings of both suggest that organizations do participate in programs such as these, at least in part, in an effort to manage the exercise of resource control power on the part of powerful stakeholders. In addition, post-hoc arguments are made suggesting the perceived return on investment from participating in programs like VPP varies between industries. Industries where perceived ROI from participation would be low are less likely to participate.