This paper explores the certification of companies as B Corps from 2007 through 2016, the first 10 years of certification. B Corps are for profit companies that promise to “Be a Force for Good” in our society. Over 2600 companies in over 50 countries are certified as B Corps, responding to demands for higher accountability, ethical behavior, and contributions to their environment and community. We focus here only on B Corps in the United States and analyze a state-level database we have developed of 851 companies that became certified in the first 10 years of certification, between 2007 and 2016. In the paper we ask: What conditions in the macro environment facilitate the spread of B Corps certification? This paper uses the framework of resource dependence theory and institutional theory to explore the diffusion of certification. We hypothesize that institutional, economic, and political resources in the external environment provide conditions that support B Corps certification.

中文翻译：

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B军团认证的模式：制度，经济和政治资源的作用

本文探讨了从2007年到2016年（即认证的头10年）的B Corps公司的认证。B Corps是致力于在我们的社会中“成为力量的力量”的牟利公司。在超过50个国家/地区的2600多家公司获得了B Corps的认证，可以满足对更高责任制，道德行为及其对环境和社区做出贡献的需求。在这里，我们仅关注美国的B Corps，并分析我们开发的851家公司的州级数据库，这些公司在认证的前10年（即2007年至2016年）获得了认证。在本文中，我们要问：宏观环境促进B军团认证的传播？本文使用资源依赖理论和制度理论的框架来探讨认证的扩散。