10.2190/P2X9-81HU-J157-TPEU P2X981HUJ157TPEU 4 Perspectives on Environmental Protection: A Survey of the Executive Viewpoint 229 242 20020509 20020509 20020509 20020509 P2X981HUJ157TPEU.pdf http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?target=contribution&id=P2X981HUJ157TPEU 3 Asterios G. Kefalas Archie B. Carroll Department of Management, University of Georgia <p>Have business executives changed their attitudes over the past five years about the role of the federal government in the area of environmental protection? Do executives who once viewed conservationist groups as representing public opinion now perceive them merely as pressure groups seeking their own personal aims? Should environmental protection be taken into consideration even if it means slowing the introduction of new products, foregoing increased production, and reducing profits? What incentives do executives prefer for facilitating environmental protection by business?</p><p>Some interesting answers to the above questions were disclosed in a recent national survey of top level business executives. The survey was designed to probe executive opinions about these and other issues which have captivated business headlines and a large portion of managerial attention since the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) five years ago.</p> R. S. Diamond, What Business Thinks About the Environment, in <i>The Environment: A National Mission for the Seventies</i>, ed. by editors of <i>Fortune</i>, Harper and Row, New York, 1970. G. Hill, Pollution Funds Push Living Costs Up?, <i>Atlanta Journal</i>, November 28, 1974. L. Beman, Why Businesses Run Out of Capacity, <i>Fortune</i>, p. 270, May, 1974. J. Sheridan, Pollution Puzzle: Search for the Missing Pieces, <i>Industry Week</i>, pp. S-1 to S-16, December 4, 1972. Environment, Union Carbide's Big Cleanup <i>Job, Business Week</i>, p. 184, November 9, 1974. Environment, Donald Cook Takes on the Environmentalists, <i>Business Week</i>, pp. 66-77, October 26, 1974. <i>Business Week</i>, pp. 66-77, October 26, 1974. J. M. Crowley, Readers Report, <i>Business Week</i>, November 16, 1974. J. C. Leonard, Readers Report, <i>Business Week</i>, November 11, 1974.