Carbon performance, company financial performance, financial value, and transmission channel: an analysis of South African listed companies

Author(s):  
Fortune Ganda
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fortune Ganda

Abstract This article examines the influence of carbon performance on corporate financial performance and company financial value among South African listed firms for the period 2014 to 2018 using a two-step GMM panel process. The short-run findings show that carbon performance develops a positive and significant association with return on assets, firm value and Tobin’s Q. In the long run, the relationship between carbon performance and return on assets as well as firm value is significantly negative; however, the link with Tobin’s Q remains positively significant. Where carbon performance is employed as the dependent parameter, a positive, significant relationship is established with return on assets, firm value and Tobin’s Q in both the short and long run. The findings also demonstrate that carbon performance is a transmission channel whereby the debt-to-equity ratio, interest cover ratio, price to cash flow ratio and current ratio improve corporate financial performance and firm value in the long run. In the short run, the regression analysis frameworks produce mixed findings on whether carbon performance is a transmission channel. Policy recommendations are made based on the findings.


Author(s):  
Jonty Tshipa ◽  
Leon M. Brummer ◽  
Hendrik Wolmarans ◽  
Elda Du Toit

Background: Premised on agency, resource dependence and stewardship theories, the study investigates empirically the existence of industry nuances in the relationship between corporate governance and financial performance of companies listed in the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Aims: The main objective of the study is to understand the relationship between internal corporate governance and company performance from the perspective of three distinct economic periods, as well as industry nuances, cognisant of endogeneity issues. Setting: South Africa, as an emerging African market, offers an interesting research context in which the corporate governance and financial performance nexus can be examined empirically. Method: A sample of 90 companies from the five largest South African industries, covering a 13-year period from 2002 to 2014 (1170 firm-year observations) was examined with three estimation approaches. Results: Two key trends emerged from this study. First, the relationship between corporate governance and company performance differed from industry to industry. Second, the association between corporate governance and company performance also changes during steady and non-steady periods, which is an indication that the nexus is driven by the state of the global economy and the type of the industry. Conclusion: Evidence from the study suggests that companies should be allowed to optimise rather than maximise their corporate governance options. This finding questioned the approach of the recently published King IV Code of Good Corporate Governance, which requires Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed companies to ‘apply and explain’ as opposed to ‘apply or explain’ as pronounced by King III Code of Good Corporate Governance.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 421-438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theophilus S. Makiwane ◽  
Nirupa Padia

Following the release of the King III report on Corporate Governance for South Africa, which became effective in March 2010, South African companies are expected to embrace the concept of integrated reporting in terms of which they are required to provide details of their strategies, corporate governance, risk management processes, financial performance and sustainability. More importantly, companies need to show how these components of integrated reporting are linked to one another so that stakeholders can make informed decisions about such companies’ current performance as well as their ability to create and sustain value in the future. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the level of reporting by South African listed companies has improved since the release of the King III report. It was subsequently found that there have been some progress in this regard, but there is still much room for improvement if the objectives of integrated reporting are to be fully met.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 895-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fortune Ganda

Purpose This study aims to examine the impact of carbon performance on firm financial performance by using Republic of South Africa CDP company data from 2014 to 2015. Design/methodology/approach The study considered 63 companies on the Republic of South Africa CDP database. Content analysis was used to extract both carbon performance data and firm financial data. The data were analysed using panel data analysis and partial derivative approaches. Findings The findings indicate that carbon performance produces a positive relationship with return on equity (ROE) and return on sales (ROS). Conversely, it generates a negative relationship with return on investment (ROI) and market value added (MVA). Furthermore, the study highlights that carbon performance pays and that the relationship with financial performance (ROE, ROS, ROI and MVA) deepens as the corporate growth rate increases. Practical implications Companies that integrate carbon performance initiatives reap substantial financial gains, and this relationship is strengthened as the company’s growth rate increases. Originality/value The research questions and data collected from Republic of South African CDP firms are original and provide important evidence on the impact of carbon performance on firm financial indicators. Furthermore, many empirical studies focus on highly industrialised countries; this study examines this issue in the emerging South African economy which has experienced rapid growth of emissions in recent years. While most previous studies on the relationship between carbon performance and firm financial performance used a single class of corporate financial measures, this study used both accounting- and market-based indicators. It also investigated how firm growth moderates the association between carbon performance and diverse financial performance measures. Finally, pressure exerted by green stakeholders since the introduction of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange’s sustainability criteria in 2004, as well as government policies, has a profound impact on the South African business context; it is hence important to examine corporate environmental management activities in the context of the association between carbon performance and firm performance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darelle Groenewald ◽  
Jonathan Powell

Orientation: Companies are under ever-increasing pressure from both internal and external stakeholders to consider the environmental and social impacts of their operations and to mitigate these impacts. This necessitates an investigation into the effect of sustainability initiatives on the financial performance (FP) of a company.Research purpose: The study analysed the relationship between sustainability performance and FP in South African listed companies.Motivation for the study: Some South African listed companies acknowledge in their sustainability reports that there is a link between sustainability development and long-term shareholder value. This implies that FP is linked to sustainable development performance. This relationship has not been researched for South African listed companies and therefore needs to be investigated.Research design, approach and method: A similar research method was used as for an international study. Forty-five listed South African companies were selected as the sample. Their sustainable development reports were used for analysis. Data were analysed with the use of content and a canonical correlation analysis.Main findings: The results of the study revealed that an overall positive relationship exists between sustainability performance and FP. Practical implications: South African companies that have a high involvement and focus on specific sustainable development initiatives that are integrated into overall sustainable development strategy can deliver improved FP for the organisation and deliver long-term value to its shareholders.Contribution: Six sustainable development aspects were found to be significantly correlated with improved FP and if incorporated into a company’s sustainable development strategy can lead to increased successes.


Author(s):  
Chih-Yi Hsiao ◽  
Hao-Wei Chen

This study focuses on a sample of Chinese listed companies from 2019 to 2020 to explore the relationships among corporate social responsibility, financial constraints, and financial performance. In addition, we discuss five factors affecting financial constraints. We also analyze the types of enterprises that can improve their financial performance by implementing corporate social responsibility keeping in mind the factors that lead to a high degree of financial constraint. The results indicate that: 1. The degree of financial constraints has a negative and significant impact on financial performance; 2. There is a reverse relationship between the degree of financial constraints and the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility measures; 3. Enterprises with high financial constraints (due to lower financial slack and revenue growth rates) can significantly improve their financial performance through the implementation of effective corporate social responsibility programs. 4. Enterprises with high financial constraints, caused by financial slack and revenue growth rate, can significantly improve their financial performance by implementing corporate social responsibility programs.


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