scholarly journals Corporate governance in Spanish savings banks and its relationship with financial and social performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 828-848 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Bachiller ◽  
Javier Garcia-Lacalle

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present empirical evidence about relationships between the corporate governance (CG) mechanisms of the Spanish savings banks, their financial and social performance and their profitability prior to their collapse. Design/methodology/approach The authors use a structural equation model (SEM), taking the return on assets as the dependent variable, and CG, corporate social responsibility and efficiency as explanatory constructs. SEM methodology provides interesting features that allows a better definition of some organisational characteristics. Findings Results indicate that CG characteristics, including the politicisation of governance bodies, did not affect the financial performance. The size of the board of directors had a significant influence on social responsibility. In addition, results suggest that the whole board focused on social issues, whereas non-executive members were less concerned about economic issues. Greater money allocation to social welfare programmes resulted in higher profitability, which can be explained by competitive advantages, reputation and customer satisfaction. Social implications Nowadays, some political parties demand either for the creation of a public banking sector or banks with social goals. This paper provides interesting insights into the debate. Originality/value The influence of personal attributes of board members on performance needs to be analysed in greater depth in the non-profit sector. The SEM methodology allows us to include some board attributes and performance dimensions in a better way than with other methodologies.

2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-249
Author(s):  
Evans Asante Boadi ◽  
Zheng He ◽  
Eric Kofi Boadi ◽  
Josephine Bosompem ◽  
Philip Avornyo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to draw on affect social exchange theory and related literature to develop and test a research model linking employees’ perception of corporate social responsibility (CSR) to their outcomes [performance and organisational pride (ORP)] with moderating variables: perceived work motivation patterns (autonomous and controlled motivation) to sustain firm’s operations through their employees. Design/methodology/approach The authors used Ghana as a case for this study due to recent turbulences in the banking sector of Ghana. A sample data of 244 subordinate/supervisor dyads from rural and community banks was collected with a time-lagged technique and analysed through a structural equation modelling for this study. Findings These employee’s perceptions of CSR positively related to their performance and ORP. Autonomous motivated employees had a stronger positive moderated impact on perceived CSR-Performance link whereas controlled motivated employees recorded a stronger impact on perceived CSR-ORP link. Practical implications Based on these results, managers and human resource (HR) professionals can aim at acquiring favourable employees’ perception of their firms’ CSR initiatives. In that, it can help firms to remain in business particularly in difficult times. Also, autonomous and controlled motivators may seem inversely related, however, they are not contradictory to each other. Both can coexist within a firm and it is crucial that HR professionals and managers endeavour to balance them discreetly to attain organisational goals. Originality/value Despite the growing interest in CSR across continents, CSR outcomes on employees among small and medium scale firms especially in Africa has fairly been toned-down by respective management of firms, governments and researchers.


2018 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 277-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Alhouti ◽  
Giles D’Souza

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to determine how consumers benefit from corporate social responsibility (CSR) and whether spiritual benefits are a stronger outcome of CSR. Design/methodology/approach Items for values are developed and tested prior to their inclusion in an experiment that manipulates the presence and absence of CSR. A structural equation model is used to test the mediation effect of perceived value on the relationship between CSR and consumer outcomes. A chi-square test is used to compare the magnitude of the significant effects. Findings CSR influences spiritual, status, efficiency and aesthetic benefits equally. Spiritual benefits is a stronger predictor of attitude and personal satisfaction than efficiency and status benefits. Originality/value Conceptual and qualitative findings in the literature demonstrate that CSR is associated with spiritual benefits. This study quantitatively tests not only how CSR influences various benefits but also how those effects compare to the relationship between CSR and spiritual benefits. The examination of the effect of CSR benefits on consumer outcomes reveals that the types of benefits do not have identical effects.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 128-146 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Pérez ◽  
Ignacio Rodríguez del Bosque

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the moderating role of six personal traits in a causal model to study how customers’ perceptions of corporate social responsibility (CSR) influence their affective and behavioural responses to companies. Design/methodology/approach A structural equation model is tested in a sample of 1,124 banking service customers in Spain. Based on this model, a multisampling analysis is implemented to determine how gender, age, educational level, CSR support, collectivism and novelty seeking moderate customer responses to CSR perceptions. Findings The findings show that customer responses to CSR perceptions are consistently moderated by gender, age and CSR support. Men, people aged over 45 and highly supportive customers respond to CSR perceptions more positively than women, younger people and customers exhibiting a low level of CSR support. The findings concerning educational level and novelty seeking are less conclusive. Collectivism does not influence customer responses to CSR perceptions to any significant extent. Thus, the findings suggest that gender, age and CSR support are the most useful variables to segment the market to adapt CSR and communication strategies. Originality/value Previous literature has mostly focussed on identifying the personal traits that differentiate socially oriented customers from others. Thus, this paper contributes to previous literature by exploring the role customers’ personal traits play in the identification of differences in customers’ responses to their perceptions of the CSR implemented by companies that sell traditional services, such as banking services.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lihong Song ◽  
Qiang Liang ◽  
Yuan Lu ◽  
Xinchun Li

Purpose Based on the stakeholder theory, this study aims to investigate Chinese entrepreneurial firms’ selective satisfaction of Stakeholder demands on corporate social performance (CSP). Design/methodology/approach This study uses the survey data from privately owned companies in China, which is collected by the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce in three years of 2006, 2008 and 2010. Findings This paper suggests a contingency model of CSP: entrepreneurial firms selectively perform corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues rather than all CSP dimensions. Furthermore, this study illustrates that international operations, such as overseas exports, would strengthen the above positive relationships between foreign ownership and selected CSR issues. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of CSR activities in Chinese entrepreneurial firms, which are more selective when performing social issues. In addition to the theoretical contribution, this work suggests a contingency model to the stakeholder theory, indicating the moderating factors to the entrepreneurial firms’ motivation to perform specific social responsibilities.


2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 609-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nazha Gali ◽  
Dima Hajjar ◽  
Ibrahim Jamali

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the contrasting views of banks and banking authorities in Lebanon regarding the corporate governance (CG) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) nexus. Design/methodology/approach Using survey responses collected from the managers of five Lebanese banks and banking authorities, the authors conduct a qualitative comparative study of the opinions on CG, CSR and CG–CSR nexus. Findings The findings of this paper reveal that while a CG culture is well-instituted by the authorities and that some forms of CSR are already practiced by banks, disagreements exist between the Lebanese banks and banking authorities in defining the CG–CSR nexus. While CG is viewed as an all-encompassing concept by the banking authorities, most banks ascribe to the paradigm that CG is component of CSR. Research limitations/implications The sample of this paper consists of large banks that have clear CG and CSR agendas. The results, therefore, cannot be generalized for the wider population of Lebanese companies that are characterized by family ownership and non-separation of ownership and control. Practical implications This paper informs both managers and policymakers on the differing views of the CSR–CG nexus while also contributing to informing the policy dialogue. Theoretically, this paper sheds light on the CG–CSR nexus in a developing country context. Originality/value There is a paucity of research on the CG–CSR nexus in the context of developing countries and for the banking sector in specific. This paper aims to address the gap in the literature by providing an in-depth qualitative examination of the CG, CSR and the CG–CSR nexus in the context of the Lebanese banking sector.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 1367-1385 ◽  
Author(s):  
José Manuel García-Gallego ◽  
Antonio Chamorro Mera

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study how variables such as the region’s overall image, the perceived quality of its financial entities, and consumer ethnocentrism affect the intention to choose regional banks. Special attention is paid to the moderating role played by familiarity. Design/methodology/approach A structural equation model was used with a survey of 427 bank customers. Findings The results show direct and indirect effects of regional image, perceived quality of regional banks and consumer ethnocentrism on the intention to choose regional banks. The moderating effect of familiarity is not confirmed. Practical implications The financial crisis experienced in southern European countries has forced them to carry out a restructuring of the banking sector based on mergers that provide greater solvency and stability. In Spain, this has meant small regional banks merging with each other to form larger national banks. This involves a loss of their regional identity and a change in their positioning to date. It is interesting to understand the value to customers of the regional attribute when choosing a bank and the possible consequences of merging with other banks. Originality/value Globalisation has made origin an attractive attribute that can be used to differentiate products. However, there are still gaps in this field, especially in relation to region-of-origin (ROO) and the influence of certain moderating variables on this effect. This paper sheds some light on the study of the ROO effect in the financial sector, a field that is still relatively unexplored in this context.


2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Carlos Aranda Ruiviejo ◽  
Eva Maria Sotomayor Morales

Purpose – This paper aims to analyze the degree of implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) policies in the Spanish financial system. Design/methodology/approach – The study includes nine entities within the same organizational field to explore the pressure mechanisms that can affect the behavior of organizations. Findings – It concludes that the strategic nature of CSR is limited by the highly institutionalized character of this practice, a fact that causes isomorphic social structures among the approaches to responsibility of diverse entities. Originality/value – The results obtained are of great value to those responsible for the management bodies, as they show evidence of the need for a new approach to corporate governance policies if it is to achieve a competitive advantage in the industry, especially in the case of savings banks, where social work can play a fundamental role.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Łukasz Matuszak ◽  
Ewa Różańska ◽  
Małgorzata Macuda

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent and trend of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting in commercial banks in Poland and examine the link between corporate governance characteristics, namely size of the bank, ownership, boards size, board diversity and CSR disclosures in the banks. Design/methodology/approach The annual reports and CSR reports of the banks were examined between 2008 and 2015 using content analysis and panel data analysis. Findings The results indicate that banks improved their CSR reporting practices during examined period. There are statistically significant differences in the level of CSR disclosures between banks with a different ownership structure. Both foreign majority shareholder group as well as state majority shareholder group have a positive influence on CSR as compared with Polish majority shareholder (PMS) group (excluding State). Moreover, being listed on stock exchange has a positive influence on CSR as compared with not being listed. Further, the results also revealed that there is a significant positive effect of almost all variables related to the management board, namely, size, female board leadership and foreign board members on CSR disclosure, whereas all supervisory board variables and all considered ownership variables have no statistically significant impact on CSR disclosure. Originality/value This research contributes to the existing literature because the banking sector is often excluded from CSR studies due to its specific legal regulations and seemingly little environmental impact. Moreover, there are only few studies analysing the effect of boards characteristics on the banks CSR disclosure, especially in emerging countries. This study is also the first of this kind focusing on the two-tier system. Furthermore, the study provides the instrument to measure CSR in the banking industry. Finally, the research stresses the crucial implications for banking sector, shareholders and regulatory bodies.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francisco José López-Arceiz ◽  
Ana José Bellostas Pérezgrueso ◽  
María Pilar Rivera Torres

Purpose Social economy organizations (SEOs) are a hybrid model where relations with stakeholders are managed using transparency mechanisms. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role that online accessibility (which is understood to be a tool to implement transparency) has in raising financial resources and to assess its impact on economic and social achievements. Moreover, the authors study the interaction between online accessibility and external verification. Design/methodology/approach This study analyzes the behavior of 1,400 SEOs between 2009 and 2012 using a structural equation model and the MPLUS 7.4 software, which is based on covariance analysis. Findings The results show that transparency, which is understood as online accessibility, assists in raising financial resources and enhances SEO economic and social achievements. The authors also note that external verifications favor the economic achievements of SEOs but do not improve their social achievements. Research limitations/implications This research has two limitations: this study refers only to Spanish SEOs and no consensus exists on how to measure economic and social performance. Therefore, the conclusions should be considered with caution in other regulatory and cultural fields. The main implications of this work are the criteria the authors provide to help decision makers decide on the transparency model that SEOs should develop according to their management needs. Originality/value This study bridges a gap in the current research by increasing understanding of the role of accessibility as being the most important tool for an organization that strives to embody transparent behavior.


2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 490-507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nurlan Orazalin

Purpose This paper aims to explore the extent and nature of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting practices in the banking sector of Kazakhstan and investigates the effects of board characteristics on CSR disclosures in the given emerging economy. Design/methodology/approach Data on CSR disclosures were manually collected from annual reports of all commercial banks listed in the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) for the period 2010-2016. Financial data were obtained from audited financial statements available on bank websites and the Web page of the National Bank of Kazakhstan. Findings The empirical results reveal that board gender diversity has a positive influence on CSR reposting, while board size and board independence have no impact on the level of CSR disclosures. Furthermore, the results show that bank size and bank age are significant factors in the dissemination of CSR disclosures. Additionally, the findings suggest that banks with a share of foreign ownership disclose more extensive and transparent information on CSR activities than banks owned by local investors and state-owned banks. Originality/value The study provides evidence on the relationship between corporate governance and the level of CSR in the context of an emerging economy such as Kazakhstan, representing the Central Asian region. The study contributes to the current literature by focusing on the banking sector of Kazakhstan as a research context due to its substantial representation in the capital market of the given emerging economy.


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