Is a firm’s financial risk associated with corporate social responsibility?

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (9) ◽  
pp. 2175-2199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Jui Hsu ◽  
Yu-Cheng Chen
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Financial Distress ◽  
Financial Risk ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Earnings Forecasts ◽  
Corporate Bond ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether socially responsible firms behave differently from other firms in terms of financial risk using US-based firms from 1991 to 2012. Design/methodology/approach – The authors used the KLD social performance rating scores as the measure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance and obtained an initial sample of 38,158 firm-year observations from 1991 to 2012. The authors obtained the monthly consensus earnings forecast for fiscal year one and the monthly dispersions for these earnings forecasts from I/B/E/S, and the bond spread from DataStream database. Specifically, the authors question whether firms that exhibit CSR obtain market approval to reduce financial risk, thereby providing investors and regulators with more reliable and transparent financial information, as opposed to firms that do not meet the same criteria. Findings – The authors find that social responsible firms usually perform better in terms of their credit ratings and have lower credit risk, in terms of loan spreads when compared to corporate bond spreads, and in terms of distance to default. The results control for various measurements for CSR and time periods, consider various CSR dimensions and components, and use alternative proxies to improve the quality of financial risk estimates. Originality/value – The findings demonstrate the importance of considering both positive and negative CSR performance. Positive CSR ratings are associated with reduced financial risk while negative CSR performance scores lead to increased financial distress. Investors respond to positive CSR ratings.

Do participants in the bond market care about corporate social responsibility? Evidence from China

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Hu ◽  
Wenbin Long ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Linzi Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Bond Market ◽  
Economic Consequences ◽  
Corporate Bond ◽  
Bond Pricing ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Market Participants ◽  
Risk Environments ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeUsing a sample of listed Chinese companies that issued bonds from 2010 to 2019, the authors empirically test the link between CSR and corporate bond pricing, and the mechanism and channels behind this link.Design/methodology/approachThis study systematically examines whether and how corporate social responsibility (CSR) affects the corporate bond market in China.FindingsFirms with better CSR have higher corporate bond credit ratings and lower corporate bond yield spreads. These associations remain stable in robustness checks, including checks that use regional typhoon disaster as an instrumental variable. The effects of CSR are more significant for firms with a worse information environment and for those operating in high-risk environments. Better CSR is associated with less earnings management, fewer financial restatements and less analyst forecast divergence. In addition, the effects of CSR are more pronounced after the 2013 market-oriented reform and when issuers are non-state-owned enterprises.Practical implicationsBecause market participants can incorporate firms' CSR into their decision-making, establishing an effective channel for communicating CSR between issuers and market participants will enhance the effects of CSR.Social implicationsResearchers need to attend to the mechanisms behind the link between CSR and corporate bond pricing, and to the characteristics of strong environmental contingency in emerging markets, specifically the periods and scenarios in which the effects of CSR change.Originality/valueThis study provides systemic evidence that CSR benefits corporate bond pricing through both informational and reputational channels and that the effects of CSR vary by time and firm. These findings enrich the literatures on both the economic consequences of CSR and the determinants of corporate bond pricing, and provide a plausible explanation for mixed findings on the effects of CSR in previous studies.

Corporate social responsibility and corporate payout policy: the impact of product market competition

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahbaz Sheikh
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Firm Performance ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Market Competition ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Product Markets ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate if and how firm performance in corporate social responsibility (CSR) is related to corporate payouts and how competition in product markets influences this relation.Design/methodology/approachLogit and Tobit regressions are used to estimate the relation between firm performance in CSR and corporate payouts.FindingsThe empirical results show that firm performance in CSR is positively related to the propensity and level of dividends, repurchases and total payouts (dividends plus repurchases). However, the positive relation between CSR performance and corporate payouts is significant only for firms that operate in low competition markets. In high competition markets, CSR performance does not seem to have any significant relation with corporate payouts.Research limitations/implicationsThis study uses MSCI social ratings data to measure net scores on CSR. There is no systematic conceptual reason for measuring social performance using MSCI social ratings. Future research should use other measures of social performance (e.g. Dow Jones Sustainability Index, Accountability Ratings and Global Reporting Initiative to estimate the relation between CSR and corporate payouts).Practical implicationsCSR firms are more likely to choose higher payouts when they operate in low competition markets.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the stream of research that evaluates the payout choices of CSR firms and competition in product markets. To the author's knowledge, this is the first study that documents the impact of market competition on the relation between firm performance in CSR and corporate payouts.

Systemic corporate social responsibility: micro-to-macro transitions, collective outcomes and self-regulation

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brent D. Beal ◽  
Cristina Neesham
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Corporate Citizenship ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Self Regulation ◽  
System Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Approaches ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to call attention to the need to revitalize the systemic nature of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and offer some suggestions about how this might be accomplished. The authors introduce the concept of systemic CSR and associate it with micro-to-macro transitions, the need to make systemic objectives explicit and the responsibility of system participants to regulate their behavior to contribute to these outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The authors comment, from a systemic perspective, on four different management approaches to CSR – shareholder value, corporate social performance, stakeholder theory and corporate citizenship. Three general systemic principles that participants can use as decision-making guides are a focus on value creation, ongoing assessment of collective outcomes and reflective engagement in the aggregation process. Findings The authors observe that businesses routinely demonstrate their ability to think in systemic terms in strategic contexts that require it. If businesses can address systemic issues in these contexts, then they can also apply systemic logic in furtherance of collective (or system-level) objectives. Originality/value The authors propose an approach to CSR that emphasizes micro-to-macro transitions, the need to make systemic objectives explicit and the responsibility of system participants to regulate their behavior to contribute to these desired objectives. Systemic CSR is unique in its explicit focus on the micro-to-macro transition (i.e. the process of aggregation), systemic objectives and the need to actively insource responsibility for contribution to the realization of those objectives.

Bridging the gap between corporate social responsibility performance and tax aggressiveness

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 825-855 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Ortas ◽  
Isabel Gallego-Álvarez
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Economic Sectors ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tax Aggressiveness ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThis paper addresses the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance as a potential mechanism for reducing firms' likelihood of engaging in tax aggressiveness (TAG). The paper also contributes to the existing literature by addressing the moderating effect of national cultures on the link between CSR performance and corporate TAG.Design/methodology/approachThe focus is placed on an unbalanced panel of 2,696 companies distributed in 30 countries and seven economic sectors over the period of 2002–2014.FindingsThe results provide support for those companies achieving high corporate social performance (CSP), corporate environmental performance (CEP) and corporate governance performance (CGP) being less likely to engage in aggressive tax practices. Finally, the results identify some national cultural dimensions moderating the link between disaggregated measures of CSR performance and firms' TAG.Research limitations/implicationsThe difficulty of accessing CSR and TAG data for non-listed companies could bias the data set towards a compliant company profile because of the higher visibility. In addition, the use of effective tax rates to examine firms' TAG should be interpreted with some caution.Practical implicationsThe paper's findings provide unique and useful information for company stakeholders and managers aiming to address the factors that enhance firms' incentives to engage in aggressive tax practices.Originality/valueThis paper addresses the multidimensional nature of CSR performance by analysing the links between CSP, CEP and CGP and corporations' TAG. Furthermore, the research addresses the way in which national culture moderates the links between disaggregated measures of CSR performance and corporate TAG.

CEO inside debt and corporate social responsibility

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 525-546
Author(s):  
Shahbaz Sheikh
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Employee Relations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Inside Debt ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the relation between incentives from CEO inside debt (deferred compensation and pension benefits) and corporate social responsibility (CSR).Design/methodology/approachInstrumental variable (IV-GMM) regressions are used to estimate the relation between CEO inside debt and CSR.FindingsThe results of this paper indicate that CEOs with large inside debt tend to invest more in CSR. Analysis of CSR strengths and concerns supports this finding and shows that CEO inside debt is significantly positively (negatively) associated with CSR strengths (concerns). Further tests indicate that CEO inside debt exerts a positive and significant effect on all five dimensions of social performance (diversity, community, product, employee relations and environment).Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study are based on US corporations. Future research should investigate if these results hold for firms in other countries in order to better our understanding of the relation between CEO inside debt and CSR.Practical implicationsCEOs use CSR as a risk management strategy to reduce corporate risk in order to protect the value of their inside debt.Social implicationsThe results in this paper provide a practical tool to boards of corporations to increase investment in CSR. The results suggest that boards can encourage CEOs to invest in CSR by increasing incentives from inside debt.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature that examines the relation between inside debt and CSR by showing that CEO inside debt exerts a positive impact on CSR.

scholarly journals Negative disclosures in corporate social responsibility reporting

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 319-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabine A. Einwiller ◽  
Craig E. Carroll
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Large Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThis study aims to reveal the quantity, quality and cultural differences of negative corporate social performance (CSP) disclosures in large firms' corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports. Firms are expected to be transparent about the impacts and outcomes of their CSP. A central aspect of transparency is balance, which means disclosing both positive and negative CSP.Design/methodology/approachContent analysis was applied to 75 CSR reports of large firms chosen from the Forbes Top 500 list. The firms belong to three cultural clusters: Anglo, Confucian Asia and Germanic/Nordic Europe.FindingsFirms made few negative CSP disclosures, yet the quantity of negative CSP disclosures varied among cultural clusters. Reports from Germanic/Nordic Europe showed the highest number of negative CSP disclosures, reports from Confucian Asia showed the lowest number and the Anglo cluster's number fell in between. The Asian firms communicated corrective actions more often than firms from the other clusters.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focused on negative CSP disclosures in the CSR reports – not omitting negative CSP. The practice of self-laudatory CSR communication decreases the likelihood that relevant stakeholders will believe what firms report about.Originality/valueStudies on the quality and quantity of negative disclosures are rare; by examining cultural differences, this study contributes to the limited body of knowledge.

Why Chinese entrepreneurial firms selectively perform corporate social responsibility issues?

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 272-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lihong Song ◽  
Qiang Liang ◽  
Yuan Lu ◽  
Xinchun Li
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Stakeholder Theory ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Entrepreneurial Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Contingency Model ◽  
Corporate Social

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.

The impact of corporate social responsibility on financial distress: empirical evidence

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Farooq ◽  
Amna Noor ◽  
Shahzadah Fahad Qureshi
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Financial Distress ◽  
Generalized Method Of Moments ◽  
Z Score ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Financial Firms ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The present study aims to explore the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the likelihood of financial distress for a sample of 139 Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) listed firms throughout 2008–2019. Design/methodology/approach Panel logistic regression (PLR) and the dynamic generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator are used to examine the impact of CSR on financial distress. The investment in CSR measures through a multidimensional financial approach which comprises the sum of the contribution made by the company in the form of charitable donation, employees’ welfare and research and development, whereas the Altman Z-score and ZM-Score are used as an indicator of financial distress. The higher the Z-score lower will be the probability of financial distress, whereas the higher ZM score shows a greater probability of financial distress risk. Findings The authors find a significant negative impact of CSR on financial distress in both PLR and GMM models. This finding is consistent with the stakeholder view of CSR, as an investment in CSR not only aligns the interest between shareholders and stakeholders but also mitigates the risk of financial distress as well. Research limitations/implications Like other studies, the present study is not free from limitations. First, financial firms skipped from the sample, although literature witnesses a lot of studies highlight the financial firms' commitment to achieving CSR goals. Second, financial distress occurs in different stages, the authors fail to establish linkage CSR engagements at different stages of CSR. In the future, researchers can make a valuable addition by covering these missing links in present studies. Practical implications The findings of this study provide more insight to corporate managers and investors about the association between the quality of investment in CSR and the degree of financial distress, concerning Pakistani firms. Furthermore, this study contributes to the existing literature by adding new evidence from developing countries such as Pakistan which are helpful for regulatory bodies and policymakers in the formulation of long-term CSR strategies to manage financial distress. Originality/value The study extends the body of existing literature on CSR and the likelihood of financial distress in Pakistan. The results suggest that policymakers may pay special attention to the quality of CSR while predicting corporate financial distress.

Investigating the relationship between director’s profile, board interlocks and corporate social responsibility

2015 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 553-570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hazar Ben Barka ◽  
Ali Dardour
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Board Of Directors ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Board Interlocks ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss a research model that presents three metrics of corporate social performance (CSP): board interlocks, director’s profile and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Design/methodology/approach – Based on social network theories, the authors argue the possible relationships between the three variables. The authors conduct the study on 255 directorships in the boards of 20 listed companies in France, which participate in Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) for 2010. Findings – The results show that director’s background and nationality diversity in the board are the most relevant attributes to discerning firms with high CSR scores. However, the relationship between board interlocks and CSR is not consistent. Some explanations are reported and discussed. Research limitations/implications – The research contributes to recognize the most influential variables in board composition for firms with high CSR scores, although it is based on a conceptual development and an explorative analysis. It could constitute the basis for future research which integrates modeling and multivariate analysis. Practical implications – Diversity in the board could be an effective tool to guide management for more CSR decisions. Social implications – The paper highlights the importance of diversifying the recruitment base when integrating new board members. This implies opening board networks to new profiles, in order to better meet stakeholders’ expectations regarding CSR. Originality/value – The paper contributes to board literature by highlighting the importance of combining individual attributes (director) with corporate ones (board of directors) to better assess the role of board of directors in the adoption of CSR’ practices.

The effect of corruption and culture on corporate social performance: an empirical study

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (8) ◽  
pp. 1071-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ben Kwame Agyei-Mensah ◽  
Samuel Buertey
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Corporate Social Performance ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Cultural Dimension ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Social

PurposeThe study aims to examine the simultaneous influence of corruption and culture on corporate social and environmental performance of selected companies.Design/methodology/approachTheoretical propositions on how corruption and culture influence corporate social responsibility performance were developed and empirically tested. Corruption is measured using Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index and Schwartz (2008) cultural dimension is used as a measure of culture. Descriptive analysis was performed to provide the background statistics of the variables examined. This was followed by regression analysis which forms the main data analysis.FindingsThe multiple regression analysis results indicated that corruption and two of the three cultural dimensions (embeddedness and Mastery) are significantly related to corporate social responsibility performance.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the corporate social responsibility literature by revealing that corruption and culture are key determinants of corporate social responsibility performance.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document