Social Responsibility Beyond the Corporate: Executive Mental Accounting Across Sectoral and Issue Domains

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Razvan Lungeanu ◽  
Klaus Weber
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Business Elites ◽  
Environmental Programs ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Corporate Influence ◽  
Executive Officers ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Corporate Community

Business elites influence the allocation of resources to a range of causes related to the social good, such as to corporate community or environmental programs. We extend research on executive influence on corporate attention to alternative causes by showing how chief executive officers’ (CEOs’) engagement in two distinct institutional domains, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and independent foundation philanthropy, are interrelated. We draw on the psychology of moral accounting to refine the assumption of personal consistency prevalent in studies of executives’ corporate influence. Specifically, we show that executives use flexible means to realize an overall aspiration of doing good, resulting in divergent emphases in their CSR and philanthropic causes. Evidence comes from a panel of 677 corporations linked to 309 foundations through 1,109 CEOs during the period 2003–2011. CEOs compensated for deficits in their firms’ CSR record by joining the board of trustees of specific nonprofit foundations, but subsequently advanced divergent cause priorities in the corporation and the foundation. Our work suggests that studies of CSR and of executive influence on organizations benefit from taking into account executives’ cross-domain engagement.

Do tournament incentives motivate chief executive officers to be socially responsible?

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 597-619
Author(s):  
Shahid Ali ◽  
Junrui Zhang ◽  
Muhammad Usman ◽  
Muhammad Kaleem Khan ◽  
Farman Ullah Khan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Least Squares ◽  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Tournament Theory ◽  
Executive Officers

Purpose This study aims to investigate the question concerning whether tournament incentives motivate chief executive officers (CEOs) to be socially responsible. Design/methodology/approach Data from all A-share Chinese companies listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges for the period from 2010 to 2015 are used. To draw inferences from the data, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and cluster OLS are used as a baseline methodology. To control for the possible issue of endogeneity, firm-fixed-effects regression, two-stage least squares regression and propensity score matching are used. Findings A reliable evidence is found that tournament incentives motivate CEOs to be more socially responsible. Additional analysis reveals that the positive effect of CEO tournament incentives on corporate social responsibility performance (CSRP) is more pronounced in state-owned firms than it is in non-state-owned firms. The study’s findings are consistent with tournament theory and the conventional wisdom hypothesis, which proposes that better incentives lead to competitiveness, which improves financial and social performance. Practical implications The study’s findings have implications for companies and regulators who wish to enhance CSRP by giving tournament incentives to top managers. Investment in social responsibility may reduce the conflict between executives and employees and improve the corporate culture. Originality/value This study contributes to the existing literature by providing the first evidence that CEOs’ tournament incentives play a vital role in CSRP. The study’s findings contribute to tournament theory.

scholarly journals CSR categories and R&D investment: the moderating role of Managerial emotional intelligence

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferdaws Ezzi ◽  
Anis Jarboui ◽  
Rim Zouari-Hadiji
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Intelligence ◽  
Corporate Social Responsibility ◽  
Social Responsibility ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Chief Executive Officer ◽  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Least Squares Method ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Corporate Social

AbstractThe purpose of this paper was to determine the important role of Chief Executive Officer emotional intelligence to explain the interaction relationship between research and development investment and corporate social responsibility categories. This research relied on the completion of a questionnaire type inquiry structured around the table-based analysis. The questionnaire was sent out to a large sample of Tunisian firms’ Chief Executive Officer. The results of the 96 valid responses were entered for analysis by the partial least squares method. They show the significant effect of Chief Executive Officers’ emotional intelligence on the relation between corporate social responsibility categories (customer, employee, community, territory and environment) and research and development investment. In addition, the Chief Executive Officer emotional intelligence provided explanations into research and development investment for the corporate social responsibility problems in Tunisia. Firstly, this study emphasized the important role of research and development investment in the corporate social responsibility categories. Secondly, a new data analysis method “decision-tree” was applied to estimate the moderating effects of managerial emotional intelligence on the CSR – R&D relationship.

Do CEOs get rewarded for CSR activities in the director labor market?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee M. Dunham ◽  
Tirimba Obonyo ◽  
Sijing Wei
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Corporate Board ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Director ◽  
Executive Officers ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Csr Engagement

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine if Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are rewarded or punished in the corporate director labor market for engaging in corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities.Design/methodology/approachThe authors empirically examine the relation between CEOs' CSR engagement and their corporate board appointments in retirement using logit, ordinary least squares (OLS) and Poisson regression models.FindingsResults indicate that CSR engagement has significant director labor market consequences for retiring CEOs. Specifically, CSR engagement has a favorable impact on the ability of retired CEOs to obtain board seats and board seats at larger firms generally associated with higher pay, even after controlling for firm performance and other determinants previously documented to explain director selection. The authors also find evidence that CEOs of firms with high CSR engagement build up their firms' CSR scores over time as they approach retirement, which is consistent with the labor market for directors providing incentives to attract CEOs to board service in retirement.Originality/valueBy examining the relationship between a CEO's CSR engagement and their external corporate board directorships, this paper advances the understanding of the determinants of corporate board appointments. Further, while most prior research assesses the value of CSR engagement by looking at the relation between CSR engagement and that firm's performance, this is the first study to our knowledge to look outside the firm to determine if CSR engagement has value to the CEO.

scholarly journals Examining CEOs’ Moral Reasoning in the Automotive Industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (21) ◽  
pp. 5972
Author(s):  
Beatriz García-Ortega ◽  
Blanca de-Miguel-Molina ◽  
Javier Galán-Cubillo
Keyword(s):  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Automotive Industry ◽  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Ethical Behaviors ◽  
Ethical Performance ◽  
Tone At The Top ◽  
Executive Officers ◽  
Corporate Social

This paper examines the moral reasoning trends of CEOs (chief executive officers) in the automotive industry, gauging their relations to ethical behaviors and scandals as well as analyzing the influence of scandals and other factors on their moral reasoning. For such a purpose, we carried out a moral reasoning categorization for the top 15 automotive companies in vehicle production in 2017 by applying Weber’s method to letters written by CEOs for the period 2013–2018. A positive global trend was observed, with some CEOs reaching high levels, although the evolution was uneven without clear patterns and, in the light of facts, not sufficient, at least in the short term. We also found evidence linking the moral reasoning stages with the ethical performance of companies and introduced the concept “tone ‘into’ the top”, reflecting how CEO moral reasoning can be shaped by the company and external factors. This paper stresses the importance of considering the moral tone at the top in relation to company ethical behaviors and the interest of education in business ethics. The outcome is useful for CEOs and other managers seeking to improve corporate social responsibility (CSR) and company ethical performance and to anticipate conflicts as well as to leverage for future research.

On the linkage between CEOs’ statements and CSR reporting: an analysis of visuals and verbal texts

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Majid Khan ◽  
Rahizah Binti Sulaiman
Keyword(s):  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Annual Reports ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Reporting Practices ◽  
Csr Reporting ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Words And Images ◽  
Executive Officers ◽  
Corporate Social

Purpose Research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting highlights an increasing lack of transparency in the information reported along with concerns surrounding overall reporting practices. One area that needs exploration is how chief executive officers (CEOs) convey messages in relation to CSR. This paper aims to investigate the linkage between CEO’s statements (words and images) in relation to CSR and the performativity of such communication. Design/methodology/approach The study analysed CEOs statements from five Malaysian companies contained in 2016, 2017 and 2018 standalone sustainability and annual reports. The texts and visuals are analysed by using discourse analysis. Findings The findings uncover three main discourses (economic, environmental and social) along with other discourses (achievements and recognition and challenges). The texts and images are found to be lacking in clarity and consistency and in many ways leave the stakeholders to make their own conclusions about the reported information. Originality/value The research indicates that while the leaders can be more direct to their stakeholders, however, the opportunity is not always capitalised. Overall, the analysis suggests an increasing scientism in CEOs messaging in relation to CSR as a tool to enhance perceived accountability of the business. The study also suggests avenues for improvement. This paper contributes to the emergence of different types of discourses that are being upheld by CEOs in their statements on CSR in Malaysian context. The discourses identified provide interesting insights into how CSR is perceived by the leaders.

scholarly journals Ruthless Exploiters or Ethical Guardians of the Workforce? Powerful CEOs and their Impact on Workplace Safety and Health

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesper Haga ◽  
Fredrik Huhtamäki ◽  
Dennis Sundvik
Keyword(s):  
Chief Executive Officers ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Workplace Safety ◽  
Ceo Power ◽  
Workplace Injuries ◽  
Private Benefit ◽  
Safety And Health ◽  
Executive Officers ◽  
Corporate Social ◽  
Practical Implications

AbstractThe allocation of resources among different stakeholders is an ethical dilemma for chief executive officers (CEOs). In this study, we investigate the association between CEO power and workplace injuries and illnesses. We use an establishment-level dataset comprising 31,924 establishment-year observations between 2002 and 2011. Our main result shows that employees at firms with structurally powerful CEOs experience fewer workplace injuries and illnesses and days away from work. We reason that CEOs derive a private benefit from low injury and illness rates and that powerful CEOs are better at influencing employees to take workplace safety and health seriously. Additional analyses reveal fewer injuries and illnesses in firms led by CEOs with expertise power. However, increased injuries and illnesses were linked to firms controlled by CEOs with ownership power. Moreover, we find that structurally powerful CEOs mitigate injury and illness differences in relation to geographical proximity to corporate headquarters. We contribute with both research and practical implications on the topics of CEO power and corporate social responsibility (CSR) in general and workplace safety and health in particular.

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