IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/bstrat/v30y2021i2p1080-1093.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The impact of direct environmental, social, and governance reporting: Empirical evidence in European‐listed companies in the agri‐food sector

Author

Listed:
  • Lavinia Conca
  • Francesco Manta
  • Domenico Morrone
  • Pierluigi Toma

Abstract

Companies are continuously pressured for the dissemination of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) information, because of the constant debate on the issue of corporate sustainability, considered a critical and very important topic for society; despite this pressure, ESG's disclosure practices vary considerably from company to company, both in quantity and quality. The study aims to address the issue and verify the effectiveness of ESG reporting through the influence that the ESG disclosure has on profitability and value of listed European agri‐food companies. The results obtained, studying a sample of 57 European‐listed companies (EU28) in the agri‐food sector observed in the period 2010–2018, show that the ESG disclosure practices of the companies impact corporate profitability; specifically, evidence is provided for the existence of a positive relationship between profitability and disclosure practices of strictly environmental and social information and a negative effect between company market value and disclosure practices relating to governance. These results suggest that greater transparency and accountability help to improve business profitability.

Suggested Citation

  • Lavinia Conca & Francesco Manta & Domenico Morrone & Pierluigi Toma, 2021. "The impact of direct environmental, social, and governance reporting: Empirical evidence in European‐listed companies in the agri‐food sector," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1080-1093, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:30:y:2021:i:2:p:1080-1093
    DOI: 10.1002/bse.2672
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2672
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/bse.2672?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Emiel Duuren & Auke Plantinga & Bert Scholtens, 2016. "ESG Integration and the Investment Management Process: Fundamental Investing Reinvented," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 138(3), pages 525-533, October.
    2. Edward Kassem & Oldřich Trenz & Jiří Hřebíček & Oldřich Faldík, 2017. "Sustainability Assessment and Reporting in Agriculture Sector," Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, Mendel University Press, vol. 65(4), pages 1359-1369.
    3. Shameek Konar & Mark A. Cohen, 2001. "Does The Market Value Environmental Performance?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(2), pages 281-289, May.
    4. Ross, R. Brent & Pandey, Vivek & Ross, Kara L., 2015. "Sustainability and Strategy in U.S. Agri-Food Firms: An Assessment of Current Practices," International Food and Agribusiness Management Review, International Food and Agribusiness Management Association, vol. 18(1), pages 1-32, February.
    5. Ioannis Ioannou & George Serafeim, 2012. "What drives corporate social performance? The role of nation-level institutions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(9), pages 834-864, December.
    6. Jaepil Choi & Heli Wang, 2009. "Stakeholder relations and the persistence of corporate financial performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(8), pages 895-907, August.
    7. Hausman, Jerry, 2015. "Specification tests in econometrics," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 38(2), pages 112-134.
    8. Tobin, James, 1969. "A General Equilibrium Approach to Monetary Theory," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 1(1), pages 15-29, February.
    9. Reena Aggarwal & Isil Erel & René Stulz & Rohan Williamson, 2010. "Differences in Governance Practices between U.S. and Foreign Firms: Measurement, Causes, and Consequences," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(3), pages 3131-3169, March.
    10. Andrew A. King & Michael J. Lenox, 2001. "Does It Really Pay to Be Green? An Empirical Study of Firm Environmental and Financial Performance: An Empirical Study of Firm Environmental and Financial Performance," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 5(1), pages 105-116, January.
    11. Yermack, David, 1996. "Higher market valuation of companies with a small board of directors," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 185-211, February.
    12. Elzahar, Hany & Hussainey, Khaled & Mazzi, Francesco & Tsalavoutas, Ioannis, 2015. "Economic consequences of key performance indicators' disclosure quality," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 96-112.
    13. Robert G. Eccles & George Serafeim & Michael P. Krzus, 2011. "Market Interest in Nonfinancial Information," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 23(4), pages 113-127, December.
    14. Robert G. Eccles & Michael P. Krzus & George Serafeim, 2011. "Market Interest in Nonfinancial Information," Harvard Business School Working Papers 12-018, Harvard Business School.
    15. White, Halbert, 1980. "A Heteroskedasticity-Consistent Covariance Matrix Estimator and a Direct Test for Heteroskedasticity," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(4), pages 817-838, May.
    16. Carmelo Reverte, 2009. "Determinants of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure Ratings by Spanish Listed Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 88(2), pages 351-366, August.
    17. Robert G. Eccles & Ioannis Ioannou & George Serafeim, 2014. "The Impact of Corporate Sustainability on Organizational Processes and Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 60(11), pages 2835-2857, November.
    18. Susie Ruqun Wu & Changliang Shao & Jiquan Chen, 2018. "Approaches on the Screening Methods for Materiality in Sustainability Reporting," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-16, September.
    19. Baron, David P., 2008. "Managerial contracting and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 92(1-2), pages 268-288, February.
    20. Guido Palazzo & Andreas Scherer, 2006. "Corporate Legitimacy as Deliberation: A Communicative Framework," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 66(1), pages 71-88, June.
    21. Baruch Lev & Christine Petrovits & Suresh Radhakrishnan, 2010. "Is doing good good for you? how corporate charitable contributions enhance revenue growth," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 182-200, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Veeravel, V & Murugesan, Vijaya Prabhagar & Narayanamurthy, Vijayakumar, 2024. "Does ESG disclosure really influence the firm performance? Evidence from India," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 193-202.
    2. Panitas Sureeyatanapas & Kanittha Yodprang & Viganda Varabuntoonvit, 2021. "Drivers, Barriers and Benefits of Product Carbon Footprinting: A State-of-the-Art Survey of Thai Manufacturers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-19, June.
    3. João Guerreiro & Mariana Pacheco, 2021. "How Green Trust, Consumer Brand Engagement and Green Word-of-Mouth Mediate Purchasing Intentions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-13, July.
    4. Rayenda Khresna Brahmana & Maria Kontesa, 2021. "Does clean technology weaken the environmental impact on the financial performance? Insight from global oil and gas companies," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 3411-3423, November.
    5. Mirela Cristea & Graţiela Georgiana Noja & Eleftherios Thalassinos & Daniel Cîrciumaru & Constantin Ștefan Ponea & Carmen Claudia Durău, 2022. "Environmental, Social and Governance Credentials of Agricultural Companies—The Interplay with Company Size," Resources, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-12, March.
    6. Remo-Diez, Nieves & Mendaña-Cuervo, Cristina & Arenas-Parra, Mar, 2023. "Exploring the asymmetric impact of sustainability reporting on financial performance in the utilities sector: A longitudinal comparative analysis," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    7. Kun‐Shan Wu & Bao‐Guang Chang, 2022. "The concave–convex effects of environmental, social and governance on high‐tech firm value: Quantile regression approach," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1527-1545, September.
    8. Clara Mehlhose & Antje Risius, 2021. "Assessing Label Frames and Emotional Primes in the Context of Animal Rearing—Response of an Explorative fNIRS Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-11, May.
    9. Sara Rajic & Vesna Đorđević & Igor Tomasevic & Ilija Djekic, 2022. "The role of food systems in achieving the sustainable development goals: Environmental perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 988-1001, March.
    10. Alaa Aldowaish & Jiro Kokuryo & Othman Almazyad & Hoe Chin Goi, 2022. "Environmental, Social, and Governance Integration into the Business Model: Literature Review and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-20, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Maria Baldini & Lorenzo Dal Maso & Giovanni Liberatore & Francesco Mazzi & Simone Terzani, 2018. "Role of Country- and Firm-Level Determinants in Environmental, Social, and Governance Disclosure," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 79-98, June.
    2. Misani, Nicola & Pogutz, Stefano, 2015. "Unraveling the effects of environmental outcomes and processes on financial performance: A non-linear approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 150-160.
    3. David Bendig & Andreas Wagner & Kevin Lau, 2023. "Does it pay to be science‐based green? The impact of science‐based emission‐reduction targets on corporate financial performance," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 27(1), pages 125-140, February.
    4. Lorenzo Dal Maso & Rodrigo Basco & Thomas Bassetti & Nicola Lattanzi, 2020. "Family ownership and environmental performance: The mediation effect of human resource practices," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1548-1562, March.
    5. Ioannis Ioannou & George Serafeim, 2015. "The impact of corporate social responsibility on investment recommendations: Analysts' perceptions and shifting institutional logics," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(7), pages 1053-1081, July.
    6. Kira R. Fabrizio & Eun-Hee Kim, 2019. "Reluctant Disclosure and Transparency: Evidence from Environmental Disclosures," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(6), pages 1207-1231, November.
    7. Jan Diebecker & Friedrich Sommer, 2017. "The impact of corporate sustainability performance on information asymmetry: the role of institutional differences," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 471-517, March.
    8. Guo, Jianan & Islam, Muhammad Azizul & Jain, Ameeta & van Staden, Chris J., 2022. "Civil liberties and social and environmental information transparency: A global investigation of financial institutions," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(1).
    9. Nazim Hussain & Ugo Rigoni & Elisa Cavezzali, 2018. "Does it pay to be sustainable? Looking inside the black box of the relationship between sustainability performance and financial performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(6), pages 1198-1211, November.
    10. Bruna, Maria Giuseppina & Đặng, Rey & Houanti, L'hocine & Sahut, Jean-Michel & Simioni, Michel, 2022. "By what way women on corporate boards influence corporate social performance? Evidence from a semiparametric panel model," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    11. Jordi A. Surroca & Ruth V. Aguilera & Kurt Desender & Josep A. Tribó, 2020. "Is managerial entrenchment always bad and corporate social responsibility always good? A cross‐national examination of their combined influence on shareholder value," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(5), pages 891-920, May.
    12. Giovanni Catello Landi & Francesca Iandolo & Antonio Renzi & Andrea Rey, 2022. "Embedding sustainability in risk management: The impact of environmental, social, and governance ratings on corporate financial risk," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 1096-1107, July.
    13. DasGupta, Ranjan & Roy, Arup, 2023. "Firm environmental, social, governance and financial performance relationship contradictions: Insights from institutional environment mediation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    14. Lorenzo Dal Maso & Giovanni Liberatore & Francesco Mazzi, 2017. "Value Relevance of Stakeholder Engagement: The Influence of National Culture," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(1), pages 44-56, January.
    15. Del Bosco, Barbara & Misani, Nicola, 2016. "The effect of cross-listing on the environmental, social, and governance performance of firms," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(6), pages 977-990.
    16. Annika Wahl & Michel Charifzadeh & Fabian Diefenbach, 2020. "Voluntary Adopters of Integrated Reporting – Evidence on Forecast Accuracy and Firm Value," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2542-2556, September.
    17. Remmer Sassen & Anne-Kathrin Hinze & Inga Hardeck, 2016. "Impact of ESG factors on firm risk in Europe," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 86(8), pages 867-904, November.
    18. Shaista Wasiuzzaman & Ali Uyar & Cemil Kuzey & Abdullah S. Karaman, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility: Is it a matter of slack financial resources or strategy or both?," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(6), pages 2444-2466, September.
    19. Ferrell, Allen & Liang, Hao & Renneboog, Luc, 2016. "Socially responsible firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(3), pages 585-606.
    20. Wong, Jin Boon & Zhang, Qin, 2022. "Stock market reactions to adverse ESG disclosure via media channels," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(1).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:bstrat:v:30:y:2021:i:2:p:1080-1093. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-0836 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.