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ESG Reporting and Analysts’ Recommendations in GCC: The Moderation Role of Royal Family Directors

Author

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  • Abdulsamad Alazzani

    (College of Business and Economics, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar)

  • Wan Nordin Wan-Hussin

    (Othman Yeop Abdullah Graduate School of Business, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Kedah 06010, Malaysia)

  • Michael Jones

    (School of Economics, Finance and Management, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TU, UK)

  • Ahmed Al-hadi

    (Faculty of Business and Law, School of Accounting, Curtin University, Perth U1987, Australia)

Abstract

This study examines whether financial analysts consider or incorporate the environmental, social and governance disclosures (thereafter ESG) in their recommendations. We then test whether royal family directors affect this relation. Using a dataset from six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, we find evidence that analysts’ recommendations are influenced by ESG information. Further, we find the political connection negatively moderates the relationship between sell-side analysts’ recommendations and ESG. This suggests that financial analysts may assess the ESG disclosure in those firms with the political connection of royalty, in GCC countries, as superficial compliance rather than a genuine commitment. Our results are robust when subjected to endogeneity tests.

Suggested Citation

  • Abdulsamad Alazzani & Wan Nordin Wan-Hussin & Michael Jones & Ahmed Al-hadi, 2021. "ESG Reporting and Analysts’ Recommendations in GCC: The Moderation Role of Royal Family Directors," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-21, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jjrfmx:v:14:y:2021:i:2:p:72-:d:495346
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    Cited by:

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    2. Kun Luo & Sirui Wu, 2022. "Corporate sustainability and analysts' earnings forecast accuracy: Evidence from environmental, social and governance ratings," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1465-1481, September.
    3. Hamzeh F. Assous, 2022. "Saudi Green Banks and Stock Return Volatility: GLE Algorithm and Neural Network Models," Economies, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-18, October.
    4. Sana Ben Hassine & Claude Francoeur, 2024. "Do Corporate Ethics Enhance Financial Analysts’ Behavior and Performance?," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-19, September.
    5. Khaled Khalaf Alafi, 2023. "The Impact of ESG on Strategic Success in Jordanian Islamic Banks," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 13(1), pages 1-10, January.
    6. Shuying Li & Yujie Liu & Yang Xu, 2022. "Does ESG Performance Improve the Quantity and Quality of Innovation? The Mediating Role of Internal Control Effectiveness and Analyst Coverage," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-25, December.
    7. Wan Nordin Wan-Hussin & Ameen Qasem & Norhani Aripin & Mohd Shazwan Mohd Ariffin, 2021. "Corporate Responsibility Disclosure, Information Environment and Analysts’ Recommendations: Evidence from Malaysia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-27, March.
    8. Lee, King Fuei, 2023. "The Role of Catering Incentives in ESG Disclosure," MPRA Paper 120930, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Mujeeb Saif Mohsen Al-Absy & Redhwan Al-Dhamari & Hamid Abdulkhaleq Hasan Al-Wesabi & Khaldoon Albitar, 2024. "Are country-level political uncertainty and power distance important to the CSR-audit report lag nexus? Evidence from the GCC region," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 483-515, July.

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