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The Effect of Independent Director Reputation Incentives on Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from China

Author

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  • Lei Yu

    (Business School, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, No.301 Baosheng Avenue, Chongqing 401120, China)

  • Daojuan Wang

    (Department of Business and Management, Aalborg University, Room 52, Fibigerstræde 4, 9220 Aalborg East, Denmark)

  • Qi Wang

    (Business School, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, No.301 Baosheng Avenue, Chongqing 401120, China)

Abstract

This paper examines the effect of independent director reputation incentives on corporate social responsibility (CSR). Using an unbalanced panel of 3765 Chinese-listed firms between 2009 and 2014, this study suggests that independent director reputation incentives improve CSR. Furthermore, it is found that this effect is more pronounced in non-state-owned enterprises (non-SOEs) than in state-owned enterprises (SOEs). In addition, our results also show that the effect of independent director reputation incentives on CSR is moderated by firm size, and this effect is much stronger in relatively larger firms. Together, these results suggest that reputation is an effective mechanism that can motivate independent directors to fulfill their role of monitoring and advising CSR, especially in non-SOEs and relatively larger firms. We add new insights to the research on the topics of independent director system, protection of the stakeholders’ interests, and CSR enhancement.

Suggested Citation

  • Lei Yu & Daojuan Wang & Qi Wang, 2018. "The Effect of Independent Director Reputation Incentives on Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-15, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:9:p:3302-:d:170025
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    Cited by:

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    2. Jialing Wu & Daojuan Wang & Xiaoxia Fu & Weina Meng, 2023. "Antecedent Configurations of ESG Disclosure: Evidence from the Banking Sector in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-17, September.
    3. Shahid Ali & Junrui Zhang & Muhammad Usman & Farman Ullah Khan & Amir Ikram & Bilal Anwar, 2019. "Sub-National Institutional Contingencies and Corporate Social Responsibility Performance: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-21, October.
    4. Eunice S. Khoo & Youngdeok Lim & Louise Y. Lu & Gary S. Monroe, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility performance and the reputational incentives of independent directors," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(5-6), pages 841-881, May.
    5. HaiYan Yang & Daifei (Troy) Yao & Xin Qu, 2022. "How does independent directors’ reputation influence pay‐for‐performance? Evidence from China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(1), pages 959-1007, March.
    6. Le, Quyen & Vafaei, Alireza & Ahmed, Kamran & Kutubi, Shawgat, 2022. "Independent directors' reputation incentives and firm performance – an Australian perspective," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    7. Wenxiu Hu & Jinzhu Du & Weiguo Zhang, 2020. "Corporate Social Responsibility Information Disclosure and Innovation Sustainability: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-19, January.
    8. Han-Hsing Lee & Woan-lih Liang & Quynh-Nhu Tran & Quang-Thai Truong, 2024. "Do Old Board Directors Promote Corporate Social Responsibility?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 195(1), pages 67-93, November.
    9. Lai Van Vo & Huong Thi Thu Le & Youngbin Kim, 2023. "Board interlocks, career prospects and corporate social responsibility," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 63(4), pages 4565-4595, December.
    10. Shahid Ali & Junrui Zhang & Muhammad Usman & Muhammad Kaleem Khan & Farman Ullah Khan & Muhammad Abubakkar Siddique, 2020. "Do tournament incentives motivate chief executive officers to be socially responsible?," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 35(5), pages 597-619, February.
    11. Luis Manuel Cerdá Suárez & Jesús Perán López & Belén Cambronero Saiz, 2020. "The Influence of Heuristic judgments in Social Media on Corporate Reputation: A Study in Spanish Leader Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-17, February.
    12. Ma Zhong & Rong Xu & Xinyi Liao & Shuangli Zhang, 2019. "Do CSR Ratings Converge in China? A Comparison Between RKS and Hexun Scores," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-20, July.

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