IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i18p7730-d415583.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Relationship between Female Top Managers and Corporate Social Responsibility in China: The Moderating Role of the Marketization Level

Author

Listed:
  • Qianwen Lu

    (School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

  • Shouming Chen

    (School of Economics and Management, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

  • Peien Chen

    (Eli Broad College of Business, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA)

Abstract

This study links the gender diversity of the top management team (TMT) to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and examines the moderating role of the marketization level in their relationship. According to the token theory, females are “tokens” and have difficulty playing their roles when they are rare in groups, where their presence is used for providing legitimacy. Meanwhile, CSR is implemented to gain legitimacy. Therefore, we predicted that there was a negative relationship between female top managers and CSR, and that the marketization level positively moderated their relationship. The hypotheses were supported by the data from 17,032 manager-year observations of listed companies in China. The results indicated that the female top managers’ presence and CSR performance had the same function of gaining legitimacy. With limited resources, firms added females at the expense of decreasing investment in CSR when under the external pressure of increasing female top managers. Furthermore, this negative relationship was stronger in firms with a less-developed institutional environment because firms with weak institutions have strong incentives to find alternatives to fill the institutional void, which helps to gain access to resources and reduce transaction costs.

Suggested Citation

  • Qianwen Lu & Shouming Chen & Peien Chen, 2020. "The Relationship between Female Top Managers and Corporate Social Responsibility in China: The Moderating Role of the Marketization Level," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:18:p:7730-:d:415583
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/18/7730/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/18/7730/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jason Zhang & Hong Zhu & Hung-bin Ding, 2013. "Board Composition and Corporate Social Responsibility: An Empirical Investigation in the Post Sarbanes-Oxley Era," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(3), pages 381-392, May.
    2. Mariateresa Torchia & Andrea Calabrò & Morten Huse, 2011. "Women Directors on Corporate Boards: From Tokenism to Critical Mass," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(2), pages 299-317, August.
    3. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Separation of Ownership and Control," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 301-325, June.
    4. Jennifer M. Knippen & Wei Shen & Qi Zhu, 2019. "Limited progress? The effect of external pressure for board gender diversity on the increase of female directors," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(7), pages 1123-1150, July.
    5. Fan, Joseph P.H. & Wong, T.J. & Zhang, Tianyu, 2007. "Politically connected CEOs, corporate governance, and Post-IPO performance of China's newly partially privatized firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(2), pages 330-357, May.
    6. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    7. Marianne Bertrand & Antoinette Schoar, 2003. "Managing with Style: The Effect of Managers on Firm Policies," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(4), pages 1169-1208.
    8. Jeremy Galbreath, 2010. "Corporate governance practices that address climate change: an exploratory study," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(5), pages 335-350, July.
    9. Yuanyuan Hu & Shouming Chen & Yuexin Shao & Su Gao, 2018. "CSR and Firm Value: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    10. Kevin Hendry & Geoffrey C. Kiel, 2004. "The Role of the Board in Firm Strategy: integrating agency and organisational control perspectives," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(4), pages 500-520, October.
    11. Yuanyuan Hu & Shouming Chen & Jian Wang, 2018. "Managerial Humanistic Attention and CSR: Do Firm Characteristics Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, November.
    12. Stephen Bear & Noushi Rahman & Corinne Post, 2010. "The Impact of Board Diversity and Gender Composition on Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Reputation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 97(2), pages 207-221, December.
    13. Natalia Ortiz-de-Mandojana & Pratima Bansal, 2016. "The long-term benefits of organizational resilience through sustainable business practices," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(8), pages 1615-1631, August.
    14. Gao, Yongqiang, 2011. "Philanthropic disaster relief giving as a response to institutional pressure: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(12), pages 1377-1382.
    15. N. Craig Smith & David Rönnegard, 2016. "Shareholder Primacy, Corporate Social Responsibility, and the Role of Business Schools," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(3), pages 463-478, March.
    16. Liu, Yu & Wei, Zuobao & Xie, Feixue, 2014. "Do women directors improve firm performance in China?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 169-184.
    17. Jordi Surroca & Josep A. Tribó & Sandra Waddock, 2010. "Corporate responsibility and financial performance: the role of intangible resources," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 463-490, May.
    18. David Finegold & George S. Benson & David Hecht, 2007. "Corporate Boards and Company Performance: review of research in light of recent reforms," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(5), pages 865-878, September.
    19. 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.
    20. Gul, Ferdinand A. & Srinidhi, Bin & Ng, Anthony C., 2011. "Does board gender diversity improve the informativeness of stock prices?," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 314-338, April.
    21. Lo, Agnes W.Y. & Wong, Raymond M.K. & Firth, Michael, 2010. "Can corporate governance deter management from manipulating earnings? Evidence from related-party sales transactions in China," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(2), pages 225-235, April.
    22. Sadok El Ghoul & Omrane Guedhami & Yongtae Kim, 2017. "Country-level institutions, firm value, and the role of corporate social responsibility initiatives," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(3), pages 360-385, April.
    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. Feng Xiong & Yaxin Shao & Haotian Fan & Yi Xie, 2023. "Analysis of the Motivation behind Corporate Social Responsibility Based on the csQCA Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-29, July.
    2. Mariasole Bannò & Emilia Filippi & Sandro Trento, 2023. "Women in top echelon positions and their effects on sustainability: a review, synthesis and future research agenda," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 27(1), pages 181-251, March.
    3. Guo, Mengmeng & Wang, Huixin & Kuai, Yicheng, 2023. "Environmental regulation and green innovation: Evidence from heavily polluting firms in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).

    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. Ruijie Jin & Xu Jiang & Helen Wei Hu, 2023. "Internal and external CSR in China: How do women independent directors matter?," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 169-204, March.
    2. Paul B. McGuinness & João Paulo Vieito & Mingzhu Wang, 2020. "Proactive government intervention, board gender balance, and stakeholder engagement in China and Europe," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 37(3), pages 719-762, September.
    3. Nguyen, Thi Hong Hanh & Ntim, Collins G. & Malagila, John K., 2020. "Women on corporate boards and corporate financial and non-financial performance: A systematic literature review and future research agenda," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    4. Giovanna Campopiano & Patricia Gabaldón & Daniela Gimenez-Jimenez, 2023. "Women Directors and Corporate Social Performance: An Integrative Review of the Literature and a Future Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(3), pages 717-746, January.
    5. Pallab Kumar Biswas & Larelle Chapple & Helen Roberts & Kevin Stainback, 2023. "Board Gender Diversity and Women in Senior Management," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(1), pages 177-198, January.
    6. McGuinness, Paul B., 2021. "Board member age, stock seasoning and the evolution of capital structure in Chinese firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    7. McGuinness, Paul B. & Vieito, João Paulo & Wang, Mingzhu, 2017. "The role of board gender and foreign ownership in the CSR performance of Chinese listed firms," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 75-99.
    8. Laura Cabeza-García & Esther B. Brío & Carlos Rueda, 2021. "The moderating effect of innovation on the gender and performance relationship in the outset of the gender revolution," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 755-778, April.
    9. Rizwan Ali & Muhammad Safdar Sial & Talles Vianna Brugni & Jinsoo Hwang & Nguyen Vinh Khuong & Thai Hong Thuy Khanh, 2019. "Does CSR Moderate the Relationship between Corporate Governance and Chinese Firm’s Financial Performance? Evidence from the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.
    10. Walid Ben-Amar & Millicent Chang & Philip McIlkenny, 2017. "Board Gender Diversity and Corporate Response to Sustainability Initiatives: Evidence from the Carbon Disclosure Project," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(2), pages 369-383, May.
    11. Yunyi Li & Charl de Villiers & Lina Zixuan Li & Leye Li, 2022. "The moderating effect of board gender diversity on the relation between corporate social responsibility and firm value," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 33(1), pages 109-143, March.
    12. Francesco Gangi & Antonio Meles & Eugenio D'Angelo & Lucia Michela Daniele, 2019. "Sustainable development and corporate governance in the financial system: Are environmentally friendly banks less risky?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(3), pages 529-547, May.
    13. Luong, Hoa & Khedmati, Mehdi & Nguyen, Lan Anh & Nigmonov, Asror & Ovi, Nafisa Zabeen & Shams, Syed, 2023. "CEO-director ties and board gender diversity: US evidence," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    14. Jeremy Galbreath, 2016. "When do Board and Management Resources Complement Each Other? A Study of Effects on Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 281-292, June.
    15. Emmanuel Mensah & Christopher Boachie, 2023. "Corporate governance mechanisms and earnings management: The moderating role of female directors," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 2167290-216, December.
    16. Yongqiang Gao & Haibin Yang & Taïeb Hafsi, 2019. "Corporate giving and corporate financial performance: the S-curve relationship," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 687-713, September.
    17. Mohammad Jizi, 2017. "The Influence of Board Composition on Sustainable Development Disclosure," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(5), pages 640-655, July.
    18. Nekhili, Mehdi & Nagati, Haithem & Chtioui, Tawhid & Nekhili, Ali, 2017. "Gender-diverse board and the relevance of voluntary CSR reporting," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 81-100.
    19. Kara, Alper & Nanteza, Aziidah & Ozkan, Aydin & Yildiz, Yilmaz, 2022. "Board gender diversity and responsible banking during the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    20. Chauhan, Yogesh & Dey, Dipanjan Kumar, 2017. "Do female directors really add value in Indian firms?," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 42, pages 24-36.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:18:p:7730-:d:415583. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.