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Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from the Role of the Largest Institutional Blockholders in the Korean Market

Author

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  • Daeheon Choi

    (College of Business Administration, Kookmin University, 77 Jeongneung-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02707, Korea)

  • Paul Moon Sub Choi

    (College of Business Administration, Ewha Womans University, 52 Ewhayeodae-gil, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03750, Korea)

  • Joung Hwa Choi

    (Department of Business Management, The State University of New York, 119-2 Songdo Moonhwa-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 21985, Korea)

  • Chune Young Chung

    (School of Business Administration, College of Business and Economics, Chung-Ang University, 84 Heukseok-ro, Dongjak-gu, Seoul 06974, Korea)

Abstract

This study investigates the monitoring effectiveness of the largest institutional blockholder in Korea, the Korean National Pension Service (KNPS), on firms’ engagement in corporate social responsibility (CSR). We use a large, unique sample from Korea, where the financial market is primarily characterized by chaebols . We show that lagged KNPS blockholdings do not significantly influence investee firms’ concurrent CSR indexes. This result indicates that even the largest institutional blockholder in Korea does not actively engage in firms’ CSR initiatives to enhance their long-term performance and prosperity. Overall, our results suggest that institutional investors should more actively serve as an effective corporate governance mechanism in emerging Asian markets, where companies aim to be profitable and long-term corporate governance is very important.

Suggested Citation

  • Daeheon Choi & Paul Moon Sub Choi & Joung Hwa Choi & Chune Young Chung, 2020. "Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility: Evidence from the Role of the Largest Institutional Blockholders in the Korean Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-15, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:4:p:1680-:d:324398
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    Cited by:

    1. Daeheon Choi & Chune Young Chung & Young-Eun Kim & Ye Jun Kim & Paul Moon Sub Choi, 2020. "Sustainable Corporate Ownership Structures and Earnings Management in the Vietnamese Stock Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-32, July.
    2. Paul Moon Sub Choi & Joung Hwa Choi & Chune Young Chung & Yun Joo An, 2020. "Corporate Governance and Capital Structure: Evidence from Sustainable Institutional Ownership," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-8, May.
    3. Shufeng(Simon) Xiao & Byung Il Park, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility: Organizational Strategy for Sustainable Growth," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-5, December.
    4. Patrick Velte, 2023. "Which institutional investors drive corporate sustainability? A systematic literature review," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 42-71, January.
    5. Artur F. Tomeczek, 2023. "The rise of the chaebol: A bibliometric analysis of business groups in South Korea," Papers 2306.08743, arXiv.org.
    6. Md. Rashidul Islam, 2024. "How to Achieve Financial Flexibility: the Role of Corporate Governance," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(2), pages 6541-6577, June.

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