IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i6p2346-d333644.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the Impact of Sustainability on Corporate Financial Performance Using Discriminant Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Ayşe İrem Keskin

    (Department of Banking and Insurance, Faculty of Management, Kadir Has University, Cibali Mah. Kadir Has Cad. Fatih/İstanbul 34083, Turkey)

  • Banu Dincer

    (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Galatasaray University, Çırağan Cad. No:36, Ortaköy/İstanbul 34349, Turkey)

  • Caner Dincer

    (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Galatasaray University, Çırağan Cad. No:36, Ortaköy/İstanbul 34349, Turkey)

Abstract

The impact of sustainability on corporate financial performance has been an important subject of both academic and professional debate since the 1990s. However, there is a lack of consensus in the literature, and studies from developing countries remain scarce. Accordingly, this study uses discriminant analysis to shed light on the variables that discriminate between sustainable and non-sustainable companies using the companies included in Borsa Istanbul (BIST100) (Istanbul Stock Exchange) and the Borsa Istanbul Sustainability Index for a three-year period. Financial and market variables are used in the analysis. Financial variables include the return on equity (ROE), return on assets (ROA), leverage ratios, and company size. The analysis also incorporates market variables such as alpha, beta, volatility, earnings per share, and the price to book ratio. The results show that the relationship between sustainability and performance is significantly influenced by the company size, leverage, volatility, and price to book ratio. The large companies are considered to be more sustainable as their commitment is well recognized. In this way, they attract more investors. Therefore, their stock prices are less volatile and achieve a better price to book ratio. They obtain easy access to external financing compared to companies considered to be non-sustainable. Moreover, they are less volatile in the market and better valued by investors.

Suggested Citation

  • Ayşe İrem Keskin & Banu Dincer & Caner Dincer, 2020. "Exploring the Impact of Sustainability on Corporate Financial Performance Using Discriminant Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-14, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:6:p:2346-:d:333644
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/6/2346/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/6/2346/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sylvia Grewatsch & Ingo Kleindienst, 2017. "When Does It Pay to be Good? Moderators and Mediators in the Corporate Sustainability–Corporate Financial Performance Relationship: A Critical Review," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(2), pages 383-416, October.
    2. Li, Zhichuan & Minor, Dylan B. & Wang, Jun & Yu, Chong, 2019. "A learning curve of the market: Chasing alpha of socially responsible firms," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    3. Soytas, Mehmet Ali & Denizel, Meltem & Durak Usar, Damla, 2019. "Addressing endogeneity in the causal relationship between sustainability and financial performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 56-71.
    4. Carlos Lassala & Andreea Apetrei & Juan Sapena, 2017. "Sustainability Matter and Financial Performance of Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-16, August.
    5. Stephen Brammer & Chris Brooks & Stephen Pavelin, 2006. "Corporate Social Performance and Stock Returns: UK Evidence from Disaggregate Measures," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 35(3), pages 97-116, September.
    6. Jordi Surroca & Josep A. Tribó, 2008. "Managerial Entrenchment and Corporate Social Performance," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(5‐6), pages 748-789, June.
    7. Nizam, Esma & Ng, Adam & Dewandaru, Ginanjar & Nagayev, Ruslan & Nkoba, Malik Abdulrahman, 2019. "The impact of social and environmental sustainability on financial performance: A global analysis of the banking sector," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 35-53.
    8. Taryn De Mendonca & Yan Zhou, 2019. "What does targeting ecological sustainability mean for company financial performance?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(8), pages 1583-1593, December.
    9. Tobias Hahn & Frank Figge, 2011. "Beyond the Bounded Instrumentality in Current Corporate Sustainability Research: Toward an Inclusive Notion of Profitability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 104(3), pages 325-345, December.
    10. Ignacio Tamayo-Torres & Leopoldo Gutierrez-Gutierrez & Antonia Ruiz-Moreno, 2019. "Boosting sustainability and financial performance: the role of supply chain controversies," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(11), pages 3719-3734, June.
    11. Chan, Ricky Y.K., 2010. "Corporate environmentalism pursuit by foreign firms competing in China," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 80-92, January.
    12. Rajat Panwar & Erlend Nybakk & Eric Hansen & Jonatan Pinkse, 2017. "Does the Business Case Matter? The Effect of a Perceived Business Case on Small Firms’ Social Engagement," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(3), pages 597-608, September.
    13. Rosa Maria Dangelico & Pierpaolo Pontrandolfo, 2015. "Being ‘Green and Competitive’: The Impact of Environmental Actions and Collaborations on Firm Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(6), pages 413-430, September.
    14. Andreas Hoepner & Ioannis Oikonomou & Bert Scholtens & Michael Schröder, 2016. "The Effects of Corporate and Country Sustainability Characteristics on The Cost of Debt: An International Investigation," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1-2), pages 158-190, January.
    15. 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.
    16. Dan Wang & Taiwen Feng & Alan Lawton, 2017. "Linking Ethical Leadership with Firm Performance: A Multi-dimensional Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 145(1), pages 95-109, September.
    17. Feng Wei & Jiawei Lu & Yu Kong, 2017. "Research on Sustainability Financial Performance of Chinese Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-17, April.
    18. C. Trumpp & J. Endrikat & C. Zopf & E. Guenther, 2015. "Definition, Conceptualization, and Measurement of Corporate Environmental Performance: A Critical Examination of a Multidimensional Construct," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(2), pages 185-204, January.
    19. Supriti Mishra & Damodar Suar, 2010. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Influence Firm Performance of Indian Companies?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(4), pages 571-601, September.
    20. Denise M. Keele & Susan DeHart, 2011. "Partners of USEPA Climate Leaders: an Event Study on Stock Performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(8), pages 485-497, December.
    21. Isabel Gallego‐Álvarez & Isabel M. García‐Sánchez & Cléber da Silva Vieira, 2014. "Climate Change and Financial Performance in Times of Crisis," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(6), pages 361-374, September.
    22. Lei Wang & Steven Li & Simon Gao, 2014. "Do Greenhouse Gas Emissions Affect Financial Performance? – an Empirical Examination of Australian Public Firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(8), pages 505-519, December.
    23. Basil Al‐Najjar & Aspioni Anfimiadou, 2012. "Environmental Policies and Firm Value," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(1), pages 49-59, January.
    24. Hidemichi Fujii & Kazuyuki Iwata & Shinji Kaneko & Shunsuke Managi, 2013. "Corporate Environmental and Economic Performance of Japanese Manufacturing Firms: Empirical Study for Sustainable Development," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(3), pages 187-201, March.
    25. Michael L. Barnett & Robert M. Salomon, 2012. "Does it pay to be really good? addressing the shape of the relationship between social and financial performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(11), pages 1304-1320, November.
    26. Roll, Richard, 1984. "A Simple Implicit Measure of the Effective Bid-Ask Spread in an Efficient Market," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 39(4), pages 1127-1139, September.
    27. Horváthová, Eva, 2010. "Does environmental performance affect financial performance? A meta-analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(1), pages 52-59, November.
    28. Dragos Paun, 2017. "Sustainability and Financial Performance of Companies in the Energy Sector in Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-11, September.
    29. Frank Wiengarten & Chris K. Y. Lo & Jessie Y. K. Lam, 2017. "“How does Sustainability Leadership Affect Firm Performance? The Choices Associated with Appointing a Chief Officer of Corporate Social Responsibility”," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(3), pages 477-493, February.
    30. Raf Orens & Walter Aerts & Denis Cormier, 2010. "Web‐Based Non‐Financial Disclosure and Cost of Finance," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(9‐10), pages 1057-1093, November.
    31. James J. Cordeiro & Joseph Sarkis, 1997. "Environmental proactivism and firm performance: evidence from security analyst earnings forecasts," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 6(2), pages 104-114, May.
    32. Scholtens, Bert, 2008. "A note on the interaction between corporate social responsibility and financial performance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1-2), pages 46-55, December.
    33. Scott J. Callan & Janet M. Thomas, 2009. "Corporate financial performance and corporate social performance: an update and reinvestigation," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(2), pages 61-78, March.
    34. Rim Makni & Claude Francoeur & François Bellavance, 2009. "Causality Between Corporate Social Performance and Financial Performance: Evidence from Canadian Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 89(3), pages 409-422, October.
    35. Lei Wang & Brad Tuttle, 2014. "Using corporate social responsibility performance to evaluate financial disclosure credibility," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 44(5), pages 523-544, October.
    36. Alan Gregory & Julie Whittaker & Xiaojuan Yan, 2016. "Corporate Social Performance, Competitive Advantage, Earnings Persistence and Firm Value," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1-2), pages 3-30, January.
    37. Hannah Oh & John Bae & Sang-Joon Kim, 2017. "Can Sinful Firms Benefit from Advertising Their CSR Efforts? Adverse Effect of Advertising Sinful Firms’ CSR Engagements on Firm Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 143(4), pages 643-663, July.
    38. Karambu Kiende Gatimbu & Maurice Juma Ogada & Nancy Budambula & Samuel Kariuki, 2018. "Environmental sustainability and financial performance of the small‐scale tea processors in Kenya," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(8), pages 1765-1771, December.
    39. Maria J. Charlo & Ismael Moya & Ana M. Muñoz, 2015. "Sustainable Development and Corporate Financial Performance: A Study Based on the FTSE4Good IBEX Index," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(4), pages 277-288, May.
    40. Tafadzwa Mark Wasara & Fortune Ganda, 2019. "The Relationship between Corporate Sustainability Disclosure and Firm Financial Performance in Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Listed Mining Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-23, August.
    41. Marian Siminica & Liviu Craciun & Adina Dinu, 2015. "The Impact of Corporate Sustainability Strategies on the Financial Performance of Romanian Companies in the Context of Green Marketing," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 17(40), pages 994-994, August.
    42. M. López & Arminda Garcia & Lazaro Rodriguez, 2007. "Sustainable Development and Corporate Performance: A Study Based on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 75(3), pages 285-300, October.
    43. Junjie Wu & George Lodorfos & Aftab Dean & Georgios Gioulmpaxiotis, 2017. "The Market Performance of Socially Responsible Investment during Periods of the Economic Cycle – Illustrated Using the Case of FTSE," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 38(2), pages 238-251, March.
    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. Muhammad Azeem Qureshi & Fred H. Strønen & Marius Tyseng & Marius Urdal, 2020. "Sustainable Business in Norway: The Firm or the Industry Effect?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-13, April.
    2. Farida Saleem & C. Gopinath & Amira Khattak & Saiqa Saddiqa Qureshi & Alawiya Allui & Ahmad Adeel, 2020. "Corporate Environmentalism: An Emerging Economy Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-17, August.
    3. Bruna, Maria Giuseppina & Loprevite, Salvatore & Raucci, Domenico & Ricca, Bruno & Rupo, Daniela, 2022. "Investigating the marginal impact of ESG results on corporate financial performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    4. 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.
    5. Marcela Korenkova & Milan Maros & Michal Levicky & Milan Fila, 2020. "Consumer Perception of Modern and Traditional Forms of Advertising," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-25, November.
    6. Bruno Ricca & Massimiliano Ferrara & Salvatore Loprevite, 2023. "Searching for an effective accounting-based score of firm performance: a comparative study between different synthesis techniques," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 3575-3602, August.
    7. Kohtamäki, Marko & Bhandari, Krishna Raj & Rabetino, Rodrigo & Ranta, Mikko, 2024. "Sustainable servitization in product manufacturing companies: The relationship between firm's sustainability emphasis and profitability and the moderating role of servitization," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    8. Pablo Vilas & Laura Andreu & José Luis Sarto, 2021. "The Convergence between Sustainability and Conventional Stock Indices. Are We on the Right Track?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-11, July.

    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. 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.
    2. Meltem Kılıç & Hasan Emin Gurler & Ahmet Kaya & Chang Won Lee, 2022. "The Impact of Sustainability Performance on Financial Performance: Does Firm Size Matter? Evidence from Turkey and South Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Carlos Lassala & Andreea Apetrei & Juan Sapena, 2017. "Sustainability Matter and Financial Performance of Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-16, August.
    4. Soytas, Mehmet Ali & Denizel, Meltem & Durak Usar, Damla, 2019. "Addressing endogeneity in the causal relationship between sustainability and financial performance," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 56-71.
    5. Ben Lahouel, Béchir & Ben Zaied, Younes & Managi, Shunsuke & Taleb, Lotfi, 2022. "Re-thinking about U: The relevance of regime-switching model in the relationship between environmental corporate social responsibility and financial performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 498-519.
    6. Sergio Manrique & Carmen-Pilar Martí-Ballester, 2017. "Analyzing the Effect of Corporate Environmental Performance on Corporate Financial Performance in Developed and Developing Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(11), pages 1-30, October.
    7. Yu Jin Chang & Jae Wook Yoo, 2023. "How Does the Degree of Competition in an Industry Affect a Company’s Environmental Management and Performance?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-11, May.
    8. Jay Joseph & Marc Orlitzky & Bruce Gurd & Helen Borland & Adam Lindgreen, 2019. "Can business‐oriented managers be effective leaders for corporate sustainability? A study of integrative and instrumental logics," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 339-352, February.
    9. Maretno A. Harjoto & Andreas G. F. Hoepner & Marcus A. Nilsson, 2022. "Bondholders’ returns and stakeholders’ interests," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 1271-1301, November.
    10. Massimiliano Cerciello & Francesco Busato & Simone Taddeo, 2023. "The effect of sustainable business practices on profitability. Accounting for strategic disclosure," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 802-819, March.
    11. Gaurav Jyoti & Ashu Khanna, 2024. "How does sustainability performance affect firms' market performance? An empirical investigation in the Indian context," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(8), pages 20457-20483, August.
    12. Josep Garcia‐Blandon & David Castillo‐Merino & Nour Chams, 2020. "Sustainable development: The stock market's view of environmental policy," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3273-3285, December.
    13. Elena Nechita & Cristina Lidia Manea & Elena-Mirela Nichita & Alina-Mihaela Irimescu & Diana Manea, 2020. "Is Financial Information Influencing the Reporting on SDGs? Empirical Evidence from Central and Eastern European Chemical Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-34, November.
    14. Stefan Lewandowski, 2017. "Corporate Carbon and Financial Performance: The Role of Emission Reductions," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1196-1211, December.
    15. Leonardo Becchetti & Emanuele Bobbio & Federico Prizia & Lorenzo Semplici, 2022. "Going Deeper into the S of ESG: A Relational Approach to the Definition of Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-22, August.
    16. Dyna Seng & Chaiporn Vithessonthi, 2017. "Environmental Efforts and Firm Performance," PIER Discussion Papers 64, Puey Ungphakorn Institute for Economic Research.
    17. Yu Jin Chang & Jae Wook Yoo, 2023. "When CSR Matters: The Moderating Effect of Industrial Growth Rate on the Relationship between CSR and Firm Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-13, September.
    18. Hajer Tebini & Bouchra M’Zali & Pascal Lang & Paz Méndez-Rodrı́guez, 2015. "Social Performance and Financial Performance: A Controversial Relationship," International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, in: Enrique Ballestero & Blanca Pérez-Gladish & Ana Garcia-Bernabeu (ed.), Socially Responsible Investment, edition 127, chapter 0, pages 53-73, Springer.
    19. 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.
    20. Ramiz ur Rehman & Muhammad Zain ul Abidin & Rizwan Ali & Safwan Mohd Nor & Muhammad Akram Naseem & Mudassar Hasan & Muhammad Ishfaq Ahmad, 2021. "The Integration of Conventional Equity Indices with Environmental, Social, and Governance Indices: Evidence from Emerging Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-27, January.

    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:6:p:2346-:d:333644. 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.