IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i9p5148-d801295.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Identifying Key Financial, Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG), Bond, and COVID-19 Factors Affecting Global Shipping Companies—A Hybrid Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making Method

Author

Listed:
  • Arthur J. Lin

    (Graduate Institute of International Business, National Taipei University, New Taipei City 237, Taiwan)

  • Hai-Yen Chang

    (Department of Banking and Finance, Chinese Culture University, Taipei City 111, Taiwan)

  • Brian Hung

    (Family Office, Far Ocean Ltd., Den Guan Road, Ren Wu District, Kaohsiung City 152, Taiwan)

Abstract

The international shipping industry is the largest transportation system in the world. However, shipping stock prices were highly volatile during the 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this study is to identify the causal relationships of the four dimensions (financial performance, bond financing, environmental, social, governance, and COVID-19) and 20 criteria affecting the sustainability of global shipping companies. The research scope includes a sample of nine listed international shipping companies accounting for 49% of the global market share with data collected from 2010 to 2020. Survey responses from 15 investment experts were also obtained. We applied a hybrid multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) method integrating the Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL), analytic network process, and modified VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno techniques to be the DANP-mV model to identify the causal relationships among the dimensions and criteria, providing ways of narrowing the performance gaps of shipping companies. The results indicate that financial performance is the main cause affecting COVID-19 and ESG practices. The ESG practices influence bond financing. The largest performance gaps across shipping companies include earnings per share (EPS), yield to maturity, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and timely delivery. The findings of this study suggest that shipping companies may focus on gross profit margin to improve EPS, term to maturity to enhance yield to maturity, social distancing policy to meet timely delivery, and the board size to enhance corporate social responsibility (CSR). The outcome of this study aids shipping companies in prioritizing their resources and investors in selecting shipping company stocks in response to COVID-19.

Suggested Citation

  • Arthur J. Lin & Hai-Yen Chang & Brian Hung, 2022. "Identifying Key Financial, Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG), Bond, and COVID-19 Factors Affecting Global Shipping Companies—A Hybrid Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-29, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:9:p:5148-:d:801295
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/9/5148/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/9/5148/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eleni N. Giannakopoulou & Eleftherios I. Thalassinos & Theodoros V. Stamatopoulos, 2016. "Corporate governance in shipping: an overview," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 43(1), pages 19-38, January.
    2. Su-Han Woo & Po-Lin Lai & Ying-Hsiu Chen & Ching-Chiao Yang, 2019. "Meta-frontier function approach to operational efficiency for shipping companies," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(5), pages 529-544, July.
    3. Nektarios A. Michail & Konstantinos D. Melas, 2019. "A cointegrating stock trading strategy: application to listed tanker shipping companies," Journal of Shipping and Trade, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Theodore Syriopoulos & George Bakos, 2019. "Investor herding behaviour in globally listed shipping stocks," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(5), pages 545-564, July.
    5. Grammenos, Costas Th. & Arkoulis, Angelos G., 2003. "Determinants of spreads on new high yield bonds of shipping companies," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 459-471, November.
    6. Stefan Albertijn & Wolfgang Bessler & Wolfgang Drobetz, 2011. "Financing Shipping Companies and Shipping Operations: A Risk‐Management Perspective," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 23(4), pages 70-82, December.
    7. Muhammad Ikram & Qingyu Zhang & Robert Sroufe & Marcos Ferasso, 2020. "The Social Dimensions of Corporate Sustainability: An Integrative Framework Including COVID-19 Insights," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-29, October.
    8. 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.
    9. Stefano Ramelli & Alexander F Wagner, 2020. "Feverish Stock Price Reactions to COVID-19," The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 9(3), pages 622-655.
    10. Andreou, Panayiotis C. & Louca, Christodoulos & Panayides, Photis M., 2014. "Corporate governance, financial management decisions and firm performance: Evidence from the maritime industry," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 59-78.
    11. Grammenos, Costas Th. & Alizadeh, Amir H. & Papapostolou, Nikos C., 2007. "Factors affecting the dynamics of yield premia on shipping seasoned high yield bonds," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(5), pages 549-564, September.
    12. Tsionas, Mike G. & Merikas, Andreas G. & Merika, Anna A., 2012. "Concentrated ownership and corporate performance revisited: The case of shipping," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 843-852.
    13. Assunta Di Vaio & Luisa Varriale & Maria Lekakou & Evangelia Stefanidaki, 2021. "Cruise and container shipping companies: a comparative analysis of sustainable development goals through environmental sustainability disclosure," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(2), pages 184-212, February.
    14. Xiaofang Wu & Luoping Zhang & Meifeng Luo, 2020. "Discerning sustainability approaches in shipping," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 5169-5184, August.
    15. Jensen, Michael C. & Meckling, William H., 1976. "Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(4), pages 305-360, October.
    16. Paul Tae-Woo Lee & Oh Kyoung Kwon & Xiao Ruan, 2019. "Sustainability Challenges in Maritime Transport and Logistics Industry and Its Way Ahead," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-9, March.
    17. Andrew Atkeson, 2020. "What Will Be the Economic Impact of COVID-19 in the US? Rough Estimates of Disease Scenarios," NBER Working Papers 26867, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Sakis Kotsantonis & Chris Pinney & George Serafeim, 2016. "ESG Integration in Investment Management: Myths and Realities," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 28(2), pages 10-16, June.
    19. Yuen, Kum Fai & Thai, Vinh V. & Wong, Yiik Diew, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility and classical competitive strategies of maritime transport firms: A contingency-fit perspective," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 1-13.
    20. Liou, James J.H. & Tsai, Chieh-Yuan & Lin, Rong-Ho & Tzeng, Gwo-Hshiung, 2011. "A modified VIKOR multiple-criteria decision method for improving domestic airlines service quality," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 57-61.
    21. Markus Vejvar & Kee-Hung Lai & Chris K. Y. Lo, 2020. "A citation network analysis of sustainability development in liner shipping management: a review of the literature and policy implications," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(1), pages 1-26, January.
    22. Stefano Ramelli & Alexander F Wagner, 0. "Feverish Stock Price Reactions to COVID-19," Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Oxford University Press, vol. 9(3), pages 622-655.
    23. Theodore Syriopoulos & Michael Tsatsaronis, 2011. "The corporate governance model of the shipping firms: financial performance implications," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(6), pages 585-604, January.
    24. Paul Tae-Woo Lee & Cheng-Wei Lin, 2013. "The cognition map of financial ratios of shipping companies using DEMATEL and MMDE," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(2), pages 133-145, March.
    25. Marian Siminica & Mirela Cristea & Mirela Sichigea & Gratiela Georgiana Noja & Ion Anghel, 2019. "Well-Governed Sustainability and Financial Performance: A New Integrative Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-21, August.
    26. Ducruet, César, 2017. "Multilayer dynamics of complex spatial networks: The case of global maritime flows (1977–2008)," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 47-58.
    27. Panayiotis Theodossiou & Dimitris Tsouknidis & Christos Savva, 2020. "Freight rates in downside and upside markets: pricing of own and spillover risks from other shipping segments," Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series A, Royal Statistical Society, vol. 183(3), pages 1097-1119, June.
    28. Youngran Shin & Vinh V. Thai, 2015. "The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Customer Satisfaction, Relationship Maintenance and Loyalty in the Shipping Industry," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(6), pages 381-392, November.
    29. Costas TH Grammenos & Angelos G Arkoulis, 2002. "Macroeconomic Factors and International Shipping Stock Returns," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 4(1), pages 81-99, March.
    30. Markowitz, Harry M, 1991. "Foundations of Portfolio Theory," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 46(2), pages 469-477, June.
    31. Alexandridis, George & Kavussanos, Manolis G. & Kim, Chi Y. & Tsouknidis, Dimitris A. & Visvikis, Ilias D., 2018. "A survey of shipping finance research: Setting the future research agenda," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 164-212.
    32. Hyo-Won Kang & Grace W Y Wang & Hee-Seok Bang & Su-Han Woo, 2016. "Economic performance and corporate financial management of shipping firms," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 18(3), pages 317-330, September.
    33. Lijun Tang & Victor Gekara, 2020. "The Importance of Customer Expectations: An Analysis of CSR in Container Shipping," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 165(3), pages 383-393, September.
    34. Taih-Cherng Lirn & Hsiao-Wen Lin & Kuo-Chung Shang, 2014. "Green shipping management capability and firm performance in the container shipping industry," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(2), pages 159-175, March.
    35. Jane Haider & Zhirong Ou & Stephen Pettit, 2019. "Predicting corporate failure for listed shipping companies," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 21(3), pages 415-438, September.
    36. Arthur Jin Lin & Hai-Yen Chang, 2019. "Business Sustainability Performance Evaluation for Taiwanese Banks—A Hybrid Multiple-Criteria Decision-Making Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-26, April.
    37. Hailin Zheng & Qinyou Hu & Chun Yang & Jinhai Chen & Qiang Mei, 2021. "Transmission Path Tracking of Maritime COVID-19 Pandemic via Ship Sailing Pattern Mining," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-20, January.
    38. Kavussanos, Manolis G. & Tsouknidis, Dimitris A., 2014. "The determinants of credit spreads changes in global shipping bonds," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 55-75.
    39. Syriopoulos, Theodore C., 2007. "Chapter 6 Financing Greek Shipping: Modern Instruments, Methods and Markets," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 171-219, January.
    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. Jun Zhang & Shenghao Zhao & Chaonan Peng & Xianming Gong, 2022. "Spatial Heterogeneity of the Recovery of Road Traffic Volume from the Impact of COVID-19: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-20, November.
    2. Fabrizio Battisti, 2023. "SDGs and ESG Criteria in Housing: Defining Local Evaluation Criteria and Indicators for Verifying Project Sustainability Using Florence Metropolitan Area as a Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-37, June.
    3. Jeongmin Lee & Jinwoo Lee & Changhee Lee & Yulseong Kim, 2023. "Identifying ESG Trends of International Container Shipping Companies Using Semantic Network Analysis and Multiple Case Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-20, June.

    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. Alexandridis, George & Kavussanos, Manolis G. & Kim, Chi Y. & Tsouknidis, Dimitris A. & Visvikis, Ilias D., 2018. "A survey of shipping finance research: Setting the future research agenda," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 164-212.
    2. Jane Haider & Zhirong Ou & Stephen Pettit, 2019. "Predicting corporate failure for listed shipping companies," Maritime Economics & Logistics, Palgrave Macmillan;International Association of Maritime Economists (IAME), vol. 21(3), pages 415-438, September.
    3. Drobetz, Wolfgang & Ehlert, Sebastian & Schröder, Henning, 2021. "Institutional ownership and firm performance in the global shipping industry," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 146(C).
    4. Pouliasis, Panos K. & Papapostolou, Nikos C. & Kyriakou, Ioannis & Visvikis, Ilias D., 2018. "Shipping equity risk behavior and portfolio management," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 178-200.
    5. Drobetz, Wolfgang & Janzen, Malte & Requejo, Ignacio, 2019. "Capital allocation and ownership concentration in the shipping industry," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 78-99.
    6. Andrikopoulos, Andreas & Merika, Anna & Merikas, Andreas & Sigalas, Christos, 2021. "Related party transactions and principal-principal conflicts in public companies: Evidence from the maritime shipping industry," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    7. Mudassar Mushtaq & Sajida Parveen & Muhammad Furqan Ashraf, 2019. "Impact of Corporate Governance on a Firms Financial Performance (The Case of Pakistan)," Global Economics Review, Humanity Only, vol. 4(1), pages 11-21, March.
    8. Drobetz, Wolfgang & Gounopoulos, Dimitrios & Merikas, Andreas & Schröder, Henning, 2013. "Capital structure decisions of globally-listed shipping companies," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 49-76.
    9. Xue, Yuemei & Lai, Kee-hung, 2023. "Responsible shipping for sustainable development: Adoption and performance value," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 89-99.
    10. Laura Alfaro & Anusha Chari & Andrew N. Greenland & Peter K. Schott, 2020. "Aggregate and Firm-Level Stock Returns During Pandemics, in Real Time," NBER Working Papers 26950, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. repec:zbw:bofitp:2020_015 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Ducret, Romain, 2021. "Investors' perception of business group membership during an economic crisis : Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic," FSES Working Papers 524, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Freiburg/Fribourg Switzerland.
    13. Sunil K. Mohanty & Roar Aadland & Sjur Westgaard & Stein Frydenberg & Hilde Lillienskiold & Cecilie Kristensen, 2021. "Modelling Stock Returns and Risk Management in the Shipping Industry," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-25, April.
    14. Yuen, Kum Fai & Wang, Xueqin & Wong, Yiik Diew & Li, Kevin X., 2020. "The role of stakeholder participation and sustainability integration in maritime transport: A structure-conduct-performance analysis," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 44-53.
    15. Ding, Wenzhi & Levine, Ross & Lin, Chen & Xie, Wensi, 2021. "Corporate immunity to the COVID-19 pandemic," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(2), pages 802-830.
    16. Andr Kall k Anundsen & Bjørnar Karlsen Kivedal & Erling R ed Larsen & Leif Anders Thorsrud, 2020. "Behavioral changes and policy effects during Covid-19," Working Papers No 07/2020, Centre for Applied Macro- and Petroleum economics (CAMP), BI Norwegian Business School.
    17. Andrikopoulos, Andreas & Merika, Anna A. & Triantafyllou, Anna & Merikas, Andreas G., 2013. "Internet disclosure and corporate performance: A case study of the international shipping industry," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 141-152.
    18. Ricardo J Caballero & Alp Simsek, 2021. "A Model of Endogenous Risk Intolerance and LSAPs: Asset Prices and Aggregate Demand in a “COVID-19” Shock [Financial intermediaries and the cross-section of asset returns]," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 34(11), pages 5522-5580.
    19. Hassan, Tarek & Hollander, Stephan & van Lent, Laurence & Schwedeler, Markus & Tahoun, Ahmed, 2020. "Firm-Level Exposure to Epidemic Diseases: Covid-19, SARS, and H1N1," CEPR Discussion Papers 14573, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    20. Louis‐Philippe Beland & Abel Brodeur & Derek Mikola & Taylor Wright, 2022. "The short‐term economic consequences of COVID‐19: Occupation tasks and mental health in Canada," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 55(S1), pages 214-247, February.
    21. Drobetz, Wolfgang & Merikas, Andreas & Merika, Anna & Tsionas, Mike G., 2014. "Corporate social responsibility disclosure: The case of international shipping," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 18-44.

    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:14:y:2022:i:9:p:5148-:d:801295. 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.