IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i11p8901-d1161037.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Moderating Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Corporate Financial Performance: Evidence from OECD Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Hawkar Anwer Hamad

    (Department of Accounting and Finance, Cyprus International University, Mersin 10, Lefkosa 99040, Turkey
    Department of Accounting and Finance, College of Administration and Economics, Lebanese French University, Erbil 44001, Kurdistan Region, Iraq)

  • Kemal Cek

    (Department of Accounting and Finance, Cyprus International University, Mersin 10, Lefkosa 99040, Turkey)

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the nature and intensity of the changes in corporate financial performance due to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosures as a result of certain relationships between corporate governance and company performance in the non-financial sector. This study selected 625 non-financial companies across six organizations for economic cooperations (OECD) countries’ stock markets for the period of 10 years (2012–2021). For this qualitative study, corporate governance, financial performance, and corporate social responsibility score data were collected from the DataStream, a reliable database for examining the research on OECD countries’ listed companies. For the data analysis we applied various statistical tools such as regression analysis and moderation analysis. The findings of the study show that all attributes of the corporate governance mechanism, except for audit board attendance, have significant positive impacts on financial performance indicators for all the selected OECD economies except the country France. France’s code of corporate governance has a significant negative impact on return on asset (ROA) and return on equity (ROE) due to differences in cultural and operational norms of the country. The audit board attendance has no significant impact on ROA. Moreover, all the attributes except board size (BSIZ) have significant positive impacts on the earnings per share (EPS) in Spain, The United Kingdom (UK) and Belgium. The values obtained from the moderation effect show that Corporate social responsibility is the key factor in motivating corporate governance practices which eventually improves corporate financial performance. However, this study advocated the implications, Investors and stakeholders should consider both corporate governance and CSR disclosures when making investment decisions. Companies that prioritize both governance and CSR tend to have better financial performance and are more likely to mitigate risks. Moreover, the policy makers can improve the code of corporate governance in order to attain sustainable development in the stock market.

Suggested Citation

  • Hawkar Anwer Hamad & Kemal Cek, 2023. "The Moderating Effects of Corporate Social Responsibility on Corporate Financial Performance: Evidence from OECD Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-20, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:11:p:8901-:d:1161037
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/11/8901/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/11/8901/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shirwan Rafiq Sdiq & Hariem A. Abdullah, 2022. "Examining the effect of agency cost on capital structure-financial performance nexus: empirical evidence for emerging market," Cogent Economics & Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 2148364-214, December.
    2. Elżbieta Izabela Szczepankiewicz & Joanna Błażyńska & Beata Zaleska & Farid Ullah & Windham Eugene Loopesko, 2022. "Compliance with Corporate Governance Principles by Energy Companies Compared with All Companies Listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-28, September.
    3. Renée Birgit Adams & Renée Birgit Adams & Daniel Ferreira, 2012. "Regulatory Pressure and Bank Directors’ Incentives to Attend Board Meetings," International Review of Finance, International Review of Finance Ltd., vol. 12(2), pages 227-248, June.
    4. Peiran Liu & Ziyang Li & Peng Luo, 2023. "External corporate governance and assurance of corporate social responsibility reports: evidence from China," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(2), pages 420-457, March.
    5. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Agency Problems and Residual Claims," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 327-349, June.
    6. Hoje Jo & Maretno Harjoto, 2011. "Corporate Governance and Firm Value: The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 103(3), pages 351-383, October.
    7. Mohammed Benlemlih & Amama Shaukat & Yan Qiu & Grzegorz Trojanowski, 2018. "Environmental and Social Disclosures and Firm Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 613-626, October.
    8. Allen, Franklin & Carletti, Elena & Marquez, Robert, 2007. "Stakeholder capitalism, corporate governance and firm value," CFS Working Paper Series 2007/26, Center for Financial Studies (CFS).
    9. Keke Bai & Farid Ullah & Muhammad Arif & Sahar Erfanian & Saima Urooge, 2023. "Stakeholder-Centered Corporate Governance and Corporate Sustainable Development: Evidence from CSR Practices in the Top Companies by Market Capitalization at Shanghai Stock Exchange of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-25, February.
    10. Diego Prior & Jordi Surroca & Josep A. Tribó, 2008. "Are Socially Responsible Managers Really Ethical? Exploring the Relationship Between Earnings Management and Corporate Social Responsibility," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(3), pages 160-177, May.
    11. Muhammad Waris & Badariah Haji Din, 2023. "Impact of corporate governance and ownership concentrations on timelines of financial reporting in Pakistan," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 2164995-216, December.
    12. 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.
    13. Garanina, Tatiana & Kim, Oksana, 2023. "The relationship between CSR disclosure and accounting conservatism: The role of state ownership," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    14. Xiaokai Meng & Ghulam Muhammad Shaikh, 2023. "Evaluating Environmental, Social, and Governance Criteria and Green Finance Investment Strategies Using Fuzzy AHP and Fuzzy WASPAS," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-19, April.
    15. Yu, Zhen & Shen, Yiran & Jiang, Shengjun, 2022. "The effects of corporate governance uncertainty on state-owned enterprises' green innovation in China: Perspective from the participation of non-state-owned shareholders," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    16. Apergis, Nicholas & Ewing, Bradley T. & Payne, James E., 2021. "The asymmetric relationship of oil prices and production on drilling rig trajectory," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    17. 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.
    18. Nicola Raimo & Filippo Vitolla & Arcangelo Marrone & Michele Rubino, 2021. "Do audit committee attributes influence integrated reporting quality? An agency theory viewpoint," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 522-534, January.
    19. Hanh Thi My Le & Irene Wei Kiong Ting & Qian Long Kweh & Ha Lam Tan Ngo, 2023. "CEO duality, board size and firm performance: evidence in Vietnam," International Journal of Business Excellence, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 29(1), pages 98-120.
    20. Cornwell, Nikki & Bilson, Christopher & Gepp, Adrian & Stern, Steven & Vanstone, Bruce J., 2023. "Modernising operational risk management in financial institutions via data-driven causal factors analysis: A pre-registered study," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    21. Akrum Helfaya & Rebecca Morris & Ahmed Aboud, 2023. "Investigating the Factors That Determine the ESG Disclosure Practices in Europe," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-23, March.
    22. Cornwell, Nikki & Bilson, Christopher & Gepp, Adrian & Stern, Steven & Vanstone, Bruce J., 2023. "Modernising operational risk management in financial institutions via data-driven causal factors analysis: A pre-registered report," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    23. Hedy Jiaying Huang & Ahsan Habib & Sophia Li Sun & Ying Liu & Huiting Guo, 2021. "Financial reporting and corporate innovation: a review of the international literature," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(4), pages 5439-5499, December.
    24. Pao, Hsiao-Tien & Tsai, Chung-Ming, 2011. "Multivariate Granger causality between CO2 emissions, energy consumption, FDI (foreign direct investment) and GDP (gross domestic product): Evidence from a panel of BRIC (Brazil, Russian Federation, I," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 685-693.
    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. Teodora Tica & Bojan Matkovski & Danilo Đokić & Žana Jurjević, 2023. "Characteristics of the Supply Chain of Tobacco and Tobacco Products: Evidence from Serbia," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-23, August.
    2. Van Le Pham & Yi-Hui Ho, 2024. "Independent Board Members and Financial Performance: ESG Mediation in Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-16, August.

    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. Robert H. Sarikas & Elizabeth Tipton & Andy Fodor & Arsen M. Djatej, 2023. "Sustainability Methodologies and Sustainability-linked Senior Management Compensation Policies: An Analysis of Relationships for Global Companies in the Healthcare and Educational Services Sectors," Environmental Management and Sustainable Development, Macrothink Institute, vol. 12(1), pages 82-109, December.
    2. Bai Xue & Zhuang Zhang & Pingli Li, 2020. "Corporate environmental performance, environmental management and firm risk," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 1074-1096, March.
    3. Oliver Lukason & María-del-Mar Camacho-Miñano, 2020. "Corporate Governance Characteristics of Private SMEs’ Annual Report Submission Violations," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-19, September.
    4. Helena Isidro & Márcia Sobral, 2015. "The Effects of Women on Corporate Boards on Firm Value, Financial Performance, and Ethical and Social Compliance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 1-19, November.
    5. Minghui Yang & Yan Wang & Lu Bai & Petra Maresova, 2023. "Corporate social responsibility, family involvement, and stock price crash risk," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1204-1225, May.
    6. Li-Jen He & Hsiangtsai Chiang & Cang-Fu Shiao, 2015. "Financial Reports Quality and Corporate Social Responsibility," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 5(3), pages 453-467, March.
    7. Cláudia Pereira & Albertina Monteiro & Diana Silva & Armindo Lima, 2023. "Do the Levels of Environmental Sustainability Disclosure and Indebtness Affect the Quality of Earnings?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-13, February.
    8. Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez & Emma García‐Meca, 2017. "CSR Engagement and Earnings Quality in Banks. The Moderating Role of Institutional Factors," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(2), pages 145-158, March.
    9. Keke Bai & Farid Ullah & Muhammad Arif & Sahar Erfanian & Saima Urooge, 2023. "Stakeholder-Centered Corporate Governance and Corporate Sustainable Development: Evidence from CSR Practices in the Top Companies by Market Capitalization at Shanghai Stock Exchange of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-25, February.
    10. Mohamed Chakib Kolsi & Osama F Attayah, 2018. "Environmental policy disclosures and sustainable development: Determinants, measure and impact on firm value for ADX listed companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 807-818, September.
    11. Ginglinger, Edith & Megginson, William & Waxin, Timothée, 2011. "Employee ownership, board representation, and corporate financial policies," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 17(4), pages 868-887, September.
    12. Dan Palmon & Yifei Chen & Biao Chen, 2024. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Information Asymmetry: Do Earnings Conference Calls Play a Role?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 194(1), pages 77-101, September.
    13. Roberto Fernández-Gago & Laura Cabeza-García & Mariano Nieto, 2016. "Corporate social responsibility, board of directors, and firm performance: an analysis of their relationships," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 85-104, January.
    14. Nguyen, Quang Khai, 2022. "Determinants of bank risk governance structure: A cross-country analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    15. Claude Francoeur & Réal Labelle & Souha Balti & Saloua EL Bouzaidi, 2019. "To What Extent Do Gender Diverse Boards Enhance Corporate Social Performance?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 343-357, March.
    16. Bryan Hong & Zhichuan Li & Dylan Minor, 2016. "Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation for Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(1), pages 199-213, June.
    17. Fabrizio Rossi & Maretno Agus Harjoto, 2020. "Corporate non-financial disclosure, firm value, risk, and agency costs: evidence from Italian listed companies," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 14(5), pages 1149-1181, October.
    18. Hoje Jo & Maretno Harjoto, 2012. "The Causal Effect of Corporate Governance on Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 106(1), pages 53-72, March.
    19. Ahmed Ishaku ACA & Mubarakatu Garba & Farida Musa, 2020. "Assessment of Corporate Governance Practice among Listed Conglomerate Companies in Nigeria," International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation (IJRSI), vol. 7(9), pages 16-21, September.
    20. Awais Ur Rehman & Saqib Farid & Muhammad Abubakr Naeem, 2022. "The link between corporate governance, corporate social sustainability and credit risk of Islamic bonds," International Journal of Emerging Markets, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 18(12), pages 5990-6014, May.

    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:15:y:2023:i:11:p:8901-:d:1161037. 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.