IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i9p3764-d1386510.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Moderating Effect of ESG Level in the Relationship between Digital Transformation Capability and Financial Performance: Evidence from Foreign Subsidiaries of Korean Firms

Author

Listed:
  • Ga-Rog Han

    (K-Humanities Innovation Center, Andong National University, Andong 36729, Republic of Korea)

  • Jae-Eun Lee

    (Department of International Trade, Sunchon National University, Suncheon 57922, Republic of Korea)

Abstract

This study empirically analyzed the effect of digital transformation capability on the financial performance of foreign subsidiaries of Korean listed firms, focusing on the moderating effect of the ESG level. The results of an empirical analysis on data from 483 foreign subsidiaries of Korean listed firms collected through surveys from February to May 2021 are as follows. First, it was found that digital transformation capability had a positive effect on financial performance. Second, as a result of analyzing the moderating effect of the ESG level, it was found that the environmental (E) level and the social (S) level in ESG strengthened the positive relationship between digital transformation capability and financial performance. However, it was found that the level of governance (G) in ESG rather weakens the positive relationship between digital transformation capability and financial performance. The results of this study suggest that foreign subsidiaries need to actively build digital transformation capability in order to improve their financial performance. Since the results of this study suggest different moderating effects of ESG, practical implications can be suggested that foreign subsidiaries should consider the fact that different effects may occur for each ESG activity if they want to improve their financial performance through digital transformation capability.

Suggested Citation

  • Ga-Rog Han & Jae-Eun Lee, 2024. "The Moderating Effect of ESG Level in the Relationship between Digital Transformation Capability and Financial Performance: Evidence from Foreign Subsidiaries of Korean Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-15, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:9:p:3764-:d:1386510
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/9/3764/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/9/3764/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tao, Hu & Zhuang, Shan & Xue, Rui & Cao, Wei & Tian, Jinfang & Shan, Yuli, 2022. "Environmental Finance: An Interdisciplinary Review," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    2. Bruce Kogut & Harbir Singh, 1988. "The Effect of National Culture on the Choice of Entry Mode," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 19(3), pages 411-432, September.
    3. Emiel Duuren & Auke Plantinga & Bert Scholtens, 2016. "ESG Integration and the Investment Management Process: Fundamental Investing Reinvented," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 138(3), pages 525-533, October.
    4. Edurne A. Inigo & Laura Albareda & Paavo Ritala, 2017. "Business model innovation for sustainability: exploring evolutionary and radical approaches through dynamic capabilities," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(5), pages 515-542, July.
    5. David J. Teece & Gary Pisano & Amy Shuen, 1997. "Dynamic capabilities and strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 509-533, August.
    6. Sandra Cavaco & Patricia Crifo, 2014. "CSR and financial performance: complementarity between environmental, social and business behaviours," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(27), pages 3323-3338, September.
    7. Hess, Thomas & Matt, Christian & Benlian, Alexander & Wiesböck, Florian, 2016. "Options for Formulating a Digital Transformation Strategy," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 81032, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    8. Charles R. Schwenk, 1988. "The Cognitive Perspective On Strategic Decision Making," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 41-55, January.
    9. Kathleen M. Eisenhardt & Jeffrey A. Martin, 2000. "Dynamic capabilities: what are they?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(10‐11), pages 1105-1121, October.
    10. Luluk Widyawati, 2020. "A systematic literature review of socially responsible investment and environmental social governance metrics," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 619-637, February.
    11. Troise, Ciro & Corvello, Vincenzo & Ghobadian, Abby & O'Regan, Nicholas, 2022. "How can SMEs successfully navigate VUCA environment: The role of agility in the digital transformation era," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    12. Amankwah-Amoah, Joseph & Khan, Zaheer & Wood, Geoffrey & Knight, Gary, 2021. "COVID-19 and digitalization: The great acceleration," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 602-611.
    13. Samuel Drempetic & Christian Klein & Bernhard Zwergel, 2020. "The Influence of Firm Size on the ESG Score: Corporate Sustainability Ratings Under Review," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 167(2), pages 333-360, November.
    14. Pedersen, Lasse Heje & Fitzgibbons, Shaun & Pomorski, Lukasz, 2021. "Responsible investing: The ESG-efficient frontier," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(2), pages 572-597.
    15. Ho, Joanna & Huang, Cheng Jen & Karuna, Christo, 2020. "Large shareholder ownership types and board governance," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    16. David J. Teece, 2007. "Explicating dynamic capabilities: the nature and microfoundations of (sustainable) enterprise performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(13), pages 1319-1350, December.
    17. Hess, Thomas & Matt, Christian & Benlian, Alexander & Wiesböck, Florian, 2016. "Options for Formulating a Digital Transformation Strategy," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 82423, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    18. ElMassah, Suzanna & Mohieldin, Mahmoud, 2020. "Digital transformation and localizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    19. Zhou, Dan & Kautonen, Mika & Dai, Weiqi & Zhang, Hui, 2021. "Exploring how digitalization influences incumbents in financial services: The role of entrepreneurial orientation, firm assets, and organizational legitimacy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Daliborka Witschel & Aaron Döhla & Maximilian Kaiser & Kai-Ingo Voigt & Thilo Pfletschinger, 2019. "Riding on the wave of digitization: insights how and under what settings dynamic capabilities facilitate digital-driven business model change," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 89(8), pages 1023-1095, December.
    2. Chang-Geun Kim & Oh-Suk Yang, 2024. "Global Companies’ Dynamic Response to Business Environment Uncertainty through Digital Transformation: Sustainable Digital Quality–Customer Value–Market Performance Relationships," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-32, July.
    3. Maria Elisavet Balta & Thanos Papadopoulos & Konstantina Spanaki, 2024. "Business model pivoting and digital technologies in turbulent environments," Post-Print hal-04513406, HAL.
    4. Pinto, Marcelo Rezende & Salume, Paula Karina & Barbosa, Marcelo Werneck & de Sousa, Paulo Renato, 2023. "The path to digital maturity: A cluster analysis of the retail industry in an emerging economy," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    5. Marino-Romero, Jorge Alberto & Palos-Sánchez, Pedro R. & Velicia-Martín, Félix, 2024. "Evolution of digital transformation in SMEs management through a bibliometric analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    6. Wittenstein, Daniel, 2020. "Champions of digital transformation? The dynamic capabilities of hidden champions," ZEW Discussion Papers 20-065, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    7. Swen Nadkarni & Reinhard Prügl, 2021. "Digital transformation: a review, synthesis and opportunities for future research," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 71(2), pages 233-341, April.
    8. Yi-Ju Lo & Tung Hung, 2015. "Structure offshoring and returns on offshoring," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(2), pages 443-479, June.
    9. Maria Rosa De Giacomo & Raimund Bleischwitz, 2020. "Business models for environmental sustainability: Contemporary shortcomings and some perspectives," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(8), pages 3352-3369, December.
    10. Kroh, Julia & Globocnik, Dietfried & Schultz, Carsten & Holdhof, Frederike & Salomo, Søren, 2024. "Micro-foundations of digital innovation capability – A mixed method approach to develop and validate a multi-dimensional measurement instrument," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    11. Sabina Tasheva & Bo Bernhard Nielsen, 0. "The role of global dynamic managerial capability in the pursuit of international strategy and superior performance," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 0, pages 1-20.
    12. Ciampi, Francesco & Faraoni, Monica & Ballerini, Jacopo & Meli, Francesco, 2022. "The co-evolutionary relationship between digitalization and organizational agility: Ongoing debates, theoretical developments and future research perspectives," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    13. Tomas Santa‐Maria & Walter J. V. Vermeulen & Rupert J. Baumgartner, 2022. "How do incumbent firms innovate their business models for the circular economy? Identifying micro‐foundations of dynamic capabilities," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1308-1333, May.
    14. Soluk, Jonas & Decker-Lange, Carolin & Hack, Andreas, 2023. "Small steps for the big hit: A dynamic capabilities perspective on business networks and non-disruptive digital technologies in SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    15. Abdul Karim Feroz & Hangjung Zo & Ananth Chiravuri, 2021. "Digital Transformation and Environmental Sustainability: A Review and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-20, February.
    16. Julia Köhler & Sönnich Dahl Sönnichsen & Philip Beske‐Jansen, 2022. "Towards a collaboration framework for circular economy: The role of dynamic capabilities and open innovation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(6), pages 2700-2713, September.
    17. Tiberius, Victor & Stiller, Laura & Dabić, Marina, 2021. "Sustainability beyond economic prosperity: Social microfoundations of dynamic capabilities in family businesses," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    18. Tortora, Debora & Chierici, Roberto & Farina Briamonte, Massimiliano & Tiscini, Riccardo, 2021. "‘I digitize so I exist’. Searching for critical capabilities affecting firms’ digital innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 193-204.
    19. Crespo, Nuno Fernandes & Crespo, Cátia Fernandes & Silva, Graça Miranda, 2024. "Every cloud has a silver lining: The role of business digitalization and early internationalization strategies to overcome cloudy times," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    20. Shi, Linda Hui & Smith, J. Brock & Zou, Shaoming & Han, Yuqing & Tan, Kang Frank, 2024. "The mediated and moderated effects of IEO on international performance: An investigation of emerging market SMEs," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 59(4).

    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:16:y:2024:i:9:p:3764-:d:1386510. 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.