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Is too much as bad as too little? The S-curve relationship between corporate philanthropy and employee performance

Author

Listed:
  • Mingchuan Yu

    (Shanghai Normal University
    Antai College of Economics and Management University)

  • Han Lin

    (Nanjing Audit University)

  • Greg G. Wang

    (University of Texas at Tyler)

  • Yuan Liu

    (Shanghai Lixin University of Accounting and Finance)

  • Xiaotao Zheng

    (Shanghai Normal University)

Abstract

The literature on the effect of corporate philanthropy (CP) on employee outcomes is inconsistent and inconclusive. Drawing on resource-based view and social identity theory, we examined the curvilinear relationship between CP and employee performance through a sample of 592 employees in China. The results showed that CP had an S-shaped effect on employee performance. In other words, corporate philanthropy, either in an amount too small or too large beyond a threshold, will not improve employee performance. Furthermore, we also found that the S-shaped relationship was moderated by employee benevolent attribution. Implications for research and practice, research limitations, and future research directions are discussed subsequently.

Suggested Citation

  • Mingchuan Yu & Han Lin & Greg G. Wang & Yuan Liu & Xiaotao Zheng, 2022. "Is too much as bad as too little? The S-curve relationship between corporate philanthropy and employee performance," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 39(4), pages 1511-1534, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:asiapa:v:39:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s10490-021-09775-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s10490-021-09775-9
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