IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v10y2023i1d10.1057_s41599-023-01786-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Managers’ aspirations and quality of CSR reports: evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Yuanyuan Hu

    (Tongji University)

  • Shouming Chen

    (Tongji University)

  • Runshi Liu

    (University of Manchester)

  • Yi Dai

    (Tongji University)

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the potential impact of peer firms on the quality of CSR reports produced by the focal firm. By combining insights from the behavioral theory of the firm and existing literature on aspirations, this paper proposes that the aspiration levels of managers regarding CSR reporting play a crucial role in determining the quality of CSR reports. Specifically, it is suggested that the quality of CSR reports is likely to improved when the current level falls short of managers’ aspirations for CSR reporting. Conversely, when the current quality of CSR reports surpasses managers’ aspirations, it is expected to decline. Additionally, this paper proposes that this effect will be stronger when the owner of the firm is government or the firm’s visibility is high. Using a comprehensive panel dataset covering Chinese listed firms with A‐shares from 2012 to 2018, the empirical findings strongly support these arguments.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuanyuan Hu & Shouming Chen & Runshi Liu & Yi Dai, 2023. "Managers’ aspirations and quality of CSR reports: evidence from China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:10:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-023-01786-9
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-023-01786-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-023-01786-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-023-01786-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Theresa K. Lant, 1992. "Aspiration Level Adaptation: An Empirical Exploration," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 38(5), pages 623-644, May.
    2. Michelon, Giovanna & Pilonato, Silvia & Ricceri, Federica, 2015. "CSR reporting practices and the quality of disclosure: An empirical analysis," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 59-78.
    3. Kathleen M. Eisenhardt, 1985. "Control: Organizational and Economic Approaches," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 31(2), pages 134-149, February.
    4. Lammertjan Dam & Bert Scholtens, 2013. "Ownership Concentration and CSR Policy of European Multinational Enterprises," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 117-126, November.
    5. Beata Smarzynska Javorcik, 2004. "Does Foreign Direct Investment Increase the Productivity of Domestic Firms? In Search of Spillovers Through Backward Linkages," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 94(3), pages 605-627, June.
    6. Christopher Marquis & András Tilcsik, 2016. "Institutional Equivalence: How Industry and Community Peers Influence Corporate Philanthropy," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 27(5), pages 1325-1341, October.
    7. Christopher Marquis & Cuili Qian, 2014. "Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in China: Symbol or Substance?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(1), pages 127-148, February.
    8. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    9. Sandra A. Waddock & Samuel B. Graves, 1997. "The Corporate Social Performance–Financial Performance Link," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(4), pages 303-319, April.
    10. Yuan Yuan Hu & Yanhui Zhu & Jon Tucker & Yuxiao Hu, 2018. "Ownership influence and CSR disclosure in China," Accounting Research Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 31(1), pages 8-21, May.
    11. Astrid Rudyanto, 2017. "State Ownership, Family Ownership, and Sustainability Report Quality, The Moderating Role of Board Effectiveness," GATR Journals afr129, Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.
    12. Brown, Judy, 2009. "Democracy, sustainability and dialogic accounting technologies: Taking pluralism seriously," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 313-342.
    13. Ohad Ref & Zur Shapira, 2017. "Entering new markets: The effect of performance feedback near aspiration and well below and above it," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(7), pages 1416-1434, July.
    14. Jacqueline C. Wisler, 2018. "U.S. CEOs of SBUs in Luxury Goods Organizations: A Mixed Methods Comparison of Ethical Decision-Making Profiles," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 443-518, May.
    15. Joseph F. Porac & Howard Thomas & Charles Baden‐Fuller, 1989. "Competitive Groups As Cognitive Communities: The Case Of Scottish Knitwear Manufacturers," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(4), pages 397-416, July.
    16. Beverly B. Tyler & Turanay Caner, 2016. "New product introductions below aspirations, slack and R&D alliances: A behavioral perspective," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(5), pages 896-910, May.
    17. Murat Tarakci & Nüfer Yasin Ateş & Steven W. Floyd & Yoojung Ahn & Bill Wooldridge, 2018. "Performance feedback and middle managers’ divergent strategic behavior: The roles of social comparisons and organizational identification," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 1139-1162, April.
    18. Andrew Crane & Sarah Glozer, 2016. "Researching Corporate Social Responsibility Communication: Themes, Opportunities and Challenges," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(7), pages 1223-1252, November.
    19. Lin, Justin Yifu & Cai, Fang & Li, Zhou, 1998. "Competition, Policy Burdens, and State-Owned Enterprise Reform," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 88(2), pages 422-427, May.
    20. Sascha Raithel & Manfred Schwaiger, 2015. "The effects of corporate reputation perceptions of the general public on shareholder value," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(6), pages 945-956, June.
    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. Yanchao Feng & Rongbing Huang & Yidong Chen & Guoshuo Sui, 2024. "Assessing the moderating effect of environmental regulation on the process of media reports affecting enterprise investment inefficiency in China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-16, December.
    2. Wenchuan Huang & Shouming Chen & Talib Hussain & Ahmed Rabeeu, 2024. "How spirituality affects individuals’ attitudes towards corporate social responsibility: a moderated mediation model," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-12, December.

    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. Verver, Hugo & van Zelst, Marino & Lucas, Gerardus Johannes Maria & Meeus, Marius, 2019. "Understanding Heterogeneity in the Performance Feedback – Organizational Responsiveness Relationship: A Meta-Analysis," OSF Preprints hq4uw, Center for Open Science.
    2. Yusen Dong & Pengcheng Ma & Lanzhu Sun & Daniel Han Ming Chng, 2024. "Goodwill Hunting: Why and When Ultimate Controlling Owners Affect Their Firms’ Corporate Social Responsibility Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 193(3), pages 535-553, September.
    3. Rong Ma & Rakesh B. Sambharya, 2024. "International diversification and corporate social responsibility disclosure quality: Employee versus environmental dimensions," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 4248-4264, September.
    4. Heli Wang & Ming Jia & Zhe Zhang, 2021. "Good Deeds Done in Silence: Stakeholder Management and Quiet Giving by Chinese Firms," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(3), pages 649-674, May.
    5. Woo, Donghyup & Suresh, Nallan C., 2022. "Voluntary agreements for sustainability, resource efficiency & firm performance under the supply chain cooperation policy in South Korea," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 252(C).
    6. Shan Xue & Yuehua Xu & Honghui Chen, 2024. "Corporate social performance feedback and corporate social responsibility decoupling in China: The salience of legitimacy and/or efficiency," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 3164-3180, July.
    7. Wei Yu & Ying Zheng, 2020. "The disclosure of corporate social responsibility reports and sales performance in China," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(2), pages 1239-1270, June.
    8. Huang, Kuo-Cheng & Wang, Yu-Chun, 2022. "Do reputation concerns motivate voluntary initiation of corporate social responsibility reporting? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    9. Yingzhao Xiao & Liuyang Xue & David Ahlstrom & Chundong Zheng & Xiling Hao, 2024. "To Conform or Not to Conform? The Role of Social Status and Firm Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 193(3), pages 655-677, September.
    10. Chen Ma & Latif Yasir, 2023. "Carrot or Stick? CSR and Firm Financial Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 188(2), pages 349-365, November.
    11. Shinwon Noh & Dongyoub Shin & Sunhyuk Kim, 2023. "Problemistic search and hybrid organizations: multiple sources of performance feedback in diversifications by corporate foundations in Korea," Asian Business & Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 22(1), pages 188-216, February.
    12. Juelin Yin & Jiangyan Li & Jun Ma, 2024. "The Effects of CEO Awards on Corporate Social Responsibility Focus," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 190(4), pages 897-916, April.
    13. Saridakis, Charalampos & Angelidou, Sofia & Woodside, Arch G., 2023. "How historical and social aspirations reshape the relationship between corporate financial performance and corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    14. Wei Li & Yuan Lu & Weining Li, 2019. "Does CSR Action Provide Insurance-Like Protection to Tax-Avoiding Firms? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-19, September.
    15. Dayuan Li & Fei Tang & Lu Zhang, 2020. "Differential effects of voluntary environmental programs and mandatory regulations on corporate green innovation," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 103(3), pages 3437-3456, September.
    16. José‐Luis Godos‐Díez & Laura Cabeza‐García & Roberto Fernández‐Gago & Mariano Nieto‐Antolín, 2020. "Does CEO media exposure affect corporate social responsibility?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 825-840, March.
    17. Hans B. Christensen & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz, 2021. "Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1176-1248, September.
    18. Yihao Guo & Yanwen Song & Yimin Wang, 2024. "Happy troubles? CSR awards and CSR report quality," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 2989-3005, July.
    19. Yuehua Xu & Guangtao Zeng, 2021. "Corporate social performance aspiration and its effects," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(4), pages 1181-1207, December.
    20. Zhe Li & Ping Wang & Tianlong Wu, 2021. "Do foreign institutional investors drive corporate social responsibility? Evidence from listed firms in China," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1-2), pages 338-373, January.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:pal:palcom:v:10:y:2023:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-023-01786-9. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.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.