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10-K Disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility and Firms’ Competitive Advantages

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  • James N. Cannon
  • Zhejia Ling
  • Qian Wang
  • Olena V. Watanabe

Abstract

In this paper, we offer evidence that disclosure of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the 10-K provides information about firms’ competitive advantages. We create a textual measure of CSR disclosure that aggregates CSR keywords found in 10-Ks. We measure firms’ competitive advantages by using levels of and persistence of industry-adjusted gross margin; selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) margin; and operating margin. We first show that 10-K CSR disclosure intensity is associated with lower levels of gross margin but higher SG&A margin. We then observe that firms with more CSR keywords in their 10-Ks maintain more persistent above-industry-median gross and operating margins. Upon sorting our full set of 10-K CSR keywords into three subcategories (philanthropy, business practice, and product), we find that the intensities of disclosure in these CSR subcategories have associations with varying competitive advantages.

Suggested Citation

  • James N. Cannon & Zhejia Ling & Qian Wang & Olena V. Watanabe, 2020. "10-K Disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility and Firms’ Competitive Advantages," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 85-113, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:euract:v:29:y:2020:i:1:p:85-113
    DOI: 10.1080/09638180.2019.1670223
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    Cited by:

    1. Kladakis, George & Chen, Lei & Bellos, Sotirios K., 2023. "Ethical bank disclosures and liquidity creation," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    2. Salim Chouaibi & Matteo Rossi & Dario Siggia & Jamel Chouaibi, 2021. "Exploring the Moderating Role of Social and Ethical Practices in the Relationship between Environmental Disclosure and Financial Performance: Evidence from ESG Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-17, December.
    3. Karim, Mohammed Shamsul & Nahar, Sharmin & Demirbag, Mehmet, 2022. "Resource-Based Perspective on ICT Use and Firm Performance: A Meta-analysis Investigating the Moderating Role of Cross-Country ICT Development Status," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    4. Sheehan, Norman T. & Vaidyanathan, Ganesh & Fox, Kenneth A. & Klassen, Mark, 2023. "Making the invisible, visible: Overcoming barriers to ESG performance with an ESG mindset," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 66(2), pages 265-276.
    5. Mushtaq, Rizwan & Gull, Ammar Ali & Shahab, Yasir & Derouiche, Imen, 2022. "Do financial performance indicators predict 10-K text sentiments? An application of artificial intelligence," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    6. Li, Xiaoyu & Zou, Lin, 2024. "Does mandating narrative disclosure of innovation help unveil the curtain of R&D expenditure? Evidence from regulation change in China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    7. Nguyen, Quyen & Diaz-Rainey, Ivan & Kuruppuarachchi, Duminda, 2023. "In search of climate distress risk," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    8. Nitya Singh & Paul Hong, 2023. "CSR, Risk Management Practices, and Performance Outcomes: An Empirical Investigation of Firms in Different Industries," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 16(2), pages 1-20, January.
    9. Svenja Dube & Chenqi Zhu, 2021. "The Disciplinary Effect of Social Media: Evidence from Firms' Responses to Glassdoor Reviews," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(5), pages 1783-1825, December.
    10. Kun‐Shan Wu & Bao‐Guang Chang, 2022. "The concave–convex effects of environmental, social and governance on high‐tech firm value: Quantile regression approach," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1527-1545, September.

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