IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ukm/jlekon/v56y2022i1p33-46.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Corporate Social Responsibility and Zero Leverage

Author

Listed:
  • Uz Zaman, Qamar

    (Department of Management Sciences COMSATS University Islamabad Sahiwal Campus, 57000 PAKISTAN.)

  • Ehsan, Sadaf

    (Department of Management Sciences COMSATS University Islamabad Lahore Campus, 54000 PAKISTAN.)

  • Hassan, Mohammad Kabir

    (Department of Economics and Finance University of New Orleans New Orleans, 70148 UNITED STATES.)

  • Javed, Muzhar

    (Department of Management Sciences COMSATS University Islamabad Sahiwal Campus, 57000 PAKISTAN.)

  • Ul Hassan, Syed Iftikhar

    (Department of Management Sciences COMSATS University Islamabad Sahiwal Campus, 57000 PAKISTAN.)

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the link between Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Zero Leverage (ZL) policy of firms. We use panel logistic multivariate regression to determine the socially responsible behavior of ZL firms and their levered counterparts. Our proxies for CSR are corporate social responsibility disclosure and corporate tax contribution against the proxies of ZL and almost zero-leverage (AZL). The sample firm-year observations of Pakistani listed firms from 2009-2018 are further divided in subsamples for short term ZL and long term ZL firms. We also test the constraints hypothesis for our sample firms. We found that CSR and ZL policy complement each other, adding to the firm’s financial and social sustainability. The positive relationship between CSR and ZL is more significant in dividend-paying firms. Further, results support that financially unconstrained socially responsible firms have more probability to choose ZL or AZL policy. This study provides initial evidence regarding the relationship between CSR behavior and ZL policy of firms. Further, this study is the pioneer to introduce tax contribution as a proxy of CSR.

Suggested Citation

  • Uz Zaman, Qamar & Ehsan, Sadaf & Hassan, Mohammad Kabir & Javed, Muzhar & Ul Hassan, Syed Iftikhar, 2022. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Zero Leverage," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 56(1), pages 33-46.
    • Handle: RePEc:ukm:jlekon:v:56:y:2022:i:1:p:33-46
    DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/JEM-2021-5601-03
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.ukm.my/jem/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/jeko_561-3.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/JEM-2021-5601-03?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shigeo Takami, 2016. "Factors inhibiting Japanese firms from zero leverage: financial constraints and bank relationships," Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 161-176, June.
    2. Kontesa, Maria & Brahmana, Rayenda Khresna & Mail, Gesti Memarista, 2020. "Does Market Competition Motivate Corporate Social Responsibility? Insight from Malaysia," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 54(1), pages 167-179.
    3. Shenggang Yang & Feiying He & Qi Zhu & Shihao Li, 2018. "How does corporate social responsibility change capital structure?," Asia-Pacific Journal of Accounting & Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3-4), pages 352-387, May.
    4. Abdelmajid Hmaittane & Kais Bouslah & Bouchra M’Zali, 2019. "Does corporate social responsibility affect the cost of equity in controversial industry sectors?," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 18(4), pages 635-662, July.
    5. Lee Cronbach, 1951. "Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 16(3), pages 297-334, September.
    6. Joaquim Ferrão & José Dias Curto & Ana Paula Gama, 2016. "Low-leverage policy dynamics: an empirical analysis," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 15(4), pages 463-483, November.
    7. Berger, Philip G & Ofek, Eli & Yermack, David L, 1997. "Managerial Entrenchment and Capital Structure Decisions," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(4), pages 1411-1438, September.
    8. Ammara Yasmin & Abdul Rashid, 2019. "On the Mystery of Financial Conservatism: Insights from Pakistan," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 55(12), pages 2904-2927, September.
    9. Andreas Hoepner & Ioannis Oikonomou & Bert Scholtens & Michael Schröder, 2016. "The Effects of Corporate and Country Sustainability Characteristics on The Cost of Debt: An International Investigation," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1-2), pages 158-190, January.
    10. Raharja, Bayu Sindhu & Mranani, Muji, 2019. "The Nonlinear Effect of Debt on Firm Performance," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 53(3), pages 3-9.
    11. Dang, Viet Anh, 2013. "An empirical analysis of zero-leverage firms: New evidence from the UK," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 189-202.
    12. Qamar Uz Zaman & M. Kabir Hassan & Waheed Akhter & Jennifer Brodmann, 2019. "Does the interest tax shield align with maqasid al Shariah in finance?," Borsa Istanbul Review, Research and Business Development Department, Borsa Istanbul, vol. 19(1), pages 39-48, March.
    13. Craig Michael Deegan, 2019. "Legitimacy theory," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 32(8), pages 2307-2329, July.
    14. Heitor Almeida, 2019. "Is It Time to Get Rid of Earnings-per-Share (EPS)?," The Review of Corporate Finance Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 8(1), pages 174-206.
    15. Charles J. Hadlock & Joshua R. Pierce, 2010. "New Evidence on Measuring Financial Constraints: Moving Beyond the KZ Index," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 23(5), pages 1909-1940.
    16. Devos, Erik & Dhillon, Upinder & Jagannathan, Murali & Krishnamurthy, Srinivasan, 2012. "Why are firms unlevered?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 664-682.
    17. Pei‐Hui Hsu & Jared A. Moore & Donald O. Neubaum, 2018. "Tax avoidance, financial experts on the audit committee, and business strategy," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(9-10), pages 1293-1321, October.
    18. Gendron, Yves & Smith-Lacroix, Jean-Hubert, 2015. "The global financial crisis: Essay on the possibility of substantive change in the discipline of finance," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 83-101.
    19. Joaquim Ferrão & José Dias Curto & Ana Paula Gama, 2016. "Low-leverage policy dynamics: an empirical analysis," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 15(4), pages 463-483, November.
    20. El Ghoul, Sadok & Guedhami, Omrane & Kwok, Chuck C.Y. & Mishra, Dev R., 2011. "Does corporate social responsibility affect the cost of capital?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 2388-2406, September.
    21. Manuel Pedro Rodríguez Bolívar & Andrés Navarro Galera & Laura Alcaide Muñoz & María Deseada López Subirés, 2016. "Risk Factors and Drivers of Financial Sustainability in Local Government: An Empirical Study," Local Government Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(1), pages 29-51, January.
    22. Arifur Khan & Mohammad Muttakin & Javed Siddiqui, 2013. "Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures: Evidence from an Emerging Economy," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 207-223, May.
    23. Sadok El Ghoul & Omrane Guedhami & Chuck Kwok & Xiaolan Zheng, 2018. "Zero-Leverage Puzzle: An International Comparison," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 22(3), pages 1063-1120.
    24. John R. Graham, 2000. "How Big Are the Tax Benefits of Debt?," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 55(5), pages 1901-1941, October.
    25. Sheikh, Shahbaz, 2019. "Corporate social responsibility and firm leverage: The impact of market competition," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 496-510.
    26. Jennifer Martínez-Ferrero & Shantanu Banerjee & Isabel María García-Sánchez, 2016. "Corporate Social Responsibility as a Strategic Shield Against Costs of Earnings Management Practices," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(2), pages 305-324, January.
    27. Bessler, Wolfgang & Drobetz, Wolfgang & Haller, Rebekka & Meier, Iwan, 2013. "The international zero-leverage phenomenon," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 196-221.
    28. Kraus, Alan & Litzenberger, Robert H, 1973. "A State-Preference Model of Optimal Financial Leverage," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 28(4), pages 911-922, September.
    29. Stiglitz, Joseph E & Weiss, Andrew, 1981. "Credit Rationing in Markets with Imperfect Information," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(3), pages 393-410, June.
    30. Muhammad Shoukat Malik & Lubna Kanwal, 2018. "Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure on Financial Performance: Case Study of Listed Pharmaceutical Firms of Pakistan," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 69-78, June.
    31. La Rosa, Fabio & Liberatore, Giovanni & Mazzi, Francesco & Terzani, Simone, 2018. "The impact of corporate social performance on the cost of debt and access to debt financing for listed European non-financial firms," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 519-529.
    32. Morais, Flávio & Serrasqueiro, Zélia & Ramalho, Joaquim J.S., 2020. "The zero-leverage phenomenon: A bivariate probit with partial observability approach," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    33. Abdelmajid Hmaittane & Kais Bouslah & Bouchra M’Zali, 2019. "Does corporate social responsibility affect the cost of equity in controversial industry sectors?," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 18(4), pages 635-662, July.
    34. Kemper, Jan & Schilke, Oliver & Reimann, Martin & Wang, Xuyi & Brettel, Malte, 2013. "Competition-motivated corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 66(10), pages 1954-1963.
    35. Weihan Cui, 2020. "Is debt conservatism the solution to financial constraints? An empirical analysis of Japanese firms," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(23), pages 2526-2543, May.
    36. Tahera Ebrahimi & Jairaj Gupta & Aydin Ozkan, 2020. "Supply‐side factors, CEO overconfidence, and zero‐leverage policy," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(4), pages 547-564, October.
    37. Thao Nguyen & Min Bai & Greg Hou & Cameron Truong, 2021. "Speed of adjustment towards target leverage: evidence from a quantile regression analysis," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(4), pages 5073-5109, December.
    38. Anton Miglo, 2020. "Zero-Debt Policy under Asymmetric Information, Flexibility and Free Cash Flow Considerations," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-25, November.
    39. Strebulaev, Ilya A. & Yang, Baozhong, 2013. "The mystery of zero-leverage firms," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(1), pages 1-23.
    40. Zhen Huang & Wanli Li & Weiwei Gao, 2017. "Why do firms choose zero-leverage policy? Evidence from China," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(28), pages 2736-2748, June.
    41. Sadaf Ehsan & Mian Sajid Nazir & Mohammad Nurunnabi & Qasim Raza Khan & Samya Tahir & Ishfaq Ahmed, 2018. "A Multimethod Approach to Assess and Measure Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Practices in a Developing Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, August.
    42. Gupta, Kartick & Krishnamurti, Chandrasekhar, 2018. "Does corporate social responsibility engagement benefit distressed firms? The role of moral and exchange capital," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 249-262.
    43. Zhang, Sijia & Gregoriou, Andros, 2019. "The price behavior around initial loan announcements: Evidence from zero-leverage firms in the UK," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 191-200.
    44. Barbara Sveva Magnanelli & Maria Federica Izzo, 2017. "Corporate social performance and cost of debt: the relationship," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(2), pages 250-265, June.
    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. Saona, Paolo & San-Martin, Pablo & Vallelado, Eleuterio, 2024. "The zero-debt puzzle in BRICS countries: Disentangling the financial flexibility and financial constraints hypotheses," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    2. Morais, Flávio & Serrasqueiro, Zélia & Ramalho, Joaquim J.S., 2020. "The zero-leverage phenomenon: A bivariate probit with partial observability approach," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    3. Morais, Flávio & Serrasqueiro, Zélia & Ramalho, Joaquim J.S., 2022. "Capital structure speed of adjustment heterogeneity across zero leverage and leveraged European firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    4. Michael Espindola Araki & Henrique Castro Martins, 2022. "Integrating uncertainty and governance into a capital structure puzzle: can risk-taking and rule-taking explain zero-leverage firms?," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(6), pages 1979-2034, August.
    5. Bigelli, Marco & Martín-Ugedo, Juan Francisco & Sánchez-Vidal, F. Javier, 2014. "Financial conservatism of private firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(11), pages 2419-2427.
    6. Chipeta, Chimwemwe & Aftab, Nadeem & Machokoto, Michael, 2021. "The implications of financial conservatism for African firms," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 42(C).
    7. Sardo, Filipe & Serrasqueiro, Zélia & Armada, Manuel Rocha, 2024. "Is the zero-leverage policy a persistent phenomenon? Evidence from Portuguese SMEs," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    8. Saona, Paolo & Vallelado, Eleuterio & San Martín, Pablo, 2020. "Debt, or not debt, that is the question: A Shakespearean question to a corporate decision," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 378-392.
    9. Maria Kokoreva & Anastasia Stepanova & Kirill Povk, 2017. "Could High-Tech Companies Learn from Others While Choosing Capital Structure?," HSE Working papers WP BRP 62/FE/2017, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    10. Armanious, Amir & Zhao, Ruoyun, 2024. "Stock liquidity effect on leverage: The role of debt security, financial constraint, and risk around the global financial crisis and Covid-19 pandemic," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    11. Jiang, Wenwen & Kang, Jangkoo & Kim, Hwa-Sung, 2024. "Is the zero-leverage policy value-enhancing?," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 176-189.
    12. Saeed, Asif & Noor, Mah & Soobaroyen, Teerooven & Gull, Ammar Ali, 2024. "Investigating the varying relevance of CSR dimensions on firm leverage: The implications for internationalized firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    13. Attaoui, Sami & Cao, Wenbin & Duan, Xiaoman & Liu, Hening, 2021. "Optimal capital structure, ambiguity aversion, and leverage puzzles," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    14. Zhang, Sijia & Gregoriou, Andros, 2021. "The impact of order flow on event study returns: New evidence from zero-leverage firms," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 627-634.
    15. Bessler, Wolfgang & Drobetz, Wolfgang & Haller, Rebekka & Meier, Iwan, 2013. "The international zero-leverage phenomenon," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 196-221.
    16. Choi, Young Mok & Park, Kunsu, 2022. "Zero-leverage policy and stock price crash risk: Evidence from Korea," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    17. Machokoto, Michael & Chipeta, Chimwemwe & Aftab, Nadeem & Areneke, Geofry, 2021. "The financial conservatism of firms in emerging economies," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    18. Dang, Viet Anh, 2013. "An empirical analysis of zero-leverage firms: New evidence from the UK," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 189-202.
    19. Elena Alexandra Nenu & Georgeta Vintilă & Ştefan Cristian Gherghina, 2018. "The Impact of Capital Structure on Risk and Firm Performance: Empirical Evidence for the Bucharest Stock Exchange Listed Companies," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 6(2), pages 1-29, April.
    20. Ballester, Laura & González-Urteaga, Ana & Shen, Long, 2024. "Green bond issuance and credit risk: International evidence," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    corporate social responsibility; disclosure; sustainability; tax contribution; zero-leverage;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • L53 - Industrial Organization - - Regulation and Industrial Policy - - - Enterprise Policy
    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility

    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:ukm:jlekon:v:56:y:2022:i:1:p:33-46. 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: Muhammad Asri Abd Ghani (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/feukmmy.html .

    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.