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Board Structure to Enhance Social Responsibility Development: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of US Companies

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  • Beatriz Cuadrado‐Ballesteros
  • Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero
  • Isabel M. García‐Sánchez

Abstract

This study adds clarity to inconclusive results in previous literature about the link between board characteristics and the level of social responsibility performance by using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. Specifically, we propose a new holistic framework based on the complexity theory. From a sample of 471 non‐financial companies from the USA for the period 2008–2010, our findings support the four tenets of complexity theory: equifinality, complexity, asymmetry, and causal asymmetry. More concretely, they suggest that CSR performance depends on a complex configuration of some board characteristics, such as size, independency, diversity and activity, and other corporate attributes (i.e., company size, leverage, and growth opportunities). These factors play a key role as the ingredients of the recipe and, in a proper combination, contribute to obtaining high levels of social responsibility performance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

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  • Beatriz Cuadrado‐Ballesteros & Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero & Isabel M. García‐Sánchez, 2017. "Board Structure to Enhance Social Responsibility Development: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of US Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(6), pages 524-542, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:24:y:2017:i:6:p:524-542
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.1425
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    5. María‐Florencia Amorelli & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2021. "Trends in the dynamic evolution of board gender diversity and corporate social responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 537-554, March.
    6. Stefania Veltri & Romilda Mazzotta & Franco Ernesto Rubino, 2021. "Board diversity and corporate social performance: Does the family firm status matter?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1664-1679, November.
    7. Leemen Lee & Li‐Fei Chen, 2018. "Boosting employee retention through CSR: A configurational analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 948-960, September.
    8. Çiğdem Vural‐Yavaş, 2021. "Economic policy uncertainty, stakeholder engagement, and environmental, social, and governance practices: The moderating effect of competition," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 82-102, January.
    9. Aladdin Dwekat & Elies Seguí‐Mas & Guillermina Tormo‐Carbó & Pedro Carmona, 2020. "Corporate Governance Configurations and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Audit Committee and Board characteristics," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2879-2892, November.
    10. Pochara Arayakarnkul & Pattanaporn Chatjuthamard & Sirimon Treepongkaruna, 2022. "Board gender diversity, corporate social commitment and sustainability," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1706-1721, September.
    11. Mohammad A. A. Zaid & Sara T. F. Abuhijleh & María Consuelo Pucheta‐Martínez, 2020. "Ownership structure, stakeholder engagement, and corporate social responsibility policies: The moderating effect of board independence," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1344-1360, May.
    12. Nerantzidis, Michail & Tzeremes, Panayiotis & Koutoupis, Andreas & Pourgias, Apostolos, 2022. "Exploring the black box: Board gender diversity and corporate social performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    13. Haroon ur Rashid Khan & Murad Ali & Hossein G. T. Olya & Muhamamd Zulqarnain & Zubair Rashid Khan, 2018. "Transformational leadership, corporate social responsibility, organizational innovation, and organizational performance: Symmetrical and asymmetrical analytical approaches," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(6), pages 1270-1283, November.
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