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The paradoxical nexus between corporate social responsibility and sustainable financial performance: Evidence from the international construction business

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  • Weisheng Lu
  • Meng Ye
  • K.W. Chau
  • Roger Flanagan

Abstract

The aim of the research is to substantiate the hypothesis of a paradoxical dynamic link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its material implications including sustainable corporate financial performance (CFP). By analysing a panel of 67 international construction companies from 2006 to 2015, we found that CSR programs can be detrimental to CFP in the short term but conducive to improving it in the long term. The findings of this research indicate that, in the international construction business, the impact of CSR on CFP is not immediate and unchanging, and it takes time to materialize CSR for sustainable development. A significant practical use of this research is to provide evidence for the assertion that business stakeholders should be relieved from short‐termism in assuming social responsibility. Further research is recommended to test this support in a more general business setting towards developing a general theory on CSR and sustainable development.

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  • Weisheng Lu & Meng Ye & K.W. Chau & Roger Flanagan, 2018. "The paradoxical nexus between corporate social responsibility and sustainable financial performance: Evidence from the international construction business," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 844-852, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:25:y:2018:i:5:p:844-852
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.1501
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    3. Yang, Yang & Jiang, Yan, 2023. "Buyer-supplier CSR alignment and firm performance: A contingency theory perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    4. Kahloul, Ines & Sbai, Hicham & Grira, Jocelyn, 2022. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility reporting improve financial performance? The moderating role of board diversity and gender composition," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 305-314.
    5. Meng Ye & Weisheng Lu & Roger Flanagan & Kwong Wing Chau, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility “glocalisation”: Evidence from the international construction business," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 655-669, March.
    6. Shahid Ali & Junrui Zhang & Muhammad Usman & Farman Ullah Khan & Amir Ikram & Bilal Anwar, 2019. "Sub-National Institutional Contingencies and Corporate Social Responsibility Performance: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(19), pages 1-21, October.
    7. Lin, Xin-Yi & Liu, Jing-Yue & Zhang, Yue-Jun, 2024. "Does corporate social responsibility affect stock liquidity? Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    8. Andrea Cardoni & Evgeniia Kiseleva & Simona Arduini & Simone Terzani, 2024. "From sustainable value to shareholder value: The impact of sustainable governance and anti‐corruption programs on market valuation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(1), pages 19-42, January.
    9. Hidaya Al Lawati & Khaled Hussainey, 2022. "Does Sustainable Development Goals Disclosure Affect Corporate Financial Performance?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-14, June.
    10. Qian Wang & Yongguang Zhong & Guangye Xu, 2019. "Optimal Decisions and Coordination in a Socially Responsible Supply Chain with Irresponsibility Risk," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-16, December.
    11. Tony Chieh‐Tse Hou, 2019. "The relationship between corporate social responsibility and sustainable financial performance: firm‐level evidence from Taiwan," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(1), pages 19-28, January.
    12. Shirley Kempeneer & Michaël Peeters & Tine Compernolle, 2021. "Bringing the User Back in the Building: An Analysis of ESG in Real Estate and a Behavioral Framework to Guide Future Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-12, March.
    13. Wu, Qun & Liu, Xinwang & Qin, Jindong & Zhou, Ligang & Mardani, Abbas & Deveci, Muhammet, 2022. "An integrated multi-criteria decision-making and multi-objective optimization model for socially responsible portfolio selection," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    14. Lingli Qing & Dongphil Chun & Abd Alwahed Dagestani & Peng Li, 2022. "Does Proactive Green Technology Innovation Improve Financial Performance? Evidence from Listed Companies with Semiconductor Concepts Stock in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-20, April.
    15. Liqi Yi & Tao Li & Xiangyi Wang & Gentana Ge & Ting Zhang, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility performance evaluation from the perspective of stakeholder heterogeneity based on fuzzy analytical hierarchy process integrated TOPSIS," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(4), pages 918-935, July.
    16. Nejla Ould Daoud Ellili & Cemil Kuzey & Ali Uyar & Abdullah S. Karaman, 2024. "Moderating role of internal factors in corporate social responsibility reporting persistence and corporate market value," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(4), pages 2878-2899, July.
    17. Wenbo Luo & Chuan Zhang & Minxin Li, 2022. "The influence of corporate social responsibilities on sustainable financial performance: Mediating role of shared vision capabilities and moderating role of entrepreneurship," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1266-1282, September.
    18. Xiaodong Li & Xiaojiang Gao‐Zeller & Tracey E. Rizzuto & Fan Yang, 2019. "Institutional pressures on corporate social responsibility strategy in construction corporations: The role of internal motivations," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(4), pages 721-740, July.

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