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Does Community and Environmental Responsibility Affect Firm Risk? Evidence from UK Panel Data 1994-2006

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  • Toms, Steven
  • Anderson, Keith
  • Salama, Aly

Abstract

The question of how an individual firm’s environmental performance impacts its firm risk has not been examined in any empirical UK research. Does a company that strives to attain good environmental performance decreases its market risk or is environmental performance just a disadvantageous cost that increases such risk levels for these firms? Answers to this question have important implications for the management of companies and the investment decisions of individuals and institutions. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between corporate environmental performance and firm risk in the British context. Using the largest dataset so far assembled, with Community and Environmental Responsibility (CER) rankings for all rated UK companies between 1994 and 2006, we show that a company’s environmental performance is inversely related to its systematic financial risk. However, an increase of 1.0 in the CER score is associated with only a 0.02 reduction in firm’s risk and cost of capital.

Suggested Citation

  • Toms, Steven & Anderson, Keith & Salama, Aly, 2009. "Does Community and Environmental Responsibility Affect Firm Risk? Evidence from UK Panel Data 1994-2006," The York Management School Working Papers 49, The York Management School, University of York.
    • Handle: RePEc:wrc:ymswp1:49
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    Cited by:

    1. Mohammed Benlemlih & Isabelle Girerd-Potin, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility and firm financial risk reduction: On the moderating role of the legal environment," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(7-8), pages 1137-1166, July.
    2. Noor Muhammad & Frank Scrimgeour & Krishna Reddy & Sazali Abidin, 2015. "The Impact of Corporate Environmental Performance on Market Risk: The Australian Industry Case," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(2), pages 347-362, December.
    3. Laura Sierra & Ana Zorio & María A. García‐Benau, 2013. "Sustainable Development and Assurance of Corporate Social Responsibility Reports Published by Ibex‐35 Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(6), pages 359-370, November.
    4. Miriam Breitenstein & Duc Khuong Nguyen & Thomas Walther, 2021. "Environmental Hazards And Risk Management In The Financial Sector: A Systematic Literature Review," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 35(2), pages 512-538, April.
    5. I. Girerd-Potin & S. Jimenez-Garces & Pascal Louvet, 2014. "Which Dimensions of Social Responsibility Concern Financial Investors?," Post-Print halshs-01337706, HAL.
    6. Mohammad Jizi & Aly Salama & Robert Dixon & Rebecca Stratling, 2014. "Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: Evidence from the US Banking Sector," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(4), pages 601-615, December.
    7. Mohammed Benlemlih & Amama Shaukat & Yan Qiu & Grzegorz Trojanowski, 2018. "Environmental and Social Disclosures and Firm Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 152(3), pages 613-626, October.
    8. Francesca Gennari, 2019. "How to Lead the Board of Directors to a Sustainable Development of Business with the CSR Committees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-17, December.
    9. Amos Sodjahin & Claudia Champagne & Frank Coggins & Roland Gillet, 2017. "Leading or lagging indicators of risk? The informational content of extra-financial performance scores," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 18(5), pages 347-370, September.
    10. Jean-Michel Sahut & Eric Braune & Lubica Hikkerova & Léopold Djoutsa Wamba, 2020. "Environmental Performance and Risk of European Firms," Journal of Applied Management and Investments, Department of Business Administration and Corporate Security, International Humanitarian University, vol. 9(2), pages 85-104, June.
    11. Pascal Nguyen & Anna Nguyen, 2015. "The effect of corporate social responsibility on firm risk," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 11(2), pages 324-339, June.
    12. Li Cai & Jinhua Cui & Hoje Jo, 2016. "Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Firm Risk," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 563-594, December.
    13. Jinhua Cui & Hoje Jo & Manuel G. Velasquez, 2016. "Community Religion, Employees, and the Social License to Operate," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 136(4), pages 775-807, July.
    14. Mohammed Benlemlih & Isabelle Girerd-Potin, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility and firm financial risk reduction: On the moderating role of the legal environment," Post-Print hal-01977064, HAL.
    15. Wassim Dbouk & Dawei Jin & Haizhi Wang & Jianrong Wang, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Rule 144A Debt Offerings: Empirical Evidence," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-18, November.
    16. Ioannis Oikonomou & Chris Brooks & Stephen Pavelin, 2012. "The Impact of Corporate Social Performance on Financial Risk and Utility: A Longitudinal Analysis," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 41(2), pages 483-515, June.
    17. Andreas Hoepner & Arleta Majoch, 2016. "Pension Funds and the Principles for Responsible Investment: Multiplying Stakeholder Salience?," ICMA Centre Discussion Papers in Finance icma-dp2016-07, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
    18. Hoje Jo & Haejung Na, 2012. "Does CSR Reduce Firm Risk? Evidence from Controversial Industry Sectors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 110(4), pages 441-456, November.
    19. Unsal, Omer, 2019. "Employee relations and firm risk: Evidence from court rooms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 1-16.
    20. Kais Bouslah & Lawrence Kryzanowski & Bouchra M’Zali, 2018. "Social Performance and Firm Risk: Impact of the Financial Crisis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(3), pages 643-669, May.
    21. Isabelle Girerd-Potin & Sonia Jimenez-Garcès & Pascal Louvet, 2014. "Which Dimensions of Social Responsibility Concern Financial Investors?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 121(4), pages 559-576, June.
    22. Jinhua Cui & Hoje Jo & Haejung Na, 2018. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Affect Information Asymmetry?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(3), pages 549-572, March.

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