Corporate social responsibility oriented boards and triple bottom line performance: A meta‐analytic study

Abstract

AbstractIn this article, we aim to investigate the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR)‐oriented boards on triple bottom‐line (TBL) performance and whether internal corporate governance exhibits a facilitating role in achieving the sustainable development goals by enhancing the performance indicators of the TBL. Specifically, this article aims to shed light on this issue by meta‐analyzing the relationship between good governance and both social and financial performance, using a global sample to facilitate this analysis taking into account the incidence of the institutional characteristics of different countries and their impact on the relationship studied, by means of eight meta‐analyses. For this purpose, we conducted a meta‐analytic study on a sample of 289 articles published between 1997 and 2021. The results show that CSR‐oriented boards have a direct effect on corporate social performance (CSP) indicators and that their impact on financial outcomes is mediated by CSP strategies. Board size, gender diversity, and board independence present a facilitator profile of CSP, while only gender diversity enhances financial outcomes. The influence of CSR‐oriented boards is more acute in countries with greater protection for stakeholders and stronger environmental awareness.