Corporate Economic Performance Research Articles

Corporate environmental performance and efficiency: Evidence from stochastic frontier analysis

This study provides novel insights into the relationship between corporate environmental performance (CEP) and corporate economic performance as measured by technical efficiency. Using stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) methodology, we find a positive link between CEP and technical efficiency for a sample of U.S. listed firms (from industries that typically raise environmental concerns) in the period 2005–2019. This association is stable over time. Additional tests suggest that such association is non-linear (convex), with high-rated firms presenting disproportionally stronger gains in terms of technical efficiency relative to others. In a different vein, we also show that the strength of the association varies across business sectors, a firm’s size and (historical average) profit margin. The impact of CEP is akin to the ability of firms to cut emissions and/or curb resource use and waste. Surprisingly, environmental product innovation appears to produce negligible effects on technical efficiency.

Firms’ characteristics, corporate governance, and the adoption of sustainability reporting: evidence from Gulf Cooperation Council countries

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to investigate the factors that influence the adoption of new sustainability reporting (SDG) and external assurance (EXTA) practices. This study also examines the relationship between sustainability reporting activity and corporate economic performance for a sample of 99 companies in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries that addressed SDGs in their sustainability reports published in 2019.Design/methodology/approachUsing a two-stage analysis, this study examines how firms’ characteristics and corporate governance variables affect SDG and economic performance, as well as the firm’s decision to adopt EXTA statements for a sample of companies in that addressed SDGs in their sustainability reports published in 2019. The authors collected data from the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) Sustainability Disclosure database and the Bureau van Dijk for Orbis database.FindingsThe results show that the variables firm size, profitability, big 4 auditors and government ownership significantly affect SDG and economic performance. The results also reveal that firms operating in the manufacturing sector are positively correlated with SDG and the firm’s decision to adopt EXTA statements. Furthermore, the results indicate that board independence positively affects SDGs and EXTA.Research limitations/implicationsThe results can be particularly relevant and timely in helping large GCC companies promote their engagement to sustainable development practices by adopting more sustainable long-term strategies and policies. The findings could also guide managers in the strategic direction to identify firms’ characteristics and corporate governance features essential to promote sustainability reporting, an increasingly important performance indicator for investors and to enhance their confidence in the capital market. The results may also have practical implications to policymakers and other regulators in GCC countries to define effective frameworks that promote sustainable development reports and the use of EXTA.Originality/valueThe results make significant contributions by providing new insights to the existing literature on sustainability reporting in emerging markets by examining a unique perspective on the influence of firms’ characteristics and corporate governance features on the adoption of new sustainability reporting practices. The authors further add to the previous literature on the relationship between a firm’s economic performance and sustainable reporting by providing evidence from large companies in GCC countries, which might benefit from the adoption of multiple conceptual lenses, in this case, legitimacy and stakeholder theories. Lastly, through the empirical findings, this study provides economic validity to the 2018 joint initiative of the GRI and the United Nations Global Compact to strengthen corporate actions to achieve the United Nations SDGs.

The economic consequence of corporate philanthropic donations: evidence from Jordan

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Corporate Philanthropic Donations (CPD) on the Corporate Economic Performance (CEP) of a group of Jordanian public shareholding companies.Design/methodology/approachThe sample includes 94 companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange between 2010 and 2016. Manual content analysis is employed to collect the quantitative-related data needed for this study.FindingsOur findings show that CPD is relevant, with a significant impact on financial performance. More specifically, CPD has a positive impact on the performance indicators measured by Tobin’s Q (TQ), return on equity (ROE) and return on assets (ROA).Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the research debate on CPD and CEP, especially in developing countries. It emphasizes the importance of such practices in increasing corporate profitability.Practical implicationsThe study’s findings highlight the importance of CPD for Jordanian corporate managers. A greater emphasis on donations is likely to attract investor attention, government attention, media attention and humanitarian activism, all of which will enhance corporate goodwill.Originality/valueThis study demonstrates the positive relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and CEP in an emerging economy, with a focus on one aspect of CSR, namely donation, that is underrepresented in developing countries. The study employs multiple methods for analyzing profitability as proxied by TQ, ROE and ROA, given the presence of multiple proxies to measure profitability. A further interesting aspect is examining the topic of CPD in the Jordanian context, where listed companies exhibit a uniform understanding of CPD.

How to balance economic profits and environmental protection: The impacts of cash hedging on remanufacturing firms

The popularity of the circular economy attracts more attention to balance environmental and economic impacts. Many supply chain remanufacturing firms have started to use the cash flow to invest in cost-reduction technologies to increase profits. However, the uncertainty of cash flow significantly affects the technology investment effectiveness, and therefore, some firms attempt to adopt cash hedging strategies to mitigate the uncertainty. This study investigates the impacts of cash hedging on remanufacturing firms' profits and the environment through the lenses of cost-reduction technologies investments. The proposed nonlinear programming models were drawn on cash hedging and risk management theory. Empirical regression analysis was conducted using longitudinal datasets of listed Chinese remanufacturing firms for ten years ranging from 2010 to 2019. Different from the traditional wisdom which argues that cash hedging has a single effect (i.e., positive, negative, or no impact) on corporate economic performance, this paper's results indicate that the impact of cash hedging on corporate profits varies in different conditions; Further, this study is one of the first to identify some interesting conditions, in which cash hedging can bring along remanufacturing firms with profits while protect environment. This study provides insightful suggestions for the manufacturer's and government's policy design.

Research on the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Sustainable Performance: A Multi-dimensional Balance Perspective

ABSTRACT Corporate social responsibility (CSR) emphasizes the coexistence between enterprises and stakeholders so as to achieve the coordinated development of economy, society and environment. Based on the concept of CSR and triple bottom line, this article innovatively puts forward the concept of triple performance balance, which refers to the coordinated development level of corporate economic, social and environmental performance, and tests the impact of CSR fulfillment on corporate balance development. In order to examine the comprehensive balance consequences of CSR, this paper takes Chinese listed companies as samples, and the method of coefficient of variation, ordinary least squares regression as well as grouping test are employed. The results shown that CSR is conductive to the balance development of corporate triple performance, and the attributes of state-owned enterprises and mature period enterprises are beneficial to exerting the positive role of CSR on balance performance. Finally, this research emphasizes the balanced view of corporate responsibility to realize the harmonious and sustainable development of enterprise and society.

Do different dimensions of corporate social responsibility disclosure have different economic consequence: multi-approaches for profitability examination

PurposeThis study examines the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure (hereafter CSRD) on the Corporate Economic Performance (hereafter CEP) of a group of public shareholding companies in Jordan.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses different proxies to examine the impact of CSRD on companies’ financial and economic value. The data were collected from a sample of 94 companies listed on the Amman Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2016. Based on a checklist of 41 indicators, this study employed the manual content analysis technique to collect and analyse CSRD data. A statistical analysis technique was also used to examine the hypothesized relationships between collected data on CSRD and profitability.FindingsThe findings indicate that CSRD is value-relevant. It is positively and statistically associated with firm value proxied by Tobin’s Q. In addition, it is positively and statistically associated with firm financial performance proxied by ROE and ROA.Research limitations/implicationsThis study contributes to the research debate on the relationship between CSRD and CEP, particularly in developing nations. The study draws attention to the need for information on different dimensions of CSR, including human resource, environmental, product responsibility, and community participation, as disclosure on such dimensions is positively associated with profitability.Practical implicationsThe findings provide important implications for Jordanian corporate managers to maintain CSRD in their best interest. With more emphasis on disclosing stand-alone CSR reports, corporate managers can present more information on different dimensions of CSR, attracting the attention of stakeholders such as investors, the government, media, and humanitarian activists and enhancing overall corporate goodwill.Originality/valueCSRD activities reflect a positive impact on CEP. Due to the dearth of relevant research conducted in developing countries, this study provides empirical evidence on the positive relationship between CSRD and CEP in an emerging economy, with more emphasis on specific dimensions of CSR, including human resources, environmental, product responsibility, and community participation. Since multiple proxies exist to measure profitability, this study uses multi-approaches for profitability examination proxied by Tobin’s Q, ROE, and ROA. Moreover, the issue of CSR is original and interesting to be examined in the Jordanian context, where the listed firms have reported a homogeneous perception of CSR.

The Corporate Economic Performance of Environmentally Eligible Firms Nexus Climate Change: An Empirical Research in a Bayesian VAR Framework

Corporate economic performance and its association with carbon emissions has been the subject of extensive research within the last few decades. The present study examines the economic performance of green firms as reflected in the Financial Times Stock Exchange Environmental Opportunities Index Series (FTSE EO) and its association with carbon emissions, incorporating the role of two more indices, namely the Baltic Clean Tanker Index (BAIT) and EUR/USD exchange rate. The methodology employed is the Bayesian Vector Autoregression Model (BVAR). Our findings confirm the interlinkages among the variables studied. More specifically, based on impulse response analysis, the direction of causality is two-way. The response of carbon emissions to a shock in the other variables is negative for the case of the EUR/USD exchange rate and Baltic Clean Tanker Index (BAIT) (an index representing the conventional energy sources), while it is positive for a shock in the FTSE EO. However, the most important finding is the return to the steady state after nine or ten periods. This result is very significant since the global environmental agreements along with the global economic conditions and the energy resources may well lead to limitations in carbon emissions within a framework of a well-organized and targeted climate change mitigation strategy.

Corporate economic performance and sustainability indices: a study based on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index.

Sustainable investing recognizes companies’ role in solving some of the major sustainability challenges globally and that companies driving impactful sustainability agendas can be best positioned to grow, and one way to do this is through inclusion into a sustainability stock-market index. Current research has investigated the financial benefits of being included into sustainable indices and has found contrasting results. To expand on existing work, we report an analysis that aims at better understanding whether there is any negative economic impact related to participation in the sustainability index DJSI. To do this, we gained data on three financial indicators (market cap, net sales, and EBITDA) on five different non-related industries (Airlines, Aluminum, Apparel, Pharmaceuticals, and Forest Products). Ten companies in each industry were selected based on market-cap, with 5 being in-index and 5 being out. Although most indices’ rationale is to identify companies that are best-in-class performers in sustainability and economically, we report an unexpected conclusion of no obvious financial consequences from being part of sustainability index. Only one industry—forest products—had positive impacts of index-inclusion, and the other industries’ impacts were non-consequential. This indicates that sustainability indices may promote sustainable development with no financial impact.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43546-022-00251-0.

Environmental Regulation, Corporate Economic Performance and Spatial Technology Spillover: Evidence from China's Heavily Polluting Listed Corporations.

The relationship between environmental regulation, technology spillover, and economic performance has been the subject of intense scholarly debate in environmental economics for many years. The famous Porter hypothesis states that environmental regulation promotes both the economic performance and the environmental performance of corporations. However, the existing literature has paid relatively little attention to micro-level research and spatial spillover effects. This article endeavors to fill this gap by an empirical analysis of a sample of 900 of China’s heavily polluting listed corporations for the period of 2013–2016. By utilizing spatial econometric methods to measure spatial direct and indirect effects and decomposing total factor productivity change into technical change, pure efficiency change, and scale efficiency change, we find that environmental regulation promotes corporate total factor productivity but widens the disparity between profitable and unprofitable corporations. Our results also suggest that the direct and indirect effects of environmental regulation and corporate profitability on promoting total factor productivity rely heavily on the efficiency changes, while the contribution of the key component, technical change, is insignificant.

The impact of intellectual capital on corporate economic performance in Iran in the face of sanctions

The impact of intellectual capital on corporate economic performance in Iran in the face of sanctions

The impact of intellectual capital on corporate economic performance in Iran in the face of sanctions

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between intellectual capital and economic performance in Iran in the face of sanction. The period of the study will fascinate other scholars about this paper because there were unprecedented sanctions against Iran market and many manufacturing industries were in financial distress. The paper sample consists of 543 observation and 109 firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during a five-year period. We used OLS and panel regressions to test the research models. We find that intellectual capital and each of its elements have a positive and significant effect on economic performance in Iran in the face of sanction. This means that the higher level of intellectual capital in a company in Iran lead to the better economic performance in the face of sanction.

Technological capabilities, technology management and economic performance: the complementary roles of corporate governance and institutional environment

PurposeNowadays, faced with increasingly dynamic and fierce competition, knowledge is considered to be the core to survive and maintain competitive advantages in both managerial practices and academia. Against this background, this study analyzed the influence of technological capabilities (TC) and technology management (TM) on corporate economic performance in the contexts of corporate internal governance mechanisms and external institutional environment from the institutional perspective.Design/methodology/approachThis study collected data on Chinese publicly listed manufacturing firms in Shenzhen and Shanghai stock markets from 2008 to 2017 and the final data included 3,679 firm-year observations. Ordinary least square regression was used in both regression analysis and robustness tests.FindingsThe empirical results showed that the interaction between TC and TM was positively related to corporate economic performance and both corporate incentives and monitoring mechanisms strengthened this positive relationship; the positive moderating effects of corporate governance were stronger under a more developed corporate external institutional environment.Originality/valueThis research provides a better understanding of the economic effect of TC and TM from the perspective of knowledge integration by indicating that the interaction between TC and TM can enhance corporate economic performance and delimiting the boundaries of this relationship from the institutional perspective.

The Mediating Role of Responsible Innovation in the Relationship between Stakeholder Pressure and Corporate Sustainability Performance in Times of Crisis: Evidence from Selected Regions in China.

Responsible innovation, as a new management paradigm that balances the need for profit growth and the appeal of social value, plays an important role in taking into account corporate economic, social and environmental performance. It provides new ideas for driving enterprises to become more risk-resistant and sustainable in times of crisis. However, existing research on responsible innovation has mostly focused on content issues, and there is a lack of sufficient research and empirical studies on its effectiveness in business organizations. Based on the stakeholder theory and the research logic of “pressure–behavior-performance”, this study investigates the formation mechanism of responsible innovation and its impact on corporate performance. Through empirical research on 306 Chinese sample data, the results show that stakeholder pressure has a positive impact on corporate sustainability performance and responsible innovation plays a partially mediating role in this relationship. Flexible routine replication positively moderates the relationship between stakeholder pressure and responsible innovation, while positively moderating the mediating role that responsible innovation plays between stakeholder pressure and corporate sustainability performance. This study contributes to helping enterprises recognize the importance of responsible innovation in responding to stakeholder pressure and promoting corporate sustainability performance in times of crisis.

Corporate Sustainability and Stock Value in Asian–Pacific Emerging Markets: Synergies or Tradeoffs among ESG Factors?

We use structural equation modelling to examine whether multi-dimensional corporate sustainability (CS)—measured by environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors—affects stock value. We find that investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings that the highly rated ESG company generates. Moreover, the positive synergistic effect among the ESG factors implies that companies that focus on any single dimension or the equally weighted aggregation of ESG factors understate the value relevance of CS. In other words, successful sustainability practices should comprise all of the dimensions of CS in order to gain benefit from their synergistic effect with stock value. However, the synergistic effect among ESG factors does not imply that the individual components of CS should be weighted equally in sustainability practices. Our findings show that social engagement emerges as the main driver of CS and should be weighted more heavily than the other factors in sustainability practices. Interestingly, when we account for corporate economic performance, we find that investors put more (less) value on CS when corporate economic performance is weak (strong). This implies that economic performance and ESG performance contain similar information, and that their effects on stock value subsume each other.

Carbon performance, carbon disclosure, and economic performance: the mediating role of carbon (media) legitimacy in the UK

There has been a continuous and controversial debate about the relationship between carbon performance, carbon disclosure, and economic performance. This study investigates whether corporate economic performance is influenced by carbon performance and disclosure and whether carbon (media) legitimacy mediates such relationships. This study provides a broader understanding of the relationship between carbon performance, disclosure, and economic performance by investigating the mediating role of carbon (media) legitimacy, and offers further evidence from the UK context. Based on a balanced panel data of 95 UK firms between 2009 and 2014 (amounting to 475 observations in total) and using path analysis, we find that improving the company’s carbon performance is not financed by shareholders, and carbon (media) legitimacy as an intangible asset enhances the economic performance of the firm. We also find that while carbon disclosure does not directly improve economic performance, it indirectly does so via carbon (media) legitimacy. Finally, the results show while carbon performance is not reflected in carbon (media) legitimacy, carbon disclosure as a legitimizing tool strongly enhances carbon (media) legitimacy. Overall, our results suggest that voluntary carbon disclosure, regardless of the firm’s underlying carbon performance, is an effective tool to manage corporate (media) legitimacy, and subsequently improve economic performance. Thus, voluntary carbon disclosure in the UK may hinder future improvements in a firm’s carbon performance.  Â

The contribution of organized food retail to the Greek socio-economic development during the years of economic crisis

The economic crisis in the EU had severe impacts not only on the performance of the domestic economy but also on the living standard for the citizens. The extended spread of this crisis resulted in limitation in the disposable income and significant negative changes have taken place with negative consequences for the corporate economic performance and competitiveness (de Jorge Moreno, Castillo, & de Zuani Masere, 2010). Within the dominance of certain conditions of economic crisis, there are a few firms that act as lighting exceptions. The present work makes an effort, to unveil the role of selected supermarket retail chain stores in the performance of certain macroeconomic parameters and therefore to illustrate the mechanism through which the restoration of the economy in Greece becomes feasible. More specifically, based on data derived by Eurostat and Greek National Statistics with the assistance of the findings of present analysis that validate a significant contribution of the firms studied to macroeconomic parameters such as national income or employment it may provide policymakers with knowledge tools to promote corporate efforts of this type and in sequence to lead the macroeconomic system in a trajectory of economic growth.

Differentiation of Companies’ Environmental Initiatives in the Light of the Research Results

<p>Theoretical background: The deteriorating condition of the natural environment, as a result of human activity, is one of the global problems that contemporary business entities must face. Companies in their attempts to comply with principles of environmental protection undertake activities aimed at better utilization of resources, production materials or improved efficiency. Such endeavours include the elimination of pollution, recycling of materials, reduction of waste generated, reduction of fuels and energy consumption, and limiting water usage. This contributes to improving corporate economic performance, thus, making production more efficient, more economical and safer.</p><p>Purpose of the article: The purpose of this article is to identify the company’s behavior with regard to environmental protection issues. The study tests the research hypothesis that the companies’ characteristics (i.e. company size, type of activity – production/non production, the scale of activity – local and regional, national, international) are factors that significantly differentiate the involvement of companies in activities for the environmental protection.</p><p>Research methods: The empirical analysis is based on primary data from 68 companies. It was carried out using the Mann–Whitney U test, chi-square independence test, and the correspondence analysis. The strength of the examined relationships was expressed by the V-Cramer coefficient.</p><p>Main findings: The research showed that the level of implementation of environmental initiatives depended on both the type of business activity and the size of the company. In the opinion of the surveyed entities, the implementation of pro-environmental activities aims at improving the company’s image and, to a lesser extent, at obtaining specific economic benefits. Large companies were often involved in the implementation of pro-environmental activities more than small and medium-sized entities. Production entities were more involved in it, compared to non-production companies.</p>

The Impact of Intellectual Capital on Corporate Economic Performance in Iran in the Face of Sanctions

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between intellectual capital and economic performance in Iran in the face of sanction. The period of the study will fascinate other scholars about this paper because there were unprecedented sanctions against Iran market and many manufacturing industries were in financial distress. The paper sample consists of 543 observation and 109 firms listed on the Tehran Stock Exchange during a five-year period. We used OLS and panel regressions to test the research models. We find that intellectual capital and each of its elements have a positive and significant effect on economic performance in Iran in the face of sanction. This means that the higher level of intellectual capital in a company in Iran lead to the better economic performance in the face of sanction.

Corporate Economic, Environmental, and Social Sustainability Performance Transformation through ESG Disclosure

Within the environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure–corporate sustainability performance (economic, environmental and social; EES) framework, our empirical analysis examined the impact of ESG information disclosure on EES sustainability performance among Asian firms from 2005 to 2017. The positive ESG disclosure–EES sustainability performance relationship found in this study provides evidence that disclosing the implementation of environment and social strategies within an effective system of corporate governance in the organization strengthens corporate sustainability performance. The results also show that environmental performance and social performance are significantly positively related to economic sustainable performance, indicating that the corporation’s economic value and creating value for society are interdependent. In line with the stakeholder theory and the shared value theory, ESG information disclosure to all stakeholders is an important factor in creating a competitive advantage for enhancing corporate sustainability performance.

Modelling the impact of corporate sustainability on economic performance with reference to Indian financial industry

Corporate sustainability is a buzzword these days and is instrumental in achieving a comparative advantage by the corporates. The study intends to study the influence of corporate sustainability on economic performance concerning the Indian banking industry. Structural equation modelling, a multivariate technique, is employed in this study to measure the relationship between corporate sustainability and economic performance. Results show the significant but moderate positive relationship between economic performance and corporate sustainability. The findings would be beneficial to the experts in the allocation of limited resources to improve the corporate sustainability performance of firms, particularly in the Indian banking sector.