Corporate Social Responsibility Quality Research Articles

Do cultural differences moderate the relationship between CSR and earnings quality: common law evidence pre and during COVID-19 crisis

Purpose This paper aims to describe the role of corporate social performance as a potential mechanism for reducing earnings management. This paper contributes to the existing literature by addressing the moderator effects of national culture on the relationship between CSR and earnings management. Design/methodology/approach This study investigates the moderating impact of Hofstede’s cultural dimensions on the association between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and earnings management. The data set covers 71,893 firm-year observations spanning 2006–2022 and involving 4,229 firms listed in common law countries. Findings The result confirms that corporate social performance reduces the use of real earnings management and controls the change of method AEM to REM method. When testing the indirect effect, the results show that cultural dimensions moderate the relationship between CSR and earnings management. These findings have many theoretical and practical implications for researchers, investors and decision-makers. Originality/value This paper contributes substantially to extant literature by comprehensively exploring the moderating influence of national cultures on the intricate nexus between CSR and earnings management, encompassing the pre- and post-COVID-19 periods. The implications of these findings extend to researchers, investors and policymakers, offering valuable insights for informed decision-making.

Can enhanced CSR quality reduce the cost of debt capital? An empirical analysis of CEO expertise and non-financial reporting practices in China

This study aims to investigate whether stockholders and creditors place a positive value on corporate social responsibility (CSR) information disclosure when making decisions about providing financing to firms, thereby influencing their investment choices. Utilizing data from the China Stock Market & Accounting Research Database (CSMAR) and HEXUN, the study analyzes CSR disclosures and financial data of 7,123 firm-year observations of A-share listed companies on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges from 2012 to 2020. A comprehensive methodology involving regression analysis was applied to assess the relationship between CSR quality and the cost of debt capital. Various robustness tests, including different model specifications and alternative variable measurements, were conducted to ensure the reliability and validity of the findings. The results obtained indicate that higher CSR quality significantly correlates with a lower cost of debt capital, supporting the hypothesis that improved CSR disclosure reduces perceived credit risk. However, CEO financial expertise shows a significantly positive relationship with the cost of debt capital. Furthermore, the study reveals that CSR assurance and engagement with Big 4 accounting firms do not noticeably affect the price of debt capital, whereas mandatory CSR reporting does. The findings underscore the importance of CSR quality in financial decision-making, offering valuable insights. AcknowledgmentThis paper is co-funded by the European Union through the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) within the project “EU Best Practice of Life Cycle Assessment, Social, Environmental Accounting and Sustainability Reporting” – 101047667-ERASMUS-JMO-2021-MODULE https://jm.snau.edu.ua/en/eu-best-practice-of-life-cycle-assessment-social-environmental-accounting-and-sustainability-reporting/ Oleh Pasko expresses sincere gratitude for the support from the Kirkland Research Program, generously provided by the Leaders of Change Foundation established by the Polish-American Freedom Foundation.

The impact of earnings opacity on corporate social responsibility: insights from Vietnamese listed firms

PurposeThis paper studies the association between earnings opacity and corporate social responsibility disclosures of firms listed on the Vietnamese Stock Exchange.Design/methodology/approachWe utilize a dataset comprising a sample of all listed Vietnamese firms for the period of 2014–2022. Data regarding corporate social responsibility information are gathered manually. Following Dechow et al. (1995), Kothari et al. (2005) and Bhattacharya et al. (2003), earnings opacity is measured by using three proxies, including abnormal accruals, earnings smoothing and loss avoidance. Our hypothesis was tested via ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions. To address endogeneity problems, we use the two-stage instrumental variable method (IV-2SLS) as well as the generalized method of moments (GMM) to ensure the robustness of our results.FindingsWe find that earnings opacity is positively related to corporate social responsibility disclosures. Cross-sectional analyses indicate that managers of firms disguise their opportunistic behaviour by disclosing more information about corporate social responsibility. The evidence also shows that firms experience long-run underperformance when having higher earnings opacity and greater sustainability disclosures. Our results remain robust even after correcting for endogeneity using the IV approach and the GMM method.Practical implicationsEvidence from this study can serve as a warning signal to the investment community, highlighting that some methods aimed at enhancing a firm’s corporate social responsibility disclosures might be used to obstruct other unethical activities. Moreover, the results of this study can help regulators gain a better comprehension of firms' reporting patterns concerning corporate social responsibility initiatives. It should not only reform the corporate social responsibility regulation but also impose stronger litigation for firms to enhance the quality of corporate social responsibility disclosures.Originality/valueWe are the first to present evidence regarding the relationship between earnings opacity and corporate social responsibility disclosure in Vietnam.

Does CSR Improve the Quality of Economic Growth? Based on the Perspective of Green Innovation

Taking into consideration existing research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green innovation, this study categorizes green innovation into substantive and strategic types. For this study, we constructed a general equilibrium model that integrates the effects of CSR on substantive and strategic green innovation, exploring changes in emission reduction technologies caused by firms’ CSR efforts and their impact on economic growth quality. We derived the economic growth trajectory for substantive green innovation and strategic green innovation as a function of CSR. The theoretical model that we developed in this study shows that CSR can improve economic growth quality. To empirically test our theoretical model, we used data at the provincial level in China from 2013 to 2022; these empirical results are consistent with the theoretical model. In addition, robustness tests and endogeneity issues were conducted; our findings from these tests show that substantive green innovation acts as a transmission mechanism through which CSR promotes economic growth quality. Additionally, the credit preferences of financial institutions positively moderate the relationship between CSR and economic growth quality. This study provides valuable insights for firms aiming to fulfill CSR obligations and enhance their capability in substantive green innovation.

Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Information Quality

Corporate social responsibility has gained increasing popularity among managers and investors. Many firms commit significant resources and consider CSR as a part of their long-term strategic plan. Whether corporate social responsibility affects corporate financial information quality has been an important question. Using a big sample of corporations in the U.S., I study the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and corporate financial information quality. I find a significant and positive relationship between CSR and financial information quality. This relationship is robust to potential endogeneity concerns. These findings have important implications for financial disclosure, CSR, and corporate strategy.

China’s space sector, firm CSR and patent quality

PurposeThis paper examines firm-level accountability and performance implications under a state-dominated institutional environment, China, for firms engaged in the space economy. Extant studies on the rapidly evolving civil space economy predominantly focus on developed Western economies at national or sector levels, frequently ignoring alternative institutional contexts. Additionally, limited attention has been given to firm-level empirical evidence and analysis, including corporate social responsibility (CSR) practice-R&D quality relationships in the space economy. The paper addresses each of these areas.Design/methodology/approachThis paper utilises multiple regression, propensity score matching and split sampling methods applied to a proprietary dataset of Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchange-listed A-share firms. Results are robust to endogeneity issues, alternative measurement of dependent variables and sampling.FindingsChina’s space firms demonstrate superior CSR performance to their counterparts in other sectors, supporting CSR‘s role in maintaining legitimacy. Their CSR practices also positively contribute to firm patent quality. The link is more pronounced among firms facing higher economic policy uncertainty and for state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The latter is due to SOEs’ government support, advantages in financing and attracting and retaining a high-quality workforce.Originality/valueThis paper adds to discussion on major space power’s, by examining China’s state-dominated civil space sector. It also addresses a lack of empirical firm-level evidence on space firm behaviour by examining the impact of firm-level CSR practices on R&D quality outcomes, areas in which there is a limited literature.

International diversification and corporate social responsibility disclosure quality: Employee versus environmental dimensions

AbstractMultinational enterprises (MNEs) face increasing institutional complexity as they expand internationally, which has a significant effect on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy. In this study, we investigate an under‐explored difference between MNEs' employee and environmental CSR disclosure quality concerning the extent to which CSR reports are indicative of substantive activities. We propose that as international diversification increases institutional complexity, MNEs lower the disclosure quality of environmental CSR yet improve the disclosure quality of employee CSR due to their different institutional implications. In addition, we examine the effect of MNEs' home country cultural differences regarding uncertainty avoidance on the relationship between international diversification and employee and environmental disclosure quality. Based on a sample of 335 global MNEs from 31 countries, we found general support for our hypotheses.

Impact of target firm’s social performance on acquisition premiums

This study investigates whether a target firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) influences the acquisition premium paid by an acquirer. Using the US public mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals, this study finds that acquisition premium increases as targets’ perceived CSR quality increases, an effect incremental to previously documented drivers of such premiums. Additional findings reveal that the positive association between targets’ CSR quality and acquisition premiums is stronger for large targets and acquirers with high CSR performance. The study also documents that targets’ environmental performance has the strongest effects on acquisition premiums compared to other dimensions of CSR such as community, employees, diversity, or product. This study contributes to the literature by documenting the value of CSR in an unconventional manner using evidence from the M&A market. The findings are robust after controlling for the target-specific, acquirer-specific, deal-specific, and macro-economic variables and by using different proxies for CSR and acquisition premiums.

Cross-Border Regulatory Cooperation and Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting

ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of the SEC’s regulatory cooperation and enforcement on the corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting practices of U.S.-listed foreign firms using a country’s Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU) signing as a catalyst. The MMoU, a cooperative agreement among global securities regulators, enhances the SEC’s ability to engage in cross-border enforcement actions in collaboration with foreign counterparts. Our findings reveal a significant enhancement in both the quantity and quality of CSR reporting among U.S.-listed foreign firms after their home country signs the MMoU. This improvement sets them apart from their non-U.S.-listed counterparts in the same foreign location. Notably, this positive change is more pronounced among foreign firms from signatory countries with weak country-level institutions. This study contributes to the understanding of how regulatory changes, specifically MMoU adoption, influence CSR reporting, emphasizing the strategic role it plays for firms in the face of heightened regulatory cooperation and enforcement. Data Availability: Data subject to third-party restrictions. JEL Classifications: M41; G18; P48; G32.

Happy troubles? CSR awards and CSR report quality

AbstractWe propose that quality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports, as measured by independent agencies, will decline when firms perform well in social responsibility. Building on the existing literature on stakeholder theory and existing literature, we theorize that lower‐quality CSR reports may correlate with better actual CSR because performing well in CSR will increase external stakeholders' expectations but simultaneously stimulate discontent among shareholders, forcing firms to mitigate the conflict through CSR reports. This study takes Chinese listed firms from 2010 to 2019 as subjects and examines the relationship between winning prestigious CSR awards and CSR report quality. The results support our hypothesis. We further investigate two moderator variables and find the negative relationship is weakened when firms are state‐owned, potentially resulting in more social expectation pressures from the government and public. As an important financial indicator tracked by internal stakeholders, return on equity weakens this negative relationship.

Pengaruh Corporate Social Responsibility, Ukuran Perusahaan Dan Kualitas Audit Terhadap Manajemen Laba Dengan Kepemilikan Keluarga Sebagai Pemoderasi (Studi Empiris Pada Perusahaan Non-Keuangan Yang Terdaftar Di Bursa Efek Indonesia Tahun 2018-2022)

This research aims to obtain empirical evidence of factors that can influence earnings management with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports, Firm Size, and Audit Quality. The novelty of this research is to test whether the concentration of family ownership can moderate the impact of CSR, Firm size, and audit quality. The data used in this research are from non-financial companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (BEI) for the 2018-2022 period. Data processing was carried out using Eviews 12. The sample was determined based on a purposive sampling technique which resulted in 25 company samples. The results of this research prove that CSR has a negative effect on earnings management, company size has a negative effect on earnings management and audit quality has a positive effect on earnings management. Furthermore, family ownership can be used to moderate the influence of CSR and audit quality on earnings management, but cannot moderate the influence of company size on earnings management. Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility, Firm Size, Audit Quality, Family Ownership and Earnings Management

How does Employee Education Affect Employer's Corporate Social Responsibility? Evidence from China

This paper explores how employee education affects the performance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). By investigating 1,358 Chinese firms, we find that employee educations are positively associated with the quality of CSR reporting. Moreover, highly-educated employees have a stronger impact on the improved CSR reporting quality than other employees with lower educations. Further tests confirm these findings by including the external influences of state-owned regulations and mandatory disclosure requirements.

The role of firm-level CSR governance characteristics as a driver of comprehensive CSR reporting – the moderating role of profitability

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of firm-level corporate social responsibility (CSR) governance characteristics on the extent, quality and comprehensiveness of CSR reporting of Pakistani listed enterprises.Design/methodology/approachThis study used content analysis of corporate annual reports and stand-alone CSR reports available on corporate websites in 2021 to identify CSR-related governance features and to calculate CSR reporting scores. Multivariate regression is used to test relationships. In addition, the analysis tested the moderating role of profitability in these relationships.FindingsFirm-level CSR governance characteristics contribute to the extent, quality and comprehensiveness of CSR reporting in a developing country. Further, results confirm that profitability moderates the relationship between CSR governance and the extent and comprehensiveness of CSR reporting.Research limitations/implicationsThis study employed cross-sectional data and focused on a single developing country. Future studies might include a cross-national sample and longitudinal data to demonstrate the broader relevance of these findings. The outcomes of this study are restricted to CSR disclosures based on CSR reports and annual reports. Future research may examine additional corporate communication channels, such as websites and social media platforms.Practical implicationsThis research validates the important role of CSR governance mechanisms as a driver of comprehensive CSR reporting. Business leaders and policymakers can facilitate improved corporate reporting by requiring companies to implement CSR-related governance mechanisms.Originality/valueThis is the first study to test the influence of firm-level CSR governance mechanisms in promoting the quantity, quality and comprehensiveness of CSR reporting in a developing country.

The Information Quality of Corporate Social Responsibility in Leveraging Banks CSR Reputation: A Study of Indonesian Banks

Banking industry encounters some risks that have to be anticipated. One of the risks is reputation risk which has been considered crucial due to its ease to happen uncontrollably because some of the causes come from external perception on the banks. To maintain bank reputation, a program considered powerful is doing corporate social responsibility (CSR). The programs of CSR are expected to leverage and improve the bank image and reputation. Anyhow, many research revealed that CSR programs exposed by companies are skeptically perceived by public that consider the CSR programs as of more promoting the companies instead of giving helps to public. This gap lays on how banks are able to communicate their CSR programs appropriately showing that they deliver altruistic programs and have done them with credibility. This research is aimed at developing model of CSR information to maintain and improve banks reputation by testing the effect of altruism, credibility, CSR information quality on banks reputation. The variables are controlled by the range on initial capital and the bank business coverage. The respondents are personnel who are in charge of CSR and are the members of Corporate Forum for Community Development (CFCD). They have to look into the bank CSR report first before responding the online questionnaire. Data were processed using Structural Equation Modeling of Warp-PLS 6.0. The result showed that altruism and credibility significantly affect CSR information quality which then CSR information quality also significantly affects the bank reputation.

Analisis Praktik Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Saat Pandemi Covid-19 pada Perusahaan Farmasi

This study aims to analyze: 1) the level and quality of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure during the Covid-19 in pharmaceutical companies based on the 2021 GRI Standards, 2) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practiced by pharmaceutical companies in helping to overcome the Covid-19 based on the 2021 GRI Standards. This research is a qualitative research using content analysis methods. The research was conducted on pharmaceutical sector companies in Indonesia by taking 4 samples of companies, namely PT Indofarma Tbk, PT Kalbe Farma Tbk, PT Phapros Tbk, and PT Sido Muncul Tbk. The data used is data for 2019-2020 when the Covid-19 entered Indonesia. The research data comes from the company's sustainability report. The results of content analysis show that the Covid-19 has played a major role in the disclosure of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the pharmaceutical sector. Two of the four companies that were the subject of the study had quite high Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosures, namely PT Kalbe Farma and PT Sido Muncul Tbk. Four companies that are active research subjects provide assistance in the form of donations to the community in efforts to tackle the Covid-19.

Foreign ownership, passive‐learning knowledge spillovers, and corporate social responsibility reporting in China

AbstractAs there are many studies on the predictors of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting, the influences of foreign direct investments (FDIs) knowledge spillovers (KSs) on CSR reporting in developing countries remain unclear. This paper introduces the passive‐learning KSs concept to explain whether, why, and how domestic firms learn CSR knowledge from their foreign counterparts. First, we investigate the relationship between foreign ownership and the quality of CSR reporting (CSRQ). Second, we test the moderating effect of three types of direct institutional pressures: the green development policy, the mandatory CSR reporting requirement, and CSR regulations issued by the State‐owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. Third, we examine the moderating effect of board interlocks to explore the indirect impacts of institutional pressures. We run regressions on a sample of Chinese A‐share listed companies and the hypotheses are generally supported. This paper contributes to the literature on CSR reporting and FDIs KSs by adopting the passive‐learning KSs theory to explain CSR KSs in developing countries.

Quality of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Services at Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) in 2021 in the Perspective of Islamic Social Reporting (ISR) Index and Maqashid Syariah Index (MSI)

The government issues regulations through Limited Liability Company Law No. 40 of 2007 articles 66 and 74, which states that companies are required to report on the implementation of social and environmental responsibility which is often referred to as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). In carrying out its social responsibility, Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) must ensure that its operational system meets the benchmarks in CSR. To measure it, it is necessary to have a measuring instrument, namely using the Islamic Social Reporting (ISR) Index and the Maqashid Syariah Index (MSI), to fulfill CSR services to the community. This study aims to analyze the quality of CSR services at BSI 2021 in the ISR Index and MSI Perspective. This research was conducted using a type of library research (Library Research) using a qualitative approach. The validity of the data using source triangulation and data analysis techniques using data reduction. The results of the study show that the quality of CSR services in the 2021 BSI report has carried out CSR in accordance with seven principles including: ethical principles of ethics, principles of caliph protection, principles of honesty and trustworthiness, principles of halalan tayyiban, principles of fairness, principles of authenticity and credibility, and principles of charity. As for the quality of CSR activities specifically based on ISR items on the classification of funding and investment in zakat points, community classification in sadaqah, waqf, qardh hasan points, school scholarships, young generation development, community quality improvement, concern for children, and support social activities. And environmental classification at the point of environmental conservation and empowerment. Meanwhile, the quality of CSR services at BSI is in accordance with the Maqashid Syariah Index and fulfills the principles of individual education, achievement of justice, and public welfare, which are the foundations of this maqashid syariah not implemented by other Islamic banks.

Airline CSR and Quality Attributes as Driving Forces of Passengers’ Brand Love: Comparing Full-Service Carriers with Low-Cost Carriers

Consumers’ increased awareness of social and environmental issues encourages airlines to implement corporate social responsibility (CSR); however, the effectiveness of CSR according to airline type remains unclear. This study examines the roles of CSR and service quality in enhancing passengers’ brand love in the airline industry and explores the moderating role of airline type on the CSR–brand love and service quality–brand love relationships. To test the theoretical model, we conducted a web-based survey with 426 participants who were knowledgeable about the CSR activities of the airline companies that they had recently used. Based on the survey responses, the structural equation modeling results revealed the salient roles of both CSR and service quality in creating passengers’ brand love, which, in turn, significantly contributed to positive word of mouth. Moreover, airline type significantly moderated the effect of airlines’ CSR on brand love. Based on these findings, we provide academic implications and practical strategies by airline type.

How can Chinese companies improve the quality of their corporate social responsibility information disclosure? A cross-level confgurational approach

Although more businesses are actively or passively disclosing social responsibility information, few studies have focused on the impact of multifactor combinations on the quality of corporate social responsibility (CSR) information disclosure. Given the causal complexity of CSR information disclosure, a configurational analysis that focused on China's listed companies was investigated using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The results show that there are two types of paths to generate high CSR information disclosure quality: “strict context - strong capability” and “strict context - strong capability - high attention”. A crucial factor leading to high-quality disclosure differences in CSR information disclosure quality is the combination of media attention and internal control. Strict government regulation has a higher impact on firms' CSR information disclosure in polluting industries. The research conclusions contribute to exploring paths to improve CSR information disclosure quality from the configuration perspective, as well as the causes of the quality difference of CSR information disclosure. In addition, this study also provides a theoretical basis for the effectiveness of government regulation on the CSR information disclosure of heavily polluting enterprises and provides a direction for the future development of CSR management in China.

Analisis Dampak Pandemi Covid-19 terhadap Perubahan Fokus Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) pada Uniqlo Co., Ltd

This study aims to analyze: 1) The level and quality of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) disclosure before and during the COVID-19 pandemic of Uniqlo Co., Ltd for the year 2016-2021 based on the GRI 2021 Standard, 2) Differences in focus changes of CSR before and during the COVID-19 pandemic at Uniqlo Co., Ltd. This research is a qualitative research with analysis content method using Sustainability report of Uniqlo Co., Ltd for the year 2016-2021. The object in this study is Uniqlo Co., Ltd. The type of data were documentary data with secondary data sources and the analysis method were content analysis. The result show that: 1) The level and quality of disclosure of Uniqlo’s CSR during the COVID-19 pandemic decreased compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, 2) There is a change in the focus of Uniqlo's corporate social responsibility during the COVID-19 pandemic. Uniqlo shifted the focus of CSR from environmental (300) to significant indirect economic impacts (203-2) and prevention and mitigation of occupational health and safety impacts directly linked by business relationships (403-7).