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Corporate social performance and cost of debt: the relationship

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  • Barbara Sveva Magnanelli
  • Maria Federica Izzo

Abstract

Purpose - This paper aims to investigate the link between corporate social performance (CSP) and cost of debt financing. Despite academic debate has focused on the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and CSP (expressed through accounting and market measures of profitability), few empirical researches have analysed the relations between CSR, cost of debt and its relation with the risk profile of a firm. The literature on the cost of debt determinants generally documents a negative association between measures of the risk of the firm and its cost of debt. The literature on CSR defines risk reduction as one of the potential benefits related to CSR activities. Thus, the expectation is that high CSP scores are inversely related to cost of debt. Design/methodology/approach - Using a unique data set of 332 firms over a time period of five years antecedent to the global financial crisis, a linear regression model is applied. Findings - The results show a positive relation between CSP and cost of debt, demonstrating that CSR is not a value driver with an impact on the firm’s risk profile. Practical implications - The research has also practical implications as it makes managers aware of the potentiality of CSP to reduce the firm’s cost of debt. Originality/value - These findings enlarge the empirical research on the value of CSP, expanding it towards a quite new area of investigation: the cost of external financing.

Suggested Citation

  • Barbara Sveva Magnanelli & Maria Federica Izzo, 2017. "Corporate social performance and cost of debt: the relationship," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(2), pages 250-265, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:eme:srjpps:srj-06-2016-0103
    DOI: 10.1108/SRJ-06-2016-0103
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Abdifatah Ahmed Haji & Paul Coram & Indrit Troshani, 2021. "Effects of integrating CSR information in financial reports on investors’ firm value estimates," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(2), pages 3605-3647, June.
    2. Agneta Sundström & Zahra Ahmadi, 2019. "The Mediating Role of CSR on the Market Orientation and Strategic Performance Relationship—A Study of the Public Housing Companies in Sweden," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-18, March.
    3. Danilo Drago & Concetta Carnevale & Raffaele Gallo, 2019. "Do corporate social responsibility ratings affect credit default swap spreads?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(3), pages 644-652, May.
    4. Yuanhui Li & Rongrong Chen & Erwei Xiang, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility, green financial system guidelines, and cost of debt financing: Evidence from pollution‐intensive industries in China," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(3), pages 593-608, May.
    5. Tarsisius Renald Suganda & Jungmu Kim, 2023. "An Empirical Study on the Relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and Default Risk: Evidence in Korea," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-20, February.
    6. Fonseka, Mohan & Rajapakse, Theja & Richardson, Grant, 2019. "The effect of environmental information disclosure and energy product type on the cost of debt: Evidence from energy firms in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 159-182.
    7. Anis Maaloul & Daniel Zéghal & Walid Ben Amar & Sari Mansour, 2023. "The Effect of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Performance and Disclosure on Cost of Debt: The Mediating Effect of Corporate Reputation," Corporate Reputation Review, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 26(1), pages 1-18, February.
    8. Pedro Manuel Nogueira Reis & António Pedro Soares Pinto, 2022. "How Do Banking Characteristics Influence Companies’ Debt Features and Performance during COVID-19? A Study of Portuguese Firms," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-29, October.
    9. Zerbib, Olivier David, 2019. "The effect of pro-environmental preferences on bond prices: Evidence from green bonds," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 39-60.
    10. Andrea Venturelli & Salvatore Principale & Lorenzo Ligorio & Simona Cosma, 2021. "Walking the talk in family firms. An empirical investigation of CSR communication and practices," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 497-510, January.
    11. Caterina Di Tommaso & John Thornton, 2020. "Do ESG scores effect bank risk taking and value? Evidence from European banks," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(5), pages 2286-2298, September.
    12. Uz Zaman, Qamar & Ehsan, Sadaf & Hassan, Mohammad Kabir & Javed, Muzhar & Ul Hassan, Syed Iftikhar, 2022. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Zero Leverage," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 56(1), pages 33-46.
    13. Hu, Xiaolu & Zhong, Angel & Cao, Youdan, 2022. "Greenium in the Chinese corporate bond market," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    14. Metin Borak & Hatice Dogukanli, 2023. "Effect of Corporate Social Responsibility on Portfolio Performance: Evidence From Turkey," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    15. Lutfi Abdul Razak & Mansor H. Ibrahim & Adam Ng, 2020. "Which Sustainability Dimensions Affect Credit Risk? Evidence from Corporate and Country-Level Measures," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-22, December.
    16. Kai Quan Zhang & Hsing Hung Chen, 2017. "Environmental Performance and Financing Decisions Impact on Sustainable Financial Development of Chinese Environmental Protection Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-14, December.
    17. Simo, Christelle & Tchakoute Tchuigoua, Hubert & Nzongang, Joseph, 2023. "Does corporate social responsibility pay? Evidence from social ratings in microfinance institutions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    18. Ratajczak Piotr & Mikołajewicz Grzegorz, 2021. "The impact of environmental, social and corporate governance responsibility on the cost of short-and long-term debt," Economics and Business Review, Sciendo, vol. 7(2), pages 74-96, June.
    19. Yasheng Chen & Johnny Jermias & Jamal A. Nazari, 2021. "The effects of reporting frameworks and a company’s financial position on managers’ willingness to invest in corporate social responsibility projects," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(2), pages 3385-3425, June.
    20. Bhutta, Umair Saeed & Tariq, Adeel & Farrukh, Muhammad & Raza, Ali & Iqbal, Muhammad Khalid, 2022. "Green bonds for sustainable development: Review of literature on development and impact of green bonds," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).

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