IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i5p1491-d213029.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does Corporate Charitable Giving Help Sustain Corporate Performance in China?

Author

Listed:
  • Keling Wang

    (School of Business and Tourism Management, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China)

  • Yaqiong Miao

    (School of Business and Tourism Management, Yunnan University, Kunming 650091, China)

  • Ching-Hui (Joan) Su

    (Department of Apparel, Events, and Hospitality Management, College of Human Sciences, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011-1078, USA)

  • Ming-Hsiang Chen

    (School of Hospitality Business Management, Carson College of Business, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4742, USA
    Tourism and Social Administration College, Nanjing XiaoZhuang University, Nanjing 211171, China
    School of Business Administration, Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Bengbu 233030, China)

  • Zhongjun Wu

    (College of Tourism and Landscape Architecture, Guilin University of Technology, Guilin 541006, China)

  • Tie Wang

    (Department of Tourism Management, School of Geography and Tourism, Research Center of Tourism Development and Planning, Qufu Normal University, Rizhao 276826, China)

Abstract

We examined whether corporate charitable giving (CCG) in China benefits corporate performance (CP) in terms of sales growth ( SG ), return on asset ( ROA ), return on equity ( ROE ), and Tobin’s Q ( TQ ), and revealed several findings. First, testing shows variation in the impact of CCG on CP. Whereas the ratio of corporate charitable giving ( RCCG ) to total sales revenue does not significantly enhance SG , ROA , and ROE , it is positively related to TQ . Second, the positive relationship between RCCG and TQ originates from non-state-owned firms (NSOFs) rather than state-owned firms (SOFs). Third, Chinese firms may use CCG as traditional philanthropy to enhance long-term performance instead of strategically using it to generate short-term performance. Lastly, an inverted U-shaped relationship exists between RCCG and TQ , especially for NSOFs.

Suggested Citation

  • Keling Wang & Yaqiong Miao & Ching-Hui (Joan) Su & Ming-Hsiang Chen & Zhongjun Wu & Tie Wang, 2019. "Does Corporate Charitable Giving Help Sustain Corporate Performance in China?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-17, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:5:p:1491-:d:213029
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/5/1491/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/5/1491/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gao, Fox & Faff, Robert & Navissi, Farshid, 2012. "Corporate philanthropy: Insights from the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 363-377.
    2. Camelia-Daniela Hategan & Ruxandra-Ioana Curea-Pitorac, 2017. "Testing the Correlations between Corporate Giving, Performance and Company Value," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(7), pages 1-20, July.
    3. Min Zhang & Lijun Ma & Jun Su & Wen Zhang, 2014. "Do Suppliers Applaud Corporate Social Performance?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 121(4), pages 543-557, June.
    4. Sihai Li & Xianzhong Song & Huiying Wu, 2015. "Political Connection, Ownership Structure, and Corporate Philanthropy in China: A Strategic-Political Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 129(2), pages 399-411, June.
    5. Hausman, Jerry, 2015. "Specification tests in econometrics," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 38(2), pages 112-134.
    6. Kee H. Chung & Stephen W. Pruitt, 1994. "A Simple Approximation of Tobin's q," Financial Management, Financial Management Association, vol. 23(3), Fall.
    7. Min Zhang & Lu Xie & Haoran Xu, 2016. "Corporate Philanthropy and Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 595-617, December.
    8. Kangtao Ye & Ran Zhang, 2011. "Do Lenders Value Corporate Social Responsibility? Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 104(2), pages 197-206, December.
    9. Hao Liang & Luc Renneboog, 2017. "Corporate donations and shareholder value," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 33(2), pages 278-316.
    10. Jun Su & Jia He, 2010. "Does Giving Lead to Getting? Evidence from Chinese Private Enterprises," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 93(1), pages 73-90, April.
    11. Keling Wang & Chien-Pang Lin & Ming-Hsiang Chen & Evelina Gillard, 2018. "The impact of tourism firm’s philanthropy decision on its business objective," Tourism Economics, , vol. 24(5), pages 503-509, August.
    12. Arthur Gautier & Anne-Claire Pache, 2015. "Research on Corporate Philanthropy: A Review and Assessment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(3), pages 343-369, February.
    13. Stephen Brammer & Andrew Millington, 2008. "Does it pay to be different? An analysis of the relationship between corporate social and financial performance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(12), pages 1325-1343, December.
    14. Yongqiang Gao & Ya Lisa Lin & Haibin Yang, 2017. "What’s the value in it? Corporate giving under uncertainty," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 34(1), pages 215-240, March.
    15. Navarro, Peter, 1988. "Why Do Corporations Give to Charity?," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 61(1), pages 65-93, January.
    16. Jun Chen & Wang Dong & Jamie Tong & Feida Zhang, 2018. "Corporate Philanthropy and Tunneling: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 135-157, June.
    17. K. Jin & Ronald Drozdenko, 2010. "Relationships among Perceived Organizational Core Values, Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethics, and Organizational Performance Outcomes: An Empirical Study of Information Technology Professionals," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(3), pages 341-359, March.
    18. Sabri Boubaker & Duc Khuong Nguyen (ed.), 2014. "Corporate Governance in Emerging Markets," CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance, Springer, edition 127, number 978-3-642-44955-0, May.
    19. Chen, Ming-Hsiang, 2010. "The economy, tourism growth and corporate performance in the Taiwanese hotel industry," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 665-675.
    20. Gao, Yongqiang, 2011. "Philanthropic disaster relief giving as a response to institutional pressure: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 64(12), pages 1377-1382.
    21. Heli Wang & Jaepil Choi & Jiatao Li, 2008. "Too Little or Too Much? Untangling the Relationship Between Corporate Philanthropy and Firm Financial Performance," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 19(1), pages 143-159, February.
    22. Brown, William O. & Helland, Eric & Smith, Janet Kiholm, 2006. "Corporate philanthropic practices," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 12(5), pages 855-877, December.
    23. Lin, Karen Jingrong & Tan, Jinsong & Zhao, Liming & Karim, Khondkar, 2015. "In the name of charity: Political connections and strategic corporate social responsibility in a transition economy," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 327-346.
    24. Chao Lu & Xuetong Zhao & Jingwen Dai, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Insider Trading: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-17, September.
    25. Zigan Wang, 2014. "Corporate Governance, Policies and Public Listing: The Case of Chinese State-owned Enterprises," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Sabri Boubaker & Duc Khuong Nguyen (ed.), Corporate Governance and Corporate Social Responsibility Emerging Markets Focus, chapter 3, pages 63-106, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    26. Long, Cheryl & Yang, Jin, 2016. "What explains Chinese private entrepreneurs' charitable behaviors?—A story of dynamic reciprocal relationship between firms and the government," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-16.
    27. Baruch Lev & Christine Petrovits & Suresh Radhakrishnan, 2010. "Is doing good good for you? how corporate charitable contributions enhance revenue growth," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(2), pages 182-200, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yunjae Bae & Kyungsuk Lee & Taewoo Roh, 2020. "Acquirer’s Absorptive Capacity and Firm Performance: The Perspectives of Strategic Behavior and Knowledge Assets," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-28, October.
    2. Thi Ngan Pham & Phung Phi Tran & Minh-Hieu Le & Hoang Nhi Vo & Cong Dat Pham & Hai-Dang Nguyen, 2022. "The Effects of ESG Combined Score on Business Performance of Enterprises in the Transportation Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-17, July.
    3. Lei Xu & Xiaoning Guo & Yan Liu & Xiaochen Sun & Jie Ji, 2022. "How Does Corporate Charitable Giving Affect Enterprise Innovation? A Literature Review and Research Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-21, November.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Keling Wang & Yaqiong Miao & Ming-Hsiang Chen & Dengfeng Hu, 2019. "Philanthropic giving, sales growth, and tourism firm performance: An empirical test of a theoretical assumption," Tourism Economics, , vol. 25(6), pages 835-855, September.
    2. Liu, Yaosong & Zhang, Min & Ye, Tingting & Zhang, Yue, 2019. "Does giving always lead to getting? Evidence from the collapse of charity credibility in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    3. Frederik Plewnia & Edeltraud Guenther, 2017. "The benefits of doing good: a meta-analysis of corporate philanthropy business outcomes and its implications for management control," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 28(3), pages 347-376, October.
    4. Lei Xu & Xiaoning Guo & Yan Liu & Xiaochen Sun & Jie Ji, 2022. "How Does Corporate Charitable Giving Affect Enterprise Innovation? A Literature Review and Research Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-21, November.
    5. Jun Chen & Wang Dong & Jamie Tong & Feida Zhang, 2018. "Corporate Philanthropy and Tunneling: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 135-157, June.
    6. Hanwen Chen & Siyi Liu & Xin Liu & Daoguang Yang, 2022. "Adversity Tries Friends: A Multilevel Analysis of Corporate Philanthropic Response to the Local Spread of COVID-19 in China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 177(3), pages 585-612, May.
    7. Shuxia Zhang & Deyue Kong & Liping Xu & Ruiyu Xu, 2023. "Dual effects of corporate philanthropy on firm value: Evidence from China," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 44(4), pages 2314-2327, June.
    8. Jun Xie & Junyi Chen, 2021. "Corporate philanthropy, public awareness, and the cost of equity capital: Evidence from China," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 22(1), pages 153-194, May.
    9. Tan, Siow-Hooi & Habibullah, Muzafar & Ong, Hway-Boon & Mohamed, Azali, 2019. "Moderating Effect of Slack Resources on the Charitable Giving and Firm Performance Nexus," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 53(3), pages 129-139.
    10. Ateeq ur Rehman Irshad & Nabeel Safdar & Wajiha Manzoor, 2023. "Predicting Efficiency of Innovative Disaster Response Practices: Case Study of China’s Corporate Philanthropy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-15, January.
    11. Wei, Jiuchang & Ouyang, Zhe & Chen, Haipeng (Allan), 2018. "CEO characteristics and corporate philanthropic giving in an emerging market: The case of China," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 1-11.
    12. Shuxia Zhang & Liping Xu & Ning Liu, 2022. "Crowding‐in and crowding‐out effects of corporate philanthropy on R&D investment," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(6), pages 1835-1849, September.
    13. Kiyoung Chang & Hoje Jo & Ying Li, 2018. "Is there Informational Value in Corporate Giving?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(2), pages 473-496, August.
    14. Chen, Donghua & Jiang, Dequan & Yu, Xin, 2015. "Corporate philanthropy and bank loans in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(PA), pages 402-424.
    15. Jin-hui Luo & Yuangao Xiang & Ruichao Zhu, 2017. "Military top executives and corporate philanthropy: Evidence from China," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 725-755, September.
    16. Zhihui Sun & Dejun Wu & Min Zhang, 2021. "Better late than never? Corporate social responsibility engagement after product-harm crises," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 38(4), pages 1209-1259, December.
    17. Heng Liu & Jin-hui Luo & Victor Cui, 2018. "The Impact of Internationalization on Home Country Charitable Donation: Evidence from Chinese Firms," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 313-335, April.
    18. Min Zhang & Lu Xie & Haoran Xu, 2016. "Corporate Philanthropy and Stock Price Crash Risk: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 595-617, December.
    19. Yongqiang Gao & Haibin Yang & Taïeb Hafsi, 2019. "Corporate giving and corporate financial performance: the S-curve relationship," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 687-713, September.
    20. Ji, Mianmian & Lv, Wendai, 2022. "Demonstration zones reform and corporate philanthropy: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:5:p:1491-:d:213029. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.