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Impact of Sustainability on Firm Value and Financial Performance in the Air Transport Industry

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  • Yaghoub Abdi

    (Department of Business Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43204 Reus, Tarragona, Spain)

  • Xiaoni Li

    (Department of Business Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43204 Reus, Tarragona, Spain)

  • Xavier Càmara-Turull

    (Department of Business Management, Faculty of Business and Economics, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, 43204 Reus, Tarragona, Spain)

Abstract

In this study, we examine the extent to which the implementation of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures influence the firm value and financial performance of airlines. The panel data analysis is applied to the set of collected data from the Thomson Reuters Eikon database for the sample of 27 airlines worldwide from 2013 to 2019. Findings of this study support the positive relationship between the environmental pillar score (Env) and governance pillar score (Gov), with market-to-book ratio and Tobin’s Q as proxies for firm value and financial performance, respectively. This finding implies that an increase in both pillars leads to higher market value and financial efficiency for investigated airlines. Therefore, an airline’s effort to improve Env and Gov dimensions will lead to higher market value and return on invested funds. In contrast, the social pillar disclosure in both models is found to have a significant negative association with the dependent variables, showing that airlines’ social activities result in lower value as well as level of performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Yaghoub Abdi & Xiaoni Li & Xavier Càmara-Turull, 2020. "Impact of Sustainability on Firm Value and Financial Performance in the Air Transport Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-23, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:23:p:9957-:d:452825
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    Cited by:

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    2. Xiaozhen Wang & Mark Yang & Kihyun Park & Ki-Hyun Um & Mingu Kang, 2022. "Social Sustainability of a Firm: Orientation, Practices, and Performances," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-12, October.
    3. Faozi A. Almaqtari & Tamer Elsheikh & Omar Ikbal Tawfik & Mayada Abd El-Aziz Youssef, 2022. "Exploring the Impact of Sustainability, Board Characteristics, and Firm-Specifics on Firm Value: A Comparative Study of the United Kingdom and Turkey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-27, December.
    4. Pompei MITITEAN & Nicoleta-Florina SĂRMAȘ, 2023. "The Relationship Between Sustainability Reporting and Corporate Performance. Evidence from the European Energy Sector," CECCAR Business Review, Body of Expert and Licensed Accountants of Romania (CECCAR), vol. 4(7), pages 49-59, July.
    5. 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.
    6. Nagalingam Nagendrakumar & Kalubowilage Navodya Nilupulee Alwis & Udage Arachchige Kaveesha Eshani & Seekku Baduge Ushani Kaushalya, 2022. "The Impact of Sustainability Practices on the Going Concern of the Travel and Tourism Industry: Evidence from Developed and Developing Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-21, December.
    7. Yin Shi & Xiaoni Li & Maher Asal, 2023. "Impact of sustainability on financial distress in the air transport industry: the moderating effect of Asia–Pacific," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 9(1), pages 1-23, December.
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