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Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of Financial Statement Comparability

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  • Cao Thi Mien Thuy

    (Faculty of Finance and Banking, University of Economics and Law, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
    Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam)

  • Nguyen Vinh Khuong

    (Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
    Faculty of Accounting and Auditing, University of Economics and Law, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam)

  • Nguyen Thi Canh

    (Faculty of Finance and Banking, University of Economics and Law, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
    Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam)

  • Nguyen Thanh Liem

    (Faculty of Finance and Banking, University of Economics and Law, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam
    Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City 700000, Vietnam)

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and financial performance with the consideration of the mediating role of financial statement comparability (FSC) for a sample of Vietnamese listed firms. We used content analysis of the information related to the GRI Standards on annual reports in order to construct CSR disclosure score. We used a dataset of 1125 firm-year observations, covering 225 firms listed on Vietnam’s stock market in the period 2014–2018. Applying OLS and GMM estimation methods, Sobel test, and using different proxies of the mediator variable to increase the robustness, we obtained two remarkable conclusions. First, CSR disclosure has a positive impact on the financial performance of listed companies in Vietnam. Second, there is a complementary mediation effect of financial statement comparability in the above relationship. Our results suggest that it is necessary to develop a legal framework for the practice and disclosure of CSR as well as to apply the international accounting standards in the Vietnamese stock market.

Suggested Citation

  • Cao Thi Mien Thuy & Nguyen Vinh Khuong & Nguyen Thi Canh & Nguyen Thanh Liem, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Financial Performance: The Mediating Role of Financial Statement Comparability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-15, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:18:p:10077-:d:631754
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    3. Jelena Titko & Anna Svirina & Tatjana Tambovceva & Viktorija Skvarciany, 2021. "Differences in Attitude to Corporate Social Responsibility among Generations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-12, October.
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    6. Haifei Wang & Hongjun Wu & Peter Humphreys, 2022. "Chinese Merchant Group Culture, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Cost of Debt: Evidence from Private Listed Firms in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, February.
    7. Nguyen Vinh Khuong & Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman & Abdelrhman Meero & Le Huu Tuan Anh & Nguyen Thanh Liem & Cao Thi Mien Thuy & Huynh Thi Ngoc Ly, 2022. "The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Accounting Comparability on Earnings Persistence," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-14, February.
    8. Jiangjun Li & Tao Fu & Shengyue Han & Rui Liang, 2023. "Exploring the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Financial Performance: The Moderating Role of Media Attention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.

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