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The social dimension of firm performance: a data envelopment approach

Author

Listed:
  • Robert G. Chambers

    (Maryland University
    University of Queensland)

  • Teresa Serra

    (University of Illinois)

Abstract

A data envelopment model is proposed to quantify the social dimension of firm performance. Corporate social responsibility activities are treated as netputs to production. Production of good outputs and unintended by-products are combined in the overall measurement of firm performance. Our model is illustrated using a sample of global firms and suggests strikingly low social performance levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert G. Chambers & Teresa Serra, 2018. "The social dimension of firm performance: a data envelopment approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 54(1), pages 189-206, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:empeco:v:54:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s00181-016-1135-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s00181-016-1135-z
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    Cited by:

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    2. Mika Goto & Toshiyuki Sueyoshi, 2020. "Sustainable development and corporate social responsibility in Japanese manufacturing companies," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 844-856, July.
    3. Puggioni, Daniela & Stefanou, Spiro E., 2019. "The value of being socially responsible: A primal-dual approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 276(3), pages 1090-1103.
    4. Richard D. Smart & Amer Ait Sidhoum & Johannes Sauer, 2022. "Decomposition of efficiency in the global seed industry: A nonparametric approach," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(6), pages 2133-2147, September.
    5. Annika Maren Schneider & Eva-Maria Oppel & Jonas Schreyögg, 2020. "Investigating the link between medical urgency and hospital efficiency – Insights from the German hospital market," Health Care Management Science, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 649-660, December.
    6. Ahmad, Shabbir & Steen, John & Ali, Saleem & Valenta, Rick, 2023. "Carbon-adjusted efficiency and technology gaps in gold mining," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    7. Xuetong Wang & Wenyong Lai & Xiangnan Song & Chen Lu, 2018. "Implementation Efficiency of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Construction Industry: A China Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-21, September.
    8. Aparicio, Juan & Kapelko, Magdalena & Ortiz, Lidia, 2023. "Enhancing the measurement of firm inefficiency accounting for corporate social responsibility: A dynamic data envelopment analysis fuzzy approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 306(2), pages 986-997.
    9. Magdalena Kapelko & Alfons Oude Lansink & Encarna Guillamon‐Saorin, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility and dynamic productivity change in the US food and beverage manufacturing industry," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(2), pages 286-305, April.
    10. Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki & Goto, Mika, 2019. "The intermediate approach to sustainability enhancement and scale-related measures in environmental assessment," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 276(2), pages 744-756.
    11. F. Ang & K. H. Dakpo, 2021. "Comment: Performance measurement and joint production of intended and unintended outputs," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 55(3), pages 185-188, June.
    12. Iordanis Parikoglou & Grigorios Emvalomatis & Fiona Thorne, 2022. "Precision livestock agriculture and productive efficiency: The case of milk recording in Ireland," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 53(S1), pages 109-120, November.
    13. Jean-Philippe Boussemart & Hervé Leleu & Zhiyang Shen & Vivian Valdmanis, 2020. "Performance analysis for three pillars of sustainability," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 305-320, June.
    14. Amer Ait Sidhoum & Philipp Mennig & Johannes Sauer, 2023. "Do agri-environment measures help improve environmental and economic efficiency? Evidence from Bavarian dairy farmers," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 50(3), pages 918-953.
    15. Skevas, Theodoros & Martinez-Palomares, Jorge C., 2023. "Technology heterogeneity and sustainability efficiency: Empirical evidence from Peruvian coffee production," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 310(3), pages 1192-1200.
    16. Chunguang Quan & Shasha Yu & Xiaojuan Cheng & Feiyue Liu, 2022. "Comprehensive efficiency evaluation of social responsibility of Chinese listed logistics enterprises based on DEA-Malmquist model," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 1383-1398, December.
    17. Evaldas Vaičiukynas & Meda Andrijauskienė & Paulius Danėnas & Raminta Benetytė, 2023. "Socio-eco-efficiency of high-tech companies: a cross-sector and cross-regional study," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(11), pages 12761-12790, November.
    18. Magdalena Kapelko & Alfons Oude Lansink, 2022. "Measuring firms' dynamic inefficiency accounting for corporate social responsibility in the U.S. food and beverage manufacturing industry," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 44(4), pages 1702-1721, December.
    19. Amer Ait Sidhoum, 2023. "Assessing the contribution of farmers’ working conditions to productive efficiency in the presence of uncertainty, a nonparametric approach," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 8601-8622, August.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Firm sustainability; Social performance; Environmental performance; Sales performance; Data envelopment analysis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D2 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations
    • M2 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Economics
    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics

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