IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/rvmgts/v16y2022i4d10.1007_s11846-022-00542-8.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Corporate social responsibility, intellectual capital and financial performance: evidence from developed and developing Asian economies

Author

Listed:
  • Eugene Burgos Mutuc

    (Bulacan State University)

  • Sladjana Cabrilo

    (I-Shou University)

Abstract

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and knowledge-based resources, i.e. intellectual capital (IC), improve financial performance. We combine these to examine how IC moderates the influence of CSR on financial performance. We analyzed 4722 firm-year observations of 787 listed firms, from 2012 to 2017, for five developed (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan) and six developing (China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand) economies. Empirically, for the whole sample, CSR has a positive effect, amplified by IC, on financial performance. The individual CSR dimensions—environmental (ENV), social (SOC) and governance (GOV)—are, however, insignificant. For the developed economies, CSR is negatively related to financial performance, with no IC moderation effect. Furthermore, SOC and GOV enhance financial performance; IC positively moderates only for GOV. For the developing economies, in contrast, CSR enhances firm performance, amplified by IC. And all three CSR dimensions have positive influence on financial performance; IC enhances only the effect of ENV. Hence, only certain CSR-IC dimensions in certain contexts improve financial performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Eugene Burgos Mutuc & Sladjana Cabrilo, 2022. "Corporate social responsibility, intellectual capital and financial performance: evidence from developed and developing Asian economies," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 1227-1267, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:rvmgts:v:16:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s11846-022-00542-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11846-022-00542-8
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11846-022-00542-8
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11846-022-00542-8?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Henri Inkinen & Aino Kianto & Mika Vanhala & Paavo Ritala, 2017. "Structure of intellectual capital – an international comparison," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(5), pages 1160-1183, June.
    2. Priyanka Jain & Vishal Vyas & Ankur Roy, 2017. "Exploring the mediating role of intellectual capital and competitive advantage on the relation between CSR and financial performance in SMEs," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 13(1), pages 1-23, March.
    3. Roger C. Y. Chen & Shih-Wei Hung & Chen-Hsun Lee, 2017. "Does corporate value affect the relationship between Corporate Social Responsibility and stock returns?," Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(2), pages 188-196, April.
    4. Na Ni & Carolyn Egri & Carlos Lo & Carol Lin, 2015. "Patterns of Corporate Responsibility Practices for High Financial Performance: Evidence from Three Chinese Societies," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(2), pages 169-183, January.
    5. Moses Acquaah & Tailan Chi, 2007. "A longitudinal analysis of the impact of firm resources and industry characteristics on firm-specific profitability," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 11(3), pages 179-213, September.
    6. Dang, Chongyu & (Frank) Li, Zhichuan & Yang, Chen, 2018. "Measuring firm size in empirical corporate finance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 159-176.
    7. Jill Brown & William Forster, 2013. "CSR and Stakeholder Theory: A Tale of Adam Smith," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 301-312, January.
    8. Jong-Seo Choi & Young-Min Kwak & Chongwoo Choe, 2010. "Corporate social responsibility and corporate financial performance: Evidence from Korea," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 35(3), pages 291-311, December.
    9. Guler Aras & Asli Aybars & Ozlem Kutlu, 2011. "The interaction between corporate social responsibility and value added intellectual capital: empirical evidence from Turkey," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 7(4), pages 622-637, October.
    10. Larry J. Menor & M. Murat Kristal & Eve D. Rosenzweig, 2007. "Examining the Influence of Operational Intellectual Capital on Capabilities and Performance," Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS, vol. 9(4), pages 559-578, May.
    11. Bozzolan, Saverio & Fabrizi, Michele & Mallin, Christine A. & Michelon, Giovanna, 2015. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Earnings Quality: International Evidence," The International Journal of Accounting, Elsevier, vol. 50(4), pages 361-396.
    12. Abagail McWilliams & Donald S. Siegel & Patrick M. Wright, 2006. "Corporate Social Responsibility: Strategic Implications," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 1-18, January.
    13. Sukanya Chetty & Rebekah Naidoo & Yudhvir Seetharam, 2015. "The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Firms’ Financial Performance in South Africa," Contemporary Economics, University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw., vol. 9(2), June.
    14. Stephen Brammer & Chris Brooks & Stephen Pavelin, 2006. "Corporate Social Performance and Stock Returns: UK Evidence from Disaggregate Measures," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 35(3), pages 97-116, September.
    15. Mark Groza & Mya Pronschinske & Matthew Walker, 2011. "Perceived Organizational Motives and Consumer Responses to Proactive and Reactive CSR," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(4), pages 639-652, September.
    16. Karl V. Lins & Henri Servaes & Ane Tamayo, 2017. "Social Capital, Trust, and Firm Performance: The Value of Corporate Social Responsibility during the Financial Crisis," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 72(4), pages 1785-1824, August.
    17. Ulf Andersson & Alvaro Cuervo-Cazurra & Bo Bernhard Nielsen, 2014. "From the Editors: Explaining interaction effects within and across levels of analysis," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 45(9), pages 1063-1071, December.
    18. Constantin Belu & Cristiana Manescu, 2013. "Strategic corporate social responsibility and economic performance," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(19), pages 2751-2764, July.
    19. Romel C. Neminõ & Gloria P. Gempes, 2018. "The moderating effect of intellectual capital on the relationship between corporate reputation and knowledge sharing of commercial banks," Journal of Administrative and Business Studies, Professor Dr. Usman Raja, vol. 4(3), pages 145-155.
    20. Lev, B & Zarowin, P, 1999. "The boundaries of financial reporting and how to extend them," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 37(2), pages 353-385.
    21. Sandra A. Waddock & Samuel B. Graves, 1997. "The Corporate Social Performance–Financial Performance Link," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(4), pages 303-319, April.
    22. Guido Berens & Cees Riel & Johan Rekom, 2007. "The CSR-Quality Trade-Off: When can Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Ability Compensate Each Other?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 74(3), pages 233-252, September.
    23. Olaf Weber, 2014. "Environmental, Social and Governance Reporting in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(5), pages 303-317, July.
    24. Jacob Brower & Vijay Mahajan, 2013. "Driven to Be Good: A Stakeholder Theory Perspective on the Drivers of Corporate Social Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 117(2), pages 313-331, October.
    25. Kao, Erin H. & Yeh, Chih-Chuan & Wang, Li-Hsun & Fung, Hung-Gay, 2018. "The relationship between CSR and performance: Evidence in China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 155-170.
    26. Stephen J. Brammer & Stephen Pavelin, 2006. "Corporate Reputation and Social Performance: The Importance of Fit," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(3), pages 435-455, May.
    27. Jui-Che Tu & Hsieh-Shan Huang, 2015. "Analysis on the Relationship between Green Accounting and Green Design for Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-14, May.
    28. Abagail McWilliams & Donald Siegel, 2000. "Corporate social responsibility and financial performance: correlation or misspecification?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(5), pages 603-609, May.
    29. Scott J. Callan & Janet M. Thomas, 2009. "Corporate financial performance and corporate social performance: an update and reinvestigation," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 16(2), pages 61-78, March.
    30. Angeloantonio Russo & Francesco Perrini, 2010. "Investigating Stakeholder Theory and Social Capital: CSR in Large Firms and SMEs," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(2), pages 207-221, January.
    31. Chin-Shien Lin & Ruei-Yuan Chang & Van Thac Dang, 2015. "An Integrated Model to Explain How Corporate Social Responsibility Affects Corporate Financial Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-20, June.
    32. Passetti, Emilio & Tenucci, Andrea & Cinquini, Lino & Frey, Marco, 2009. "Intellectual capital communication: evidence from social and sustainability reporting," MPRA Paper 16589, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    33. Zhi Tang & Clyde Eiríkur Hull & Sandra Rothenberg, 2012. "How Corporate Social Responsibility Engagement Strategy Moderates the CSR–Financial Performance Relationship," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 49(7), pages 1274-1303, November.
    34. Saurav Dutta & Raef Lawson & David Marcinko, 2012. "Paradigms for Sustainable Development: Implications of Management Theory," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(1), pages 1-10, January.
    35. Jordi Surroca & Josep A. Tribó & Sandra Waddock, 2010. "Corporate responsibility and financial performance: the role of intangible resources," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 463-490, May.
    36. Yan Cheung & Weiqiang Tan & Hee-Joon Ahn & Zheng Zhang, 2010. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Matter in Asian Emerging Markets?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 92(3), pages 401-413, March.
    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. Jabir Ali & Ishrat Naaz & Tabassum Ali, 2024. "Does corporate social responsibility improve value-added intellectual capital efficiency in food and agribusiness firms in India?," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 21(1), pages 93-106, March.
    2. Yukuo Zhang & Teng Wang & Chunbao Wang & Changgao Cheng, 2023. "Quantitative Evaluation of China’s CSR Policies Based on the PMC-Index Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-19, April.

    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. Cheng-Hung Tsai & Eugene Burgos Mutuc, 2020. "Evidence in Asian Food Industry: Intellectual Capital, Corporate Financial Performance, and Corporate Social Responsibility," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-21, January.
    2. Chin-Shien Lin & Ruei-Yuan Chang & Van Thac Dang, 2015. "An Integrated Model to Explain How Corporate Social Responsibility Affects Corporate Financial Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(7), pages 1-20, June.
    3. Hajer Tebini & Bouchra M’Zali & Pascal Lang & Paz Méndez-Rodrı́guez, 2015. "Social Performance and Financial Performance: A Controversial Relationship," International Series in Operations Research & Management Science, in: Enrique Ballestero & Blanca Pérez-Gladish & Ana Garcia-Bernabeu (ed.), Socially Responsible Investment, edition 127, chapter 0, pages 53-73, Springer.
    4. Encarna Guillamon-Saorin & Magdalena Kapelko & Spiro E. Stefanou, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Operational Inefficiency: A Dynamic Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-26, July.
    5. Francesco Gangi & Dario Salerno & Antonio Meles & Lucia Michela Daniele, 2019. "Do Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance Influence Intellectual Capital Efficiency?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-25, March.
    6. Massimiliano Cerciello & Francesco Busato & Simone Taddeo, 2023. "The effect of sustainable business practices on profitability. Accounting for strategic disclosure," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(2), pages 802-819, March.
    7. Lee, Gilsoo & Cho, Sam Yul & Arthurs, Jonathan & Lee, Eun Kyung, 2020. "Celebrity CEO, identity threat, and impression management: Impact of celebrity status on corporate social responsibility," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 69-84.
    8. Bongani Munkuli & Renee Horne, 2018. "Financial Markets Value Reputation for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) – A Study of the South African Mining Sector," Africagrowth Agenda, Africagrowth Institute, vol. 15(2), pages 17-22.
    9. Jacob Brower & Peter A. Dacin, 2020. "An Institutional Theory Approach to the Evolution of the Corporate Social Performance – Corporate Financial Performance Relationship," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 57(4), pages 805-836, June.
    10. Kais Bouslah & Abdelmajid Hmaittane & Lawrence Kryzanowski & Bouchra M’Zali, 2023. "CSR Structures: Evidence, Drivers, and Firm Value Implications," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 185(1), pages 115-145, June.
    11. Carlos Lassala & Andreea Apetrei & Juan Sapena, 2017. "Sustainability Matter and Financial Performance of Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-16, August.
    12. Abhishek Behl & P. S. Raghu Kumari & Harnesh Makhija & Dipasha Sharma, 2022. "Exploring the relationship of ESG score and firm value using cross-lagged panel analyses: case of the Indian energy sector," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 313(1), pages 231-256, June.
    13. Derek Kruse & Kristie Briggs & Eric J. Neuman, 2022. "Mitigating endogeneity in corporate social responsibility research: An investigation using a neoclassical production function," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(1), pages 3-15, January.
    14. Sanja Pekovic & Sebastian Vogt, 2021. "The fit between corporate social responsibility and corporate governance: the impact on a firm’s financial performance," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 15(4), pages 1095-1125, May.
    15. Alexandra ZBUCHEA & Florina PÎNZARU, 2017. "Tailoring CSR Strategy to Company Size?," Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, College of Management, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, vol. 5(3), pages 415-437, September.
    16. Danny Zhao‐Xiang Huang, 2022. "An integrated theory of the firm approach to environmental, social and governance performance," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(S1), pages 1567-1598, April.
    17. Patricia Crifo & Elena Escrig-Olmedo & Nicolas Mottis, 2019. "Corporate Governance as a Key Driver of Corporate Sustainability in France: The Role of Board Members and Investor Relations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 159(4), pages 1127-1146, November.
    18. Carmen Pilar Marti & M. Rosa Rovira‐Val & Lisa G. J. Drescher, 2015. "Are Firms that Contribute to Sustainable Development Better Financially?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(5), pages 305-319, September.
    19. Tolossa Fufa Gulema & Yadessa Tadesse Roba, 2021. "Internal and external determinants of corporate social responsibility practices in multinational enterprise subsidiaries in developing countries: evidence from Ethiopia," Future Business Journal, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-19, December.
    20. Francisco Javier Forcadell & Antonio Lorena & Elisa Aracil, 2023. "The firm under the spotlight: How stakeholder scrutiny shapes corporate social responsibility and its influence on performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1258-1272, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate social responsibility; Value-added intellectual capital; Financial performance; Developed economy; Developing economy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M14 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Corporate Culture; Diversity; Social Responsibility
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:spr:rvmgts:v:16:y:2022:i:4:d:10.1007_s11846-022-00542-8. 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: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.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.