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Disclosure or action: Evaluating ESG behavior towards financial performance

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  • Yoo, Sunbin
  • Managi, Shunsuke

Abstract

We investigate whether the information disclosure of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) criteria is more crucial than actions for the financial performance of firms by using two different ratings with more than 1,000,000 samples. Our result shows that disclosure is more important for profits while action is more critical in Tobin’s Q and IVA scores.

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  • Yoo, Sunbin & Managi, Shunsuke, 2022. "Disclosure or action: Evaluating ESG behavior towards financial performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:finlet:v:44:y:2022:i:c:s1544612321001896
    DOI: 10.1016/j.frl.2021.102108
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    6. Remo-Diez, Nieves & Mendaña-Cuervo, Cristina & Arenas-Parra, Mar, 2023. "Exploring the asymmetric impact of sustainability reporting on financial performance in the utilities sector: A longitudinal comparative analysis," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    7. 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.
    8. Lei, Ni & Miao, Qin & Yao, Xin, 2023. "Does the implementation of green credit policy improve the ESG performance of enterprises? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    9. Wei, Feng & Zhou, Lei, 2024. "Do state-owned enterprises prefer capital from private enterprises with better ESG performance? Evidence from China's mixed ownership reforms," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    10. Roberto Rocha & Ana Bandeira & Patrícia Ramos, 2024. "The Impact of Social Responsibility on the Performance of European Listed Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-35, September.
    11. Jialin Yan & Haibo Hu & Yiruo Hu, 2024. "Does internal control improve enterprise environmental, social, and governance information disclosure? Evidence from China," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(5), pages 4980-4994, September.
    12. Yuechen Wu, 2024. "Does ESG Consistently Promote the Corporate Financial Performance? A Study of the Global Cruise Industry," Papers 2409.00758, arXiv.org.
    13. Bilyay-Erdogan, Seda & Danisman, Gamze Ozturk & Demir, Ender, 2023. "ESG performance and dividend payout: A channel analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(PA).
    14. Wang, Liang & Qi, Jiahan & Zhuang, Hongyu, 2023. "Monitoring or Collusion? Multiple Large Shareholders and Corporate ESG Performance: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    15. Marc Kouzez & Ji-Yong Lee & Jomana Leroux, 2024. "Investment in ESG activities and bank performance: does bank ownership matter?," Post-Print hal-03859287, HAL.
    16. Wang, Kai & Chen, Xi & Wang, Chenye, 2023. "The impact of sustainable development planning in resource-based cities on corporate ESG–Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    17. Gai, Lorenzo & Bellucci, Marco & Biggeri, Mario & Ferrone, Lucia & Ielasi, Federica, 2023. "Banks’ ESG disclosure: A new scoring model," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    18. Chai, Shanglei & Cao, Mengjun & Li, Qiang & Ji, Qiang & Liu, Zuankuo, 2023. "Exploring the nexus between ESG disclosure and corporate sustainable growth: Moderating role of media attention," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 58(PC).
    19. Bagh, Tanveer & Zhou, Bingjun & Alawi, Suha Mahmoud & Azam, Rauf I, 2024. "ESG resilience: Exploring the non-linear effects of ESG performance on firms sustainable growth," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 70(PA).
    20. Song, Yan & Xiu, Yifan & Zhao, Mengyang & Tian, Ye & Wang, Jingyuan, 2024. "Intellectual property protection and enterprise innovation: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PB).
    21. Huang, Jun & Li, Yun & Han, Feifei, 2024. "Walk well and talk well: Impact of the consistency of ESG performance and disclosure on firms’ stock price crash risk," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 93(PA), pages 1154-1174.
    22. M. Ángeles López‐Cabarcos & Helena Santos‐Rodrigues & Lara Quiñoá‐Piñeiro & Juan Piñeiro‐Chousa, 2023. "How to explain stock returns of utility companies from an environmental, social and corporate governance perspective," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2278-2291, September.
    23. Bin Wang & Fangzheng Wang & Xiaofei Kong & Li Liu & Chunlu Liu, 2024. "Environmental, social, and governance disclosure and capital market mispricing," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 31(3), pages 2383-2401, May.
    24. Yoshida, Kenichi & Iino, Yoshiaki & Managi, Shunsuke, 2022. "Do Japanese keiretsu promote better CSR activities?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 452-475.
    25. Lee, King Fuei, 2023. "The Role of Catering Incentives in ESG Disclosure," MPRA Paper 120930, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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