IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i12p3395-d241432.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The Relationship between Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Firm Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model of Strategic Similarity and Organization Slack

Author

Listed:
  • Van Thac Dang

    (Business School, Shantou University, Guangdong 515063, China)

  • Ninh Nguyen

    (Department of Entrepreneurship Innovation and Marketing, La Trobe Business School, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria 3086, Australia
    Business Sustainability Research Group, Thuongmai University, Hanoi 100000, Vietnam)

  • Xiangzhi Bu

    (Business School, Shantou University, Guangdong 515063, China)

  • Jianming Wang

    (School of Business Administration, Zhejiang University of Finance & Economics, Hangzhou 310018, China)

Abstract

There has been growing interest among business managers and academics in corporate environmental responsibility (CER), which represents a company’s focus on its long-term sustainability and society. Past research, however, has reported inconsistent and mixed results with regard to the link between CER and firm performance. This study, therefore, proposes and validates a moderated mediation model of strategic similarity and organizational slack to better explain the relationship between CER and firm performance. Data were obtained from 260 listed firms in China from 2015 to 2017, resulting in 780 firm-year observations. Multivariate data analysis indicates that strategic similarity mediates the relationship between CER and firm performance. Furthermore, organizational slack moderates the relationship between CER and strategic similarity and the indirect effect of CER on firm performance through strategic similarity. The findings of this study provide insights for business managers attempting to understand and enhance the quality of their decision making regarding CER. Importantly, business managers should engage in CER activity and pursue strategic similarity to deal with pressure from stakeholders while following the competitive speed of competitors in the marketplace.

Suggested Citation

  • Van Thac Dang & Ninh Nguyen & Xiangzhi Bu & Jianming Wang, 2019. "The Relationship between Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Firm Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model of Strategic Similarity and Organization Slack," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-14, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:12:p:3395-:d:241432
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/12/3395/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/12/3395/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wenjing Li & Ran Zhang, 2010. "Corporate Social Responsibility, Ownership Structure, and Political Interference: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 96(4), pages 631-645, November.
    2. Michael C. Jensen, 2010. "The Modern Industrial Revolution, Exit, and the Failure of Internal Control Systems," Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Morgan Stanley, vol. 22(1), pages 43-58, January.
    3. Manuel Branco & Lúcia Rodrigues, 2006. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Resource-Based Perspectives," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 69(2), pages 111-132, December.
    4. Kathy Babiak & Sylvia Trendafilova, 2011. "CSR and environmental responsibility: motives and pressures to adopt green management practices," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 18(1), pages 11-24, January.
    5. Jalilvand, Abol & Kim, Sung Min, 2013. "Matching slack resources and investment strategies to achieve long-term performance: New perspectives on corporate adaptability," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 38-52.
    6. Lin, Wen-Ting, 2014. "How do managers decide on internationalization processes? The role of organizational slack and performance feedback," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 49(3), pages 396-408.
    7. Clarkson, Peter M. & Li, Yue & Richardson, Gordon D. & Vasvari, Florin P., 2011. "Does it really pay to be green? Determinants and consequences of proactive environmental strategies," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 122-144, March.
    8. Caroline Flammer, 2015. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Lead to Superior Financial Performance? A Regression Discontinuity Approach," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 61(11), pages 2549-2568, November.
    9. Michael Hobday, 1995. "Innovation In East Asia," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 226.
    10. Cho, Charles H. & Patten, Dennis M., 2007. "The role of environmental disclosures as tools of legitimacy: A research note," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(7-8), pages 639-647.
    11. Marc Orlitzky & Céline Louche & Jean-Pascal Gond & Wendy Chapple, 2017. "Unpacking the Drivers of Corporate Social Performance: A Multilevel, Multistakeholder, and Multimethod Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(1), pages 21-40, August.
    12. Ying Jiang & Xiaolong Xue & Weirui Xue, 2018. "Proactive Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Financial Performance: Evidence from Chinese Energy Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-13, March.
    13. Yiannis E. Spanos & George Zaralis & Spyros Lioukas, 2004. "Strategy and industry effects on profitability: evidence from Greece," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(2), pages 139-165, February.
    14. The Ninh Nguyen & Hoang Viet Nguyen & Antonio Lobo & The Son Dao, 2017. "Encouraging Vietnamese Household Recycling Behavior: Insights and Implications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(2), pages 1-15, January.
    15. Vicente Lima Crisóstomo & Fátima de Souza Freire & Felipe Cortes de Vasconcellos, 2011. "Corporate social responsibility, firm value and financial performance in Brazil," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 7(2), pages 295-309, June.
    16. Mark P. Sharfman & James W. Dean Jr, 1997. "Flexibility in Strategic Decision Making: Informational and Ideological Perspectives," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(2), pages 191-217, March.
    17. Matthew S. Kraatz & Edward J. Zajac, 2001. "How Organizational Resources Affect Strategic Change and Performance in Turbulent Environments: Theory and Evidence," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(5), pages 632-657, October.
    18. Alan Gregory & Rajesh Tharyan & Julie Whittaker, 2014. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Value: Disaggregating the Effects on Cash Flow, Risk and Growth," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(4), pages 633-657, November.
    19. Vicente Lima Crisóstomo & Fátima de Souza Freire & Felipe Cortes de Vasconcellos, 2011. "Corporate social responsibility, firm value and financial performance in Brazil," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 7(2), pages 295-309, July.
    20. Christina W. Y. Wong & Xin Miao & Shuang Cui & Yanhong Tang, 2018. "Impact of Corporate Environmental Responsibility on Operating Income: Moderating Role of Regional Disparities in China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 363-382, May.
    21. Graafland, Johan & Noorderhaven, Niels, 2018. "National culture and environmental responsibility research revisited," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(5), pages 958-968.
    22. Erming Xu & Hui Yang & J. Quan & Yuan Lu, 2015. "Organizational slack and corporate social performance: Empirical evidence from China’s public firms," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 181-198, March.
    23. Li Cai & Chaohua He, 2014. "Corporate Environmental Responsibility and Equity Prices," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 125(4), pages 617-635, December.
    24. Elisabeth Albertini, 2013. "Does Environmental Management Improve Financial Performance? A Meta-Analytical Review," Post-Print halshs-01887802, HAL.
    25. David L. Deephouse, 1999. "To be different, or to be the same? It’s a question (and theory) of strategic balance," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 147-166, February.
    26. Hobday, Mike, 1995. "East Asian latecomer firms: Learning the technology of electronics," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 23(7), pages 1171-1193, July.
    27. 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.
    28. Gerry McNamara & David L. Deephouse & Rebecca A. Luce, 2003. "Competitive positioning within and across a strategic group structure: the performance of core, secondary, and solitary firms," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 161-181, February.
    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. Hail Jung & Seyeong Song & Chang-Keun Song, 2021. "Carbon Emission Regulation, Green Boards, and Corporate Environmental Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-12, April.
    2. Wei Peng & Baogui Xin & Yekyung Kwon, 2019. "Optimal Strategies of Product Price, Quality, and Corporate Environmental Responsibility," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-24, November.
    3. Shoaib Aslam & Mohamed H. Elmagrhi & Ramiz Ur Rehman & Collins G. Ntim, 2021. "Environmental management practices and financial performance using data envelopment analysis in Japan: The mediating role of environmental performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(4), pages 1655-1673, May.
    4. Jie Zhou & Shanyue Jin, 2023. "Corporate Environmental Protection Behavior and Sustainable Development: The Moderating Role of Green Investors and Green Executive Cognition," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-18, February.

    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. Wei Peng & Baogui Xin & Yekyung Kwon, 2019. "Optimal Strategies of Product Price, Quality, and Corporate Environmental Responsibility," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-24, November.
    2. Christian Schwens & Marcus Wagner, 2019. "The role of firm-internal corporate environmental standards for organizational performance," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 89(7), pages 823-843, September.
    3. Chun Jiang & Qiang Fu, 2019. "A Win-Win Outcome between Corporate Environmental Performance and Corporate Value: From the Perspective of Stakeholders," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Hasan, Mostafa Monzur & Wong, Jin Boon & Al Mamun, Mohammed Abdullah, 2022. "Oil shocks and corporate social responsibility," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    5. Ruiqian Li & Ramakrishnan Ramanathan, 2018. "Impacts of Industrial Heterogeneity and Technical Innovation on the Relationship between Environmental Performance and Financial Performance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-25, May.
    6. Mukherjee, Abhishek & Bird, Ron & Duppati, Geeta, 2018. "Mandatory Corporate Social Responsibility: The Indian experience," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 254-265.
    7. Ludovic Cassely & Christophe Revelli & Sami Ben Larbi & Alain Lacroux, 2020. "Sustainable development drivers of companies: An international and multilevel analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(5), pages 2028-2043, September.
    8. Tafadzwa Mark Wasara & Fortune Ganda, 2019. "The Relationship between Corporate Sustainability Disclosure and Firm Financial Performance in Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Listed Mining Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-23, August.
    9. Emmanuel Lawal & Gökan May & Bojan Stahl, 2017. "The Significance of Corporate Social Disclosure for High‐Tech Manufacturing Companies: Focus on Employee and Community Aspects of Sustainable Development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(4), pages 295-311, July.
    10. Altaf, Nufazil & Shah, Farooq, 2017. "Slack heterogeneity and firm performance: Investigating the relationship in Indian context," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 390-403.
    11. Weiwei Wu & Rizwan Ullah & Syed Jamal Shah, 2020. "Linking Corporate Environmental Performance to Financial Performance of Pakistani Firms: The Roles of Technological capability and Public awareness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-18, February.
    12. Omaima A.G. Hassan & Peter Romilly, 2018. "Relations between corporate economic performance, environmental disclosure and greenhouse gas emissions: New insights," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(7), pages 893-909, November.
    13. 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.
    14. Al-Shaer, Habiba & Uyar, Ali & Kuzey, Cemil & Karaman, Abdullah S., 2023. "Do shareholders punish or reward excessive CSR engagement? Moderating effect of cash flow and firm growth," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    15. Wong, Jin Boon & Zhang, Qin, 2022. "Stock market reactions to adverse ESG disclosure via media channels," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(1).
    16. Qian, Wei & Schaltegger, Stefan, 2017. "Revisiting carbon disclosure and performance: Legitimacy and management views," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 365-379.
    17. María Luisa Pajuelo Moreno & Teresa Duarte-Atoche, 2019. "Relationship between Sustainable Disclosure and Performance—An Extension of Ullmann’s Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-33, August.
    18. Hans B. Christensen & Luzi Hail & Christian Leuz, 2021. "Mandatory CSR and sustainability reporting: economic analysis and literature review," Review of Accounting Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1176-1248, September.
    19. Samy Garas & Osama El-Temtamy, 2020. "The “simultaneous cycle” between corporate social responsibility and firms’ financial performance," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 17(2), pages 39-50, September.
    20. Chen, Shihua & Chen, Yulin & Jebran, Khalil, 2021. "Trust and corporate social responsibility: From expected utility and social normative perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 518-530.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:12:p:3395-:d:241432. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.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.