IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i10p4329-d362721.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Does Board Gender Diversity Influence the Likelihood of Becoming a UN Global Compact Signatory? The Mediating Effect of the CSR Committee

Author

Listed:
  • Jennifer Martínez-Ferrero

    (IME (Multidisciplinary Institute for Enterprise), Universidad de Salamanca, 37007 Salamanca, Spain)

  • Mehmet Eryilmaz

    (Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Bursa Uludag University, 16059 Nilüfer, Bursa, Turkey)

  • Nese Colakoglu

    (Free Researcher, 16059 Bursa, Turkey)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of the factors determining a firm’s affiliation with the United Nations Global Compact (UN GC) as the largest voluntary corporate responsibility initiative worldwide. Drawing on the board perspective of the firm, this paper examines the effect of gender diversity and the mediating effect of the existence of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) committee. To test the paper’s objectives, the authors use an international sample of analysis of 29,951 firm-year observations from 2012 to 2018. The results suggest that female directors on the board significantly encourage the firm’s affiliation with the UN GC and support the mediating effect of the existence of a CSR committee. Therefore, the positive impact of female directors on UN GC signatories appears to be mediated by the existence of a CSR committee.

Suggested Citation

  • Jennifer Martínez-Ferrero & Mehmet Eryilmaz & Nese Colakoglu, 2020. "How Does Board Gender Diversity Influence the Likelihood of Becoming a UN Global Compact Signatory? The Mediating Effect of the CSR Committee," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-19, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4329-:d:362721
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/10/4329/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/10/4329/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ishmael Tingbani & Lyton Chithambo & Venancio Tauringana & Nikolaos Papanikolaou, 2020. "Board gender diversity, environmental committee and greenhouse gas voluntary disclosures," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(6), pages 2194-2210, September.
    2. Ioanna Boulouta, 2013. "Hidden Connections: The Link Between Board Gender Diversity and Corporate Social Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 113(2), pages 185-197, March.
    3. Bernhagen, Patrick & Mitchell, Neil J. & Thissen-Smits, Marianne, 2013. "Corporate citizens and the UN Global Compact: explaining cross-national variations in turnout," Business and Politics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 15(1), pages 63-85, April.
    4. Jill A. Brown & Cynthia Clark & Anthony F. Buono, 2018. "The United Nations Global Compact: Engaging Implicit and Explicit CSR for Global Governance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 147(4), pages 721-734, February.
    5. Somaiya Yunus & Evangeline Elijido-Ten & Subhash Abhayawansa, 2016. "Determinants of carbon management strategy adoption: Evidence from Australia’s top 200 publicly listed firms," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing, vol. 31(2), pages 156-179, February.
    6. Eduardo Ortas & Igor Álvarez & Ainhoa Garayar, 2015. "The Environmental, Social, Governance, and Financial Performance Effects on Companies that Adopt the United Nations Global Compact," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(2), pages 1-25, February.
    7. Azlan Amran & Shiau Ping Lee & S. Susela Devi, 2014. "The Influence of Governance Structure and Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility Toward Sustainability Reporting Quality," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(4), pages 217-235, May.
    8. Elisa Baraibar-Diez & María D. Odriozola, 2019. "CSR Committees and Their Effect on ESG Performance in UK, France, Germany, and Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-20, September.
    9. Dilek Cetindamar, 2007. "Corporate Social Responsibility Practices and Environmentally Responsible Behavior: The Case of The United Nations Global Compact," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 76(2), pages 163-176, December.
    10. S. Sethi & Donald Schepers, 2014. "United Nations Global Compact: The Promise–Performance Gap," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(2), pages 193-208, June.
    11. Nese Colakoglu & Mehmet Eryilmaz & Jennifer Martínez-Ferrero, 2020. "Is board diversity an antecedent of corporate social responsibility performance in firms? A research on the 500 biggest Turkish companies," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 17(2), pages 243-262, February.
    12. Kevin Hendry & Geoffrey C. Kiel, 2004. "The Role of the Board in Firm Strategy: integrating agency and organisational control perspectives," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 12(4), pages 500-520, October.
    13. Sadok El Ghoul & Omrane Guedhami & Robert Nash & Ajay Patel, 2019. "New Evidence on the Role of the Media in Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(4), pages 1051-1079, February.
    14. Walid Ben-Amar & Millicent Chang & Philip McIlkenny, 2017. "Board Gender Diversity and Corporate Response to Sustainability Initiatives: Evidence from the Carbon Disclosure Project," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 142(2), pages 369-383, May.
    15. Abdelzaher, Dina & Fernandez, Whitney Douglas & Schneper, William D., 2019. "Legal rights, national culture and social networks: Exploring the uneven adoption of United Nations Global Compact," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 12-24.
    16. Galbreath, Jeremy, 2011. "Are there gender-related influences on corporate sustainability? A study of women on boards of directors," Journal of Management & Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 17(1), pages 17-38, January.
    17. Jay Janney & Greg Dess & Victor Forlani, 2009. "Glass Houses? Market Reactions to Firms Joining the UN Global Compact," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 90(3), pages 407-423, December.
    18. Haque, Faizul & Jones, Michael John, 2020. "European firms’ corporate biodiversity disclosures and board gender diversity from 2002 to 2016," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(2).
    19. Luis Perez-Batres & Van Miller & Michael Pisani, 2010. "CSR, Sustainability and the Meaning of Global Reporting for Latin American Corporations," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 91(2), pages 193-209, February.
    20. Shawn Pope & Arild Wæraas, 2016. "CSR-Washing is Rare: A Conceptual Framework, Literature Review, and Critique," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 137(1), pages 173-193, August.
    21. Chen, Jie & Leung, Woon Sau & Evans, Kevin P., 2018. "Female board representation, corporate innovation and firm performance," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 236-254.
    22. María del Carmen Valls Martínez & Salvador Cruz Rambaud & Isabel María Parra Oller, 2019. "Gender policies on board of directors and sustainable development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1539-1553, November.
    23. Akrum Helfaya & Tantawy Moussa, 2017. "Do Board's Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy and Orientation Influence Environmental Sustainability Disclosure? UK Evidence," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(8), pages 1061-1077, December.
    24. Giuliana Birindelli & Stefano Dell’Atti & Antonia Patrizia Iannuzzi & Marco Savioli, 2018. "Composition and Activity of the Board of Directors: Impact on ESG Performance in the Banking System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, December.
    25. Orzes, Guido & Moretto, Antonella Maria & Moro, Mattia & Rossi, Matteo & Sartor, Marco & Caniato, Federico & Nassimbeni, Guido, 2020. "The impact of the United Nations global compact on firm performance: A longitudinal analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    26. Daniel Berliner & Aseem Prakash, 2014. "The United Nations Global Compact: An Institutionalist Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(2), pages 217-223, June.
    27. Oliver Williams, 2014. "The United Nations Global Compact: What Did It Promise?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(2), pages 241-251, June.
    28. Bernhagen Patrick & Mitchell Neil J. & Thissen-Smits Marianne, 2013. "Corporate citizens and the UN Global Compact: explaining cross-national variations in turnout," Business and Politics, De Gruyter, vol. 15(1), pages 63-85, March.
    29. Edina Eberhardt-Toth, 2017. "Who should be on a board corporate social responsibility committee?," Post-Print hal-01768904, HAL.
    30. Jorge A. Arevalo & Deepa Aravind, 2017. "Strategic Outcomes in Voluntary CSR: Reporting Economic and Reputational Benefits in Principles-Based Initiatives," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 144(1), pages 201-217, August.
    31. Francesca Gennari, 2019. "How to Lead the Board of Directors to a Sustainable Development of Business with the CSR Committees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-17, December.
    32. Sahar E-Vahdati & Norhayah Zulkifli & Zarina Zakaria, 2018. "A Moderated Mediation Model for Board Diversity and Corporate Performance in ASEAN Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-20, February.
    33. Francesca Gennari & Daniela M. Salvioni, 2019. "CSR committees on boards: the impact of the external country level factors," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 23(3), pages 759-785, September.
    34. Liao, Lin & Luo, Le & Tang, Qingliang, 2015. "Gender diversity, board independence, environmental committee and greenhouse gas disclosure," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 409-424.
    35. Melsa Ararat & Borhan Sayedy, 2019. "Gender and Climate Change Disclosure: An Interdimensional Policy Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-19, December.
    36. Silvia Ayuso & Mercè Roca & Jorge A. Arevalo & Deepa Aravind, 2016. "What Determines Principle-Based Standards Implementation? Reporting on Global Compact Adoption in Spanish Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(3), pages 553-565, February.
    37. Fabio Monteduro & Alessandro Hinna & Roberto Ferrari, 2011. "The Board of Directors and The Adoption of Quality Management Tools," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(6), pages 803-824, September.
    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. Sabrina Spallini & Virginia Milone & Antonio Nisio & Patrizia Romanazzi, 2021. "The Dimension of Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of Broadness of Information in Italian Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-22, January.
    2. Alice Hengevoss, 2021. "Assessing the Impact of Nonprofit Organizations on Multi-Actor Global Governance Initiatives: The Case of the UN Global Compact," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-13, June.
    3. Mariasole Bannò & Emilia Filippi & Sandro Trento, 2023. "Women in top echelon positions and their effects on sustainability: a review, synthesis and future research agenda," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 27(1), pages 181-251, March.

    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. Camélia Radu & Nadia Smaili, 2022. "Alignment Versus Monitoring: An Examination of the Effect of the CSR Committee and CSR-Linked Executive Compensation on CSR Performance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 180(1), pages 145-163, September.
    2. Patrick Velte & Martin Stawinoga, 2020. "Do chief sustainability officers and CSR committees influence CSR-related outcomes? A structured literature review based on empirical-quantitative research findings," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 31(4), pages 333-377, December.
    3. Orzes, Guido & Moretto, Antonella Maria & Moro, Mattia & Rossi, Matteo & Sartor, Marco & Caniato, Federico & Nassimbeni, Guido, 2020. "The impact of the United Nations global compact on firm performance: A longitudinal analysis," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 227(C).
    4. María‐Florencia Amorelli & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2021. "Trends in the dynamic evolution of board gender diversity and corporate social responsibility," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(2), pages 537-554, March.
    5. Giuliana Birindelli & Stefano Dell’Atti & Antonia Patrizia Iannuzzi & Marco Savioli, 2018. "Composition and Activity of the Board of Directors: Impact on ESG Performance in the Banking System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-20, December.
    6. Tobias Gerwing & Peter Kajüter & Maximilian Wirth, 2022. "The role of sustainable corporate governance in mandatory sustainability reporting quality," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 92(3), pages 517-555, April.
    7. Eduardo Ortas & Igor Álvarez & Eugenio Zubeltzu, 2017. "Firms’ Board Independence and Corporate Social Performance: A Meta-Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-26, June.
    8. Andreas G. F. Hoepner & Arleta A. A. Majoch & Xiao Y. Zhou, 2021. "Does an Asset Owner’s Institutional Setting Influence Its Decision to Sign the Principles for Responsible Investment?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 168(2), pages 389-414, January.
    9. Konadu, Renata & Ahinful, Gabriel Sam & Boakye, Danquah Jeff & Elbardan, Hany, 2022. "Board gender diversity, environmental innovation and corporate carbon emissions," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    10. Halit Gonenc & Antonina V. Krasnikova, 2022. "Board Gender Diversity and Voluntary Carbon Emission Disclosure," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-18, November.
    11. Ginesti, Gianluca & Campa, Domenico & Spano’, Rosanna & Allini, Alessandra & Maffei, Marco, 2023. "The role of CSR committee characteristics on R&D investments," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(5).
    12. Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez & Isabel Gallego‐Álvarez & José‐Luis Zafra‐Gómez, 2021. "Do independent, female and specialist directors promote eco‐innovation and eco‐design in agri‐food firms?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 1136-1152, February.
    13. Francesca Gennari, 2019. "How to Lead the Board of Directors to a Sustainable Development of Business with the CSR Committees," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(24), pages 1-17, December.
    14. Mariasole Bannò & Emilia Filippi & Sandro Trento, 2023. "Women in top echelon positions and their effects on sustainability: a review, synthesis and future research agenda," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 27(1), pages 181-251, March.
    15. Elisa Menicucci & Guido Paolucci, 2022. "Board Diversity and ESG Performance: Evidence from the Italian Banking Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-19, October.
    16. Yu‐Lin Chen & Mei‐Chu Huang, 2023. "Water usage reduction and CSR committees: Taiwan evidence," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1070-1081, May.
    17. Giuliana Birindelli & Antonia Patrizia Iannuzzi & Marco Savioli, 2019. "The impact of women leaders on environmental performance: Evidence on gender diversity in banks," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(6), pages 1485-1499, November.
    18. Nurshahirah Abd Majid & Amar Hisham Jaaffar, 2023. "The Effect of Women’s Leadership on Carbon Disclosure by the Top 100 Global Energy Leaders," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-26, May.
    19. Yinglin Huang & Claude Francoeur & Stephen Brammer, 2022. "What drives and curbs brownwashing?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 2518-2532, July.
    20. Camélia Radu & Nadia Smaili, 2021. "Corporate performance patterns of Canadian listed firms: Balancing financial and corporate social responsibility outcomes," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7), pages 3344-3359, November.

    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:12:y:2020:i:10:p:4329-:d:362721. 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.