IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v9y2017i9p1532-d110096.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Dimensions on Firm Value: Some Evidence from Hong Kong and China

Author

Listed:
  • Prakash J. Singh

    (Department of Management and Marketing, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia)

  • Kannan Sethuraman

    (Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3053, Australia)

  • Jocelin Y. Lam

    (Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637718, Singapore)

Abstract

There has been significant interest and debate on the impact that a firm’s investments in corporate social responsibility (CSR) practices and initiatives have on its market value. In this paper, we target an area that is relatively under-researched: the relevance of CSR practices and initiatives for firms in the emerging economic region of mainland China and Hong Kong, where market development and the institutional environment lag that of developed economies. Using independent CSR assessment data on a sample of large mainland Chinese and Hong Kong firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, we evaluate the impact of six CSR dimensions on the firms’ adjusted stock market value over a three-year period. We found support for the influence of only two of the six dimensions considered, namely, the CSR practices and initiatives focused on community investment through philanthropy and, to a lesser extent, the CSR practices and initiatives focused on enhancing workplace quality, to be significant predictors of firm value. This suggests that social and people-centric dimensions of CSR are more relevant than technical and process-centric dimensions of CSR for mainland Chinese and Hong Kong firms. Furthermore, we found support for the hypothesis that the impact of CSR practices and initiatives on firm value follows an inverted U-shaped relationship over time, suggesting that the effect of these initiatives on firm value steadily increases during the initial years after their adoption to reach a maximum and then gradually fades away in subsequent years. To this end, this study advances our knowledge of the specific CSR dimensions that contribute to firm value and their relevance for Chinese and Hong Kong firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Prakash J. Singh & Kannan Sethuraman & Jocelin Y. Lam, 2017. "Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility Dimensions on Firm Value: Some Evidence from Hong Kong and China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-24, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:9:p:1532-:d:110096
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/9/1532/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/9/9/1532/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. I. Girerd-Potin & S. Jimenez-Garces & Pascal Louvet, 2014. "Which Dimensions of Social Responsibility Concern Financial Investors?," Post-Print halshs-01333409, HAL.
    2. Shameek Konar & Mark A. Cohen, 2001. "Does The Market Value Environmental Performance?," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(2), pages 281-289, May.
    3. Michelle Greenwood, 2007. "Stakeholder Engagement: Beyond the Myth of Corporate Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 74(4), pages 315-327, September.
    4. Supriti Mishra & Damodar Suar, 2010. "Does Corporate Social Responsibility Influence Firm Performance of Indian Companies?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 95(4), pages 571-601, September.
    5. Connie Zheng & David Lamond, 2010. "Organisational determinants of employee turnover for multinational companies in Asia," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 27(3), pages 423-443, September.
    6. Richard M. Locke & Fei Qin & Alberto Brause, 2007. "Does Monitoring Improve Labor Standards? Lessons from Nike," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 61(1), pages 3-31, October.
    7. Teoh, Siew Hong & Welch, Ivo & Wazzan, C Paul, 1999. "The Effect of Socially Activist Investment Policies on the Financial Markets: Evidence from the South African Boycott," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 72(1), pages 35-89, January.
    8. Cristina Gimenez & Vicenta Sierra, 2013. "Sustainable Supply Chains: Governance Mechanisms to Greening Suppliers," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 116(1), pages 189-203, August.
    9. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer & Robert Vishny, 2002. "Investor Protection and Corporate Valuation," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(3), pages 1147-1170, June.
    10. Anandhi S. Bharadwaj & Sundar G. Bharadwaj & Benn R. Konsynski, 1999. "Information Technology Effects on Firm Performance as Measured by Tobin's q," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 45(7), pages 1008-1024, July.
    11. Ali Quazi & Alice Richardson, 2012. "Sources of variation in linking corporate social responsibility and financial performance," Social Responsibility Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 8(2), pages 242-256, June.
    12. Dennis Patten, 2008. "Does the Market Value Corporate Philanthropy? Evidence from the Response to the 2004 Tsunami Relief Effort," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 81(3), pages 599-607, September.
    13. Henri Servaes & Ane Tamayo, 2013. "The Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Firm Value: The Role of Customer Awareness," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 59(5), pages 1045-1061, May.
    14. Urbi Garay & Maximiliano González, 2008. "Corporate Governance and Firm Value: The Case of Venezuela," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(3), pages 194-209, May.
    15. Christopher Marquis & Cuili Qian, 2014. "Corporate Social Responsibility Reporting in China: Symbol or Substance?," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 25(1), pages 127-148, February.
    16. Khaled Elsayed, 2006. "Reexamining the Expected Effect of Available Resources and Firm Size on Firm Environmental Orientation: An Empirical Study of UK Firms," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 65(3), pages 297-308, May.
    17. Sinkin, Charlene & Wright, Charlotte J. & Burnett, Royce D., 2008. "Eco-efficiency and firm value," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 167-176.
    18. Linnenluecke, Martina K. & Griffiths, Andrew, 2010. "Corporate sustainability and organizational culture," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 357-366, October.
    19. Locke, Richard M. & Qin, Fei & Brause, Alberto, 2007. "Does monitoring improve labor standards? Lessons from Nike," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 59405, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    20. Ron Bird & Anthony D. Hall & Francesco Momentè & Francesco Reggiani, 2007. "What Corporate Social Responsibility Activities are Valued by the Market?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 76(2), pages 189-206, December.
    21. Paul Osterman, 1994. "How Common is Workplace Transformation and Who Adopts it?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 47(2), pages 173-188, January.
    22. 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.
    23. Dima Jamali, 2008. "A Stakeholder Approach to Corporate Social Responsibility: A Fresh Perspective into Theory and Practice," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 82(1), pages 213-231, September.
    24. Hayam Wahba, 2008. "Does the market value corporate environmental responsibility? An empirical examination," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 15(2), pages 89-99, March.
    25. John Paul Macduffie, 1995. "Human Resource Bundles and Manufacturing Performance: Organizational Logic and Flexible Production Systems in the World Auto Industry," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 48(2), pages 197-221, January.
    26. Hong Bo & Tao Li & Linda A. Toolsema, 2009. "Corporate Social Responsibility Investment And Social Objectives: An Examination On Social Welfare Investment Of Chinese State Owned Enterprises," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 56(3), pages 267-295, July.
    27. Isabelle Girerd-Potin & Sonia Jimenez-Garcès & Pascal Louvet, 2014. "Which Dimensions of Social Responsibility Concern Financial Investors?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 121(4), pages 559-576, June.
    28. I. Girerd-Potin & S. Jimenez-Garces & P. Louvet, 2014. "Which Dimensions of Social Responsibility Concern Financial Investors?," Post-Print halshs-01026389, HAL.
    29. Juelin Yin & Yuli Zhang, 2012. "Institutional Dynamics and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in an Emerging Country Context: Evidence from China," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 111(2), pages 301-316, December.
    30. Cheung, Adrian (Wai Kong) & Roca, Eduardo, 2013. "The effect on price, liquidity and risk when stocks are added to and deleted from a sustainability index: Evidence from the Asia Pacific context," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 51-65.
    31. I. Girerd-Potin & S. Jimenez-Garces & Pascal Louvet, 2014. "Which Dimensions of Social Responsibility Concern Financial Investors?," Post-Print halshs-01337706, HAL.
    32. 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.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. 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.
    2. Ngoc Phu Tran & Co Thi Huyen Dinh & Hien Thi Thu Hoang & Duc Hong Vo, 2022. "Intellectual Capital and Firm Performance in Vietnam: The Moderating Role of Corporate Social Responsibility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-13, October.
    3. Oana Branzei & Jeff Frooman & Brent Mcknight & Charlene Zietsma, 2018. "What Good Does Doing Good do? The Effect of Bond Rating Analysts’ Corporate Bias on Investor Reactions to Changes in Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(1), pages 183-203, March.
    4. Maite Cubas-Díaz & Miguel Ángel Martínez Sedano, 2018. "Do Credit Ratings Take into Account the Sustainability Performance of Companies?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-24, November.
    5. Mario Vaupel & David Bendig & Denise Fischer-Kreer & Malte Brettel, 2023. "The Role of Share Repurchases for Firms’ Social and Environmental Sustainability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 183(2), pages 401-428, March.
    6. Haifei Wang & Hongjun Wu & Peter Humphreys, 2022. "Chinese Merchant Group Culture, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Cost of Debt: Evidence from Private Listed Firms in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-18, February.
    7. Wu, Xiaojuan & Dluhošová, Dana & Zmeškal, Zdeněk, 2023. "The moderating role of a corporate life cycle with the impact of economic value-added on corporate social responsibility: Evidence from China's listed companies," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    8. Mohammed Benlemlih & Mohammad Bitar, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Investment Efficiency," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(3), pages 647-671, March.
    9. Mohammed Benlemlih & Isabelle Girerd-Potin, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility and firm financial risk reduction: On the moderating role of the legal environment," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(7-8), pages 1137-1166, July.
    10. Gonzalo Maldonado-Guzman & Sandra Yesenia Pinzon-Castro & Gabriela Citlalli Lopez-Torres, 2016. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Business Performance: The Role of Mexican SMEs," International Journal of Asian Social Science, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 6(10), pages 568-579, October.
    11. Dumitrescu, Ariadna & Zakriya, Mohammed, 2021. "Stakeholders and the stock price crash risk: What matters in corporate social performance?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    12. Mohammed Benlemlih & Isabelle Girerd-Potin, 2017. "Corporate social responsibility and firm financial risk reduction: On the moderating role of the legal environment," Post-Print hal-01977064, HAL.
    13. Markus Hang & Jerome Geyer‐Klingeberg & Andreas W. Rathgeber, 2019. "It is merely a matter of time: A meta‐analysis of the causality between environmental performance and financial performance," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(2), pages 257-273, February.
    14. Lutfi Abdul Razak & Mansor H. Ibrahim & Adam Ng, 2020. "Which Sustainability Dimensions Affect Credit Risk? Evidence from Corporate and Country-Level Measures," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-22, December.
    15. 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).
    16. María del Mar Miras‐Rodríguez & Amalia Carrasco‐Gallego & Bernabé Escobar‐Pérez, 2015. "Are Socially Responsible Behaviors Paid Off Equally? A Cross‐cultural Analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(4), pages 237-256, July.
    17. Yongqiang Gao & Haibin Yang & Taïeb Hafsi, 2019. "Corporate giving and corporate financial performance: the S-curve relationship," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 36(3), pages 687-713, September.
    18. Kuang-Hua Hu & Sin-Jin Lin & Jau-Yang Liu & Fu-Hsiang Chen & Shih-Han Chen, 2018. "The Influences of CSR’s Multi-Dimensional Characteristics on Firm Value Determination by a Fusion Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-12, October.
    19. Xingping Jia, 2020. "Corporate social responsibility activities and firm performance: The moderating role of strategic emphasis and industry competition," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1), pages 65-73, January.
    20. Khan, Muhammad Arif, 2022. "ESG disclosure and Firm performance: A bibliometric and meta analysis," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).

    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:9:y:2017:i:9:p:1532-:d:110096. 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.