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Financial Performance of Socially Responsible Firms: The Short- and Long-Term Impact

Author

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  • Maria J. Charlo

    (Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Seville, 41018 Seville, Spain)

  • Ismael Moya

    (Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Ana M. Muñoz

    (Department of Accounting and Finance, University of Seville, 41018 Seville, Spain)

Abstract

The pressure of society for firms to adopt socially responsible behavior is evident. Yet, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) needs an economic justification. In response to this, there exists a comprehensive literature that analyzes the possible relation between social and business financial performance. During the last decade, the literature has been heading toward the carrying out of dynamic studies as researches find that the relationship between social and financial performance is not static. The purpose of this work is to analyze the relevance for the financial performance of Spanish listed firms of maintaining their responsible behavior. To do so, we carry out a comparison between two analyses—one cross-sectional, and the other longitudinal—to be able to conclude whether or not adopting responsible criteria makes a difference in business financial performance in the short and long-term. Some of the results obtained in the cross-sectional study are consolidated in the long-term study. In this sense, responsible firms exhibit a higher systematic risk and have greater size. As a conclusion, be responsible does not mean less stock profitability or a lower business result. It certainly contributes to firms continuing to voluntarily incorporate good corporate social responsibility practices into their business models. What is more, these results support the governmental policies and initiatives that bolster corporate social responsibility.

Suggested Citation

  • Maria J. Charlo & Ismael Moya & Ana M. Muñoz, 2017. "Financial Performance of Socially Responsible Firms: The Short- and Long-Term Impact," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-15, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:9:p:1622-:d:111775
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. María Mar Miralles-Quirós & José Luis Miralles-Quirós & Luis Miguel Valente Gonçalves, 2018. "The Value Relevance of Environmental, Social, and Governance Performance: The Brazilian Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-15, February.
    3. Borja Diez-Cañamero & Tania Bishara & Jose Ramon Otegi-Olaso & Rikardo Minguez & José María Fernández, 2020. "Measurement of Corporate Social Responsibility: A Review of Corporate Sustainability Indexes, Rankings and Ratings," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-36, March.
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    5. Nor'Aini Yusof & Amin Akhavan Tabassi & Ernawati Mustafa Kamal, 2020. "Do environmental, economic and reputational advantages strengthen green practices' impact on environmental performance?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(5), pages 2081-2093, September.
    6. Fernando García & Jairo González-Bueno & Javier Oliver & Nicola Riley, 2019. "Selecting Socially Responsible Portfolios: A Fuzzy Multicriteria Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-14, April.
    7. Mohinesh Chandra & Alireza Tourani-Rad, 2021. "Do Investors Value Environmental Corporate Policies? Evidence from the Australian Market," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-12, March.
    8. Khan, Majid & Lockhart, James & Bathurst, Ralph, 2021. "The institutional analysis of CSR: Learnings from an emerging country," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
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    10. José M. Brotons & Manuel E. Sansalvador, 2020. "The relation between corporate social responsibility certification and financial performance: An empirical study in Spain," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1465-1477, May.

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