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The World Capital Markets’ Perception of Sustainability and the Impact of the Financial Crisis

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  • Kerstin Lopatta
  • Thomas Kaspereit

Abstract

Using a unique dataset provided by the international rating agency GES ® , we investigate the effects of corporate sustainability and industry-related exposure to environmental and social risks on the market value of MSCI World firms. The results show a negative relationship in the earlier years of our sample period. However, the analysis reveals that the capital market perception of sustainability has changed owing to the financial crisis. Looking at the height of the crisis in September 2008, the month in which Lehman Brothers shocked the world’s capital markets by filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, we find that the previously negative perception of corporate sustainability across its various dimensions was positively affected and offset. In addition, as a moderated regression analysis shows, the crisis led to a positive perception of corporate sustainability in industries that are exposed to higher environmental and social risks. Our study has the practical implication that executives, in particular in industries with high environmental and social risks, should increase their commitment to corporate sustainability due to the changes in the institutional setting triggered by the financial crisis. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

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  • Kerstin Lopatta & Thomas Kaspereit, 2014. "The World Capital Markets’ Perception of Sustainability and the Impact of the Financial Crisis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(3), pages 475-500, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:122:y:2014:i:3:p:475-500
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-013-1760-9
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    3. Elena Escrig-Olmedo & María Ángeles Fernández-Izquierdo & Idoya Ferrero-Ferrero & Juana María Rivera-Lirio & María Jesús Muñoz-Torres, 2019. "Rating the Raters: Evaluating how ESG Rating Agencies Integrate Sustainability Principles," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-16, February.
    4. Jing Lu & Kathleen Rodenburg & Lianne Foti & Ann Pegoraro, 2022. "Are firms with better sustainability performance more resilient during crises?," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3354-3370, November.
    5. Yaghoub Abdi & Xiaoni Li & Xavier Càmara-Turull, 2020. "Impact of Sustainability on Firm Value and Financial Performance in the Air Transport Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(23), pages 1-23, November.
    6. Kerstin Lopatta & Reemda Jaeschke & Chen Chen, 2017. "Stakeholder Engagement and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Performance: International Evidence," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(3), pages 199-209, May.
    7. Emmanuel Adegbite & Yilmaz Guney & Frank Kwabi & Suleiman Tahir, 2019. "Financial and corporate social performance in the UK listed firms: the relevance of non-linearity and lag effects," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 105-158, January.
    8. Pisani, Niccolò & Kourula, Arno & Kolk, Ans & Meijer, Renske, 2017. "How global is international CSR research? Insights and recommendations from a systematic review," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(5), pages 591-614.
    9. Tatyana A. Khudyakova & Andrey V. Shmidt, 2019. "Impact of the Global Recession on Financial and Economic Sustainability of Industrial Companies," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 143-157.
    10. She‐Chih Chiu & Hsuan‐Chu Lin & Chuan‐San Wang, 2017. "The Impact of Investments in Pollution Reduction on Shareholder Wealth: Evidence from Taiwanese Manufacturing Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(6), pages 676-691, November.
    11. Jeremy Galbreath, 2017. "The Impact of Board Structure on Corporate Social Responsibility: A Temporal View," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(3), pages 358-370, March.

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