IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/corsem/v24y2017i6p524-542.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Board Structure to Enhance Social Responsibility Development: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of US Companies

Author

Listed:
  • Beatriz Cuadrado‐Ballesteros
  • Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero
  • Isabel M. García‐Sánchez

Abstract

This study adds clarity to inconclusive results in previous literature about the link between board characteristics and the level of social responsibility performance by using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. Specifically, we propose a new holistic framework based on the complexity theory. From a sample of 471 non‐financial companies from the USA for the period 2008–2010, our findings support the four tenets of complexity theory: equifinality, complexity, asymmetry, and causal asymmetry. More concretely, they suggest that CSR performance depends on a complex configuration of some board characteristics, such as size, independency, diversity and activity, and other corporate attributes (i.e., company size, leverage, and growth opportunities). These factors play a key role as the ingredients of the recipe and, in a proper combination, contribute to obtaining high levels of social responsibility performance. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment

Suggested Citation

  • Beatriz Cuadrado‐Ballesteros & Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero & Isabel M. García‐Sánchez, 2017. "Board Structure to Enhance Social Responsibility Development: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of US Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 24(6), pages 524-542, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:corsem:v:24:y:2017:i:6:p:524-542
    DOI: 10.1002/csr.1425
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1425
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/csr.1425?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. José V. Frias‐Aceituno & Lazaro Rodriguez‐Ariza & I.M Garcia‐Sanchez, 2013. "The Role of the Board in the Dissemination of Integrated Corporate Social Reporting," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(4), pages 219-233, July.
    2. Jason Zhang & Hong Zhu & Hung-bin Ding, 2013. "Board Composition and Corporate Social Responsibility: An Empirical Investigation in the Post Sarbanes-Oxley Era," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 114(3), pages 381-392, May.
    3. Haniffa, R.M. & Cooke, T.E., 2005. "The impact of culture and governance on corporate social reporting," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 391-430.
    4. Roberto Fernández-Gago & Laura Cabeza-García & Mariano Nieto, 2016. "Corporate social responsibility, board of directors, and firm performance: an analysis of their relationships," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 85-104, January.
    5. Taïeb Hafsi & Gokhan Turgut, 2013. "Boardroom Diversity and its Effect on Social Performance: Conceptualization and Empirical Evidence," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(3), pages 463-479, February.
    6. Ali M. Shahzad & Matthew A. Rutherford & Mark P. Sharfman, 2016. "Stakeholder‐Centric Governance and Corporate Social Performance: A Cross‐National Study," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(2), pages 100-112, March.
    7. Céline Louche & Daniel Arenas & Katinka Cranenburgh, 2012. "From Preaching to Investing: Attitudes of Religious Organisations Towards Responsible Investment," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 110(3), pages 301-320, October.
    8. Natalia Ortiz‐de‐Mandojana & Javier Aguilera‐Caracuel & Matilde Morales‐Raya, 2016. "Corporate Governance and Environmental Sustainability: The Moderating Role of the National Institutional Context," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(3), pages 150-164, May.
    9. Rafael La Porta & Florencio Lopez‐De‐Silanes & Andrei Shleifer, 2002. "Government Ownership of Banks," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(1), pages 265-301, February.
    10. 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.
    11. Luis A. Perez-Batres & Van V. Miller & Michael J. Pisani & Irene Henriques & Jose A. Renau-Sepulveda, 2012. "Why Do Firms Engage in National Sustainability Programs and Transparent Sustainability Reporting?," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 52(1), pages 107-136, February.
    12. Philip Anderson, 1999. "Perspective: Complexity Theory and Organization Science," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 10(3), pages 216-232, June.
    13. Wu, Pei-Ling & Yeh, Shih-Shuo & Huan, Tzung-Cheng (.T.C.). & Woodside, Arch G., 2014. "Applying complexity theory to deepen service dominant logic: Configural analysis of customer experience-and-outcome assessments of professional services for personal transformations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(8), pages 1647-1670.
    14. Elizabeth Webb, 2004. "An Examination of Socially Responsible Firms’ Board Structure," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 8(3), pages 255-277, June.
    15. Pugliese, A. & Bezemer, P.J. & Zattoni, A. & Huse, M. & van den Bosch, F.A.J. & Volberda, H.W., 2009. "Boards of Directors’ Contribution to Strategy: A Literature Review and Research Agenda," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2009-013-STR, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    16. Brown, William O. & Helland, Eric & Smith, Janet Kiholm, 2006. "Corporate philanthropic practices," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 12(5), pages 855-877, December.
    17. Giovanna Michelon & Antonio Parbonetti, 2012. "The effect of corporate governance on sustainability disclosure," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 16(3), pages 477-509, August.
    18. Dulacha Barako & Alistair Brown, 2008. "Corporate social reporting and board representation: evidence from the Kenyan banking sector," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 12(4), pages 309-324, November.
    19. Idoya Ferrero‐Ferrero & María Ángeles Fernández‐Izquierdo & María Jesús Muñoz‐Torres, 2015. "Integrating Sustainability into Corporate Governance: An Empirical Study on Board Diversity," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 22(4), pages 193-207, July.
    20. Judith L. Walls & Pascual Berrone & Phillip H. Phan, 2012. "Corporate governance and environmental performance: is there really a link?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(8), pages 885-913, August.
    21. Marco Allegrini & Giulio Greco, 2013. "Corporate boards, audit committees and voluntary disclosure: evidence from Italian Listed Companies," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 17(1), pages 187-216, February.
    22. Jeremy Galbreath, 2010. "Corporate governance practices that address climate change: an exploratory study," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 19(5), pages 335-350, July.
    23. Ge Bai, 2013. "How Do Board Size and Occupational Background of Directors Influence Social Performance in For-profit and Non-profit Organizations? Evidence from California Hospitals," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(1), pages 171-187, November.
    24. Goldstein, Daniel G. & Gigerenzer, Gerd, 2009. "Fast and frugal forecasting," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 25(4), pages 760-772, October.
    25. Stephen Bear & Noushi Rahman & Corinne Post, 2010. "The Impact of Board Diversity and Gender Composition on Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Reputation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 97(2), pages 207-221, December.
    26. Maretno Harjoto & Hoje Jo, 2011. "Corporate Governance and CSR Nexus," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 100(1), pages 45-67, April.
    27. Woodside, Arch G., 2014. "Embrace•perform•model: Complexity theory, contrarian case analysis, and multiple realities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 67(12), pages 2495-2503.
    28. Yu, Fang (Frank), 2008. "Analyst coverage and earnings management," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(2), pages 245-271, May.
    29. George Kassinis & Alexia Panayiotou & Andreas Dimou & Georgia Katsifaraki, 2016. "Gender and Environmental Sustainability: A Longitudinal Analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 23(6), pages 399-412, November.
    30. Isabel‐María García Sánchez & Luis Rodríguez Domínguez & Isabel Gallego Álvarez, 2011. "Corporate governance and strategic information on the internet," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 24(4), pages 471-501, May.
    31. Li-Ying Huang & Tzy-yih Hsiao & Gene C. Lai, 2007. "Does Corporate Governance and Ownership Structure Influence Performance? Evidence from Taiwan Life Insurance Companies," Journal of Insurance Issues, Western Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 30(2), pages 123-151.
    32. Michele Fabrizi & Christine Mallin & Giovanna Michelon, 2014. "The Role of CEO’s Personal Incentives in Driving Corporate Social Responsibility," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(2), pages 311-326, October.
    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. Kumar, Satish & Sahoo, Saumyaranjan & Lim, Weng Marc & Kraus, Sascha & Bamel, Umesh, 2022. "Fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) in business and management research: A contemporary overview," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    2. Kirsten Burkhardt & Pascal Nguyen & Evelyne Poincelot, 2020. "Agents of change: Women in top management and corporate environmental performance," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 1591-1604, July.
    3. María Victoria Uribe‐Bohorquez & Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2019. "Women on boards and efficiency in a business‐orientated environment," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(1), pages 82-96, January.
    4. Ali Uyar & Cemil Kuzey & Merve Kilic & Abdullah S. Karaman, 2021. "Board structure, financial performance, corporate social responsibility performance, CSR committee, and CEO duality: Disentangling the connection in healthcare," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1730-1748, November.
    5. 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.
    6. Stefania Veltri & Romilda Mazzotta & Franco Ernesto Rubino, 2021. "Board diversity and corporate social performance: Does the family firm status matter?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1664-1679, November.
    7. Leemen Lee & Li‐Fei Chen, 2018. "Boosting employee retention through CSR: A configurational analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 948-960, September.
    8. Çiğdem Vural‐Yavaş, 2021. "Economic policy uncertainty, stakeholder engagement, and environmental, social, and governance practices: The moderating effect of competition," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(1), pages 82-102, January.
    9. Aladdin Dwekat & Elies Seguí‐Mas & Guillermina Tormo‐Carbó & Pedro Carmona, 2020. "Corporate Governance Configurations and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Audit Committee and Board characteristics," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2879-2892, November.
    10. Pochara Arayakarnkul & Pattanaporn Chatjuthamard & Sirimon Treepongkaruna, 2022. "Board gender diversity, corporate social commitment and sustainability," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 29(5), pages 1706-1721, September.
    11. Mohammad A. A. Zaid & Sara T. F. Abuhijleh & María Consuelo Pucheta‐Martínez, 2020. "Ownership structure, stakeholder engagement, and corporate social responsibility policies: The moderating effect of board independence," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1344-1360, May.
    12. Nerantzidis, Michail & Tzeremes, Panayiotis & Koutoupis, Andreas & Pourgias, Apostolos, 2022. "Exploring the black box: Board gender diversity and corporate social performance," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    13. Haroon ur Rashid Khan & Murad Ali & Hossein G. T. Olya & Muhamamd Zulqarnain & Zubair Rashid Khan, 2018. "Transformational leadership, corporate social responsibility, organizational innovation, and organizational performance: Symmetrical and asymmetrical analytical approaches," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(6), pages 1270-1283, November.
    14. María‐Florencia Amorelli & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2020. "Critical mass of female directors, human capital, and stakeholder engagement by corporate social reporting," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1), pages 204-221, January.
    15. Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez & Marcelle Colares Oliveira & Jennifer Martínez‐Ferrero, 2020. "Female directors and gender issues reporting: The impact of stakeholder engagement at country level," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1), pages 369-382, January.

    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. Nicola Cucari & Salvatore Esposito De Falco & Beatrice Orlando, 2018. "Diversity of Board of Directors and Environmental Social Governance: Evidence from Italian Listed Companies," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(3), pages 250-266, May.
    2. 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.
    3. Aladdin Dwekat & Elies Seguí‐Mas & Guillermina Tormo‐Carbó & Pedro Carmona, 2020. "Corporate Governance Configurations and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Audit Committee and Board characteristics," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(6), pages 2879-2892, November.
    4. 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.
    5. Lucrezia Songini & Anna Pistoni & Patrizia Tettamanzi & Fabrizio Fratini & Valentina Minutiello, 2022. "Integrated reporting quality and BoD characteristics: an empirical analysis," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 26(2), pages 579-620, June.
    6. 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.
    7. Stefania Veltri & Romilda Mazzotta & Franco Ernesto Rubino, 2021. "Board diversity and corporate social performance: Does the family firm status matter?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(6), pages 1664-1679, November.
    8. Jaime Guerrero-Villegas & Leticia Pérez-Calero & José Manuel Hurtado-González & Pilar Giráldez-Puig, 2018. "Board Attributes and Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure: A Meta-Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-22, December.
    9. Young Kyun Chang & Won-Yong Oh & Jee Hyun Park & Myoung Gyun Jang, 2017. "Exploring the Relationship Between Board Characteristics and CSR: Empirical Evidence from Korea," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 140(2), pages 225-242, January.
    10. María‐Florencia Amorelli & Isabel‐María García‐Sánchez, 2020. "Critical mass of female directors, human capital, and stakeholder engagement by corporate social reporting," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(1), pages 204-221, January.
    11. 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.
    12. Roberto Fernández‐Gago & Laura Cabeza‐García & Mariano Nieto, 2018. "Independent directors' background and CSR disclosure," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 991-1001, September.
    13. Rania Beji & Ouidad Yousfi & Nadia Loukil & Abdelwahed Omri, 2021. "Board Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility: Empirical Evidence from France," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 173(1), pages 133-155, September.
    14. Claude Francoeur & Réal Labelle & Souha Balti & Saloua EL Bouzaidi, 2019. "To What Extent Do Gender Diverse Boards Enhance Corporate Social Performance?," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 155(2), pages 343-357, March.
    15. Jing Lu & Irene M. Herremans, 2019. "Board gender diversity and environmental performance: An industries perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(7), pages 1449-1464, November.
    16. Chenxi Wang & Xincai Deng & Susana Álvarez-Otero & Muhammad Safdar Sial & Ubaldo Comite & Jacob Cherian & Judit Oláh, 2021. "Impact of Women and Independent Directors on Corporate Social Responsibility and Financial Performance: Empirical Evidence from an Emerging Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, May.
    17. Lu, Yun & Ntim, Collins G. & Zhang, Qingjing & Li, Pingli, 2022. "Board of directors’ attributes and corporate outcomes: A systematic literature review and future research agenda," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    18. Trang Cam Hoang & Indra Abeysekera & Shiguang Ma, 2018. "Board Diversity and Corporate Social Disclosure: Evidence from Vietnam," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 833-852, September.
    19. Simona Cosma & Rossella Leopizzi & Simone Pizzi & Mario Turco, 2021. "The stakeholder engagement in the European banks: Regulation versus governance. What changes after the NF directive?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 28(3), pages 1091-1103, May.
    20. Mohammad Jizi, 2017. "The Influence of Board Composition on Sustainable Development Disclosure," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(5), pages 640-655, July.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:wly:corsem:v:24:y:2017:i:6:p:524-542. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1002/(ISSN)1535-3966 .

    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.