A Study of Interaction Effect of Financial Performance on the Relationship of Board Gender Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2021/v14i8/165676Keywords:
Moderation
, Women Directors, CSR, Return On Assets, Board Size, India.JEL Classification
, C33, G38, L25, M14, O16.Paper Submission Date
, May 19, 2020, Paper Sent Back for Revision, January 14, 2021, Paper Acceptance Date, March 30, Paper Published Online, August 20, 2021.Abstract
Purpose : This paper aimed to investigate the relationship between board diversity, financial performance, and CSR of firms. Along with this, an attempt was made to study the interaction effect of board diversity and financial performance on the CSR spending of the firms.
Methodology : Panel data of 80 companies listed on BSE 100 index were taken for the period starting from April 1, 2014 – March 31, 2019. The data pertaining to CSR spending, board characteristics, and financial performance has been taken into consideration. Panel data regression was employed to test the hypotheses framed.
Findings : It was concluded that board size, proportion of women directors, and corporate governance played a significant role in impacting the CSR activities of the firms. As the number and proportion of women directors increases, the CSR spending of the firms improves. The return on assets, age, and size of the firms also significantly impacted the CSR spending.
Practical Implications : Thus, the major implications of the study are to understand how the mandatory provision related to the appointment of women directors on board influences the financial performance and CSR spending of the firms. This study statistically confirmed that appointing more women on board improved the CSR of the firms.
Originality : The present research made an attempt to enrich the existing literature related to CSR, board diversity, and financial performance. With respect to India, very few research studies have worked on examining the relationship among these variables.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
References
Adams, R. B., & Ferreira, D. (2009). Women in the boardroom and their impact on governance and performance. Journal of Financial Economics, 94(2), 291–309. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2008.10.007
Ahern, K. R., & Dittmar, A. K. (2012). The changing of the boards : The impact on firm valuation of mandated female board representation. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 127(1), 137–197. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjr049
Amran, A., Lee, S. P., & Devi, S. S. (2014). The influence of governance structure and strategic corporate social responsibility toward sustainability reporting quality. Business Strategy and the Environment, 23(4), 217–235. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1767
Arellano, M., & Bond, S. (1991). Some tests of specification for panel data : Monte Carlo evidence and an application to employment equations. The Review of Economic Studies, 58(2), 277–297. https://doi.org/10.2307/2297968
Bear, S., Rahman, N., & Post, C. (2010). The impact of board diversity and gender composition on corporate social responsibility and firm reputation. Journal of Business Ethics, 97, 207–221. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0505-2
Bernardi, R. A., Bosco, S. M., & Vassill, K. M. (2006). Does female representation on boards of directors associate with Fortune’s “100 best companies to work for†list ? Business and Society, 45(2), 235–248. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650305283332
Bilimoria, D., & Wheeler, J. (2000). Women corporate directors : Current research and future directions. In M. Davidson, & R. Burke (eds.), Women in management : Current research issues (Volume II, pp. 138–163). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781446219775.n10
Bristy, H. J., How, J., & Verhoeven, P. (2020). Gender diversity : The corporate social responsibility and financial performance nexus. International Journal of Managerial Finance. Ahead of Print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMF-04-2020-0176
Bruna, M. G., Dang, R., & Vo, L. C. (2014). Women directors and CSR: Evidence from corporate social disclosure of French companies. In, Corporate social responsibility and human resource management. Cheltenham, UK : Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781783476367.00010
Campbell, K., & MÃnguez-Vera, A. (2008). Gender diversity in the boardroom and firm financial performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 83(3), 435–451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-007-9630-y
Carter, D. A., D’Souza, F., Simkins, B. J., & Simpson, W. G. (2010). The gender and ethnic diversity of US boards and board committees and firm financial performance. Corporate Governance : An International Review, 18(5), 396–414. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8683.2010.00809.x
Carter, D. A., Simkins, B. J., & Simpson, W. G. (2003). Corporate governance, board diversity, and firm value. Financial Review, 38(1), 33–53. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-6288.00034
Chen, H., & Wang, X. (2011). Corporate social responsibility and corporate financial performance in China : An empirical research from Chinese firms. Corporate Governance, 11(4), 361–370. https://doi.org/10.1108/14720701111159217
Choi, J. - S., Kwak, Y. - M., & Choe, C. (2010). Corporate social responsibility and corporate financial performance : Evidence from Korea. Australian Journal of Management, 35(3), 291–311. https://doi.org/10.1177/0312896210384681
Davis, K. (1973). The case for and against business assumption of social responsibilities. The Academy of Management Journal, 16(2), 312–322. https://doi.org/10.2307/255331
Dezsö, C. L., & Ross, D. G. (2012). Does female representation in top management improve firm performance ? A panel data investigation. Strategic Management Journal, 33(9), 1072–1089. https://doi.org/10.1002/smj.1955
Dutta, P., & Bose, S. (2007). Gender diversity in the boardroom and financial performance of commercial banks : Evidence from Bangladesh. The Cost & Management, 34(6), 70–74.
Erhardt, N. L., Werbel, J. D., & Shrader, C. B. (2003). Board of director diversity and firm financial performance. Corporate Governance, 11(2), 102–111. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8683.00011
Farrell, K. A., & Hersch, P. L. (2005). Additions to corporate boards : The effect of gender. Journal of Corporate Finance, 11(1–2), 85–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2003.12.001
Hafsi, T., & Turgut, G. (2013). Boardroom diversity and its effect on social performance : Conceptualization and empirical evidence. Journal of Business Ethics, 112, 463–479. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551012-1272-z
Hambrick, D. C., & Mason, P. A. (1984). Upper echelons : The organization as a reflection of its top managers. The Academy of Management Review, 9(2), 193–206. https://doi.org/10.2307/258434
Heemskerk, E. M., & Fennema, M. (2014). Women on board : Female board membership as a form of elite democratization. Enterprise and Society, 15(2), 252–284. https://doi.org/10.1093/es/kht136
Hyun, E., Yang, D., Jung, H., & Hong, K. (2016). Women on boards and corporate social responsibility. Sustainability, 8(4), 300. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8040300
Inamdar, S. C., & Nagendra, A. (2017). A study on the relationship between presence of women in boards and corporate reputation. Prabandhan : Indian Journal of Management, 10(12), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2017/v10i12/119978
Jiang, L., Cherian, J., Sial, M. S., Wan, P., Filipe, J. A., Mata, M. N., & Chen, X. (2020). The moderating role of CSR in board gender diversity and firm financial performance : Empirical evidence from an emerging economy. Economic Research - Ekonomska Istraživanja, 34(1), 2354–2373. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2020.1863829
Jurkus, A. F., Park, J. C., & Woodard, L. S. (2011). Women in top management and agency costs. Journal of Business Research, 64(2), 180–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2009.12.010
Kang, B., & Sivadas, E. (2018). Corporate social responsibility and word - of - mouth intentions. Indian Journal of Marketing, 48(4), 7–20. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2018/v48/i4/122622
Kumar, N. (2016). Gender diversity on corporate boards: Factors and impact on financial performance of the firm - A review of literature. International Journal of Research & Development in Technology and Management Science, 22(4), 39–49.
Kumar, N., & Nigam, D. (2017). Impact of Companies Act 2013 on the CSR expenditure. International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management, 3 (4), 416–431. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijpspm.2017.10008516
Kumar, N., & Sudesh. (2016). Achieving gender balance in the boardroom : India vis-a-vis European countries. Prabandhan : Indian Journal of Management, 9 (7), 49–59. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2016/v9i7/97788
Liao, L., Luo, L., & Tang, Q. (2015). Gender diversity, board independence, environmental committee and greenhouse gas disclosure. British Accounting Review, 47(4), 409–424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2014.01.002
Matsa, D. A., & Miller, A. R. (2013). A female style in corporate leadership ? Evidence from quotas. American Economic Journal : Applied Economics, 5(3), 136–169. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.5.3.136
McWilliams, A., Siegel, D. S., & Wright, P. M. (2006). Corporate social responsibility : Strategic implications. Journal of Management Studies, 43(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00580.x
Menguc, B., & Ozanne, L. K. (2005). Challenges of the “green imperativeâ€: A natural resource-based approach to the environmental orientation-business performance relationship. Journal of Business Research, 58(4). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2003.09.002
Miller, T., & Triana, M. D. (2009). Demographic diversity in the boardroom : Mediators of the board diversity–firm performance relationship. Journal of Management Studies, 46(5), 755–786. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2009.00839.x
Nguyen, H., & Faff, R. (2006). Impact of board size and board diversity on firm value : Australian evidence. Corporate Ownership & Control, 4(2), 24–32.
Nguyen, T., Locke, S., & Reddy, K. (2015). Does boardroom gender diversity matter ? Evidence from a transitional economy. International Review of Economics & Finance, 37, 184–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2014.11.022
Oba, V. C., & Musa, I. (2012). Gender diversity in the boardroom and corporate philanthropy : Evidence from Nigeria. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2166544
Pan, Y., & Sparks, J. R. (2012). Predictors, consequence, and measurement of ethical judgments : Review and metaanalysis. Journal of Business Research, 65(1), 84–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.02.002
Patro, B., & Pattanayak, J. K. (2017). Corporate governance as a moderating variable for identifying the relationship between CSR and earnings management : A study of listed Indian mining firms. Prabandhan : Indian Journal of Management, 10(10), 24–40. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2017/v10i10/118812
Post, C., Rahman, N., & Rubow, E. (2011). Green governance : Boards of directors’ composition and environmental corporate social responsibility. Business and Society, 50(1), 189–223. https://doi.org/10.1177/0007650310394642
Rajpurohit, P. D., & Rijwani, P. R. (2020). Financial reporting practices and internal corporate governance mechanisms in emerging markets. Prabandhan : Indian Journal of Management, 13(8–9), 8–27. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2020/v13i8-9/155230
Rao, K., & Tilt, C. (2016). Board composition and corporate social responsibility : The role of diversity, gender, strategy and decision making. Journal of Business Ethics, 138(2), 327–347. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2613-5
Rose, C. (2007). Does female board representation influence firm performance ? The Danish evidence. Corporate Governance : An International Review, 15(2), 404–413. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.14678683.2007.00570.x
Rupley, K. H., Brown, D., & Marshall, R. S. (2012). Governance, media and the quality of environmental disclosure. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 31(6), 610–640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2012.09.002
Setó-Pamies, D. (2015). The relationship between women directors and corporate social responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 22(6), 334–345. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1349
Sial, M. S., Zheng, C., Cherian, J., Gulzar, M. A., Thu, P. A., Khan, T., & Khuong, N. V. (2018). Does corporate social responsibility mediate the relation between boardroom gender diversity and firm performance of Chinese listed companies ? Sustainability, 10(10), 3591. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103591
Silva Júnior, C. P., & Martins, O. S. (2017). Women in board affecting financial performance ? An analysis of female representation in companies listed on the BM & FBOVESPA. Society, Accounting & Management, 12(1), 62–76. https://doi.org/10.21446/scg_ufrj.v12i1.13398
Singh, V., Terjesen, S., & Vinnicombe, S. (2008). Newly appointed directors in the boardroom : How do women and men differ ? European Management Journal, 26(1), 48–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2007.10.002
Smith, N., Smith, V., & Verner, M. (2006). Do women in top management affect firm performance ? A panel study of 2,500 Danish firms. International Journal of Productivity & Performance Management, 55(7), 569–593. https://doi.org/10.1108/17410400610702160
Tanaka, T. (2014). Gender diversity in the boards and the pricing of publicly traded corporate debt : Evidence from Japan. Applied Financial Economics, 24(4), 247–258. https://doi.org/10.1080/09603107.2013.877571
Turban, D. B., & Greening, D. W. (1997). Corporate social performance and organizational attractiveness to prospective employees. The Academy of Management Journal, 40(3), 658–672. https://doi.org/10.2307/257057
Van Beurden, P., & Gössling, T. (2008). The worth of values–A literature review on the relation between corporate social and financial performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 82(2), 407–424. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-008-9894-x
Williams, R. J. (2003). Women on corporate boards of directors and their influence on corporate philanthropy. Journal of Business Ethics, 42, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021626024014
Zhang, J., Han, J., & Yin, M. (2018). A female style in corporate social responsibility ? Evidence from charitable donations. International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, 15(3), 185–196. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41310-018-0046-y