EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF AND MODERATING INFLUENCES ON ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL AND GOVERNANCE INFORMATION DISCLOSURE ON VALUE-AT-RISK: EVIDENCE FROM CHINESE LISTED COMPANIES
ESG
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33736/ijbs.6905.2024Keywords:
ESG, VaR, institutional investors, political connections, IV-GMMAbstract
Generally, research on the effects of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) information disclosure on listed companies is primarily limited to developed countries. By contrast, the current study is located in China and analyses whether ESG reduces the downside risk of listed companies in China, and whether political connections and institutional investors moderate this relationship. This study uses Chinese A-share listed companies from the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock markets from 2010 to 2021 as research samples. Results demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of enhancing ESG performance on enterprise risk is more significant in non-heavy polluting industries, non-state-owned enterprises, and enterprises in areas with low levels of marketisation. This study explores the economic implications of ESG performance from a Value-at-Risk (VaR) perspective, enriching the relevant research on ESG rating in China and providing a fresh perspective to better elucidate the economic significance of companies improving their ESG performance. This study introduces institutional investors and political connections as two moderating variables to analyse their effect on the relationship between ESG performance and VaR. In addition, heterogeneity analysis is carried out in combination with the industry, region, and ownership nature of listed companies to test the “insurance” and “information” effects of ESG performance, to provide decision-making references for investors, enterprise managers, and regulators.
References
Aluchna, M., Roszkowska-Menkes, M., Kamiński, B., & Bosek-Rak, D. (2022). Do institutional investors encourage firm to social disclosure? The stakeholder salience perspective. Journal of Business Research, 142, 674-682.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.064
Baldini, M., Maso, L. D., Liberatore, G., Mazzi, F., & Terzani, S. (2018). Role of country- & firm-level determinants in environmental, social, & governance disclosure. Journal of Business Ethics, 150(1), 79-98.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-016-3139-1
Bernile, G., Sulaeman, J., & Wang, Q. (2015). Institutional trading during a wave of corporate scandals:"Perfect Payday"? Journal of Corporate Finance, 34, 191-209.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2015.07.004
Bi, J., & Zhu, Y. (2020). Value at risk, cross-sectional returns & the role of investor sentiment. Journal of Empirical Finance, 56, 1-18.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jempfin.2019.12.004
Boubaker, S., Cellier, A., Manita, R., & Saeed, A. (2020). Does corporate social responsibility reduce financial distress risk?. Economic Modelling, 91, 835-851.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2020.05.012
Bouguerra, A., Hughes, M., Cakir, M.S. & Tatoglu, E. (2023). Linking entrepreneurial orientation to environmental collaboration: a stakeholder theory & evidence from multinational companies in an emerging market. British Journal of Management, 34(1), 487-511.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12590
Braune, E., Charosky, P., & Hikkerova, L. (2019). Corporate social responsibility, fnancial performance & risk in times of economic instability. Journal of Management & Governance, 23(3), 1007-1021.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-019-09476-y
Broadstock, D. C., Chan, K., Cheng, L. T. W., & Wang, X. (2021). The role of ESG performance during times of financial crisis: Evidence from COVID-19 in China. Finance Research Letters, 38, 101716.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2020.101716
Castillo, B., León, N., & Íguez, T. (2021). Backtesting VaR under the COVID-19 sudden changes in volatility. Finance Research Letters, 43, 102024.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2021.102024
Chaudhary, P. (2021). Impact of board structure, board activities & institutional investors on the firm risk: evidence from India. Managerial Finance, 47(4), 506-524.
https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-05-2020-0281
Cheng, L. T. W., & Wang, J. W. (2021). Equity ownership & corporate transparency: International evidence. International Review of Economics & Finance, 76, 143-165.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iref.2021.03.005
Díaz, V., Ibrushi, D., & Zhao, J. (2021). Reconsidering systematic factors during the COVID-19 pandemic-The rising importance of ESG. Finance Research Letters, 38, 101870.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2020.101870
Deng, Y., Wu, Y., & Xu, H. (2020). Political connections & firm pollution behaviour: An empirical study. Environmental & Resource Economics, 75, 867-898.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10640-020-00410-7
Duppati, G., Kijkasiwat, P., Hunjra, A. I., & Liew, C. Y. (2023). Do institutional ownership and innovation influence idiosyncratic risk? Global Finance Journal, 56, 100770.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfj.2022.100770
Dyck, A., Lins, K. V., Roth, L.,& Wagner, H. F. (2019). Do institutional investors drive corporate social responsibility? International evidence. Journal of Financial Economics, 131(3), 693-714.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2018.08.013
Fan, G., Wang, X., & Ma, G. (2011). The contribution of marketization to China's economic growth. Economic Research Journal, 7(2), 4-14.
Fan, J. (2021). The effect of regulating political connections: Evidence from China's board of directors ban. Journal of Comparative Economics, 49(2), 553-578.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jce.2020.10.003
Fan, Y., Zhang, F., & Zhu, L. (2020). Do family companies invest more in pollution prevention strategy than non-family companies? An integration of agency & institutional theories. Journal of Cleaner Production, 286(4), 124988.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124988
Feng, J., Goodell, J. W., & Shen, D. (2022). ESG rating and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China. Finance Research Letters, 46, 102476.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.frl.2021.102476
Freeman, R. E. (2009). Stakeholder Theory. Business Ethics Quarterly, 8(3), 97-107.
https://doi.org/10.5840/pom20098310
Harjan, S. A., Teng, M., Shah, S. S. H., & Mohammed, J. H. (2019). Political connections and cost of debt financing: empirical evidence from China. International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, 9(1), 212-216.
Helm, R., & Mark, A. (2012). Analysis & evaluation of moderator effects in regression models: state of art, alternatives & empirical example. Review of Managerial Science, 6, 307-332.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-010-0057-y
Hou, T. C. T. (2019). The relationship between corporate social responsibility and sustainable financial performance: Firm‐level evidence from Taiwan. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 26(1), 19-28.
https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1647
Huang, H. G., Tsai, W. C., Weng, P. S., & Wu, M. H. (2020). Volatility of order imbalance of institutional traders & expected asset returns: Evidence from Taiwan. Journal of Financial Markets, 52, 100546.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.finmar.2020.100546
Hutchinson, M., Seamer, M., & Chapple, L. (2015). Institutional investors, risk/performance and corporate governance. International Journal of Accounting, 50(1), 31-52.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intacc.2014.12.004
Jørgensen, F., Bor, A., & Petersen, M. B. (2021). Compliance without fear: Individual‐level protective behaviour during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic. British Journal of Health Psychology, 26(2), 679-696.
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjhp.12519
Kim, J. H. (2019). Multicollinearity and misleading statistical results. Korean Journal of Anesthesiology, 72(6), 558-569.
https://doi.org/10.4097/kja.19087
Klettner, A. (2021). Stewardship codes and the role of institutional investors in corporate governance: An international comparison and typology. British Journal of Management, 32(4), 988-1006.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8551.12466
Li, M., Liu, D., Peng, H., & Zhang, L. (2022). Political connection & its impact on equity market. Research in International Business & Finance, 60, 101593.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ribaf.2021.101593
Li, R., & Zhou, Y. (2021). Estimating local fiscal multipliers using political connections. China Economic Review, 66(7), 101599.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chieco.2021.101599
Liew, C. Y., Alfan, E., Devi, S. (2015). Family firms, expropriation and firm value : Evidence from related party transactions in Malaysia. Journal of Developing Areas Special Issue, 49(5), 139-153
https://doi.org/10.1353/jda.2015.0048
Liew, C. Y., Alfan, E., & Devi, S. (2017). Family firms, expropriation and firm value: Evidence of the role of independent directors' tenure in Malaysia. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 6(1), 42-64. doi:10.33844/ijol.2017.60195
https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2017.60195
Liew, C. Y., & Devi, S. S. (2021). Family firms, banks and firm value: Evidence from Malaysia. Journal of Family Business Management, 11(1), 51-85. doi:10.1108/JFBM-03-2019-0015
https://doi.org/10.1108/JFBM-03-2019-0015
Liew, C. Y., & Devi, S. S. (2022). Independent Directors' Tenure, Expropriation, Related Party Transactions, and Firm Value: The Role of Ownership Concentration in Malaysian Publicly Listed Corporations. In I. R. Management Association (Ed.), Research Anthology on Strategies for Maintaining Successful Family Firms (pp. 369-394). Hershey, PA, USA: IGI Global.
https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-6684-3550-2.ch016
Liew, C. Y., Ko, Y., Song, B. L., & Murthy, S. T. (2022). Directors' compensation, ownership concentration and the value of the firm: evidence from an emerging market. Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, 49(1), 155-188. doi:10.1007/s40812-022-00210-8
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40812-022-00210-8
Liew, C. Y., Ko, Y. K., Song, B. L., Murthy, S. T. (2021). Directors' remuneration, expropriation and firm performance in Malaysia: evidence from non-executive directors' service duration within the remuneration committee. International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 28(1-2), 117-147. doi:10.1504/ijbg.2021.115300
https://doi.org/10.1504/IJBG.2021.115300
Lin, Y., Fu, X., & Fu, X. (2021). Varieties in state capitalism and corporate innovation: Evidence from an emerging economy. Journal of Corporate Finance, 67, 101919.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2021.101919
Lins, K. V., Servaes, H., & Tamayo, A. (2017). Social capital, trust, and firm performance: The value of corporate social responsibility during the financial crisis. The Journal of Finance, 72(4), 1785-1824.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jofi.12505
Liu, G., Hu, M., & Cheng, C. (2021). The information transfer effects of political connections on mitigating policy uncertainty: Evidence from China. Journal of Corporate Finance, 67, 101916.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2021.101916
Liu, Y., Wang, J., Dong, K., & Taghizadeh-Hesary, F. (2023). How does natural resource abundance affect green total factor productivity in the era of green finance? Global evidence. Resources Policy, 81, 103315.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.103315
Madhav Luo, J.-h., Gong, M., Lin, Y., & Fang, Q. (2016). Political connections & stock price crash risk: Evidence from China. Economics Letters, 147, 90-92.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2016.08.024
Madhav S., Aney, S. B. (2022). Political connections, informational asymmetry, and the efficient resolution of financial distress. Economic Modelling, 114, 105901.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2022.105901
Maxwell, S. E. (2000). Sample size and multiple regression analysis. Psychological methods, 5(4), 434-458.
https://doi.org/10.1037/1082-989X.5.4.434
Mulliqi, A. (2021). The role of education in explaining technology-intensive exports: A comparative analysis of transition and non-transition economies. Eastern journal of European studies, 12(1), 141-172.
https://doi.org/10.47743/ejes-2021-0106
Najaf, K., Schinckus, C., & Liew, C. Y. (2021). VaR and market value of Fintech companies: An analysis and evidence from global data. Managerial Finance, 47(7), 915-936. doi:10.1108/MF-04-2020-0169
https://doi.org/10.1108/MF-04-2020-0169
Ozdemir, O., Binesh, F., & Erkmen, E. (2022). The effect of target's CSR performance on M&A deal premiums: a case for service firms. Review of Managerial Science, 16(4), 1001-1034.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-021-00471-y
Pan, X., Chen, X., Sinha, P., & Dong, N. (2020). Are firms with state ownership greener? An institutional complexity view. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(1), 197-211.
https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.2358
Pfeffer, J., & Salancik, G. R. (1978). The External Control of Organizations: A Resource Dependence Perspective. New York: Harper & Row.
Qian, W., & Chen, X. (2021). Corporate environmental disclosure and political connection in regulatory and leadership changes: The case of China. The British Accounting Review, 53(1), 100935.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bar.2020.100935
Reber, B., Gold, A., & Gold, S. (2022). ESG disclosure and idiosyncratic risk in initial public offerings. Journal of Business Ethics, 179(3), 867-886.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-021-04847-8
Schultz, E. L., Tan, D. T., & Walsh, K. D. (2010). Endogeneity and the corporate governance-performance relation. Australian journal of Management, 35(2), 145-163.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0312896210370079
Shi, X., Zheng, Y., Lei, Y., Xue, W., Yan, G., Liu, X.,& Wang, J. (2021). Air quality benefits of achieving carbon neutrality in China. Science of the Total Environment, 795, 148784.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148784
Shrestha, N. (2020). Detecting multicollinearity in regression analysis. American Journal of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, 8(2), 39-42.
https://doi.org/10.12691/ajams-8-2-1
Spence, M. (1973). Job Market Signaling. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87(3), 355-374.
https://doi.org/10.2307/1882010
Tanggamani, V., Amran, A., & Ramayah, T. (2022). CSR practices disclosure's impact on corporate financial performance and market performance: Evidence of Malaysian public listed companies. International Journal of Business & Society, 23(1), 604-613.
https://doi.org/10.33736/ijbs.4632.2022
Teece, D. J., & Shuen, P. A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509-533.
https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7<509::AID-SMJ882>3.0.CO;2-Z
Vagin, S. G., Kostyukova, E. I., Spiridonova, N. E., & Vorozheykina, T. M. (2022). Financial risk management based on corporate social responsibility in the interests of sustainable development. Risks, 10(2), 35.
https://doi.org/10.3390/risks10020035
Vasileiou, E. (2017). Value at Risk (VaR) historical approach: Could it be more historical and representative of the real financial risk environment?. Theoretical Economics Letters, 7, 951-974.
https://doi.org/10.4236/tel.2017.74065
Velte, P., & Obermann, J. (2021). Compensation-related institutional investor activism-a literature review and integrated analysis of sustainability aspects. Journal of Global Responsibility, 12(1), 22-51.
https://doi.org/10.1108/JGR-10-2019-0096
Wen, H., Zhong, Q., & Lee, C. C. (2022). Digitalization, competition strategy and corporate innovation: Evidence from Chinese manufacturing listed companies. International Review of Financial Analysis, 82, 102166.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.irfa.2022.102166
Wintoki, M. B., Linck, J. S., & Netter, J. M. (2012). Endogeneity and the dynamics of internal corporate governance. Journal of Financial Economics, 105(3), 581-606.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2012.03.005
Wu, H., Xue, Y., Hao, Y., & Ren, S. (2021). How does internet development affect energy-saving and emission reduction? Evidence from China. Energy Economics, 103, 105577.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105577
Wu, J., & Liew, C. Y. (2023). Green finance and environmental, social, and governance: evidence from Chinese listed companies. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(51), 110499-110514. doi:10.1007/s11356-023-30139-x
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-30139-x
Yuan, X., Li, Z., Xu, J., & Shang, L. (2022). ESG disclosure and corporate financial irregularities - Evidence from Chinese listed companies. Journal of Cleaner Production, 332, 129992.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2021.129992
Zhao, S., Peng, D., Wen, H., & Wu, Y. (2023). Nonlinear and spatial spillover effects of the digital economy on green total factor energy efficiency: Evidence from 281 cities in China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(34), 81896-81916.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-22694-6
Zheng, W.-P., Cen, K.-K., Lin, X., & Hsiao, C.-Y. (2021). Relationship between corporate social responsibility performance and systematic risk-A case study of a-share listed chinese companies. Asian Journal of Economics, Business and Accounting, 21(9), 66-76.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright Transfer Statement for Journal
1) In signing this statement, the author(s) grant UNIMAS Publisher an exclusive license to publish their original research papers. The author(s) also grant UNIMAS Publisher permission to reproduce, recreate, translate, extract or summarize, and to distribute and display in any forms, formats, and media. The author(s) can reuse their papers in their future printed work without first requiring permission from UNIMAS Publisher, provided that the author(s) acknowledge and reference publication in the Journal.
2) For open access articles, the author(s) agree that their articles published under UNIMAS Publisher are distributed under the terms of the CC-BY-NC-SA (Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, for non-commercial purposes, provided the original work of the author(s) is properly cited.
3) For subscription articles, the author(s) agree that UNIMAS Publisher holds copyright, or an exclusive license to publish. Readers or users may view, download, print, and copy the content, for academic purposes, subject to the following conditions of use: (a) any reuse of materials is subject to permission from UNIMAS Publisher; (b) archived materials may only be used for academic research; (c) archived materials may not be used for commercial purposes, which include but not limited to monetary compensation by means of sale, resale, license, transfer of copyright, loan, etc.; and (d) archived materials may not be re-published in any part, either in print or online.
4) The author(s) is/are responsible to ensure his or her or their submitted work is original and does not infringe any existing copyright, trademark, patent, statutory right, or propriety right of others. Corresponding author(s) has (have) obtained permission from all co-authors prior to submission to the journal. Upon submission of the manuscript, the author(s) agree that no similar work has been or will be submitted or published elsewhere in any language. If submitted manuscript includes materials from others, the authors have obtained the permission from the copyright owners.
5) In signing this statement, the author(s) declare(s) that the researches in which they have conducted are in compliance with the current laws of the respective country and UNIMAS Journal Publication Ethics Policy. Any experimentation or research involving human or the use of animal samples must obtain approval from Human or Animal Ethics Committee in their respective institutions. The author(s) agree and understand that UNIMAS Publisher is not responsible for any compensational claims or failure caused by the author(s) in fulfilling the above-mentioned requirements. The author(s) must accept the responsibility for releasing their materials upon request by Chief Editor or UNIMAS Publisher.
6) The author(s) should have participated sufficiently in the work and ensured the appropriateness of the content of the article. The author(s) should also agree that he or she has no commercial attachments (e.g. patent or license arrangement, equity interest, consultancies, etc.) that might pose any conflict of interest with the submitted manuscript. The author(s) also agree to make any relevant materials and data available upon request by the editor or UNIMAS Publisher.