Research Briefs

This study looked at whether corporate citizenship activities provide insurance-like protection to firms when certain negative events occur such as lawsuits or regulatory sanctions. Researchers found the benefit exists but is influenced by factors including firm size and the focus of the corporate citizenship activities.

This study looked at the effectiveness of appeals to consumers to participate in pro-social and pro-environmental initiatives. Researchers found the appeals were most effective when participation was identified as the dominant behavior, and when the subjects of the appeal shared similarities with those already participating.

Researchers in this study looked at the inclination of consumers to purchase products tied to efforts at redressing injustices. The study found that a consumer’s intent to purchase is influenced by how much he or she perceives the initiative behind an ethical product could make an impact.

A researcher examined the connection between employee satisfaction and financial performance and found a positive correlation. The study highlights the need to understand how to best motivate and retain employees in order to derive value from a stable employee base.

This study looks at whether nonfinancial disclosures by a company can have a beneficial effect on the cost of equity capital. Results show that companies with superior CSR performance that provide clear information to stakeholders and reduce market estimation risks through CSR disclosures can help reduce the cost of equity capital.

Through an online survey of 28,000 people from 56 countries, researchers examined preferences of the socially conscious consumer. Study results reveal the importance of selecting the most effective communication channels and matching cause marketing efforts to the issues that appeal to socially conscious consumers.

This meta-analysis of more than 200 studies looked at the link between corporate social performance and corporate social performance. Researchers found a link between positive corporate social performance and small but positive financial performance effects. It also found no evidence that corporate social performance diminishes financial performance.

In this study, researchers examined indicators of the quality of firms’employee relations creating an Employee Treatment Index. Companies with higher scores on the Index were found to have lower leverage ratios, higher median returns on assets, and higher sales to larger customers that suggest positive customer relationships built over time.

This report discusses the impact of global shocks that have disruptive consequences in multiple continents for financial, natural, public health, or political systems. It offers recommendations applicable to businesses for strategic planning to assess vulnerability and build resilience in critical systems that could be impacted by global shocks.

Researchers conducted multiple studies examining audience responses to calls to action on environmental issues. Findings show that the more audiences perceive an issue as important, the more they respond to assertive messages. Less assertive and more suggestive calls to action proved more effective with issues that audiences perceived as less important.

Researchers analyzed the characteristics of members of boards of directors and compared it with data on environmental, social, and governance performance. The study shows that the proportion of outside directors, as well as the characteristics of individual board members, such as gender and culture, can be factors in ESG performance.

Researchers looked at corporate charitable giving and the attributes that influence consumer perceptions of motivation for giving. They found that the negative effects of some less altruistic motivations can be overcome by superior quality of service.