Abstract

This paper investigates whether and how emerging markets reward firms’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance. We focus on the socially responsible investment (SRI) index, which lists the top CSR performers and serves as a tool to help investors make investment decisions based on financial and social criteria. We empirically test the financial market responses to the announcements of pioneering SRI indices recently launched in Brazil, China, and South Africa. We find that inclusion on an SRI index in these markets is associated with positive abnormal returns. However, inclusion on an SRI index does not benefit all firms equally: the positive financial response is strengthened by R&D expenditures but weakened by advertising expenditures; it is stronger for firms that have expanded globally to developing countries than those to developed countries. Rajendra Srivastava and V. Kumar served as Special Issue Guest Editors for this article.

Keyword

Corporate social responsibility ;  Emerging markets ;  Event study ;  Socially responsible investment index

Abstract

We exploit Donald Trump’s nonpolitical background and surprise election victory to identify the value of sudden presidential ties among S&P 500 firms. In our setting firms did not choose to become politically connected, so we identify treatment effects comparatively free of selection bias prevalent in this literature. Firms with presidential ties enjoyed greater abnormal returns around the 2016 election. Since Trump’s inauguration, connected firms had better performance, received more government contracts, and were less subject to unfavorable regulatory actions. We rule out a number of confounding factors, including industry designation, sensitivity to Republican platforms, campaign finance, and lobbying expenditures.

Keyword

Donald Trump ;  Event study ;  Firm performance ;  Political connections

Abstract

A product recall can be viewed as a firm’s worst nightmare. Although the long-term damage to brand equity and company reputation may be difficult, if not impossible, to quantify, the short-term impact on shareholders’ wealth is readily estimable. While many studies have examined this issue in the Western context, little is known about the financial impact of a product recall announcement in China. To advance the knowledge about the financial impact of a product recall announcement, we explore this issue using event study methodology. In general, our findings are congruent with previous research that product recalls result in negative abnormal returns. Interestingly, however, we found that Chinese companies suffered from greater financial losses than their Western counterparts did. This study also provides evidence that the Chinese food industry experiences a more severe stock market reaction than the automobile industry and that a passive recall strategy was associated with a more negative stock market reaction than a proactive recall strategy. We conclude with several future research avenues for global research on product recalls.

Keyword

China ;  CORPORATE SOCIAL-RESPONSIBILITY ;  Event study ;  HARM CRISES ;  INFORMATION ;  MANAGEMENT ;  PERCEPTIONS ;  PRICE ;  Product recall ;  QUALITY ;  SHAREHOLDER WEALTH ;  SIGNALING THEORY ;  Stock market reaction ;  SUPPLY CHAIN ;  Supply chain quality