The impact of ESG on management tone: Empirical evidence from China

  • Ying Hu School of Electrical and Optoelectronic Engineering, West Anhui University, Luan 237012, China
  • Xuanming Zhang School of Insurance and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing 100029, China
Ariticle ID: 1276
36 Views, 17 PDF Downloads
Keywords: ESG performance; management tone; financing constraints; financial performance; population density

Abstract

This paper examines the effect and mechanism of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance on management tone from the perspective of psychology and behavioral finance. The study found that ESG performance can significantly improve the enthusiasm of managers’ intonation, which is more obvious when the population density of the enterprise is higher. The mechanism analysis shows that the ESG performance of enterprises mainly affects the tone of managers through two channels: reducing financing constraints and improving financial performance. This paper examines the internal logic of ESG practice on managers’ emotional tendencies from the perspective of psychology and behavioral finance, and reveals that ESG practice does not make managers become negative.

References

Price SM, Doran JS, Peterson DR, et al. Earnings conference calls and stock returns: The incremental informativeness of textual tone. Journal of Banking & Finance. 2012; 36(4): 992-1011. doi: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2011.10.013

Friede G. Why don’t we see more action? A metasynthesis of the investor impediments to integrate environmental, social, and governance factors. Business Strategy and the Environment. 2019; 28(6): 1260-1282. doi: 10.1002/bse.2346

Liu YS, Chen YY. Management tone and credit risk warning of listed companies: Research based on the content analysis of company annual report text. Financial Economics Research. 2018; 4: 46-54.

Chen YY. Financial distress prediction of listed companies based on information disclosure text: Research based on the sample of Chinese annual report management discussion and analysis. China Management Science. 2019; 7: 23-34.

Anwar R, Malik JA. When Does Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure Affect Investment Efficiency? A New Answer to an Old Question. SAGE Open. 2020; 10(2): 215824402093112. doi: 10.1177/2158244020931121

Bénabou R, Tirole J. Individual and Corporate Social Responsibility. Economica. 2009; 77(305): 1-19. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-0335.2009.00843.x

Krüger P. Corporate goodness and shareholder wealth. Journal of Financial Economics. 2015; 115(2): 304-329. doi: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2014.09.008

Cowen SS, Ferreri LB, Parker LD. The impact of corporate characteristics on social responsibility disclosure: A typology and frequency-based analysis. Accounting, Organizations and Society. 1987; 12(2): 111-122.

Cho CH, Patten DM. The role of environmental disclosures as tools of legitimacy: A research note. Accounting, Organizations and Society. 2007; 32(7-8): 639-647. doi: 10.1016/j.aos.2006.09.009

Ryou JW, Tsang A, Wang KT. Product Market Competition and Voluntary Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures†. Contemporary Accounting Research. 2022; 39(2): 1215-1259. doi: 10.1111/1911-3846.12748

Zhang L, Tang Q, Huang RH. Mind the Gap: Is Water Disclosure a Missing Component of Corporate Social Responsibility? The British Accounting Review. 2021; 53(1): 100940. doi: 10.1016/j.bar.2020.100940

Radhakrishnan S, Tsang A, Liu R. A Corporate Social Responsibility Framework for Accounting Research. The International Journal of Accounting. 2018; 53(4): 274-294. doi: 10.1016/j.intacc.2018.11.002

Roberts RW. Determinants of corporate social responsibility disclosure: An application of stakeholder theory. Accounting, Organizations and Society. 1992; 17(6): 595-612.

Guiral A, Moon D, Tan H, et al. What Drives Investor Response to CSR Performance Reports? Contemporary Accounting Research. 2019; 37(1): 101-130. doi: 10.1111/1911-3846.12521

Li X, Tsang A, Zeng S, Zhou G. CSR reporting and firm value: International evidence on management discussion and analysis. China Accounting and Finance Review. 2021; 23(2): 102–145.

Kile CO, Phillips ME. Using Industry Classification Codes to Sample High-Technology Firms: Analysis and Recommendations. Journal of Accounting, Auditing & Finance. 2009; 24(1): 35-58. doi: 10.1177/0148558x0902400104

Zhu ZH, Xu WH. Does annual report tone manipulation, inefficient investment, and earnings management exist in listed companies? Auditing and Economic Research. 2018; 3: 63-72.

Baker M, Wurgler J. Appearing and disappearing dividends: The link to catering incentives. Journal of Financial Economics. 2004; 73(2): 271-288. doi: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2003.08.001

Aras G, Crowther D. Governance and sustainability. Management Decision. 2008; 46(3): 433-448. doi: 10.1108/00251740810863870

Liu HH, Feng YJ. Does economic policy uncertainty affect corporate social responsibility information disclosure? Journal of Beijing Technology and Business University (Social Sciences). 2020; 5: 70-82.

Drempetic S, Klein C, Zwergel B. The Influence of Firm Size on the ESG Score: Corporate Sustainability Ratings Under Review. Journal of Business Ethics. 2019; 167(2): 333-360. doi: 10.1007/s10551-019-04164-1

LI F. The Information Content of Forward‐Looking Statements in Corporate Filings—A Naïve Bayesian Machine Learning Approach. Journal of Accounting Research. 2010; 48(5): 1049-1102. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-679x.2010.00382.x

Loughran T, McDonald B. When is a Liability not a Liability? Textual Analysis, Dictionaries and 10-Ks. The Journal of Finance. 2011; 66(1): 35–65.

Henry E. Are Investors Influenced by How Earnings Press Releases Are Written? Journal of Business Communication. 2008; 45(4): 363-407. doi: 10.1177/0021943608319388

Livdan D, Sapriza H, Zhang L. Financially Constrained Stock Returns. The Journal of Finance. 2009; 64(4): 1827-1862.

Nie HH, Lin JN, Cui MY. Is ESG a feasible way for companies to promote common prosperity? Learning and Exploration. 2022; 328(11): 107-116+2.

Kong DY, Chen HG, WU KS. The evolution of “Production-Living-Ecological” space, eco-environmental effects and its influencing factors in China. Journal of Natural Resources. 2021; 36(5): 1116. doi: 10.31497/zrzyxb.20210503

Chen XS, Liu HD. Does investor attention affect the ESG performance of listed companies? Evidence from network search volume. Journal of Zhongnan University of Economics and Law (Online). 2023.

Davis AK, Ge W, Matsumoto D, et al. The effect of manager-specific optimism on the tone of earnings conference calls. Review of Accounting Studies. 2014; 20(2): 639-673. doi: 10.1007/s11142-014-9309-4

Wang YF, Xu YK. Does the military experience of senior executives affect corporate governance? Evidence from China’s listed companies. Management Review. 2020; 32(1): 153-165.

Zuo R, Ma XJ, Li YJ. Corporate integrity culture, internal control, and innovation efficiency. Statistics and Decision. 2020; 36(9): 154-158.

Benlemlih M, Bitar M. Corporate Social Responsibility and Investment Efficiency. Journal of Business Ethics. 2016; 148(3): 647-671. doi: 10.1007/s10551-016-3020-2

Published
2024-04-15
How to Cite
Hu, Y., & Zhang, X. (2024). The impact of ESG on management tone: Empirical evidence from China. Forum for Economic and Financial Studies, 2(1), 1276. https://doi.org/10.59400/fefs.v2i1.1276
Section
Article