Search results
1 – 10 of 88G.M. Wali Ullah, Isma Khan and Mohammad Abdullah
This study aims to investigate how a firm's management team's capacity to efficiently use its resources affects the firm's exposure to climate change. Specifically, the authors…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate how a firm's management team's capacity to efficiently use its resources affects the firm's exposure to climate change. Specifically, the authors investigate the intriguing question – does managerial ability affect a firm's climate change exposure?
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use an unbalanced panel dataset of 4,230 US based firms listed on Compustat from 2002–2019 and test the hypothesis by panel regression analysis. To mitigate endogeneity concerns, difference-in-differences and instrumental variable approaches are used.
Findings
The baseline analysis shows a negative, statistically significant impact of managerial ability on climate change exposure. The findings hold after controlling for endogeneity using two-stage least squares regression and difference-in-differences tests. The authors find the negative effect is stronger for managers engaged in socially responsible activities, and after climate change issues receiving greater public awareness following the 2006 release of the Stern Review and the 2016 signing of the Paris Accord.
Research limitations/implications
Motivated by the resource-based theory and the natural resource-based view of the firm model, the empirical results support the view that greater managerial ability protects the firm against environmental challenges through efficient use of firm resources. Compared with traditional climate change measures that are plagued by disclosure issues, the use of the Sautner, Van Lent, Vilkov and Zhang's machine learning based dataset utilizing earning conference calls provides stronger, robust findings that will be useful to management and investors in environmental performance assessments.
Originality/value
Motivated by the resource-based theory and the natural resource-based view of the firm model, the empirical results support the view that greater managerial ability protects the firm against environmental challenges through efficient use of firm resources. Compared with traditional climate change measures that are plagued by disclosure issues, the use of the machine learning based dataset utilizing earning conference calls provides stronger, robust findings that will be useful to management and investors in environmental performance assessments.
Details
Keywords
Zahra Borghei, Martina Linnenluecke and Binh Bui
This paper aims to explore current trends in how companies disclose climate-related risks and opportunities in their financial statements. As part of the authors’ analysis, they…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore current trends in how companies disclose climate-related risks and opportunities in their financial statements. As part of the authors’ analysis, they examine: whether forward-looking assumptions and judgements are typically considered in reporting climate-related risks/opportunities; whether there are differences in the reporting practices of firms in carbon-intensive industries versus non-carbon-intensive industries; and whether negative media reports have an influence on the levels of disclosure a firm makes.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors chose content analysis as their methodology and examined the financial statements published by firms listed on the UK’s FTSE 100 between 2016 and 2020. This analysis is framed by Suchman’s three dimensions of legitimacy, being pragmatic, cognitive and moral.
Findings
Climate-related disclosures in the notes and financial accounts of these firms did increase over the period. Yet, overall, the level the disclosures was inadequate and the quality was inconsistent. From this, the authors conclude that pragmatic legitimacy is not a particularly strong driving factor in compelling organisations to disclose climate-related information. The firms in carbon-intensive industries do provide greater levels of disclosure, including both qualitative and quantitative (monetary) content, which is consistent with cognitive legitimacy. However, from a moral legitimacy perspective, this study finds that firms did not adapt responsively to negative media coverage as a way of reflecting their accountability to broader public norms and values. Overall, this analysis suggests that regulatory enforcement and a systematic reporting framework with adequate guidance is going to be critical to developing transparent climate-related reporting in future.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to existing studies on climate-related disclosures, which have mainly examined the ‘front-half’ of annual reports. Conversely, this study aims to shed light on these practices in the “back-half” of these reports, exploring the underlying reasons for reporting climate-related risks and opportunities in financial accounts. The authors’ insights into the current disclosure practices make a theoretical contribution to the literature. Practitioners can also draw on these insights to improve how they report on climate-related risks and opportunities in their financial statements.
Details
Keywords
Maha Khalifa, Haykel Zouaoui, Hakim Ben Othman and Khaled Hussainey
The authors examine the effect of climate risk on accounting conservatism for a sample of listed companies operating in 26 developing countries.
Abstract
Purpose
The authors examine the effect of climate risk on accounting conservatism for a sample of listed companies operating in 26 developing countries.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors employ the Climate Risk Index (CRI) developed by Germanwatch to capture the severity of losses due to extreme weather events at the country level. The authors use different approaches to measure firm-level accounting conservatism.
Findings
The authors find that greater climate risk leads to a lower level of accounting conservatism. The results hold even after using different estimation methods.
Research limitations/implications
Although the authors' analysis is limited to the period 2007–2016, it could be helpful for standard setters such as International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and International Sustainable Standards Board (ISSB) as they may consider the potential effect of climate risk in their international standards.
Practical implications
The negative impacts of climate risk on the quality of financial reporting as proxied by accounting conservatism could trigger regulators and standard setters to require disclosure of information relating to climate risks and to incorporate climate-related risks in their risk management systems. In addition, for policymakers, incorporating accounting conservatism as a financial quality reporting standard could help promote greater transparency, accuracy and reliability in financial reporting in the context of climate risk.
Originality/value
The authors add to the literature on international differences in accounting conservatism by showing that climate risk significantly affects unconditional and conditional conservatism. The authors' results provide fresh evidence of the dark side of climate change. That is, climate risk is shown to decrease financial reporting quality.
Details
Keywords
Vineeta Kumari, Rima Assaf, Faten Moussa and Dharen Kumar Pandey
The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of the Glasgow Climate Pact on global oil and gas sector stocks. Further, this study also examines if the nations' Climate…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of the Glasgow Climate Pact on global oil and gas sector stocks. Further, this study also examines if the nations' Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) and World Energy Trilemma Index (WETI) drive the abnormal returns around the event.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors apply the event study analysis to 691 global oil and gas firms across 52 countries. Further, they apply the cross-sectional examination of cumulative abnormal returns (CARs) across 502 firms.
Findings
The emerging markets experienced significant negative abnormal returns on the event day. The CCPI negatively affects longer pre-event CARs, while WETI significantly negatively associates with CARs during longer pre- and post-event windows. Volatility is negatively related to pre- and post-event abnormal returns, while past returns positively drive pre-event period CARs but negatively drive post-event window CARs. This study finds an interesting association between liquidity (CACL) and CARs, as CACL positively drives pre-event CARs, but post-event CARs are negatively associated with CACL. The CARs do not significantly correlate with leverage, size and book-to-market ratio.
Practical implications
This study's findings on the impact of climate risks on financial markets have significant implications for global regulatory bodies. Policymakers should reduce stock volatility and enhance environmental disclosures by publicly traded companies to accurately price and assess the potential impacts of climate risks. Governments should examine the effects of environmental restrictions on investor behavior, especially in developing countries with limited access to capital. Therefore, policymakers need to consider the far-reaching impacts of environmental regulations while introducing them.
Originality/value
Climate risks are expected to impact the global financial market significantly. Prior studies provide limited evidence on how such climate pacts impact the oil and gas sector. Hence, this study, while bridging this gap, provides important implications for policymakers and stakeholders, particularly the emerging markets that are more sensitive.
Details
Keywords
Taher Hamza, Zeineb Barka, Jean-François Verdie and Maher Al Sayah
This paper aims to investigate empirically the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on small-to-medium enterprises’ (SMEs) investment efficiency and whether product market…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to investigate empirically the impact of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) on small-to-medium enterprises’ (SMEs) investment efficiency and whether product market competition influences this association.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was conducted on French SMEs listed on the “CAC Mid & Small” Index over 2008–2021. This paper proposes a quantitative approach to test the relationship between the EPU and SME investment efficiency.
Findings
These findings show that EPU significantly alleviates SMEs’ investment inefficiency, reflected in the reduction of overinvestment and underinvestment. As EPU increases, firms with more exposure to such uncertainty invest more efficiently, and their overinvestment tendency becomes lower, while reducing the risk of underinvestment. These results are still significant after a series of robustness checks. Further analysis shows that EPU mitigates investment inefficiency to a greater extent for firms operating in highly competitive industries, and better information environments.
Research limitations/implications
This study was limited to the French EPU index and could be extended to a European or even international scale. Moreover, using alternative uncertainty indexes across various European countries can be more advantageous in further studies. Although results suggest that EPU affects investment efficiency, future studies could further explore the mechanisms through which EPU affects SMEs’ investment efficiency and, in particular, across different industries. Understanding these variations due to the specific industry-EPU sensitivity can provide valuable insights. Finally, it would be interesting to examine the risk management strategies adopted by SMEs in the face of EPU, combined with other growing risks, such as climate risk.
Practical implications
In the face of high EPU, SME managers must improve risk management, adopt appropriate investment strategies, consider using predictive analytics or economic forecasting tools and embrace technology and innovation that enhance agility and responsiveness to policy uncertainty. Besides, political decision-makers should adapt their regulatory policies (tax, labor, housing, etc.) to preserve the efficiency of SME investment.
Originality/value
Although the debates on how policy uncertainty affects the investment and financing of large businesses have received a great concern of academia, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that focuses on the effect of EPU on investment distortions for SMEs.
Details
Keywords
Ghassan H. Mardini and Fathia Elleuch Lahyani
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of carbon performance on carbon disclosure among nonfinancial French-listed firms, while also considering the corporate board’s…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of carbon performance on carbon disclosure among nonfinancial French-listed firms, while also considering the corporate board’s characteristics as a secondary objective.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses a sample of Société des Bourses Françaises 120 Index (SBF-120) French-listed firms to investigate the effect of multiple carbon performance proxies on carbon disclosure based on random effects models for the period 2010–2021. Generalized method of moments regressions are used to encounter endogeneity problems.
Findings
Drawing on stakeholder theory, this paper finds that greater carbon performance leads to greater carbon disclosure. Given the growing societal awareness about climate-change issues, carbon-responsible firms are likely to disseminate relevant carbon-related information through disclosures to respond to the information demands of a varied stakeholder group. Coherent with signaling theory, large firms that undertake carbon-reduction initiatives tend to disclose more information about their enhanced carbon performance to equity participants to distinguish themselves and highlight their decarbonization efforts.
Originality/value
This study offers significant insights given that SBF-120 firms are involved in climate-change activities as a response to the growing institutional and societal pressure to perform better and disclose reliable environmental information in their sustainability reports.
Details
Keywords
Ayesha Afzal, Jamila Abaidi Hasnaoui, Saba Firdousi and Ramsha Noor
Climate change poses effect on banking sector’s risks and profitability through adaptation of green technology. This study aims to incorporates green technology adaptation in…
Abstract
Purpose
Climate change poses effect on banking sector’s risks and profitability through adaptation of green technology. This study aims to incorporates green technology adaptation in three sectors: green banking, green entrepreneurial innovation (EI) and green human resource (HR), in a model of bank’s performance. And determines the impact of climate change on bank risk and profitability.
Design/methodology/approach
An assessment of profitability and risk profile of commercial banks is done for 27 European countries for 2013–2022, employing a two-step difference system-generalized method of moments estimation technique with a moderate effect of climate change by including interaction between climate change and green technology adaptation.
Findings
The results indicate that green banking increases profitability, reduces credit risk and increases liquidity risk. The results also show that green human resource increases profitability and becomes a source of credit and liquidity risks for the banks. Green EI increases credit risk and liquidity risk, while the effects of green EI on profitability vary with the use of two proxies: Green patents increase profitability and environment, social and corporate governance (ESG) scores decrease profitability.
Practical implications
Supportive government initiatives, including subsidies and tax rebates to green borrowers, may take the burden of green transition off the banking sector.
Originality/value
This paper observes the impact of green technology adaptation in three sectors: banks, EI and HR, moderated by climate change, adding substantially to the existing literature in conceptual framework and methodology.
Details
Keywords
Ali Nikseresht, Davood Golmohammadi and Mostafa Zandieh
This study reviews scholarly work in sustainable green logistics and remanufacturing (SGLR) and their subdisciplines, in combination with bibliometric, thematic and content…
Abstract
Purpose
This study reviews scholarly work in sustainable green logistics and remanufacturing (SGLR) and their subdisciplines, in combination with bibliometric, thematic and content analyses that provide a viewpoint on categorization and a future research agenda. This paper provides insight into current research trends in the subjects of interest by examining the most essential and most referenced articles promoting sustainability and climate-neutral logistics.
Design/methodology/approach
For the literature review, the authors extracted and sifted 2180 research and review papers for the period 2008–2023 from the Scopus database. The authors performed bibliometric and content analyses using multiple software programs such as Gephi, VOSviewer and R programming.
Findings
The SGLR papers can be grouped into seven clusters: (1) The circular economy facets; (2) Decarbonization of operations to nurture a climate-neutral business; (3) Green sustainable supply chain management; (4) Drivers and barriers of reverse logistics and the circular economy; (5) Business models for sustainable logistics and the circular economy; (6) Transportation problems in sustainable green logistics and (7) Digitalization of logistics and supply chain management.
Practical implications
In this review, fundamental ideas are established, research gaps are identified and multiple future research subjects are proposed. These propositions are categorized into three main research streams, i.e. (1) Digitalization of SGLR, (2) Enhancing scopes, sectors and industries in the context of SGLR and (3) Developing more efficient and effective climate-neutral and climate change-related solutions and promoting more environmental-related and sustainability research concerning SGLR. In addition, two conceptual models concerning SGLR and climate-neutral strategies are developed and presented for managers and practitioners to consider when adopting green and sustainability principles in supply chains. This review also highlights the need for academics to go beyond frameworks and build new techniques and instruments for monitoring SGLR performance in the real world.
Originality/value
This study provides an overview of the evolution of SGLR; it also clarifies concepts, environmental concerns and climate change practices, particularly those directed to supply chain management.
Details
Keywords
Emmerson Chininga, Abdul Latif Alhassan and Bomikazi Zeka
This paper examines the effect of ESG ratings and its dimensions (environmental, social and governance) on the financial performance of JSE-listed firms included in FTSE/JSE…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper examines the effect of ESG ratings and its dimensions (environmental, social and governance) on the financial performance of JSE-listed firms included in FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper employs panel data covering 40 JSE-listed firms included in FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index between 2015 and 2019. The paper employs the two-stage least squares (2SLS) instrumental variable regression technique to estimate the effect of ESG ratings and its dimensions (environmental, social and governance) on both accounting- and market-based performance indicators.
Findings
The results of the two-stage least squares instrumental estimation analysis reveal that investment in ESG initiatives improves both accounting- and market-based indicators of financial performance. Of the ESG pillars, the paper finds environmental initiatives improves firms' financial bottom line and market performance, while a firm's social and governance practices are observed to have no effect on a firm's accounting and market performance measures.
Practical implications
The insights from this study proffers policy implications for firms' management, investors and regulatory authorities.
Originality/value
As far as the authors are concerned, this paper presents the first empirical analysis on the contribution of ESG ratings on financial performance in South Africa.
Details
Keywords
Gurmeet Singh Bhabra and Ashrafee Tanvir Hossain
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between CEOs' inside debt holdings (pension benefits and deferred compensation) and the operating leverage of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between CEOs' inside debt holdings (pension benefits and deferred compensation) and the operating leverage of the firms they manage, with the aim to examine whether CEO incentives play a role in corporate risk-taking.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors investigate the relation between CEO inside debt holdings (CIDH) (pension benefits and deferred compensation) and the operating leverage (DOL) of the firms they manage. Using a sample of 11,145 US firm-year observations over the period 2006–2017, the authors find a strong negative association between CIDH and DOL. Additional analyses reveal that the relationship between CIDH and DOL is more pronounced in firms with heightened agency issues, powerful CEOs and for CEOs with stronger professional networks. The results are robust to various sensitivity and endogeneity tests.
Findings
The authors find strong evidence confirming the expected negative association between CEO inside debt and DOL suggesting that firms with higher inside debt tend to maintain lower levels of operating leverage. These findings continue to hold with the alternative measure for the inside debt and operating leverage, and across a range of tests designed to rule out the possibility that the primary findings are in any way driven by potential endogeneity. In addition, the findings demonstrate that the presence of manager-shareholder agency conflicts can strengthen the inside debt–DOL relationship suggesting the strong role of inside debt in reducing firm risk.
Research limitations/implications
Findings in this paper have implications for design of compensation structures so that corporate boards can establish incentives as a tool for risk management. A limitation of this study is that it is focused on one market, i.e. US listed companies, so the findings may not be applicable on a global scale.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that links firm-level management of operating leverage through design of CEO inside debt incentives (two obvious choices for risk-reduction at the CEOs’ disposal include reducing financial risk through reduction of firm leverage and reducing operating risk through reduction of operating leverage). While use of firm leverage as an instrument of choice has been explored in the past, use of operating leverage to achieve risk reduction when CEO possess high inside holding, has received very little attention.
Details