PurposeThe paper aims to empirically test the impact of intellectual capital (IC) on a firm's dividend policy. Further, the authors investigate the moderator effect of Chief Executive Officer's (CEO) characteristics (gender, age and education) on this relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe research was carried out on the main Chinese listed companies reported on the CSI 100 Index from 2016 to 2018. To assess the impact of IC on the dividend policy and then the moderating effect of the characteristics of the CEOs, the authors used a fixed effects panel data analysis.FindingsThe results suggest a positive impact of IC on dividend policies. In addition, this relationship is enhanced when the CEO is a woman, and the lower the age the higher the effect is.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first empirical study that explores the effect of IC on a firm's dividend policy in an emerging country. Specifically, this paper demonstrates the impact that IC has on the creation of shareholder value. Furthermore, considering the characteristics of the CEOs, this study tests new moderating effects in the relationship between IC and value creation and highlights how IC, dividends and CEO characteristics can be useful in aligning interests between ownership and management, enriching the debate on agency theory.
PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to propose and empirically test intellectual capital (IC) as a mediator in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) and financial performance (FP) relationship.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical research was conducted on 345 European firms listed in the STOXX Europe 600 index. To evaluate the mediating effect of IC, we applied the four-step Baron and Kenny model, tested through an ordinary least squares regression analysis.FindingsThe findings highlighted a partial mediation of IC on the CSR–FP relationship, suggesting that the implementation of CSR strategies has a positive effect on the development of firms' IC, which in turn enhances firms' competitive advantage and superior long-term FPs.Originality/valueWe found a new mediator in the CSR–FP relationship and we contribute to a new line of research that aims to study environmental and sustainability aspects strictly interrelated with IC and performances (sustainable intellectual capital).
AbstractThis study aims to explore the impact of corporate social performance (CSP) on firm risk, and it proposes the moderating role of corporate governance (CG) among this relationship. Although the literature on corporate social responsibility is extensive, there is still a lack of knowledge about how CSP influences firm risks, as well as the role of CG in this relationship. To fill this gap, we have empirically tested the impact of CSP on a firm's risk through a longitudinal analysis on S&P 500 firms from 2015 to 2019. Results show a significant negative relationship between CSP and firm risks, which is positively moderated by CG mechanisms. Our study contributes to the empirical research on corporate social responsibility and it provides insights for managerial decisions to encourage managers to pursue environmental and social practices that reduce the firm risk, with positive impacts on the firm value.