Publications
Publications
- 2019
- Accounting Review
CEO Materialism and Corporate Social Responsibility
By: Robert Davidson, Aiyesha Dey and Abbie Smith
Abstract
We study the role of individual CEOs in explaining corporate social responsibility (CSR) scores. We find that CEO fixed effects explain 59% of the variation in CSR scores, whereas firm fixed effects explain 2% of the variation in CSR scores. Specifically, firms led by materialistic CEOs have lower CSR scores, fewer strengths, and more weaknesses. Finally, we document that CSR scores in firms with non-materialistic CEOs are positively associated with accounting and stock price performance. In contrast, CSR scores in firms with materialistic CEOs are unrelated to profitability.
Keywords
Corporate Social Responsibility; Firm Performance; CEOs; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Organizations; Performance
Citation
Davidson, Robert, Aiyesha Dey, and Abbie Smith. "CEO Materialism and Corporate Social Responsibility." Accounting Review 94, no. 1 (January 2019): 101–126.