Are CEOs judged on their companies' social reputation?

Xiangshang Cai, Ning Gao, Ian Garrett and Yan Xu

Journal of Corporate Finance, 2020, vol. 64, issue C

Abstract: How consequential is social reputation for a CEO's career? We find that the CEOs of those firms with greater strengths (controversies) on corporate social responsibilities (CSR) are more (less) likely to serve on external boards, and they hold more (fewer) outside directorships. CEOs lose board seats after the media expose their companies in negative environmental and social news. More nuanced analyses show that workplace diversity and supply-chain human rights are most consequential among the social and environmental dimensions of CSR. Our study demonstrates that CEOs are judged on their companies' social reputation in the director labor market. Our results also suggest that social reputation plays an important role in promoting CSR.

Keywords: Social reputation; Stakeholders; Corporate social responsibility (CSR); Director labor market; CEO; Outside directorship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G30 G34 J40 M14 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:corfin:v:64:y:2020:i:c:s0929119920300651

DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101621

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