To win the marketplace, you must first win the workplace: CEO ability, CSR, and firm performance: evidence from fast-growing firms in Asia–Pacific

Saif Ur-Rehman (), Elgilani Elshareif () and Naseem Abidi ()
Additional contact information
Saif Ur-Rehman: Canadian University of Dubai
Elgilani Elshareif: Canadian University of Dubai
Naseem Abidi: Skyline University College

International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, 2025, vol. 22, issue 1, No 2, 28-46

Abstract: Abstract In this study, we examine the impacts of the chief executive officer’s (CEO) ability on a firm’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the CSR effect on a firm’s performance. In addition, we explore the CEO’s role in aligning the relationship between CSR and firm performance. Our findings show that a firm’s CSR and performance increase with the CEO’s ability. Further, CEO ability moderates an insignificant association between CSR and firm performance. Importantly, we also find that the positive relation between CEO ability and CSR is weak for CEOs with dual roles and is also ineffective when CSR emphasis exerted by the external environment is more robust. Importantly, we find that gender critical mass substitutes the relation between CEO ability and CSR, signifying that a firm with gender crucial mass on its board is likelier to adopt CSR irrespective of CEO ability. We also find that CEO career concerns moderate the relation between CEO ability and firm performance. Notably, CEO gender moderates the association between CEO ability and firm CSR and firm performance, implying that female CEOs with high ability are likelier to adopt CSR practices and align CSR performance to firm performance. Overall, our evidence is consistent with our conjectures that more able CEOs have fewer career concerns and are more willing to undertake CSR investments leading to firm performance.

Keywords: CEO ability; CSR; Career concerns; CEO gender; Firm performance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41310-023-00222-3 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:ijodag:v:22:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1057_s41310-023-00222-3

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.palgrave.com/gp/journal/41310

DOI: 10.1057/s41310-023-00222-3

Access Statistics for this article

International Journal of Disclosure and Governance is currently edited by Michael Alles

More articles in International Journal of Disclosure and Governance from Palgrave Macmillan
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().