Association between corporate social responsibility disclosures and firm value - empirical evidence from Vietnam

Abstract

A number of studies in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have suggested that corporates accountable for social responsibilities had better financial performance. However, this 213 relationship had remained undiscovered in Vietnam. The purpose of this research was to examine a link between Corporate Social Responsibility disclosures and firm value in Vietnam. A sample of 50 companies listed on stock exchanges in Hochiminh City (HOSE) and Hanoi (HNX) were investigated from 2010 to 2013. Content of annual reports were analyzed to measure corporate social responsibilities, and Tobin's Q ratio was proxied for firm value. Regression analysis tests indicated that social responsibility disclosures are associated with following year's firm value. Specifically, the relationship between environmental information provision and following year's firm value was positive, while that between employee disclosures and firm value was negative. The results show a positive sign for Vietnamese firms that take on environmental responsibilities