Do foreign chief executive officers spend more on corporate social responsibility in Vietnam?

Abstract

Despite the burgeoning studies on corporate social responsibility, little is known about the influence of chief executive officer (CEO) foreignness on a firm's corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure. This study investigated the effect of foreign CEOs on CSR expenditure of local firms in Vietnam. In addition, we examined the moderating roles of firm reputation and customer demandingness on foreign CEO-CSR expenditure relationship. Results from data collected from 167 local firms in Vietnam indicate that CEO foreignness positively influences CSR expenditure. The results also revealed that greater levels of firm reputation and demanding customers moderate the effect of CEO foreignness and CSR expenditure. Implications for CSR scholarship and practice are discussed.