Corporate social responsibility oriented boards and triple bottom line performance: A meta-analytic study

Abstract

In this article, we aim to investigate the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR)-oriented boards on triple bottom-line (TBL) performance and whether internal corporate governance exhibits a facilitating role in achieving the sustainable development goals by enhancing the performance indicators of the TBL. Specifically, this article aims to shed light on this issue by meta-analyzing the relationship between good governance and both social and financial performance, using a global sample to facilitate this analysis taking into account the incidence of the institutional characteristics of different countries and their impact on the relationship studied, by means of eight meta-analyses. For this purpose, we conducted a meta-analytic study on a sample of 289 articles published between 1997 and 2021. The results show that CSR-oriented boards have a direct effect on corporate social performance (CSP) indicators and that their impact on financial outcomes is mediated by CSP strategies. Board size, gender diversity, and board independence present a facilitator profile of CSP, while only gender diversity enhances financial outcomes. The influence of CSR-oriented boards is more acute in countries with greater protection for stakeholders and stronger environmental awareness.