The Influence of Diverse Boards on the Corporate Social Responsibility of Indian Companies

Authors

  • Deepa Sharma Department of Commerce, Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Liberal Arts, Sikkim Manipal University, Gangtok, Sikkim, India Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55578/isgm.2603.005

Keywords:

Corporate Social Responsibility, Board gender diversity, Independent director, Board size, CEO duality

Abstract

Diversity on board is essential to the successful application of CSR initiatives. Businesses can enhance their decision-making procedures and better serve stakeholder demands by cultivating diverse leadership. The study analyses the impact of diversity of boards of directors on Indian companies' corporate social responsibility performance of 540 companies listed on the National Stock Exchange of India from April 2012 to March 2021. The data relating to CSR has been extracted from the Bloomberg database and other variables have been taken from the CMIE Prowess database. Built on a fixed effect panel regression analysis, this study discovers that the board diversity of Indian enterprises has a mixed impact on their CSR performance. The study also analyses the effect of board diversity on the environment, social and governance scores separately and presents the findings of the study. The paper explains how a diverse board affect corporate social responsibility in the Indian setting, where CSR spending and the elements of board diversity like the presence of women directors and independent directors is mandated by the law. The paper also makes suggestions and recommendations based on the findings.

References

1. Singhal, N., Paul, P., Giri, S., & Taneja, S. (2024). Corporate Social Responsibility: Impact on Firm Performance for an Emerging Economy. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 17(4), 171.

2. Galbreath, J. (2011). Are there gender-related influences on corporate sustainability? A study of women on boards of directors. Journal of Management & Organization, 17(1), 17–38. https://doi.org/DOI: 10.5172/jmo.2011.17.1.17

3. Jones Christensen, L., Mackey, A., & Whetten, D. (2014). Taking responsibility for corporate social responsibility: The role of leaders in creating, implementing, sustaining, or avoiding socially responsible firm behaviors. Academy of Management Perspectives, 28(2), 164–178.

4. Pareek, R., Pandey, K. D., & Sahu, T. N. (2019). Corporate governance, firms’ characteristics and environmental performance disclosure practices of Indian companies. Indian Journal of Corporate Governance, 12(2), 142–155.

5. Hafsi, T., & Turgut, G. (2013). Boardroom diversity and its effect on social performance: Conceptualization and empirical evidence. Journal of Business Ethics, 112(3), 463–479.

6. Prudêncio, P., Forte, H., Crisóstomo, V., & Vasconcelos, A. (2021). Effect of diversity in the board of directors and top management team on corporate social responsibility. BBR. Brazilian Business Review, 18, 118–139.

7. De Villiers, C., & Alexander, D. (2014). The institutionalisation of corporate social responsibility reporting. The British Accounting Review, 46(2), 198–212.

8. Nguyen, T. H., Nguyen, Q. T., Nguyen, D. M., & Le, T. (2023). The effect of corporate governance elements on corporate social responsibility reporting of listed companies in Vietnam. Cogent Business & Management, 10(1), 2170522.

9. Pareek, R., & Sahu, T. N. (2021). How far the ownership structure is relevant for CSR performance? An empirical investigation. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society.

10. Bowen, H. R. (2013). Social responsibilities of the businessman. University of Iowa Press.

11. Matten, D., & Moon, J. (2008). “Implicit” and “explicit” CSR: A conceptual framework for a comparative understanding of corporate social responsibility. Academy of Management Review, 33(2), 404–424.

12. Dahlsrud, A. (2008). How corporate social responsibility is defined: An analysis of 37 definitions. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 15(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.132

13. Carroll, A. B. (1991). The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: Toward the moral management of organizational stakeholders. Business Horizons, 34(4), 39–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/0007-6813(91)90005-G

14. Elmagrhi, M. H., Ntim, C. G., Malagila, J., Fosu, S., & Tunyi, A. A. (2018). Trustee board diversity, governance mechanisms, capital structure and performance in UK charities. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 18(3), 478–508.

15. Freeman, R. E., & Reed, D. L. (1983). Stockholders and stakeholders: A new perspective on corporate governance. California Management Review, 25(3), 88–106.

16. Hillman, A. J., Withers, M. C., & Collins, B. J. (2009). Resource dependence theory: A review. Journal of Management, 35(6), 1404–1427.

17. Patten, D. M. (1991). Exposure, legitimacy, and social disclosure. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 10(4), 297–308. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/0278-4254(91)90003-3

18. Shahab, Y., & Ye, C. (2018). Corporate social responsibility disclosure and corporate governance: Empirical insights on neo-institutional framework from China. International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, 15(2), 87–103.

19. Liu, C. (2018). Are women greener? Corporate gender diversity and environmental violations. Journal of Corporate Finance, 52, 118–142.

20. Ouni, Z., Ben Mansour, J., & Arfaoui, S. (2020). Board/Executive gender diversity and firm financial performance in Canada: The mediating role of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) orientation. Sustainability, 12(20), 8386.

21. Harjoto, M. A., & Jo, H. (2011). Corporate governance and CSR nexus. Journal of Business Ethics, 100(1), 45–67.

22. Kabir, R., & Thai, H. M. (2017). Does corporate governance shape the relationship between corporate social responsibility and financial performance? Pacific Accounting Review, 29(2), 227–258.

23. Ashraf, Y., & Nazir, M. S. (2023). Corporate sustainability and environmental reporting: triggers and consequences. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 30(26), 68743–68769.

24. Hamad, H. A., & Cek, K. (2023). The moderating effects of corporate social responsibility on corporate financial performance: Evidence from OECD countries. Sustainability, 15(11), 8901.

25. Pareek, R., Sahu, T. N., & Gupta, A. (2023). Gender diversity and corporate sustainability performance: empirical evidence from India. Vilakshan-XIMB Journal of Management, 20(1), 140–153.

26. Padungsaksawasdi, C., & Treepongkaruna, S. (2024). Corporate social responsibility, board characteristics, and family business in Thailand. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 31(2), 1340–1353.

27. Fernando, G. D., Jain, S. S., & Tripathy, A. (2020). This cloud has a silver lining: Gender diversity, managerial ability, and firm performance. Journal of Business Research, 117, 484–496.

28. Ali, M., Grabarski, M. K., Ahmed, S., & Imtiaz, N. (2023). Does leadership gender diversity drive corporate social responsibility and organizational outcomes? The role of organization size. Australian Journal of Management, 03128962231160650.

29. Temiz, H., & Acar, M. (2023). Board gender diversity and corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure in different disclosure environments. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management.

30. Baker, H. K., Pandey, N., Kumar, S., & Haldar, A. (2020). A bibliometric analysis of board diversity: Current status, development, and future research directions. Journal of Business Research, 108, 232–246.

31. Harjoto, M. A., & Rossi, F. (2019). Religiosity, female directors, and corporate social responsibility for Italian listed companies. Journal of Business Research, 95, 338–346.

32. Benaguid, O., Sbai, H., Meghouar, H., & Antari, O. (2023). Board gender diversity and CSR performance: A French study. Cogent Business & Management, 10(3), 2247226.

33. Kogut, B., Colomer, J., & Belinky, M. (2014). Structural equality at the top of the corporation: Mandated quotas for women directors. Strategic Management Journal, 35(6), 891–902.

34. Husted, B. W., & de Sousa-Filho, J. M. (2019). Board structure and environmental, social, and governance disclosure in Latin America. Journal of Business Research, 102, 220–227.

35. Amran, A., Lee, S. P., & Devi, S. S. (2014). The influence of governance structure and strategic corporate social responsibility toward sustainability reporting quality. Business Strategy and the Environment, 23(4), 217–235.

36. Cook, A., & Glass, C. (2018). Women on corporate boards: Do they advance corporate social responsibility? Human Relations, 71(7), 897–924.

37. Kagzi, M., & Guha, M. (2018). Does board demographic diversity influence firm performance? Evidence from Indian-knowledge intensive firms. Benchmarking: An International Journal.

38. Umar, U. H., Jibril, A. I., & Musa, S. (2023). Board attributes and CSR expenditure before and during COVID-19. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, 21(4), 800–819.

39. Rivas, J. L., & Rubio, J. (2023). Boards and CSR: an emerging market perspective. Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administración, 36(2), 141–155.

40. Farooq, M., & Noor, A. (2023). The impact of corporate social responsibility on financial constraints: the role of insider and institutional ownership. Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting.

41. Jarboui, A., Hlima, N. D. Ben, & Bouaziz, D. (2022). Do sustainability committee characteristics affect CSR performance? Evidence from India. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 30(2), 628–652.

42. Khan, N., Abraham, O. O., Alex, A., Eluyela, D. F., & Odianonsen, I. F. (2022). Corporate governance, tax avoidance, and corporate social responsibility: Evidence of emerging market of Nigeria and frontier market of Pakistan. Cogent Economics & Finance, 10(1), 2080898.

43. Daoud, K. A. Al, & Kharabsheh, B. (2022). Board political influence and corporate social responsibility: Evidence from Jordan. Global Business and Economics Review, 26(1), 1–19.

44. Giannarakis, G., Mallidis, I., Sariannidis, N., & Konteos, G. (2023). The impact of corporate governance attributes on environmental and social performance: The case of European region excluding companies from the Eurozone. Business Strategy and the Environment, 32(6), 3489–3512.

45. Farooq, M., Noor, A., & Naeem, M. (2023). Does family ownership moderate the relationship between board characteristics and corporate social responsibility? Evidence from an emerging market. Asian Journal of Business Ethics, 12(1), 71–99.

46. Agnese, P., Battaglia, F., Busato, F., & Taddeo, S. (2023). ESG controversies and governance: Evidence from the banking industry. Finance Research Letters, 53, 103397.

47. Anyigbah, E., Kong, Y., Edziah, B. K., Ahoto, A. T., & Ahiaku, W. S. (2023). Board characteristics and corporate sustainability reporting: Evidence from Chinese listed companies. Sustainability, 15(4), 3553.

48. Nicolo, G., Zampone, G., Sannino, G., & Tiron-Tudor, A. (2023). Worldwide evidence of corporate governance influence on ESG disclosure in the utilities sector. Utilities Policy, 82, 101549.

49. Bataineh, H., Alkurdi, A., Abuhommous, A. A., & Abdel Latif, M. (2023). The role of ownership structure, board, and audit committee in corporate social responsibility disclosure: Jordanian evidence. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research.

50. Sachin, N., & Rajesh, R. (2021). An empirical study of supply chain sustainability with financial performances of Indian firms. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1–25.

51. Agarwala, N., Pareek, R., & Sahu, T. N. (2023). Does board independence influence CSR performance? A GMM-based dynamic panel data approach. Social Responsibility Journal, 19(6), 1003–1022.

52. Waddock, S. A., & Graves, S. B. (1997). The corporate social performance–financial performance link. Strategic Management Journal, 18(4), 303–319.

53. Baltagi, B. H., Bratberg, E., & Holmås, T. H. (2005). A panel data study of physicians’ labor supply: the case of Norway. Health Economics, 14(10), 1035–1045.

54. James, G., Witten, D., & Hastie, T. (2017). Tibshirani. R.(2013). An Introduction to Statistical Learning, 1.

55. Alam, Z. and Tariq, Y. Bin (2022) “Corporate social responsibility disclosure quality and firm financial performance: evidence from an emerging economy,” Global Business Review, p. 09721509221131729.

56. Arellano, M. and Bover, O. (1995) “Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models,” Journal of Econometrics, 68(1), pp. 29–51.

Downloads

Published

2026-03-27

Data Availability Statement

The data used in this study are not publicly available due to licensing agreements with Bloomberg and CMIE Prowess. Access may be granted upon reasonable request, subject to approval from the data providers.

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

The Influence of Diverse Boards on the Corporate Social Responsibility of Indian Companies. (2026). Interdisciplinary Systems for Global Management, 2(1), 70-83. https://doi.org/10.55578/isgm.2603.005