ABSTRACT

The Malaysian corporate environment has been shocked by corporate scandals and poor performance among government-related companies, such as 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Lembaga Tabung Haji (LTH), Felda Global Ventures (FGV) and Khazanah Nasional Berhad (KHAZANAH). Despite having strong corporate governance and being strengthened through Malaysia Code of Corporate Governance (MCCG), unethical practices and a lack of transparency remain a problem among Malaysian companies. The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of disclosure of ethical practices among Malaysian public listed companies. Ethical practice disclosure is measured using the modified Ethical Commitment Index (ECI) with six themes derived from the literature; notably, corporate ethical values, action to promote ethics, whistle-blowing policy, code of ethics, sustainability practices, and ethics committee. Through content analysis of the annual reports of 1,115 companies and five years’ observation (2012-2016), this study found there is a need to improve several aspects of ethical practice disclosure. The findings implied that companies supported the MCCG, with most of the companies complying with the recommendations of MCCG 2012 to uphold a high standard of ethical practice. However, supplementary practices, such as disciplinary action, programmes to support a code of ethics, whistle-blowers’ protection, and establishing an ethics committee, are still weak. The findings indicate that the level of ethical practice disclosure among Malaysian public listed companies remains low and raises concern that requires action by regulators. This paper contributes by providing insights into the disclosure of ethical practice among Malaysian public companies.

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This study investigates whether institutional investors moderate the relationship between ethical commitment and financial performance amongst Malaysian companies. Through the role of institutional investors, the external monitoring mechanism is expected to reduce the cost associated with the agency problem amongst Malaysian companies, as shown by the lack of ethical practises. Using data from 429 publicly listed companies on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia from 2012 to 2021, the results show that companies with higher ETHICS have better financial performance than companies with lower ETHICS. However, the findings on the moderating effect of institutional investors cannot be proven. By separating the sample based on pre‐MCCG 2017, institutional investors were found to have an association between ETHICS and performance, but no evidence was found during the period post‐MCCG 2017. This study adds to the perspective of agency theory in the academic literature, of which companies can create values by being committed to higher ethical practises. Results on the moderating effect of institutional investors provide perspective on external monitoring mechanisms in the Malaysian market because they are found to have a monitoring role in enhancing corporate performance. However, such a role decreases after the introduction of MCCG 2017. This study provides insights for Malaysian regulators on the necessity to keep promoting ethical practises and transparency amongst companies to achieve the goals of the National Anti‐Corruption Plan 2019–2023. The ethical practises, however, are not limited to listed companies, and regulators should also consider monitoring the institutions within the capital market.

Purpose This study aims to examine the association between environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance and cash holdings, as well as whether this association is moderated by Shariah-compliant status. The aim was to test the joint effect of two ethical precepts, namely, the ESG and Shariah-compliant status, in explaining variations in cash holdings. Design/methodology/approach A sample set that consisted of 9,244 firm-year observations from 25 countries from 2016 to 2020 was analysed using regression analysis. Firm-level data were sourced from Thomson Reuters and Refinitiv databases, while country-level data were derived from the World Bank and Hofstede Insights websites. Findings Firms with greater ESG performances were found to have higher cash holdings. The positive association between ESG performance and cash holdings was greater for Shariah-compliant firms compared to non-Shariah-compliant firms. In support of the stakeholder theory, the evidence indicated that Shariah-compliant firms with higher ESG commitments also have higher cash holdings as part of their corporate strategy. Practical implications These findings provided further comprehension to investors that ESG practices among Shariah-compliant firms are essential information during investment decision-making processes. Social implications These findings highlighted ethical corporate practices through two frameworks, namely, ESG commitment and Shariah compliance; hence, contributing towards strategies to reach the Sustainable Development Goal 16 of promoting just, peaceful and inclusive societies. Originality/value This study has focused on the motives for cash holdings by considering the ethical precepts embodying ESG and Shariah compliance to uphold the positive impact of high cash reserves.