Diversity Drivers: How Gender Composition and Director Resource Diversity Affect Corporate Social Responsibility and Reputation.

ESG in the boardroom: evidence from the Malaysian market

“…With respect to board diversity, the results suggest that women on boards are more receptive to environmental and social causes because of their nurturing nature and personality (Bear et al, 2010a(Bear et al, , 2010b. Therefore, in performing their oversight roles, women directors are more sensitive to sustainability issues and initiatives than are their male counterparts, which results in better ESG engagement and reporting (Bear et al, 2010a(Bear et al, , 2010b.…”

“…As such, all of the various ways in which women differ from men allow them to contribute greater insights in their roles as board members. Bear et al, (2010aBear et al, ( , 2010b suggested that women on the board are also more sensitive to sustainability issues. Firms that have a greater number of women board members appear to be more charitable and philanthropic (Wang & Coffey, 1992;Williams, 2003), have a better work environment (Bernardi et al, 2006;Johnson & Greening, 1999), and support a greater number of environmental initiatives (Post et al, 2011).…”

“…Firms that have a greater number of women board members appear to be more charitable and philanthropic (Wang & Coffey, 1992;Williams, 2003), have a better work environment (Bernardi et al, 2006;Johnson & Greening, 1999), and support a greater number of environmental initiatives (Post et al, 2011). In addition, women, who are usually known for their nurturing nature, are found to be more passionate about social causes (Arayssi et al, 2016;Bear et al, 2010aBear et al, , 2010b. Bear et al, (2010aBear et al, ( , 2010b argued that women directors determine the type of ESG initiatives a company undertakes.…”

“…In addition, women, who are usually known for their nurturing nature, are found to be more passionate about social causes (Arayssi et al, 2016;Bear et al, 2010aBear et al, , 2010b. Bear et al, (2010aBear et al, ( , 2010b argued that women directors determine the type of ESG initiatives a company undertakes. This is measured by the increased number of social activities or the quality of the initiatives reported.…”

“…With respect to board diversity, the results suggest that women on boards are more receptive to environmental and social causes because of their nurturing nature and personality (Bear et al, 2010a(Bear et al, , 2010b. Therefore, in performing their oversight roles, women directors are more sensitive to sustainability issues and initiatives than are their male counterparts, which results in better ESG engagement and reporting (Bear et al, 2010a(Bear et al, , 2010b. While our findings corroborate earlier studies on the positive relations between board gender diversity and ESG disclosure and reporting (Arayssi et al, 2016;Bear et al, 2010aBear et al, , 2010b, they diverge somewhat from those reported for the Malaysian context.…”