The impact of CSR on the financing cost of Jordanian firms

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure on the firms' weighted average cost of capital (WACC) of Jordanian industrial firms listed in the Amman Stock Exchange (ASE) over the 2009-2019 period. In particular, this paper examines whether stockholders and creditors value CSR information disclosure positively when they decide to provide financing to the firm. Design/methodology/approach - To investigate the relationship between the firm's disclosure of CSR and its WACC within Jordanian industrial firms, this study used the generalized method of moments. This study first describes the variables and then the model specification. The dependent variable is the WACC, calculated as the weighted average cost of debt and the cost of equity. For the main independent variable, this study used the CSR disclosure index developed by Abu Oa'adan and Suwaidan (2019), which includes 42 items of information classified into four categories: environmental information, human resources information, community involvement information and product/services to customer information. The sample includes 42 industrial firms listed in the ASE over the period 2009-2019. Findings - This study finds find that there is no impact of total CSR disclosure on the WACC. However, firms that do not disclose enough information and engage in socially responsible activities related to the environment and the human resources are considered high risk to the market participants (i.e. creditors and equity holders) and consequently are penalized by being charged high financing costs. Furthermore, profitable firms that engage in CSR activities are seen to be highly risky. Research limitations/implications - As the period chosen for the study is considered a period of an economic slowdown in Jordan, it is highly likely that the impact of the economic slowdown increased the required return on investment by equity holders. The results of the study are consistent with the idea that managers regard CSR as philanthropy rather than as a necessary activity that leads to the sustainability of their businesses. On the other hand, it could be that investors do not give any attention to the CSR information provided by the firm, and hence, their required return is determined by other factors. Originality/value - This research contributes to the literature on CSR in the following: first, contrary to previous research that examines the impact of CSR on a firm's value or its cost of equity capital, this study will examine the effect of CSR disclosures on the company's WACC. Second, this research examines the CSR disclosure in a small market where information asymmetry is high, thus the authors suggest that their CSR disclosure is one channel through which firms can reduce this information asymmetry and improve their performance.